News

Organizing Your Life with School Age Children and Teaching Them to Organize Theirs

Wednesday, August 18th at 6:00 p.m.
Attend this program in-person at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library.
Or register at whitewaterlibrary.org to attend virtually.

This presentation is a perfect mix of some basic oganizational tips for people to apply at home and important information to share with kids so that they can more easily organize the information received at school. We look at what it means for a child to be responsible. Then we explore specific organizational tools that can be applied at home by the adults and serve as a powerful example to the kids. Next, discussion turns to practical examples of what the kids can do to learn to be responsible and organized. Finally, we look at how to maintain the new habits or organization.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by UW – La Crosse.

The following area students completed degree requirements at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in May.        UW-La Crosse, founded in 1909, is one of the 13 institutions in the University of Wisconsin System. UWL has more than 10,500 full and part-time students enrolled in 101 undergraduate, 28 graduate and two doctoral academic programs.       UW-La Crosse – www.uwlax.edu – is the state’s top-ranked public or private higher education institution by U.S. News & World Reports for master’s degree institutions and has been ranked among the top Midwestern public institutions for more than a decade. UW-La Crosse remains one of only two Wisconsin colleges to consistently make Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s list of the top 100 best values nationwide in public colleges.      

Students earning degrees in May included: HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, DEGREE, MAJOR(S), HONORS (if listed)

Whitewater, WI

 Thomas McManaway, Bachelor of Science, Recreation Management Major: Generalist Emphasis, Highest Honors
 Jacob Riemer, Bachelor of Science, Public Health and Community Health Education Major

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the WI Dept. of Financial Institutions.

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) cautions Wisconsin investors about the risks associated with interest-bearing cryptoasset and cryptocurrency accounts.

A growing number of companies offer so-called “deposit” account products that promise to pay high rates of interest on deposits of cryptocurrencies. When an investor makes a deposit, they typically exchange their cryptocurrency for a promise by the issuing company or the borrower for a return of the same amount of cryptocurrency plus interest whenever the investor requests a withdrawal of the invested funds or at the end of a fixed term.

“Investors should be cautious and skeptical of investment offers that sound “too good to be true” or that offer guaranteed high returns with little risk. All investments carry the risk that some or all of the invested funds could be lost. High interest rates could often indicate high risks,” said DFI Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld. 

Cryptocurrency accounts may appear to be similar to savings accounts offered by banks and credit unions, except these interest-bearing accounts are generally much riskier. Deposits made by investors are only denominated in cryptocurrency. Neither the FDIC nor any other governmental agency insure deposits in cryptocurrency interest-bearing accounts.

The companies that offer these products do not have access to the liquidity facilities that exist in the regulated banking system to protect depositors. The high rates offered by these companies have caused retail investors to consider investing in these accounts.

As with all investments, before making any financial decisions, DFI encourages investors to do their homework, ask questions, and contact DFI’s Division of Securities at (608) 266-2139 or email DFISecurities@dfi.wisconsin.gov for more information.

The image on the homepage, “Crypto Currency Rollercoaster” by mikemacmarketing is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

On Tuesday, August 17th from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Health & Human Services in Elkhorn, Julie Juranek, Elder Benefit Specialist, will be putting on a presentation called Boost Your Budget. It is geared to those living on a fixed income.  Join Julie as she discusses the many, many programs are available to consumers on rent, food, utilities, medications, Broadband, etc. Please RSVP by emailing jjuranek@co.walworth.wi.us or calling 262-741-3366. (Banner note: RSVPs were requested by August 9; however, the Banner was told that reservations may still be accepted. It is suggested that you respond soon if interested.) See attached flyer for more details.

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

Masks will continue to be optional in Whitewater Unified School District (WWUSD) facilities for the foreseeable future but the most recent summer session policy restrictions on the use of lunchrooms and parent visitations will be softened. Mask requirements for students, staff and drivers on system buses and vans will remain intact in order to comply with federal requirements. WWUSD District Superintendent Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty recommended continuation of the “Mask Optional Policy,” and the board concurred, given the absence of a motion to the contrary at its August 9 meeting.

