News

Rock Co. Sheriff Not Seeking Re-Election in 2023

Editor’s note: The following press release was provided by Sheriff Troy Knudson

Rock County Sheriff Troy Knudson Will Not Seek Re-Election in 2023

As the election process for 2023 begins, I wish to convey that I will not be seeking re-election to the Office of Sheriff and I believe that it is important to make my intentions known early in the process to ensure that the community has sufficient time to thoroughly evaluate potential successors for the Office.

It has been an incredible honor and privilege to have been able to work at the Rock County Sheriff’s Office for the past thirty-three years. This has been a wonderful and meaningful career that I have truly enjoyed. The opportunity to serve as Sheriff since 2019 was certainly a highlight of that career and I cannot fully express the humble and profound appreciation that I have for the citizens of Rock County who elected me to that position.

During the past few years, we have faced some significant challenges but despite differing perspectives and philosophies, our community has responded with restraint and positivity. This has allowed the Sheriff’s Office to focus on making the necessary changes in policing and correctional strategies to best respond to these challenges. Additionally, we have been able to help other communities who needed our assistance to get through these difficult times. While the national narrative may have been negative, locally, we have felt strong community support for which I give my sincere thanks.

In addition to external challenges, we have been very busy at the Sheriff’s Office internally. We have been working hard on planning for the replacement of the 1929 Pinehurst portion of our facility and developing how the design of that new space could prepare us in the future to better meet the needs of our community. We have been shifting the focus of the jail more towards treatment and rehabilitation than it has been in the past, by increasing programming, mental health and re-entry resources for inmates. We have been focused on being transparent to our community through the implementation of a body camera program, both on patrol and in the jail. We have also overhauled our policies to ensure that they comply with current standards and conform to best practices to protect the county from liability and provide the best service that we can.

While all of these challenges and projects have been daunting, I have been incredibly proud of the response of our staff. They have combined their training and expertise with a strong drive to get the job done and they have performed admirably and accomplished a great deal. In addition to their hard work, they have been assisted by so many – the County Board and Administration, other county agencies, local law enforcement, fire and EMS, citizens, and the list goes on. Having their guidance and support has helped us to answer challenges and accomplish what we have.

I have great confidence in the team that we currently have and the generations that are coming to meet the challenges of the future. I know that the Sheriff’s Office will be left in good hands and will be successful moving forward. I still enjoy the job and have incredible appreciation for my previous and current co-workers; however, I am now looking forward to the joys and opportunities that retirement has to offer.

Thank you all for the support that you have given me through the years and I wish everyone well in the future!

Sheriff Troy Knudson

Lorrie Koppein Honored with Prestigious Hixson Award for her Dedication to Kiwanis

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club.

Lorrie Koppein, of the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club, was recently honored with the George F. Hixson Fellowship award.  Named for Kiwanis International’s first president, Hixson Fellowships are a way of recognizing those who have made extraordinary contributions to Kiwanis’ history of generosity in helping children in the community and the world.

Lorrie Koppein with Kiwanis President Patrick Taylor. Photo by Sara Marquardt.

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club President Patrick Taylor said, “Lorrie Koppein has been an essential member of the Club for many years. She served as president for two terms and has been involved in all aspects of Kiwanis’ mission.  She has chaired the Pancake Breakfast for years, and is chairing the Starin Park All Inclusive Playground Project, which will launch this summer. She also serves as President of the Whitewater Kiwanis Foundation.” 

In addition to her many years of service to the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club, Koppein is also serving as the Lieutenant Governor of Division 4 of the Kiwanis Wisconsin-Upper Michigan District.

“Lorrie has spent countless hours dedicating her life to help the children of Whitewater and beyond. Our community is very fortunate to have her caring, devoted spirit and helping hands,” said Taylor.

Hixson Fellowships are awarded to donors who give $1,000 or more to the Children’s Fund.  The Whitewater Kiwanis Club contributed in honor of Koppein.

Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club is made up of dedicated volunteers, like Koppein, who help children in the Whitewater community and the world, all with funds raised going directly to projects helping improve the lives of children in the community and the world.  Each year, the club distributes approximately $20,000, with over half going to the Whitewater Unified School District, including shoes and scholarships.  Kiwanis helped to build the Flowing Well Shelter, the shelter and upcoming accessible playground at Starin Park and Treyton’s Field of Dreams, the WHS football field lights and press box, as well as adopting a highway to clean up.  In addition, the group donates to the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club, the Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center Family Partnership Fund, the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House, Camp Wawbeek, and more.

