News

New Technology Services Provider for Older Adults

Intergenerational Technology Services (IGeTS) at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-W) is a new provider of free technology services to individuals enrolled in IRIS, Family Care, Family Care Partnership, or PACE aged 50+ and any adults aged 60+ who reside in Walworth, Rock, Jefferson, or Waukesha County. Services, which will be offered in English and Spanish and provided by UW-W students and staff, and community volunteers, include group technology training classes, one-on-one technology support and telehealth visit support.

IGeTS will open its doors and begin service delivery on Monday, August 14, 2023. The hours of operations are Monday – Thursday from 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. IGeTS is located in UW-Whitewater’s Community Engagement Center at 1206 W. Main Street, Room 124, Whitewater, WI 53190. Free parking is available. See the website for programming information https://www.uww.edu/orsp/igets or call 262-472-1837 or email igets@uww.edu to learn more.

Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use on the homepage the image by 377053 from Pixabay.

Upcoming performance by local storyteller, Jim Winship! Jim tells a range of stories that span centuries and continents, in which dragons and other beings we think of as imaginary appear.

Jim is a social worker, retired college professor, and documentary filmmaker. As a professional storyteller, he has performed in libraries, bookstores, schools, professional conferences, and community events.

The stories will be best appreciated by adults and young people 10 and older.

The Wright House is an old brick home in Whitewater, Wisconsin, originally built by the Wright family in 1857. Sarah Beth Nelson, the current owner of the Wright House, will host the storytelling concert.

Friday, August 11, 2023 at 7 p.m. Central

Please register through Eventbrite (https://dragons.eventbrite.com). Payment information and full venue address will be emailed upon registration.

Payment is handled separately from Eventbrite. You can pay for your ticket through PayPal, Venmo, or by cash at the show. Ticket levels are below. Choose whichever level best fits your situation. Additional tips before or after the show are appreciated.

$10 Attendee
$20 Supporter
$5 Student/Senior/COVID Discount
$0 Listening with Love

All ticket and tip funds are being collected by Sarah Beth Nelson, the host of the show. 90% of the funds will go to the teller and 10% will go to the house to cover production costs.

Jim Winship: www.beechwoodtrue.com

Sarah Beth Nelson: voxfabularum.com

Editor’s note: Our thanks for the homepage image by Devon Breen from Pixabay

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the City of Whitewater Police Department.

The City of Whitewater Police Department purchased a DJI-M30T drone entirely from donated funds.

The drone was purchased in early June. The WPD drone team, consisting of seven officers trained to operate the drone, received training on July 26th, which is the same date the drone team became operational.

In the last year, Whitewater Police Department (WPD) has requested drones from outside agencies to assist in the searches of a missing at-risk adult, a missing juvenile, and an armed individual who fled on foot after crashing his vehicle during a pursuit. A drone was also requested to assist in documenting a major crime scene. Unfortunately, in each of those cases, officers lost valuable time waiting for the drone to arrive from outside Whitewater.

On the first day, the WPD drone team was operational, the drone was deployed to assist officers in the search for a male who fled on foot from a domestic abuse incident. “This is a major advancement in our department’s technical capabilities related to search and rescue operations and criminal investigation. This cutting-edge technology will make our officers and our community safer. We truly appreciate all the individuals and businesses who helped make this a reality by donating to the WPD crime prevention fund,” stated Chief Dan Meyer.

Having new equipment such as drones has already made a significant impact on the safety of the city and the efficiency of the organization. Without these donations, this equipment would not have been purchased. Thank you to all who have donated and assisted in these efforts.

The Whitewater Banner has always been a volunteer effort, and while our small volunteer team really enjoys what we do, we could use a little more help. Could one of the following roles be of interest to you? You’d need to have access to the Internet/email, but advanced technical skills aren’t required.

• Content editor: Format material such as press releases into our WordPress software. Much of the time it’s copy/paste of text plus deciding what will work as an image.
• Ad rep: Respond to inquiries about advertising. Actively seeking new advertisers would also be appreciated. Insert ads into our software and manage their ongoing placement.
• School Board reporter:  Watch School Board meetings either in person or virtually and report objectively on information presented and decisions made. It isn’t necessary to watch the entire meeting, or even every meeting, depending upon what’s on the agenda.
• Common Council reporter: Watch Common Council meetings either in person or virtually and report objectively on information presented and decisions made. It isn’t necessary to watch the entire meeting, or even every meeting, depending upon what’s on the agenda.
• Feature writer:  This individual could have quite a bit of freedom in discovering subjects that would be of interest to our readers, doing research/interviews, and writing articles. Our policy does not allow for covering political matters, other than elections, and we generally avoid controversial issues.

If you have a potential interest in any of these areas, please email us at whitewaterbanner@gmail.com.

Steve Watson writes, “Osprey photos taken over a couple days. The bald eagles are scarce at this time, but I see ospreys quite often. Upper and lower ponds.”

Our thanks to prolific nature photographer Steve Watson for sharing more of his work.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage.  Thanks for thinking about this!

City of Whitewater Equal Opportunities Commission – Monday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/510303125
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 510-303-125
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://meet.goto.com/install

City of Whitewater Public Works Committee – Tuesday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Installation Of “No Stopping, Standing Or Parking” Areas Along The East Side Of Elizabeth Street Across From Laurel And Court Streets, Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Sidewalk Replacement Program, Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Amending Municipal Code, Chapter
11.16.040 – Forty-Eight Hour On Street Parking Limit, and Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Amending Municipal Code, Chapter
19.51.180 – Truck, Trailer, Mobile Home And Equipment Parking Restrictions.
Cravath Conference Room
Municipal Building – 2 Floor
312 W. Whitewater St

Editor’s note: The below press release was received from State Representative Ellen Schutt.

County Land Conservation Committee Membership Bill Signed into Law

State law will now guarantee that farmers are represented on county land
conservation committees following the August 4 signing of a bill authored by Representative Ellen Schutt (R-Clinton).

“Farmers are our land’s greatest stewards,” said Schutt. “It was essential to ensure Wisconsin farmers have a seat at the table when important policy decisions relating to water and land conservation and use are being decided.”

In November 2021, a USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) attorney made a determination that FSA county commission members in Wisconsin cannot represent the FSA in any official capacity in any “outside groups,” including the county land conservation committee. This bill removes the
FSA requirement and instead, allows a county board to appoint any person who is engaged in an agricultural use.

“As a person that grew up on a farm, and continues to be involved in agriculture related activities, and as a representative of a largely rural district, I understood the need for eliminating this uncertainty, and allowing for real representation from the agriculture community.”

This is Representative Schutt’s first bill to be signed into law since taking office in January.

Landmark Trek, sponsored by the City of Whitewater’s Landmark Commission has finished its third episode, focusing on the Whitewater Passenger Depot. Now they also have started a major collaboration in producing the series with the Whitewater TV Access Station. James Olm, the host, writer of the series, and Landmark Commission member noted, “The people of the Whitewater region will notice a more polished, well-edited, and faster paced show this time around. Zach Popke does a fantastic job with the television camera work and editing to really give this series a new look and feel.” Episode Three on the Whitewater Depot is only Part 1 of a two-part series. “There’s so much train and depot history, that I felt this landmark deserved two episodes. This episode will cover why the train-line was built through Whitewater, and the next will be on the depot from the ending of the train era to the present, including an interview with local historian, Carol Cartwright.” You’ll be able to access the series on this YouTube address, or on the Whitewater Public Access station, Spectrum Channel 990, when functional.