News

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Walworth County.

Walworth County Public Works will host Clean Sweep hazardous waste collection events on Oct. 7 and 8, 2022. During Clean Sweep, residents and businesses can dispose of unwanted, unused, or damaged hazardous waste. The Clean Sweep program collects and disposes of waste in an environmentally safe method through a licensed hazardous waste facility. Residents have three locations to choose from for household hazardous waste collection, as well as an option to recycle specific electronics on Oct. 8. Businesses have a dedicated Business Clean Sweep on Oct. 7.

Household Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep
Items accepted during the household hazardous waste Clean Sweep event generally have product labels containing the words caution, warning, danger, poison, toxic, ignitable or flammable, acid, corrosive, or reactive. Examples of items accepted include furniture stripper, drain cleaner, antifreeze, brake cleaner, and motor oil. Items should be in their original containers, if possible.

During the Sat., Oct. 8, collection event, Walworth County Public Works will also accept TVs, cell phones, computers, monitors, air conditioning units, dehumidifiers, and microwaves. Disposal fees apply (cash only): $35 each for all TVs and $10 each for all monitors; all other electronics specified above are free. Walworth County Public Works will not accept large appliances, or broken or disassembled items.

For complete lists of items that will be accepted during the household hazardous waste Clean Sweep events, visit  www.co.walworth.wi.us/342/Hazardous-Waste-Recycling.

The household hazardous waste Clean Sweep collections will be held:

Fri., Oct. 7, 3 to 5 p.m., at the City of Whitewater Public Works Complex, 150 E. Starin Rd. Household hazardous waste collection only.

Fri., Oct. 7, 3 to 5 p.m., at the Town of Linn Garage, N611 Zenda Road. Household hazardous waste collection only.

Sat., Oct. 8, 8 a.m. to noon, at the Walworth County Public Works Department, W4097 County Hwy NN, Elkhorn. Household hazardous waste and electronics collection. Participants will drop off electronics first followed by hazardous waste; watch for signage to route you through the event.

Household Clean Sweep services are available to Walworth County household residents free of charge and pre-registration is not required.

Business Clean Sweep
Businesses will have the opportunity to dispose of hazardous waste and electronics at the business Clean Sweep event on Fri., Oct. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon.

This event is open to businesses, manufacturers, municipalities, schools, retail stores, and service providers that generate small amounts of hazardous waste and classify as a Very Small Quantity Generator (VSQG) according to DNR standards. In general, any business that generates less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month may participate. Businesses and other institutions outside Walworth County are welcome to participate.

The business Clean Sweep event will accept products labeled caustic, acid, flammable, danger, warning, or poison. Examples include oil- and lead-based paints, pesticides and herbicides, cleaning chemicals, fertilizers, old fuel, antifreeze, motor oil, and fluorescent bulbs.

Businesses must pre-register by Friday, Sept. 23. A pre-registration form is available online, along with a complete list of acceptable items, at  www.co.walworth.wi.us/342/Solid-Waste-Recycling.  Businesses may also request forms by calling 262-741-3116 or via email,  walcosw@co.walworth.wi.us.

Clean Sweep is funded in part by the Town of Darien Mallard Ridge Landfill Fund and a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Walworth County Public Works is grateful for all of its Clean Sweep program partners and financial supporters. Their financial support has made a positive impact on our environment.

All hazardous waste should be contained in the car trunk, pickup bed, or trailer, with electronics placed in the front of the trunk for easy drop-off.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Walworth County.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of this often stigmatized subject and share information so that individuals, friends, and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention.

Critical to any discussion around suicide prevention is knowing how to recognize the warning signs of a friend or family member who is struggling and what you can do to help. That’s the goal of the Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) Training, hosted by the Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

QPR is a nationally recognized, emergency mental health intervention for suicidal persons created in 1995 by Paul Quinnett. Its goal is to identify and interrupt the crisis and direct that person to the proper care. During the QPR Training program, participants will learn the three simple steps to help save a life from suicide—Question, Persuade, and Refer. Just as people trained in CPR save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis, how to offer hope, and how to refer someone to help.

“You may know someone who is struggling, but you may not know how to help,” says Walworth County Public Health Officer Erica Bergstrom. “This program is designed to give anyone the tools they need to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and persuade the person to seek and accept help.”

The free educational program is open to anyone over the age of 15. The event will be held at the Walworth County DHHS building at 1910 County Road NN, Elkhorn.

Pre-registration is required at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/399034130827 or (262) 741-3200. Learn more about QPR at www.co.walworth.wi.us/1002/QPR-Question-Persuade-Refer.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the UW-Whitewater College of Arts and Communication, Department of Music.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Music is excited to announce the first concerts of the year! On September 15 at 7:30 p.m. we will host guest artist José Valentino, and on September 24 at 7:30 will start the Music Mosaics series this fall with a Faculty Showcase. All proceeds from the Music Mosaics series go directly towards scholarships for Department of Music students. Ticket prices are $14 general public, $12 over 65, $7 under 18, and free for UW-Whitewater students. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Ticket Services located in the Greenhill Center of the Arts or by calling (262) 472-2222. Online tickets will also be available starting September 15, 2022 at tickets.uww.edu.