More information can be found on the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club Facebook page. If you are interested in joining the club, helping the children and having fun at the same time, contact us!

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

Free Virtual Event: ABBA: Their Music and Their Fans, March 9 – 5:00 p.m.

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

ABBA: Their Music and Their Fans. Virtual Discussion
Wednesday, March 9, 5:00 pm, Whitewater time

Wednesday, March 9, 5:00 pm, Whitewater time
Link: https://uww.webex.com/uww/j.php?MTID=mc9f4b62592e626fff6ceea0614674d4c

Description: Join us for a fun virtual discussion about the international music sensation ABBA and their long-time appeal among fans. At 5:00 p.m., Dr. John Eason will share with us about ABBA within its cultural and sociological context as an international pop music phenomenon, as well as its iconic status within the gay community. Dr. Eason is Associate Lecturer of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Alberta where he teaches a 300-level course about ABBA titled: “Mamma Mia, (Queer) I Go Again!” After virtual discussion will be a virtual reception/party to meet the speaker, connect with friends / alumni, and have fun.

Virtual Reception/Party:
ABBA: Their Music and Their Fans.
6:30 p.m., Whitewater time
Link: https://app.wonder.me/?spaceId=c714e139-9333-444b-bd6c-4fa4813174c5

Sponsored by:
UWW Office of International Students and Scholars
UWW Office of Global Experiences
UWW PB Poorman PRIDE Center
UWW Division of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Support Programs

City & Fire Dept. Moving Closer to Merging; State Initiative Could Help Fund Emergency Medical Services

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The Whitewater Fire Department, like volunteer fire departments all around the state, is struggling with recruiting and paying for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and a newly announced state plan might be available to help cover some of the costs.

EMTs, the well-trained medical people who respond with an ambulance to medical emergencies, are in short supply and small communities like Whitewater, which have traditionally relied on paid on-call volunteer EMTs, have been experiencing serious staffing problems.

WI Governor Tony Ever’s State of the State address this week featured a plan to use $27.4 million of federal money to help cover increasing community expenses to provide emergency medical services. This comes as the City of Whitewater and the Whitewater Fire Department Inc. (WFD) are negotiating an agreement to integrate fire and EMT services as a City of Whitewater Department.

According to a February 17 press release, the Whitewater Fire Department, Inc. (WFD) “is in discussions with the City of Whitewater to become a city department in hopes to better service the city and surrounding townships.” Staffing concerns, particularly for the Rescue Squad, prompted discussions beginning in late 2021 of the possibility of a merger. On January 6 the members of WFD authorized the board of directors to move forward with efforts to become a city operation. (See the Banner report dated January 7.) This week’s press release indicates that a Memorandum of Understanding is currently being developed, with the transfer of the Rescue Squad personnel and operations expected to be the first phase. The merger “..is for the citizens,” said WFD Board of Directors President and Fire Captain Christ Christon. “We need to provide the best service we can to our community and the surrounding townships.”

According to the WI EMS Association, “In Wisconsin, we rely on nearly 800 emergency medical service providers — more than half are either operated exclusively by volunteers or through a combination of volunteers and paid staff.” Whitewater’s volunteer fire department is one of those 800 providers and has been experiencing problems in recruiting and maintaining paid on-call volunteers or even paid on-premise EMTs.

Incorporating WFD operations as a City of Whitewater function is likely to create an additional financial obligation for City of Whitewater taxpayers. The current roughly $1 million WFD operation is funded by an annual city contribution averaging roughly $250,000 along with revenue from contracts with surrounding townships and WFD fundraising activities. Earlier this year the city’s proposed borrowing plan included $700,000 (to be combined with $350,000 allocated in 2021) to go toward the replacement of a fire truck.

The Governor’s plan includes pumping $8 million into a sparsely funded and lightly used state Emergency Medical Services Funding Assistance Program in the 2023 state budget along with $12 million in “EMS One Time Flexible Grants.” The state EMS Association reports that the source of the funding in reaction to the shortage of EMTs is the American Rescue Plan Act enacted in response to the COVID pandemic.

“We are thankful and appreciative that the Governor recognized the challenges that emergency medical services are facing in Wisconsin,” said the EMS Association’s Alan Young. “This funding will help ease some of the major challenges and will help EMS departments breathe a little easier as they support our local communities across Wisconsin.”