As one board member put it, “If things change, we will have to revisit the policy and the School Board is prepared to do so.”

School Board members recognized the written comments on the policy by nearly two dozen parents, staff and citizens. Dr. Pate-Hefty told school board members that of the direct contacts that she has had on the issue slightly more than half support the optional mask option with the remainder in opposition.

Dr. Pate-Hefty advised School Board members that as of August 9 a survey of area school districts indicated that 17 of 18 districts (including Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, Milton, Edgerton and Janesville) were using the “Face Coverings Optional” approach for the 2021-2022 school year.

The official WWUSD policy that will be in effect for the time being is: “Mask Wearing will be a personal decision. We support family and personal choice to wear or not wear masks. We will not tolerate bullying/harassment surrounding this choice. We will be teaching this consideration in our school community and appreciate your support at home. This is how we will build a community of acceptance.”

Individual mask requirement options are available to address “Medically Fragile Situations” according to Dr. Pate-Hefty. “Individual teams will work directly with parents and medical teams to (develop a) plan” according to provided materials.

The “Mask Optional Policy” or “No Mask Mandate – Local Flexibility” approach has been the choice selected by 48% of states issuing mask mandate policies according to Pate-Hefty with “Mask Required” the policy in 26.3% of states and “Mask Mandate Banned” in 25.1% of states with established policies.

In other business, the board voted to reopen its meetings to in-person attendance by the public beginning with the August 23 meeting, while still offering participation via Zoom. Meetings will continue to be held at the high school library for the near term, and a capacity limit will be established.

A video of the meeting, including Dr. Pate-Hefty’s presentation to the school board, is available at https://vimeo.com/585571803.

The following information was provided by Walworth County.

Based on recently updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Walworth County is now asking all employees and members of the public who are conducting business in County-owned facilities to wear face masks regardless of vaccination status when in public spaces or in contact with others. This change becomes effective August 9, 2021.

On July 27, 2021, the CDC updated its COVID-19 guidance related to fully vaccinated people, adding a recommendation for those who are fully vaccinated to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. This recommendation is supported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services (WCDHHS).

Walworth County is listed as an area of high transmission by the CDC, with 120 positive cases of COVID-19 between Aug. 1 and 7. Per the CDC, the threshold for high transmission is 100 cumulative cases per 100,000 people.

“The County has been closely monitoring local disease activity in order to make informed decisions on mask recommendations for public, indoor settings,” says County Administrator Mark Luberda. “We will continue to refer to CDC classifications of community transmission as the primary reference for our decision making.” He further notes that ignoring the CDC guidance, “would put our county operations at risk from negative impacts.”

The CDC’s revised guidance is in response to new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (delta) variant of the COVID-19 virus. The delta variant is more contagious than past versions of the virus currently circulating in the United States. Statewide, the delta variant accounts for 78% of the total variants sequenced during July, and during the last few weeks has risen to account for 88% of variants detected in sequenced samples.

“The best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community from COVID-19 and the delta variant is to get vaccinated,” says Walworth County Public Health Officer Erica Bergstrom. “Increasing our vaccination coverage will help reduce the spread of the virus. We have plenty of vaccine supply in Walworth County, and we encourage all employees and members of the public who are eligible to get vaccinated.”

There are a few exceptions to Walworth County’s internal mask policy, including Walworth County Jail, Judicial Center, Lakeland Health Care Center, and Lakeland School. These departments may elect to maintain their own departmental mask and social distancing requirements as prescribed by their department heads, oversight boards, committees, and state oversight departments and agencies. Visitors to these facilities will need to adhere to these individual department policies.

Reasonable efforts will be made to maintain physical distancing during public meetings occurring under the requirements of the open meetings law. Participants and observers of public meetings subject to the open meetings law are asked to wear a mask during the open public meeting, regardless of their vaccination status. Overflow space can be made available to help participants achieve their desired physical spacing. Remote participation by employees and visitors can also be made available.

