News

Whitewater Unified School District Operating Referendum Workshop – Monday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda (Click on “meetings” in upper right corner)
Whitewater Middle School Library
401 S. Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin

Whitewater Unified School District School Board – Monday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda (Click on “meetings” in upper right corner) includes City of Whitewater Community Survey; includes Strategic Planning Update; Capital Referendum Update; Aquatics Center Update; Continuation of a potential 26-27 Operating Refererendum
 Video
Whitewater Middle School Library
401 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin

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6:00 p.m. via Zoom Online
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82384085694?pwd=7IjKJFCjiCFcrRC3wYcb6asyuCdhYG.1
– Passcode: 444545
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– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 823 8408 5694
– Passcode: 444545

City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Board – Food Pantry Subcommittee – Tuesday @ 12:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion on Food Pantry Lease Options
Armory Basement Summer Camp Room, 146 North Street, 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/299344842279072?p=Aabn4prOTbf87OXoxN

City of Whitewater Finance Committee Meeting – Tuesday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Funding and Consultant Selection for a
Comprehensive Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center Facility Assessment; Discussion on Treatment of Tax Increment District Net New Construction; Discussion and review of Library budget projections and future funding
Cravath Lakefront room 2nd floor 312 West
Whitewater Str, 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.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/221944615880220?p=RMtizQsp0acs5953ho
Meeting ID: 221 944 615 880 220
Passcode: Hv7qh9iE
Dial in by phone
+1 929-229-5663,,144125732# United States
Phone conference ID: 144 125 732#

Aquatic Center Committee – Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion and possible recommendation on Engineering Audit proposal award; Committee Feedback and Future Facility Considerations
Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center, Large Meeting Room
580 S. Elizabeth St. Whitewater, WI
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 – 5:30 PM
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/264448819489147?p=CtyOQkj7kxm4vLGkWC

City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Board Meeting – Wednesday @ 5:30 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion and Possible Action on approving Digital Community Sign Policy.
Cravath Lakefront room 2nd floor 312 West Whitewater Str, 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/219932041318495?p=OK6ena6dtpFSlCxtSl

Carol McCormick writes “Always nice to see the rainbow before the next round of rain over Trippe Lake. This was 8:20 on Wednesday night, June 17.”

Our thanks to Carol McCormick for sharing another beautiful Trippe Lake view.

TIFFIN, Ohio – Ty Poorman of Whitewater, Wisconsin, is a member of the graduating Class of 2026 at Heidelberg University, graduating on May 9 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Management.

A total of 196 undergraduate students received bachelor’s degrees, and 82 graduate students received degrees in counseling, business administration and athletic training.

Graduating senior Abigail Stine, who received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, was selected to represent her classmates in delivering the student Commencement speech. Haylie Sewell, who received her MBA, represented graduate students. The class also heard from Alison Marker, President and CEO of Marker, Inc., who delivered the keynote address titled “Stay Human.” 

About Heidelberg University

Heidelberg University, located in Tiffin, Ohio, is a welcoming, student-centered university of Opportunity Makers. At our core, we prepare our students to be global citizens who think critically, communicate effectively and serve thoughtfully. Our curriculum offers 32 majors, 30 minors and 10 pre-professional programs, integrating liberal arts and professional preparation. Heidelberg awards the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Music degrees, and master’s degrees in Counseling, Business Administration and Athletic Training. Undergrads gravitate toward studies in Education, Natural Sciences, Pre-Professional Health, Business and Music. In 2025, Heidelberg celebrated the 175th anniversary of its founding in 1850. Visit heidelberg.edu to learn more.

The 4th Annual Pride Paint Night was held on April 24, 2026 at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center – Photos courtesy of Tom Ganser

UW-La Crosse announces spring 2026 Dean’s List

The following area students have been named to the Dean’s List at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for the spring semester of the 2025-26 academic year, ending in May.

Qualification for the Dean’s List is limited to students who have attained outstanding academic achievement. To be eligible, students must have earned at least a 3.5 semester grade point average and carried a minimum of 12 credits. 

UW-La Crosse, founded in 1909, is one of 13 four-year institutions comprising the Universities of Wisconsin. UWL offers 130-plus degree programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels in the arts, social sciences and humanities; science and health; business; and education. UW-La Crosse – www.uwlax.edu – is a top-ranked regional university. It is the No. 1 public regional university in the tri-state area of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois – according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Colleges ranking. 

Students on the Dean’s List from this area include:

Whitewater, WI

 Ethan Dugan, International Business Major
 Caroline Skindingsrude, Elementary/Middle Education Major
 Sami Van Daele, Statistics Major
 Trista Yackels, Exercise and Sport Science Major: Exercise Science – Pre-professional Track

The Hidden Command Center
by Neal K. Shah, MD

Last week I was talking with a daughter caring for her father with dementia, and she said something that stayed with me. “I don’t think people understand what I actually do. They see the visits, but they don’t see the command center.”

