News

Police & Fire Commission to Interview a Chief of Police Candidate

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

At a special meeting on June 30 the City of Whitewater Police and Fire Commission voted unanimously for an internal search for a new police chief to be managed by the city and Human Resources with one month to complete. This action coincided with the resignation and retirement of Aaron Raap, who served as chief since June of 2018.

The agenda for the City of Whitewater Police & Fire Commission special meeting on Monday, July 25 includes a closed session discussion titled, “Interview Of Chief Of Police Candidate.” The candidate is not named; however, it is obviously a current police officer in the department since the commission did not open the search to external candidates. The open session to follow the closed session includes the item, “Consideration Of Direction To City Staff To Proceed With A Conditional Offer And Negotiation For Chief Of Police Finalist (Name Will Be Included In Motion).” Per state statute, the hiring of a police chief is the responsibility of the Police & Fire Commission; however, the Common Council has sole responsibility for approving significant financial matters such as wages.

Also on Monday’s closed session agenda is “Nominations And Potential Approval Of Fire Department Command Staff Positions.” The Whitewater Fire Department, Inc. is in the process of finalizing a merger with the City of Whitewater, and has made nominations for the Command Staff positions that will take effect when the integration is complete. Per state statute, it is the responsibility of the Police & Fire Commission to approve the appointments to these positions. The concluding open session includes the item, “Announcement Of Recommendation Concerning Whitewater Fire Department Promotional Process.”

Fran Achen Photography Competition Winners

SUMMER 2022 13TH ANNUAL FRAN ACHEN COMPETITION WINNERS

Sponsored by Whitewater Arts Alliance

Information at: www.whitewaterarts.org/fran-achen-2022

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Fran Achen Photography Competition. These works can be viewed at the Cultural Arts Center, 402 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI both in-gallery and online (https://www.whitewaterarts.org/fran-achen-2022). The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday through July 31 from 1-5 p.m.; however, bear in mind that on the 31st the photographers may be picking up their work beginning at 3 p.m.

AWARDS

First Place (Best of Show) – John Messley (Rockford, IL): “Ice Fisherman” After rime ice storm January 7, 2021.
Rock Cut State Park, Il. Rime ice is a deposit of feathery needles of ice that forms when supercooled cloud or fog droplets rapidly freeze when coming in contact with an object. These feathery needles of ice crystals transform the trees and bushes into beautiful feathery ice crystal sculptures.
Editor’s note: Readers may wonder about the difference between hoar frost versus rime ice. This link provides an explanation.
Second Place – Paulette Marzahl (Delavan, WI): “Illusion of Fluidity”
Third Place – David Bueschel (Menomonee Falls, WI) : “Mister Machine”
  • First Place (Best of Show) – John Messley (Rockford, IL) : “Ice Fisherman”
  • Second Place – Paulette Marzahl (Delavan, WI) : “Illusion of Fluidity”
  • Third Place – David Bueschel (Menomonee Falls, WI) : “Mister Machine”
  • Honorable Mention – Fletcher Crone (Whitewater, WI) : “Tranquility of Mind”
  • Honorable Mention – Gary Galger (Madison, WI) : “Childhood Dreams”
  • Honorable Mention – Paulette Marzahl (Delavan, WI) : “Time Travel”
  • Honorable Mention – James Meldrum (Beloit, WI) : “Summer Afternoon”
  • Honorable Mention – John Messley (Rockford, IL) : “Trestle”
  • Honorable Mention – Karl Mohr (Machesney Park, IL) : “Baltic Mill”
  • Honorable Mention – Karl Mohr (Machesney Park, IL) : “Horse Drawn Combine”
  • Honorable Mention – Karl Mohr (Machesney Park, IL) : “Rock Cut Kestrel”
  • Honorable Mention – Howard Rothstein (Whitewater, WI) : “Indigo Bunting”
  • Honorable Mention – Howard Rothstein (Whitewater, WI) : “Trillium Studio Portrait”

The Viewers Choice award is still available for voting both in-gallery and online. When coming to the gallery, visitors fill out three ballots and vote for their top three pieces. Three pieces can also be voted for online: https://www.whitewaterarts.org/fran-achen-2022-vote Viewers’ Choice will be announced on Sunday, July 31.

For other questions please contact the event’s chairperson, Jeff McDonald, at waa.franachen@gmail.com

United Hoops Tryouts for 2023 AAU Girls Basketball Season

United Hoops is holding tryouts for the 2023 AAU Girls Basketball season in late July; see photo for details.  The program was founded in 2020 and this past season offered teams for the graduating classes of 2024, 2027, and 2029. We intend to add teams at the 2028 & 2030 age levels in 2023.  Our teams are composed of athletes from Cambridge, Deerfield, East Troy, Elkhorn, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, McFarland, Milton, Stoughton, and Whitewater and we hope to add athletes from more communities to our program in the future. The 2029 team finished 2nd at the Blizzard Battle in Appleton, the 2027 team were tournament champions at the JAG Select Spring Showcase, the United Showdown, and the July Jamboree, while the 2024 team finished 2nd at the United Showdown and Cheesehead Challenge and 3rd at the WI Xtreme Summer Challenge. Teams practice in Cambridge and/or Whitewater while participating in 7-8 tournaments as the season runs from mid-March thru the end of July. Our focus as a program is skill development while preparing girls for high school basketball and providing our high school age athletes opportunities to compete in NCAA certified events during the live recruiting periods. For more information, please visit our website at www.unitedhoops.net. Tryout information is posted at www.unitedhoops.net/tryouts.

