News

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.

This week we are featuring a “modern” grocery store circa 1900. This is the interior of Frank Hall’s store. It was not self-service; clerks retrieved items from shelves behind the counters for the customer.

Note the Jell-O boxes in the upper left corner. Marketing Jell-O as a flavored gelatin dessert did not occur until 1897. So Hall’s store was featuring the latest products of the day.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

(2889GP, Whitewater Historical Society)

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Southeast Regional Office.

USH 12 EB (towards Lake Geneva) will be closed for emergency pavement repairs on Friday, April 29 from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. If repairs are not completed, this same time scheduled will be used on Monday, May 2.

The closure will be from the CTH-NN interchange (Elkhorn) to STH 120 interchange (Lake Geneva). As always, all operations are weather dependent, and subject to change.

For more information regarding traffic impacts, transportation news and improvement project updates in
Wisconsin’s Southeast region:
· Follow us on Twitter: @WisDOTsoutheast
· Visit the region’s 511 website: https://projects.511wi.gov/region/southeast/

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission.

	Thank you to all who attended the dedication of The Arboretum At Starin Park (AASP) and who helped make our 1st Community Tree Sale such an overwhelming success! The Tree Sale will continue on Friday, April 29th until all trees are gone, but it won’t be long since supply is very limited! After a great Earth Day celebration at the AASP, it’s time now for the Arbor Day Children’s Event on Saturday, April 30th from noon until 2 p.m.! Please bring your kids to the lower shelter at Starin Park where they will learn more about trees and birds and the natural world that they live in while playing fun games and trying tree sourced snacks! Both you and your children can check your ‘wing span’ against our life sized Wing Span Banner and learn how to guess the age of trees, make crafts using “tree cookies” and more. Be sure to bring your camera or phone so that you can take Snowy Owl selfies all while relaxing and enjoying the park! Below is the line-up of activities for the day. See you at the Arboretum! Arboretum Program for Young People Saturday, April 30 (the day after Arbor Day) Noon to 2 p.m. • Tree Cookie Crafts • Tree Things Quiz (with prizes) • How Tall? Tree height activity • Count the Rings (Tree age activity) • How Big, How Old? (Tree age activity) • Migratory Bird Day Bird Toss and Wingspan Check • Selfie Owl • Puzzles and Games and Prizes! • Snacks— all from trees

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the Whitewater Unified School District.

The Whitewater Unified School District School Board held its Organizational Meeting of the School Board on Monday, April 25, 2022 prior to Closed Session.   

Election of the School Board Officers

President: Thayer Coburn

Vice President: Jen Kienbaum

Clerk: Steve Ryan

Treasurer: Larry Kachel

Election of the School Board Secretary – Jaclyn Tueting

Establish Date and Time of Annual Budget Hearing – Monday, August 22, 2022, 7:00 p.m.

Editor’s note: The following information was received from a political candidate announcing that she is running for office. Any other candidate wishing to seek a political office in the Whitewater area is encouraged to provide information to be published in The Banner.

It is with pride that the Maryann Zimmerman for Wisconsin State Assembly announces Maryann’s bid to run for the open assembly seat for the 31st District Assembly Seat. The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s reversing its previous decision to use the Republican district map instead of the map submitted by the Governor Evers’ Administration resulted in Maryann Zimmerman, a first-time state candidate becoming ineligible for the Senate race in the 15th district. Rather than give up, Zimmerman changed gears. “I am a public servant and I know I have the expertise, work ethic and fortitude to serve my community well in the State Legislature.” Zimmerman is no stranger to serving her community; since moving here 8 years ago, she has held many volunteer positions within the school district and the community. Zimmerman is currently a member of the Whitewater Unified School District School Board and a State of Wisconsin Parent2Parent Advocate. Maryann’s role as a Parent to Parent Advocate includes acting as an advocate, mentor and friend to parents of children with special needs. Maryann is also a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Disability Rights Commission for the City of Whitewater and the Middle School PTO Vice-President. Professionally, Zimmerman has been the Director of the Walworth County Food and Diaper Bank, a Compliance Officer for a local manufacturer as well as presenter at a national conference on poverty and basic needs for women. Zimmerman is also a certified Six-Sigma Black Belt. ” We are at a time where normal, everyday citizens are galvanized into public service. It’s needed. My experience in quality management, equality and leadership gives me a well-rounded background to serve my community. We don’t need the same types of people running-it’s time for fresh ideas and perspectives to be infused into our state government.” Zimmerman and her husband are small business owners. The Zimmermans live on a hobby farm with 3 of their 4 children in the town of Whitewater. Zimmerman, one of 8 children, grew up in Milwaukee and Glendale and is the daughter of a retired public school teacher and homemaker.

