It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. Happy Belated St. Patrick’s Day!!
It is fitting that this week’s post is a vintage post card showing St. Patrick Catholic Church of Whitewater. Founded in the 1840s by Irish immigrant farmers who settled in the Town of Whitewater, the church grew in the 1860s with an influx of ethnic Irish workers who were employed at the two large factories in town. The current church complex, shown here, was built in 1958 and still serves the congregation today.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
By Al Stanek Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Whitewater citizens who were rightly confused about the costs of dredging the city’s two downtown lakes got some much needed clarification at the March 15 Whitewater Common Council meeting.
The dredging of Trippe and Cravath lakes has been completed according to City Parks and Recreation Director Eric Boettcher and the project is expected to come in under budget. There are several options for distribution of the nearly 69,000 cubic yards of dirt that have been deposited in a field just east of the Whitewater University Innovation Center.
Initial bids for the dredging portion of the project came in over budget and were rejected by the Common Council on November 16. The low bid was nearly $2.5 million which was well above the estimated entire project budget of just under $1.5 million. Dredging plans were downsized from the original plan to remove 81,000 cubic yards of material and an area that was thought to possibly be contaminated was avoided which resulted in a much lower $1.1 million cost to dredge and transport the material.
Boettcher also addressed the issue of options for what to do with the huge pile of dirt visible off of Howard Road on the city’s east side. “First of all we have to let the material de-water,” said Boettcher. “After that is complete we can either spread the dirt over the area where it is and possibly other nearby areas,” he added. The option of providing the remaining black dirt to area farmers or citizens is also under consideration.
Common Council members also heard from five area property owners who were concerned about newly distributed property assessment notices. Property owners can discuss the reasoning behind any change in property value with the company hired to do the assessments by scheduling an appointment by calling (920) 749-8098 before April 24. Occasionally this conversation may result in a change being made in the assessment. Ultimately, however, if a property owner objects to the assessment they must file a “Form of Objection” with the Whitewater City Clerk’s office at least 48 hours before a city established “Board of Review” meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Property tax bills mailed out by the City of Whitewater in November of each year represent the total of City, County, School District and Technical College taxes based on the assessed value of each property. The city’s portion of annual property tax bills is determined by a property’s assessed value multiplied by a “mill rate” (cost per thousand dollars of property value) which is not determined until the city formally adopts the next year’s budget. That final city budget is significantly impacted by the amount of state and other financial contributions which are not determined until late in the fall of each year.
Josh Sherman, the designated assessor for the City of Whitewater, told Common Council members that residential and rental units of less than four units generally increased by 7% to 11%. Commercial and larger residential properties are assessed under a unique state driven formula. Sherman indicated that commercial and large residential properties increased by an average of 15%, but were considerably higher in some cases.
Sherman explained that changes in property values are determined by actual recent sales of property which, in Whitewater like nearly everywhere else, have generally been coming in well above previous property value assessments. He pointed to the fact that there had not been many commercial and large residential property sales during the past few years which had kept previous years’ commercial assessments relatively steady. Several sales of very large Whitewater residential properties this past year are likely to be the cause of the steep increase according to Sherman.
Theoretically significant increases in both residential and commercial property values should increase the total city’s tax base which, when divided equally among property owners based on the cost per thousand mill rate, should not impact residential taxpayers and landlords owning other than four unit or larger rentals. The disparity between assessment increases for commercial versus residential property is likely to have a significant impact on commercial and large rental property owners.
Larry Kachel, a principal in DLK Enterprises, told Common Council members that an increased tax burden comes at the same time that landlords have been forced to turn to 10 month rental contracts as opposed to 12 month contracts in reaction to the change in demand caused by the reduced number of UW-Whitewater students seeking off-campus housing.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
“Whitewater doesn’t need luck” read a fan’s St. Patrick’s Day sign, but the outcome of Thursday afternoon’s semifinal for the women’s basketball DIII championship was a back and forth contest nearly to the final buzzer. At halftime it was UW-W in the lead by 27-25, but the third quarter had Amherst (MA) ahead by 44-41, but the Warhawks pulled off a 55-51 win. UPDATE: In the other Final Four game that followed, Hope College (MI) defeated Trine (IN) by 57-52. It’s a UW-W vs. Hope game on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the national championship. Saturday’s title game will air live on CBS Sports Network and on WKCH radio, 106.5 FM. [Spectrum cable customers with the silver or gold package may find CBS Sports at 306.]