Whippet Logo Merchandise will Support WUSD Family Emergency Fund

Whitewater Community Fundraising Partners is excited to offer this fun event to help support the Whitewater School District’s Family Emergency Fund. 

Our goal is that all students have the basic necessities to be healthy and successful.  This includes the basic necessities of safe lodging and food.  We raise the funds, then give them to the school, to help the students that are homeless.  Just in this past year, two families lost their homes to fires.  The school helps these families find temporary housing and provide gift cards for food.  Although we are a small school district, we have over 30 students that are homeless.  We want to help these children.

The following products are available for purchase (donation amounts listed):

20 oz. Stainless Steel Tumbler: either all white or with red borders – $25 ($15 will be donated)

16 oz. Frosted Beer Mug or Clear Glass: $19 ($6 will be donated)

15 oz. Coffee Mug: $15 ($5 will be donated)

32 oz. Sports Water Bottle: $30 ($8 donated)

Plus, we are super excited that you can add your name or your year of graduation to any item you order for only $4

Simply click on whitewater-community-fundraising.square.site to place your order. Our goal is to always have orders filled within 7 days from order received. We offer the opportunity for items to be shipped, or either picked up or delivered in the Whitewater area.

These are great for students, faculty, family members, gifts, and so much more.

It is our goal to raise $5000 for families in need.

If you’d like to strictly make a donation to WCFP and do not want to incur any fees, please feel free to utilize our Venmo account at @WhitewaterCFP. Please make sure to note that you are a friend of WCFP when doing so. WCFP is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

If you would like to submit a check, please mail it to:

WCFP, PO Box 182, Whitewater WI 53190

Helpful Ordering Tips:

  1. Click on item of choice and choose quantity. The system will automatically take you to the cart.
  2. To purchase additional items, click on the ‘home’ button to go back to product screen
  3. If you would like personalization, click on ‘personalization’ on the home screen and choose which type of personalization you would like. If you want multiples of the same personalization, simply key in the number you would like.
  4. At checkout, please provide us with any notes you may have for your order and any personalization information.

If you have any troubles checking out…please email us at whitewatercfp@gmail.com

We are truly grateful for your support.

About Whitewater Community Fundraising Partners: In 2017, the WHS Class of 1982 decided for their 35 year reunion, to find ways to give back to the community they grew up in and love so much. The group decided to plan a Poker Run with the proceeds to benefit the Whitewater Police Department K9 unit. After a successful event, the group decided to make the event an annual occurrence to fundraise money for a special cause each year. In 2018, the group took measures to become a recognized nonprofit – 501c3. A Run/Bike/Golf outing were the marquee events of 2018 and 2019; both of those events assisted in raising funds for local law enforcement K9 units. In 2020 and 2021, our efforts were focused on working towards eliminating homelessness in the Whitewater community. A run/walk in June created funds which were donated to the WUSD emergency fund; remaining funds were used to deliver dinners during the holiday season with the assistance of The Black Sheep. 

United Way Announces New Executive Director

Elizabeth Ellis-Bols

The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties is pleased to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Ellis-Bols as its new Executive Director.

“I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in this position,” said Ellis-Bols. “The United Way’s ability to bring out the best in a community and those it serves, is an inspiration. I am excited to share my passion for helping others as we prepare to kick off another campaign year.”

Ellis-Bols, a Whitewater resident, has a professional background in nonprofit work and donor relations. Most recently, Ellis-Bols worked in the office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has served on the Whitewater 4th of July Festival board for over a decade, and with numerous other nonprofits. She is currently working on her master’s degree in Nonprofit Management at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy: IUPUI.

United Way Board Chair, Chris VanGundy reports: “Elizabeth brings so many new ideas and such creativity. I could tell from the first time we met her, that she had a passion for the job and a drive to help the community come together with her fundraising ideas.”

United Way Board Vice-chair, Marissa Weidenfeller added: “I am confident that Elizabeth will continue the amazing work of Megan Hartwick, our previous Executive Director, to better the lives of those in our communities. The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties is governed locally, and we are thankful to have another homegrown Executive Director that will continue to elevate the work of our hardworking partners in an effort to help as many people as possible.”

Elizabeth began her new role July 11,2022.
__________________________

The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties’ mission is to fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our communities. We do that by providing support to community programs, projects and local agencies that provide critical health and human services to those in need. This network of helping services can be described as a “safety net” for those in our midst in need. Whether it is transitional housing, literacy education, after-school programs and education, health and dental care, end of life care, mentoring programs, job training or disaster relief, the United Way identifies the greatest needs in our community and helps to fund agencies that can meet those needs.

For more information about our local United Way, you may visit the website at www.uwjnwc.com or “like” the Facebook page at “United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties.” For details regarding the United Way’s online volunteer tool, please visit www.volunteermain.com.