A preeminent leader in music & media, television, global outreach & community development, and education industries, Dr. José Valentino Ruiz is a multi-hyphenate who holds the distinction of being an EMMY® Award Winning, a Latin GRAMMY® Award Winner, Latin GRAMMY® Award Winning album audio engineer and featured artist, a Multi-Latin GRAMMY® Award Nominee, a 52-time DOWNBEAT® Music Award Winner (record holder), the AVA Digital® Award Winner (Gold Medal), a Sony Music recording artist and composer, and an internationally-acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and educator known for his passionate performances, versatility, and fluid expression on the flute, saxophone, bass, piano, and Latin percussion. To date, Dr. Ruiz has performed in 1400+ concerts.

This year the Music Mosaics season kicks off with a recital showcasing the entire Department of Music faculty! Piano, Voice, Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, Percussion, and Jazz – even if you are already familiar with the UW-Whitewater Music Department, you will be amazed at the level of playing and the variety of styles and approaches.

The Faculty Showcase recital program includes Joseph Horovitz’s “Concertino Classico” featuring Matt Onstad and Chris Ramaekers, trumpet and Karen Boe, piano; Henri Duparc’s “Three Pieces” featuring Brian Leeper, baritone and Karen Boe, piano; Philip Glass’ “Four Movements for Two Pianos” featuring Karen Boe and Sarah Read Gehrenbeck, piano; Benjamin Britten’s “Suite No. 1” and Mark Summer’s “Julie-O” featuring Benjamin Whitcomb, cello; Gabriel Fauré’s “La bonne chanson” featuring Rachel Wood, mezzo-soprano and Karen Boe, piano; and Michael Hackett’s “Esox Fables” featuring Michael Hackett, trumpet, Matthew Sintchak, saxophone, Nick Moran, bass, and Devin Drobka, drums. 

The Music Mosaics Faculty Showcase concert will take place on Saturday, September 24th at 7:30 pm in the Light Recital Hall. Ticket prices are $14 general public, $12 over 65, $7 under 18, and free for UW-Whitewater students. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Ticket Services located in the Greenhill Center of the Arts or by calling (262) 472-2222. Online tickets will also be available starting September 15, 2022 at tickets.uww.edu.

All proceeds from the Music Mosaic series go directly towards scholarships for Department of Music students. 

The College of Arts and Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater offers rigorous programs in music, theatre, dance, and the visual arts; internships, pre-professional opportunities in journalism, advertising, and applied communication; and innovative interdisciplinary studies. For more information visit www.uww.edu/coac.

Editor’s Note: The followings was provided by the First United Methodist Church.

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

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Continuing Education is excited to announce three fall lecture series in Whitewater and Janesville, including a new evening series at its Community Engagement Center.

Now in its 39^th year, the focus of the fall Fairhaven Lecture Series is “Rediscovering Wisconsin.” In this series, lectures will explore the rich history, diverse peoples, and unique places in our state.  Lecture topics include Hmong in Wisconsin, the Progressive Movement, and the state’s first female lawyer, Lavinia Goodell.  Lectures begin September 26 and run through November. All lectures are free and open to the public and are held on Mondays at 3 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Fairhaven Senior Services, 435 West Starin Road, Whitewater. Street parking is adjacent to the building. The full schedule and links to videos of lectures, including those from prior series, can be found at http://www.uww.edu/ce/fairhaven.

Lectures in the Cedar Crest Lecture Series will also re-discover the events, individuals, and communities that make up our past and are moving our state forward.  Lecture topics in this series include Wisconsin’s (E)F5 tornadoes, Liberace, Wisconsin’s media history, and citizen science in Janesville. The series of four public lectures will be held on at 3 p.m. Thursdays in October in the Gathering Room at Cedar Crest Inc., 1702 South River Road in Janesville. Free parking is available and registration is not required. Visit our website at www.uww.edu/ce/cedar-crest.edu for full schedule and updates.

New this year are the Warhawk Talks at the Community Engagement Center. This series of two talks will feature timely topics by two well-known professors. Bob Benjamin will share what NASA’s James Webb Telescope is all about on October 11 at 6 p.m. and Eric Loepp will fill us in on why third parties usually don’t succeed in American politics on November 3 at 6 p.m. The talks will be followed by conversations and refreshments. Free parking is available at the Community Engagement Center, 1260 West Main Street, Whitewater. More information and RSVP can be found at https://www.uww.edu/ce/warhawk-talks.

If you have a disability and require accommodations, please advise us as soon as possible. Requests are confidential. UW-Whitewater provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA. Please contact Kari Borne at bornek@uww.edu or 262-472-1003 for further information.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Sarah Linn.

The Whitewater Unified School District is sponsoring a free Citizenship Class, which starts Thursday September 22 6:30-7:30pm and will run for 8 sessions. Class will be held at the Whitewater High School.