The nonpartisan WI Policy Forum (WPF), which labeled its recent analysis of the state’s EMS situation as “IN NEED OF RESUSCITATION,” recommends short term solutions like the one-time program announced by the Governor along with carefully thought-out EMS regional service plans and “… adjustments to financial constraints on local governments.”

The WPF analysis was critical of outdated spending limits under the state “Shared Revenue” program. The long-standing program of the state distribution of sales tax and other revenues to municipalities does not recognize increasing EMS and fire expenses due to changes in the ability of volunteer fire departments like Whitewater’s to maintain basic public safety services.

The WPF analysis indicates that the portion of municipal funding dedicated to EMS services is “trending down” while costs are trending upward rapidly.

WHS Grad named to Dean’s List at Beloit College

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by Beloit College.

Cora Linos, a political science major and Spanish minor from Janesville, Wis. and a graduate of Whitewater High School, has been named to the Fall 2021 Beloit College Dean’s List. Linos is a member of the class of 2025.

Students named to the Beloit College Dean’s List have maintained a 3.4 or higher cumulative grade point average over the course of the semester.

Whitewater Kiwanis to hold Easter Lily Sale to Benefit Children

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club.

The Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club is selling Easter Lilies this year for $15 and the beautiful plants will be available for distribution after April 11 (delivery) and on April 15 (pick up at Wisconsin Dairy Supply, 440 W. Ann Street.)  Anyone interested in ordering the plants should contact Jerry Grant at 262-473-2214 or any Kiwanian. 

Easter Lily from a previous year

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club President Patrick Taylor said, “We are delighted to be able to sell Easter lilies this year, with the funds helping children in our community and the world.  We have many plants available, and for just $15 a beautiful plant could brighten your spring and the lives of children.” 

Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club is made up of dedicated volunteers who help children in the Whitewater community and the world, all with funds raised going directly to projects helping improve the lives of children in the community and the world.  Each year, the club distributes approximately $20,000, with over half going to the Whitewater Unified School District, including shoes and scholarships.  Kiwanis helped to build the Flowing Well Shelter, the shelter, upcoming accessible playground at Starin Park and Treyton’s Field of Dreams, the WHS football field lights and press box, as well as adopting a highway to clean up.  In addition, the group donates to the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club, the Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center Family Partnership Fund, the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House, Camp Wawbeek, and more.

More information can be found on the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club Facebook page. If you are interested in joining the club, helping the children and having fun at the same time, contact us!

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

The Church Basement Ladies Are Back at Young Auditorium on February 27

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by Young Auditorium at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The 20th Anniversary Tour of the Original Church Basement Ladies Production will take place at UW-Whitewater’s Young Auditorium on Sunday, February 27th at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Young Auditorium favorites ‘The Church Basement Ladies’ are back…and this time, they’re taking you back to where it all started. Join us on Sunday, February 27th for the 20th anniversary production of the original Church Basement Ladies show! Head back to the basement for this nostalgic musical comedy masterpiece.

A celebration of the church basement kitchen and the women who work there, Church Basement Ladies is a musical comedy that follows four women as they prepare food and solve the problems of a rural Minnesota church in 1964. From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, we see them handle a record-breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, an Easter fundraiser and a steaming hot July wedding. They stave off potential disasters, share and debate recipes, instruct the young and keep the pastor on course. With good, clean laughs and memorable characters, Church Basement Ladies is heavenly fun for all. You’ll laugh so hard, your side dish will hurt!

With matinee and early evening performances, tickets for The Church Basement Ladies are $34.25 apiece. Purchase tickets for all Young Auditorium season performances online at http://www.youngauditorium.com … or by connecting with the UW-Whitewater Ticket Services department. UW-Whitewater Ticket Services is located at 950 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI inside the Greenhill Center of the Arts and can be reached at (262) 472-2222. The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Young Auditorium thanks event sponsor Fairhaven.

Masks will be required for attendees of this performance. Please visit the War Hawks Are Back! website, which outlines operating practices for the UW-Whitewater campus. Modifications of these practices should be anticipated. UW-Whitewater will continue to use information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State of Wisconsin, county health departments and the University of Wisconsin System to guide the decision-making processes across campuses. – https://www.uww.edu/warhawks-are-back