Her new Assembly Campaign has officially kicked off and she is excited to travel to the communities within the 31st district to meet constituents and gather feedback. “I love to interact with people so please come and say, “Hi” when I am in your area; I truly have an open-door policy and welcome your input, feedback and ideas. I am running to serve the people of the 31st district.” The 31st Assembly District includes Elkhorn, Whitewater, Darien, Clinton, Parts of Beloit and the Town of Beloit and right up to Burlington and all the rural communities in between. The Zimmerman campaign website will be updated regularly with events that Zimmerman will be attending within the district at www.maryann4assembly.com.

For more information about her campaign, please visit her social media @mazi4assembly on Facebook and Instagram. She also can be reached via email at maryann@maryann4assembly.com or via her campaign hotline at (262) 753-1063.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area.

The League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area invites its members and the public to participate in its book club. To become more informed advocates, the club will explore the League’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policy through meaningful discussions of current notable books dealing with public policy issues of interest to the League.

Our next book discussion on White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo will be led by Dwight Watson. Copies may be obtained through the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library (262-473-0530) or the Book Teller (262-269-9109).

The next meeting will take place virtually on Thursday, May 12, 2022, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. and include a discussion of pages ix – 98, Foreword through Chapter 6. Please contact Deb Gamble (262-458-0077 or shebagam@gmail.com) with questions or to join the group! Remember, you do not need to be a member of the League (or a woman!) to join the book discussions.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit our website at https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area and like us on Facebook!

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Fort HealthCare.

In observance of National Donate Life Month this April, Fort HealthCare has raised a Donate Life flag (April 22nd ) to honor the many organ, tissue and eye donors who gave the gift of life to so many others in need.

Observed in April each year, National Donate Life Month is intended to raise awareness about the importance and need of organ, eye, and tissue donation, to encourage Americans to register as donors, and to honor those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

“By raising the Donate Life flag at Fort HealthCare, we are honoring the donation heroes that we have cared for within our walls and signaling our ongoing commitment to ensuring that the people who need a second chance at life will get one,” said Kathleen Gebhardt, Director of Inpatient Services. “I encourage everyone who hasn’t registered as a donor to do so today, and then share your lifesaving decision with your friends and family. Registering as a donor relieves your family of the burden of making this decision at a time of sadness and grief.”

Currently, there are more than 100,000 men, women and children awaiting organ transplants in the United States, including more than 1,500 people here in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, not all these people will receive a second chance at life.

 Approximately 6,000 people die each year (17 people each day) because the organs they need are not available.
 On average, 150 people are added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list each day.
 A single organ and tissue donor can save or heal the lives of up to 50 people.
 In 2021, more than 41,000 transplants from 20,300 donors brought renewed life to patients and their families and communities across the Unites States.

Fort HealthCare encourages residents in the communities it serves to give hope and help save lives by registering your decision to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor at organdonor.gov, in the Medical ID tab of your iPhone Health app, or at the Wisconsin DMV. To those who have already registered their donation decision, thank you! Help continue to save lives by sharing the Donate Life message, educating others about the need and how their generosity can help save and heal lives.

Some important facts about organ, tissue, and cornea donation:
 Anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age, race, or medical history.
 More than 1500 patients in Wisconsin are awaiting life-saving organ transplants. Thousands of others could benefit from healing tissue transplants.
 Kidneys are the organ in greatest demand—with an estimated 95,000 people across the nation awaiting one—followed by liver, heart, and lungs.
 Because conditions such as diabetes and hypertension often are more prevalent in the multicultural community, these individuals make up more than 50 percent of those on the national organ transplant list.
 Living donation is an option for both kidney and liver transplantation.
 More than 170 million people are registered organ, eye, and tissue donors.

Fort HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities, with a vision to be the healthiest community in Wisconsin. As the leading healthcare provider in the region, it is our goal to reach as many members of the community as possible with health and wellness messages, providing tools and resources to help individuals improve their health and quality of life, while collaborating with several partners to positively improve the population’s health overall on a long-term basis. For more information, visit FortHealthCare.com.