Editor’s note: The above press release was provided by the United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties.

Whitewater Arts Alliance to Co-host En Plein Air Watercolor Workshop

“The Yacht Club” by Ron Stocke

Award-winning watercolor artist Ron Stocke will be hosting a workshop for the
Whitewater Arts Alliance from September 23-25, 2022. Stocke has been painting for
well over 30 years and is delighted to instruct a class with a relaxed atmosphere.

Students will take a three day course to learn the core concepts of en plein air watercolor
painting. The classes will be held from September 23 to September 25, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m each day at Cravath Lakefront Center, 341 S. Fremont St., Whitewater, WI.
The landscape around the Lakefront Center will be used for en plein air teaching.
Additionally, Stocke will be selling his book “En Plein Air: Watercolor” at each
workshop. Students are welcome to buy a copy or bring their own and Stocke will sign
each one.

Those who are interested can register on the Whitewater Arts Alliance website:
https://www.whitewaterarts.org/watercolor-workshop-with-ron-stocke. For members
of the Alliance, the workshop costs $260. For all others, it costs $325. Checks can be
mailed to the Whitewater Arts Alliance (P.O. Box 311, Whitewater, WI 53190).
Deadline to register is August 23, 2022.

Big thanks to our sponsor, First Citizens State Bank.

Editor’s note: This information was provided by the Whitewater Arts Alliance.

Youth Baseball Finishes Perfect Season

The Hawk Bowl 3rd & 4th Grade Baseball Team brought home the Quad County Championship Monday, July 18th, finishing a perfect 17-0 season.

Pictured L-R
Row 1: Christian Retzlaff, Roman Oldenburg, Keaton Kachel, Isaiah Cortez
Row 2: Espen Heim, Camden Kachel, Ben Mcquillen, Maddox Lippens, Cole Ehlen, Sam Brockwell, Asst. Coach Mike Kachel
Not Pictured: Eric Smith & Head Coach James Retzlaff

Editor’s note: Thanks to Mike Kachel for submitting this photo.

#FlashbackFriday with the Historical Society: Widening of West Main Street, 1997

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.
Today’s photo comes from the George Scharfenberg collection of photographs from the 1990s and 2000’s. George liked to photograph all the events happening in Whitewater and in this photo from the summer of 1997, he shows the reconstruction of West Main Street.
Has it really been 25 years since the Main Street project? I guess so. The widening of Main Street was a major project and created much controversy in town. In the summer of 1997, it also created a construction mess that disrupted downtown Whitewater and the west side residential area for several months.
Join us next week for more from the collections of the Whitewater Historical Society.
(photo from George Scharfenberg Collection, Whitewater Historical Society)
 

Learn to Garden with UW Extension

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from UW-Madison Division of Extension Horticulture Program.


This fall UW-Madison Division of Extension Horticulture Program is offering the online course, Growing and
Caring for Plants in Wisconsin: Foundations in Gardening. This is a twelve week online course that runs from
September 11 through December 10, 2022.

Growing and Caring for Plants in Wisconsin: Foundations in Gardening (Foundations in Gardening) teaches
participants university research based methods to successfully grow their plants and manage common pests. The
course introduces a decision-making framework used by gardeners that focuses on understanding how plants best
grow, why pests and problems happen, and how to keep plant problems from happening.

The Foundations in Gardening course is divided into three units. The first set of topics is the basics: general
gardening, botany, soils and decision-making strategies for pest management. The next set of topics helps
participants understand how to identify and manage pests they might encounter. Finally, the last group focuses on
specific types of gardening such as vegetables, fruits, lawn and houseplants. As part of the learning experience,
Foundations in Gardening participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of UW-Madison horticulture
experts at live webinars. The webinars are scheduled so that each expert will be taking questions about the material
currently being covered. The webinars are also an opportunity to ask questions participants may have long had but
did not know whom to ask. Q & As with the Experts will be recorded for future viewing in case the live broadcasts
are inconvenient with participants’ schedules.

In addition to the Q & As with the Experts, participants receive a complete electronic (PDF) copy of the
Foundations in Gardening training manual. A bound hardcopy of the manual is available at an additional cost. This
is a valuable reference tool to have on the bookshelf. Participants will receive a certificate of completion and earn
up to four continuing education credits (CEU) for certain professional organizations. For participants wanting a
deeper dive into the learning experience, there are optional live lab webinars to reinforce the material covered in the
course. These give participants the opportunity to work in large and small groups with Extension educators to
answer more in-depth gardening scenarios.

If you are interested in becoming a Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener, this course is considered an approved
learning opportunity from the Wisconsin Extension Horticulture Program. Visit
https://mastergardener.extension.wisc.edu/get-started/ for more information.

Registration is July 18th-August 15th for this fully online, learn-at-your-own pace course. Course fee: $299, includes year-long course access and PDF version of course manual. Whether you are a beginner, avid gardener or professional, you and your plants will benefit from this course. For more information and to register for Foundations in Gardening, visit: https://bit.ly/3aBUGBe

The image on the homepage is an Image by jf-gabnor from Pixabay.