News

City of Whitewater Plan & Architectural Review Commission – Monday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda
Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room,
312 West Whitewater St., Whitewater, WI 53190
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or
telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/21694566555242?p=6pWoXRcdeOAXew7VrM
Dial in by phone
+1 929-229-5663,,951041352# United States
Phone conference ID: 951 041 352#

Whitewater Unified School District Calendar Committee – Tuesday @ 4:00 p.m.
Agenda: Review 26-27 school year calendar
Whitewater Unified School District Central Office
419 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin

City of Whitewater Public Works Committee – Tuesday @ 5:15 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion and Possible Action regarding Starin Road traffic and pedestrians between
Prince Street and Prairie Street, Discussion and Possible Action regarding parking on Dann Street north of Milwaukee
Street, Discussion and Possible Action regarding stop sign control at Moraine View Parkway and Jakes Way.
Cravath Lakefront Room, 2nd floor
312 W. Whitewater St.
Whitewater, WI 53190
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please click the link below to join the meeting:
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/2129290142349?p=f7BVeDTWDqasH5fMXp
Telephone:
Meeting ID:
Passcode:
+1 929-229-5663,,384089465#
212 929 014 234 9
oV2tz2hR
Phone conference ID: 384 089 465#

City of Whitewater Comprehensive Plan Advisory Work Group – Wednesday @ 4:00 p.m.
Comprehensive Plan Advisory Work Group
Whitewater Municipal Building 2nd Floor Cravath
Lakefront Conference Room, 312 West Whitewater
St., Whitewater, WI 53190 *In Person and Virtual
Virtually
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/29991707162241?p=0E4RR9eNExxIe5jWG1
Dial in by phone
+1 929-229-5663,,665229827# United States, New York City
Phone conference ID: 665 229 827#

Whitewater Unified School District School Boad Strategic Planning Work Group – Wednesday @ 4:30 p.m.
Whitewater High School Library
534 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
No action will be taken.

City of Whitewater detectives have completed a complex Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation that involved widespread illegal activity on the dark web. During the lengthy investigation, multiple suspects were identified, with one living in the City of Whitewater. A search warrant was requested and approved for the suspect’s residence. The Whitewater Search Warrant Response Team executed the search warrant and the suspect, Cody J. Pierson, 39, was taken into custody without incident.

Whitewater detectives collected a massive amount of digital evidence in the execution of the search warrant that took weeks to fully extract and analyze. Ultimately, Whitewater detectives recovered the following digital evidence:

• 114,847 images and recordings of child pornography
• A total of 4,726 identified victims portrayed in these images and video recordings

Cody Pierson was confined in the Walworth County Jail and ultimately charged by the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office with the following:

• Possession of Child Pornography (20 counts)
• Child Sexual Exploitation – Produce, Perform, etc. (20 counts)

The Whitewater Police Department would like to thank the City of Janesville Police Department (K9 Maui and handler), Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (K9 Kingston and handler), along with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation Digital Forensic Unit for their assistance with the investigation.

It is noted that this case has not been concluded. Unless a judgment of conviction is entered, the arrestee/defendant is presumed innocent of all charges.

Editor’s note: This press release was received from the Whitewater Police Department. According to Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Pierson’s address is 1254 Satinwood Ln., Whitewater.

The Whitewater Public Library will be closed on Friday, March 13 for their annual staff in-service day. Staff will not be available via phone or email. However, online resources may be accessed 24/7/365 via the library’s website at whitewaterlibrary.org.

The library will return to normal operating hours on Saturday, March 14 at 9:00 a.m.

The Whitewater Public Library is located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater. For more information, visit whitewaterlibrary.org, email library@whitewater-wi.gov or call 262-473-0530.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Whitewater Public Library.

Remember to “spring forward” this Sunday morning. Once again in the past year there have been calls for eliminating daylight savings time. A 2025 survey by Stetson University, conducted nationally with a representative sample of 1006 U.S. adults, found that 75% supported the idea to stop changing their clocks twice a year. When asked which system they preferred, 54% favored year-round Daylight Saving Time, which would result in later sunrises and more sunlight in the evening. Another 21% supported a permanent switch to standard time, meaning earlier sunrises but less daylight in the evening. Only 18% preferred keeping the current system of changing clocks twice per year, while 7% were unsure.

For a number of years bills have been introduced in Congress that would eliminate Daylight Savings Time. In 2023 a bill that would make DST permanent passed the Senate but was not acted on in the House. There has been ongoing debate about whether it would be best to make savings time or standard time permanent. In February 2026 U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) introduced a bill with a new creative approach that calls for the time to be moved permanently by 30 minutes. As of this writing there has been no action on the bill.

Canada also observes DST, but their legislators have also debated the possibility of eliminating the practice. Some parts of their country have already discontinued changing their clocks.

The site called savestandardtime.com promotes making standard time permanent. It states, “Permanent Standard Time is the hon­est, nat­u­ral clock, set to the sun. Day­light Sav­ing Time is a false clock, designed to wake us an hour ear­lier than Stand­ard Time eve­ry day. Da­ta and his­to­ry show per­ma­nent Stand­ard Time is best for health, mood, safe­ty, ed­u­ca­tion, pro­duc­tiv­i­ty, wages, en­vi­ron­ment, and civ­il lib­er­ties. Ditch DST! Save Stand­ard Time!“

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As Daylight Savings begins, it is a perfect time to “spring ahead to safety” and tackle a few critical emergency preparedness updates for the coming spring season.

• Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: All residences are required to have both types of detectors on every level, including the basement, but not the attic or storage areas. Now is a good time to replace the batteries in your detectors and push the test buttons to be sure they’re working properly. Replace your detectors every five years.
• Emergency Go Bags: Be sure to have a basic emergency kit in your home with supplies, food and water to last you and your family for at least three days. Other items like a battery powered radio, flashlights, additional batteries, and first aid kit should also be included. For more information, please visit https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
• Emergency NOAA Weather Radio: Spring brings the threat of tornadoes. Make sure you have an emergency weather radio. It’s like having a tornado siren in your home. When it goes off, go to a safe place. Remember, the outdoor warning sirens are only intended for people to hear outdoors.
• National Weather Service Wireless Emergency Alerts: Wireless Emergency Alerts are emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. Government partners include local and state public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Weather Service. No signup is required. Alerts are sent automatically to WEA-capable phones during an emergency. For more information, please visit https://www.weather.gov/wrn/wea

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This month we will be featuring major fires in Whitewater. Most of us are aware of the famous 1970 Old Main fire, but did you know that Old Main burned in 1891? This image shows the after effect of this fire that primarily destroyed the original front portion of the building. This section was rebuilt with a new, impressive front that existed until the 1970 fire.

Today, Wisconsin announced where all 496 student Battle of the Books teams ranked in the state. Whitewater Unified had an AMAZING showing!  

The high school team, The Final Braincell, placed 6th this year out of 65 high school teams. This was the third state qualifying run for Vivian Harris, Alex Nelson, and Letty Trautman.

The Grumpy Monkeys elementary team placed 8th out of 235 elementary teams. This was the second state qualifying run for Chloe Swaney, Cecilia Harris, Ailene Straight, and Emily Wagner.

The Dawgs from the middle school placed 42nd out of 196 middle school teams. Way to go Ben Roe, Isac Lopez, Lyonel Hernandez, and Logan Dammeir.

Article and Photos Submitted by Kathy Retzke
Whitewater Unified School District Library Media Specialist
kretzke@wwusd.org

“Blue Moon”

Tuesday, March 10, 1 pm

(Biography/History/Drama) Rated R (language)

1 hour, 40 minutes (2025). 

On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator, Richard Rodgers, celebrates the opening night of his groundbreaking hit musical “Oklahoma.” Oscar nominations for best actor (Hawke) and original screenplay.

Seniors in the Park is located in Starin Park, 504 W. Starin Road. Although there is no charge to attend, regular participants are encouraged to join Seniors in the Park. The annual fee for residents of the Whitewater Unified School District is $15 and non-residents is $20. The funds support about half of the cost of our front desk staff person for 15 hours per week. The rest comes out of our fundraising monies. If you cannot afford the fee, we have a fund that will cover it for you. Fees are accepted at the Starin Park Community Building or online at https://schedulesplus.com/wwtr/kiosk/ 

March 07, 2026 @ 7:00 PM
The Young Performing Arts Center
930 W Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190

Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 2

Combined performance featuring Lake Geneva and UW-Whitewater Symphony Orchestras

The LGSO and the UW-Whitewater Symphony Orchestra join forces for one of the monuments of the symphonic literature. In addition to hearing two orchestras combine to play an incredible piece, this performance also celebrates the close relationship that the LGSO and the UW-Whitewater Department of Music have shared over the years. 

This event is general admission, $20, with the option of priority seating for an additional cost. Tickets are available online; there is a small surcharge for tickets purchased at the door. There is no charge for parking.

Whitewater Common Council Candidate Forum
Saturday, March 7, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Whitewater City Hall Council Chambers, 312 W Whitewater Street

There are three open seats on the Council with two candidates running for each seat. The candidates are:  Aldermanic District 2 (Wards 9 & 10) Gavin Kelleher and Sean Liebherr; Aldermanic District 4 (Wards 6, 7 & 8) Brian Schanen (incumbent) and Chuck Mills; and, Member at Large Aubrey Thompson and Orin Smith. All candidates have agreed to attend the forum.  

The League of Women Voters Whitewater Area sponsors candidate forums for the benefit of YOU, the voter. At the forum, you will be asked to write your questions on cards distributed by the League. Questions are reviewed by question checkers, who sort them by topic and check for redundancy, before forwarding them to the moderator. We do not accept questions targeted to specific candidates. Questions prepared by the League board will be used only if there are not enough questions provided by residents in attendance at the forum. Bring your family, friends and neighbors! Be an active participant in our democracy!

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The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit our website at https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area and like us on Facebook!

The National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Weather Forecast Office provided the following forecast update at 3 a.m. on Friday, March 6.

Bottom Line Up Front

Confidence remains high for multiple rounds of thunderstorms this morning through early Saturday morning:

Friday Morning (~ 7 AM – 12 PM) (Confidence: High)

• A widespread area of showers and storms will move into southern Wisconsin from Iowa and Illinois.
• Areas of heavy rain and some hail will be the primary threat.

Friday Afternoon (~12 PM – 5 PM) (Confidence: High)

• Storms will likely continue for much of the afternoon over southern WI as they train into the area from Illinois or redevelop over southern WI. 
• Areas of heavy rain, urban and small stream flooding, and some hail will be the primary threats. 

— Break in activity from ~5 PM to 10 PM Today —

Overnight (~10 PM Tonight – 5 AM Saturday) (Confidence: Medium)

• Widespread storms track across the area along and ahead of a cold front.
• Damaging wind and a few tornadoes will be the primary threats.

Heavy rainfall is expected with widespread accumulations between 1 and 2 inches areawide. Locally higher amounts from 2 to 3 inches may occur wherever thunderstorms repeatedly train throughout the day. Frozen ground and the rainfall will lead to:

• Standing water in ditches, as well as low-lying areas and roads
• Increased runoff and urban and small stream flooding.  

What has changed?

• Later storm timing. A significant break in activity is now expected from 5PM to 10PM today.
• Greatest threats of tornadoes and damaging winds will be late this evening into the overnight. .
• Confidence in localized flooding remains high.