For local public health guidance and COVID-19 vaccine information, follow Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services on Facebook or visit https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/304/Health-Human-Services.

Banner note: Rock County, at 115 cases per 100,000 is also considered to be an area of high transmission. Jefferson County, at 97, is barely in the substantial (rather than high) area of transmission.

Editor’s note, August 18: Mr. Osterbrink on this date sent an additional letter to the Banner, requesting clarification on the August 9 post on a few matters. This letter is posted below. Our use of the term “unsafe crossing” was in reference to the action of the father, not in reference to any issue with the railroad crossing itself. The Banner apologizes for misstating Patrick’s status as a retired railroad employee rather than “former.”

To the Editor, Whitewater Banner,

After reading the letter which I had sent you regarding railroad safety in the community, I needed to get back to you in regard to the title which was given to my post as it was printed in last week’s Banner so as to clarify the intent of my writing this letter in the first place.

The title of the post stated that I was concerned about an “unsafe crossing” in the vicinity of the City Market. This is not correct. What I was concerned about was the behavior of an individual which I had observed at this crossing in crossing the tracks with his small son in front of the train as it was approaching.

I want to make it very clear that I was NOT complaining about the crossing being unsafe as this is not the case. The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad does an excellent job of maintaining all of their crossings both here in Whitewater and across their entire system, in strict accordance with Federal Railroad Administration and Wisconsin Department of Transportation standards and the is absolutely NOTHING unsafe about this crossing.

Also, I wanted to clarify that this had nothing to do with the City Market or anything associated with it. Once again, it was the actions of one individual that was the issue. There had been some railroad safety concerns in the past there, but I want to say right now that the Market staff has been very good at working with me on these issues and together we have made it a safer and more enjoyable Market experience for everyone.

As I was saying, what happened here could have happened at any crossing, not just this one specific one and it could have happened on any day of the week besides Tuesday. It was just very unfortunate that it did happen there on Market day. It’s unfortunate that it happens anywhere at all.

In fact, to put it bluntly, this scenario is very unfortunately one that is played out at many railroad crossings both nation and world wide. I could show countless videos of the same thing happening in many different places besides Whitewater, WI.

Unfortunately, what it is boils down to is bad individual choices made by individual people and we can put all the safety protocols into place and do our best to educate the public but ultimately, if people choose not to follow those protocols/guidelines then in the end, the responsibility falls onto these individuals’ shoulders for the outcome of their choices.

I hope that this will serve to clarify the meaning of last week’s post and as I also said last week serve to educate the public so as to hopefully prevent and eliminate injuries/fatalities at railroad crossings and on/around railroad tracks in general.

Also, for the record, I am a former railroad employee, not a retired one.

Sincerely,

Patrick Osterbrink

*****************************************************************************************************************

The following was posted on August 9, 2021:

Editor’s note: Patrick Osterbrink, a retired railroad employee, frequently volunteers at the City Market to promote railroad safety on behalf of Wisconsin Operation Lifesaver. The Banner does not make a practice of publishing letters to the editor, but is making an exception in the interest of public safety.

Editor, Whitewater Banner,

This letter is addressed to the father whom I observed Tuesday evening at the Whitewater City Market, scurrying his small son across the railroad tracks at the South Fremont Street crossing, directly in front of an oncoming train. A train that it was obvious to see was moving at a goodly rate of speed, too quickly to stop should his man or his son slip and fall or somehow manage to get themselves stuck on the crossing, say the little boy’s small foot might get caught in one of the flangeways on the crossing. Or perhaps the little fellow would see the oncoming train and freeze in terror and would not move off the crossing.

Whatever the circumstance that would cause this father and son to become trapped on the crossing, the result would still be the same – tragedy. Useless and senseless tragedy that didn’t have to happen if they had remained in the safe place, clear of the tracks. 