I had never heard it described that way before, but immediately I knew what she meant, having been there myself. On the outside, caregiving often looks like a series of tasks: driving to a doctor’s appointment, picking up medication, making dinner, sitting together, helping with a shower, or making sure someone gets to bed safely.

But underneath all of that, is something much larger. The doctor’s appointment that has to be scheduled around work. The medication refill that has to be requested before the weekend. The insurance form that no one understands needs to be filled out. The sibling text thread that has to be managed delicately. The refrigerator has to be checked. The behavior change that may or may not mean a urinary tract infection. The care aide who canceled. The bill that looks suspicious. The parent who insists everything is fine, when everyone can see it is not.

I think this is the hidden command center of caregiving. Most people underestimate caregiving because they only count the visible tasks, but not the constant mental inventory that’s running in the background. They do not count the worrying, the anticipating, the double-checking, the emotional translation, or the quiet responsibility of being the person who notices when something has changed.

In my work helping thousands of families caring for aging parents and loved ones with dementia, I have come to believe this is one of the most misunderstood parts of care. The hardest part is often not any single task, errand or appointment, but in becoming the person who holds the entire picture in your head.

Every family has someone doing this work. Sometimes it is a daughter. Sometimes it is a spouse. Sometimes it is the sibling who lives closest. Sometimes it is the one who simply is the most responsible, so the responsibility keeps finding them.

I think America does not have a caregiving crisis because families do not care enough. We have a caregiving crisis because we built a society that assumes someone is quietly running the hidden command center for free.

Neal K. Shah, MD, is a healthcare researcher and CEO of CareYaya Health Technologies.  

For more info  https://www.caringinfo.org/planning/caregiving/caregiver-duties-and-activities/

This article is submitted by Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park to help educate the community about dementia and to support patients and their care partners.  New committee members are very welcome!  Call Jennifer to volunteer

262 473 0535     jjackson@whitewater-wi.gov

https://www.wwparks.org/seniors

Whitewater Public Library’s annual Summer Reading Program is in full swing! Bookworms and
aspiring bookworms of every age are invited to read books, win prizes, and attend fun, FREE
events. Here is next week’s lineup for children and teens:

Wildlife in Need
Monday, June 22nd
4:00-5:00 PM  
All Ages
Visit your local library this summer to learn about how the Wildlife in Need Center works to
rehabilitate local Wisconsin wildlife!  You’ll have the chance to meet one of WINC’s “Animal
Ambassadors” –from our gray tree frog “Fergus,” to our striped skunk “Chase!”

Artist Trading Cards
Tuesday, June 23rd
3:00-4:30 PM
Ages 12-18
Registration preferred
Create miniature works of art with the medium of your choice and then trade them with other
artists!

Wednesday, June 24th
9:30 AM 
Storytime
Ages 0-5
Stories, songs, and general silliness with Miss Deana! No registration required.

Thursday, June 25th 
3:30-4:30 PM
Dino-Rama
Ages 6-11
Registration preferred
Come make dino dioramas at the library!

If you have any questions, please contact Deana Rolfsmeyer at (262) 458-2788 or
drolfsmeyer@whitewater-wi.gov

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.

In honor of Father’s Day on Sunday, we present the image of a man who could be called the “father of the UW-Whitewater.” It is Judge Samuel A. White, a man who was appointed to the state’s Normal School Board of Regents in 1865 and spearheaded the drive to get a state normal school located in Whitewater, a task that was successful in 1868. That normal school eventually became the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

White was also the father of Mary Flavia White, who donated much of the money for building of the first substantial public library in Whitewater, the White Memorial Library, now known as the White Building housing the Whitewater Arts Alliance and the Chamber of Commerce. We wish all fathers a wonderful Father’s Day!

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

(2582P, Whitewater Historical Society)

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The following local student is named a Class of 2026 graduate from St. Olaf College. To graduate, students must have completed the equivalent of 35 credits through a combination of full-credit and fractional-credit courses.

St. Olaf develops individuals of action and substance who will shape the world. We aim to help students discover their strengths, explore their passions, and launch their futures. St. Olaf is a residential liberal arts institution with an enrollment of more than 3,000 students offering over 85 undergraduate majors, concentrations, and pre-professional tracks. We offer more than 5,000 experiential learning opportunities each year for students to test out opportunities and learn new skills to be prepared for life after graduation. Ninety-five percent of recent graduates are employed, in graduate school, or engaged in full-time service work. St. Olaf is committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of every student with 99 percent of students receiving scholarships or grants. Visit stolaf.edu.

Whitewater, WI

 Olive Coburn, Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies

Community members are invited to join master gardener Ruth Flescher for an overview of pollinators and how to adapt your garden to support them.

This event will be held in Meeting Room 2 of Whitewater Public Library at 431 W. Center St. in Whitewater on Thursday, June 25 from 5:30 – 7:00 PM.

This program is intended for adults, but teens are welcome. Registration is preferred. Visit whitewaterlibrary.org/events to register in advance. You may also email hswanson@whitewater-wi.gov or call 262-473-0113 to register, or with any questions. 

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