News

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Construction is underway at the roundabout on the east side of town for a building that will house a Dollar General store. The property is across Bluff Road from the Kwik Trip. Since the property was purchased from the city last year, the Common Council was able to have input towards the goal of more desirable design specifications than are found in many of the stores. When the Plan and Architectural Review Commission reviewed the site plan, the planning consultant, Sonja Kruesel of Vandewalle & Associates, mentioned that, “the building materials and architectural presentation of this development exceeds that of many Dollar General stores. The proposed structure includes lap siding and gabled roofs, false dormers, masonry, cupola, glass windows and a vented soffit atop the roof among other features.”

Neighborhood Services Director Chris Bennett indicates that construction is expected to be complete by January 31, 2023.

Winther Counseling Services (WCS)

Free, Confidential, & Open to the Public

(262) 472-2842 | counselinglab@uww.edu | Winther Hall 3004, 230 N. Prairie St, Whitewater, WI 53190

Our Mission: Learning & Serving….supervised counselors-in-training providing counseling and outreach services to the campus and community. 

Winther Counseling Services is located in Winther Hall (3004) at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Parking is available in Lot 13 (Winther Lab Guests).

Winther Counseling Services are staffed by UW-Whitewater graduate students working toward their Master of Science (Counseling) degree. Supervision and consultation is provided by faculty in the Department of Counselor Education.  

University students and staff as well as children, adolescents, adults, couples and families in the community, can utilize the counseling services at Winther Counseling Services. Counseling can be delivered through individual or group sessions. Services are free (fees assigned to mandated services only) and confidential.  

WCS is not available for emergency services.

WCS is open for appointments Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM-7:00 PM during the UWW academic year. If one of our graduate assistants is unable to take your call, please leave a message with your name and phone number and we will return your call. 

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

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Grátis, Confidencial y Esta Abierto al Público en General

Winther Counseling Services se encuentra en Winther Hall (3004) en la Universidad de Wisconsin-Whitewater. Hay estacionamiento disponible en el lote 13 (invitados de Winther Lab).

Winther Counseling Services no está disponible para servicios de emergencia.

Se ofrecen servicios de consejería a la comunidad. Los servicios son proporcionados por los estudiantes de consejería que están terminando su maestría en la Universidad de Wisconsin-Whitewater. Los servicios son ofrecidos en español e inglés. Los servicios son gratis y confidenciales. Para hacer una cita llame al número (262) 472-2842. Nuestras horas de servicio son de 9:00 AM-7:00 PM lunes a jueves. 

Winther Hall, 230 N. Prairie St. Whitewater, WI 53190.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

According to a press release dated November 1 from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, deputies responded on Saturday, October 29 at 9:50 p.m. to a vehicle versus pedestrian crash on CTH N south of CTH U in the Town of Cold Spring. According to a post on the Jefferson County scanner Facebook page, the crash occurred in the N300 block of Cty N, which would be near Twin Oaks mobile home park.

The preliminary investigation indicated that a group of pedestrians was attempting to cross the highway when one of them, Maricela Del Carmen Rivas Rivas, age 30, was struck by a northbound vehicle. The driver of the vehicle, who was not identified in the press release, was uninjured and remained on the scene until law enforcement arrived. Del Carmen Rivas Rivas was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Whitewater Police, Fire and EMS. According to the news release, the incident is still being investigated.

Maricela Del Carmen Rivas Rivas, from Whitewater, succumbed to her injuries on October 30. According to a GoFundMe page she leaves behind her husband Jose Fajardo and a five year-old son. It is indicated that funds are being gathered “for any funeral and transportation fees to Nicaragua to lay Maricela to rest.” As of the evening of November 1, $2315 had been raised towards a stated goal of $15,000.

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Haga clic aquí para ir a la página de GoFundMe

Mi nombre es Alejandra y he creado esta página para los gastos de funeral y transporte del cuerpo a Nicaragua de Maricela. Lamentablemente el 28 de octubre ocurrió un accidente trágico y Maricela a fallecido. Ha dejado a su esposo Jose Fajardo y su hijo de 5años de edad. Cualquier donacion se les agradecerá. Dios los bendiga y muchas gracias por adelantado.

‘Le dijo Jesús: –Yo soy la resurrección y la vida; el que cree en mí, aunque esté muerto, vivirá.’

Juan 11:25

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Brad Marquardt, city Public Works Director, told the Banner that the new water tower was brought online the week of October 17. All three towers are currently running while the staff checks the systems out. “So far everything does appear to be running smoothly,” Marquardt reported. “Yesterday [October 31] we took the Starin Park Tower offline while LSP was pumping to check for any issues and all appeared to be good.” LSP Whitewater, located at 111 Co Rd U, is a cogeneration plant which uses substantial quantities of water.

Though the Starin Park tower will be taken offline sometime in December, the fate of the tower itself is unknown, as a structural analysis is currently being performed. That tower, which has provided water for city residents since 1889, will be taken offline sometime in December. Concern about the tower’s physical condition arose from a report by Cornerstone Restoration, to the Common Council on August 2. Cornerstone reported the tower’s limestone and mortar have failed substantially, and in their opinion, would require an estimated one million dollars of masonry restoration to keep the tower standing. Approximately $200,000 would be needed to take down the tower and remove it, per the company. The tower is designated as a local landmark, and the city Landmarks Commission was directed by the Common Council to research restoration costs and potential funding sources to rehabilitate the tower. In response, the Commission asked the Council to first secure a professional structural analysis to determine if the water tower can be saved. Per Marquardt, a draft report is due by December 1, with a final report by the end of the year.

The city water system is also served by a ground reservoir located adjacent to the water works building at Starin and Fremont. That reservoir, having been deemed in need of major rehabilitation, will also be taken out of service, although Marquardt indicated that it “will remain online longer as that is a bit more complicated to take offline.”

Editor’s note: The following announcement was submitted by Chelsea Luebke.

Current Whitewater High School Junior, Leo Ortiz-Rivera, was in a terrible car accident in April of this year. He has undergone many surgeries and is still currently receiving care at a medical facility. His parents have been by his side this entire time which means they not only have lots of medical bills, but their regular everyday bills have begun to pile up. A GoFundMe  was started to give our amazing community an opportunity to provide donations to the Ortiz-Rivera family. Any donations for this family would be greatly appreciated!

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Anyone who visits The Community Space can’t help but marvel at the generosity of the greater Whitewater community’s residents for their donations of food, clothing, and so much more — not to mention the cheerful helpfulness of the volunteers who make it such a welcoming place. Everything is free! Who’s ever seen such a place, anywhere?

It’s said that everyone has a breaking point, and according to Kay Robers, manager of the organization, that point was reached on October 31. As a result she is regretfully announcing that The Community Space (TCS) is closed until further notice.

What’s wrong?

The Little Free Pantry in the vestibule includes a refrigerator and provides 24/7 access for people who have an immediate need for groceries. It’s an appreciated service, but recently, especially on weekends, there have been times when it’s virtually impossible to access the free pantry due to the huge amount of donations that have been crammed into the small space. Besides, visitors ransack the donations, and when the volunteer staff returns it takes hours of work before they can even free up the inside door.

Granted, a donation bin has been provided to allow people to drop off clothing or houseware items when it is convenient for them. However, TCS has requested that big items like furniture or large quantity donations be dropped off at the back of the building during their open hours.

Before TCS can reopen the staff needs to determine what changes need to be made in order to more effectively serve the community. Meanwhile they are sharing the following letters that have been received recently from two guests who’ve appreciated what they’ve encountered at The Community Space.