Sure, they might have had a short wait but hey, it could have been an enjoyable experience with the little boy seeing the great big train going by and getting a nice big wave from the engineer and conductor up in the locomotive cab, counting the cars of the train as they go by and waving goodbye to the rear of the train after it has passed them and is moving away from them down the track, at which point it would be safe to cross, rather than playing Russian Roulette the way this father did, gambling not only his own life but that of his son as well and that’s the sad part. And that’s exactly what you were doing, sir, and if you continue to play this game, I assure that someday your number WILL come up.

And think of the poor train crew members up in the locomotive cab who would have to deal with this and not just them but their families as well. Knowing that it wasn’t their fault wouldn’t make it any easier in coping with the fact that the train they were operating killed or seriously injured someone. This is a very real scenario which railroad train and engine service employees do deal with throughout the industry and it does have a real effect on these people and their loved ones.

Some quick facts: Trains can’t stop quickly or swerve. The average freight train is about 1 to 1¼ miles in length (90 to 120 rail cars). When it’s moving at 55 miles an hour, it can take a mile or more to stop after the locomotive engineer fully applies the emergency brake. An 8-car passenger train moving at 80 miles an hour needs about a mile to stop.

Are those odds that you’re willing to gamble your life against like you did with yours…..and your son’s on Tuesday evening? After reading this, I hope not.

For more information on the subject of railroad safety, I would encourage everyone reading this to visit the Wisconsin Operation Lifesaver webpage at https://community.oli.org/state/wi#about. Operation Lifesaver is a nationwide group dedicated to reducing collisions, fatalities, and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way.

Please, sir, for the sake of you and your child, I do urge you to visit the website and go over it. There are many family/children friendly activities there to make it easy for your child to understand about railroad safety. 

And that goes for everyone else reading this as well. Please take the time to visit the site and learn. You live in a community with an active rail line and should be made aware of the unique safety issues presented with that. The life that you save could be yours or a family member’s. PLEASE take the time to stop, look, listen and LIVE around railroad tracks.

Sincerely,
Patrick Osterbrink
Wisconsin Operation Lifesaver Volunteer

The image on the homepage, “Railroad Crossing Safety Posters” by MTAPhotos, is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the Young Auditorium.

Due to recent scheduling complications related to ongoing theatre construction, Young
Auditorium has postponed the upcoming Member Presale and General Public On-Sale dates. Originally
scheduled to start the first week of August, Young Auditorium’s Member Presale is now tentatively scheduled
to begin on Tuesday, September 7th, with the General Public On-Sale tentatively marked for Thursday,
September 23rd
.
We apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause. As an organization, Young Auditorium aims to
provide the best possible service, all the way from our customers’ initial ticket purchase through their
attendance at our events. Moving these presale and on-sale dates will help us to serve our patrons by allowing
us to re-assess important details related to construction and event ticketing. Making any necessary schedule
updates prior to placing tickets on sale means no complicated refunds or exchanges…simply an adjusted ticket
purchasing timeline.

Young Auditorium will be reaching out to our current members with more details. General audiences can
expect additional information as the tentative ticket sales dates draw closer. For the latest on presale dates,
on-sale dates, event lineups, ticket prices and more…please visit www.youngauditorium.com

The Congregational UCC, 133 S. Franklin Street, Whitewater, will continue hosting the free Monday night carry-out spaghetti meals until December 27th, 2021, excluding the remaining Monday holiday, Labor Day, September 6th.  For more information, contact Patty Harmon at the First English Lutheran Church office, (262) 473-5076 or Margie Hammerl at the Congregational UCC, (262) 473-4101.

La congregación UCC ubicada en 133 S. Calle Franklin, en Whitewater continuará ofreciendo cenas de espagueti para llevar todos los lunes hasta el 27 de Diciembre del 2021, con excepto el lunes feriado, Día del Trabajo, 6 de Septiembre. Para más información contacte a Patty Harmon en la oficina de la Iglesia Luterana (262) 473-5076 ó a Margie Hammerl en la Congregación UCC (262) 473-4101.

The image on the homepage, “Spaghetti and Meatballs” by su-lin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.