Game Photos (Credit: Dan Hunter, d3photography.com for UW-Whitewater Athletics):
The No. 12 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team erased a deficit through three quarters and took the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter Thursday afternoon in a 55-51 victory against No. 8 Amherst (Mass.) in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championship at UPMC Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pa.
With the win, the Warhawks (28-4 overall) advance to the national championship game, which is set for this Saturday at 1 p.m. Central Time against the winner of Thursday night’s Hope/Trine game. Saturday’s title game will air live on CBS Sports Network and on WKCH radio, 106.5 FM. [Spectrum cable customers with the silver or gold package may find CBS Sports at 306.] [As reported above, UW-W will face Hope College.]
In the fourth quarter, a pair of free throws by Aleah Grundahl with 5:42 on the clock broke a 46-46 tie and gave UW-W a two-point lead. She converted a layup on the next possession to force a timeout by the Mammoths (25-4).
UW-Whitewater’s advantage was cut to one at the 2:24 mark before Yssa Sto. Domingo knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 53-49 with 2:03 left.
Amherst drew to within 53-51 with just under one minute to play. The two teams traded empty possessions before a foul was committed against Kacie Carollo, who stepped up to the free throw line and knocked down both shots to make it a four-point game with three seconds to play.
The Mammoths missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the Warhawks and their energetic crowd into a frenzy.
Grundahl led all scorers with 18 points, including 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, and added seven rebounds. Carollo tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Maggie Trautsch tallied 10 points off the bench.
UW-Whitewater held Amherst to 31.3 percent shooting from the floor, including 3-of-17 in the fourth quarter, and knocked down 14-of-16 at the free-throw line on the other end.
Neither team led by more than one possession until the 3:23 mark of the first quarter, when the Mammoths took a 13-9 advantage. The Warhawks scored six of the next eight points as Trautsch tied the game with a driving layup with 2:06 remaining. Amherst held a two-point lead heading to the second.
UW-W started the second quarter on an 8-1 run, capped by Rebekah Schumacher’s 3-pointer with 7:35 on the clock, to take a 23-18 lead. The two teams exchanged buckets before Trautsch gave UW-Whitewater a 27-25 advantage heading into halftime.
Amherst tied the game on a 3-pointer just over two minutes into the third quarter and, after a layup by Johanna Taylor, took a 34-33 lead at the midway point of the period.
The Mammoths’ lead increased to three before the Warhawks rallied with a 6-0 run capped by Carollo’s steal-and-layup with 2:53 left in the quarter. UW-W trailed by three by the end of the period.
Trautsch’s 3-pointer just over three minutes into the fourth tied the game and set up Grundahl’s go-ahead free throws.
On Saturday, March 12 the League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area sponsored a forum for the candidates who are running for City of Whitewater Common Council in the April 5 election. Participating were at-large candidates James “Jim” Allen (incumbent) and Chuck Mills, as well as Jill Gerber (AD4). Approximately twenty people were in the audience. The forum was moderated by League member and UW-Whitewater Professor of History Dr. Karl Brown.
[From the League of Women Voters’ website] Candidates were asked questions about economic development, electronic vehicle charging stations, the city’s response to the influx of immigrants from Nicaragua, the lakes drawdown project, progress on attracting a grocery store, the plans to transform Whitewater’s volunteer fire department into an official city department, the public library’s expansion and renovation project, the increase in the water utility bills, housing, and more!
The forum was filmed by Whitewater Community TV. The recording may be viewed on their Vimeo website. In addition, the recording will be rebroadcast on Channel 990 and in the weeks leading up to the April 5 Spring Election.
Editor’s Note: The following was received from the Walworth County Democrats.
The citizens of Walworth County acknowledge we are part of a global community. We have been watching in anguish the horrific situation exploding in Ukraine and wish we could do something. We are doing something! Join the Democratic Party of Walworth County for a rally to demonstrate our support for Ukraine. Wear Ukrainian colors of blue and yellow and bring signs supportive of Ukraine – no other political themes.
Our featured speaker will be Russian-born Yuri Rashkin, founder of the Rashkin Report and Beloit City Council member. Monetary donations will be collected for UNICEF to support relief efforts in Ukraine; thanks in advance for your support and generosity. Cash only please. This event is open to the public and is family-friendly. For additional information, contact us at 262-427-1250 or walworthcodems@gmail.com.
What: Rally to Support Ukraine
Where: Walworth County Government Center (former County Courthouse), 100 W. Walworth St., Elkhorn
When: Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 1 p.m.
Why: We stand against wars of aggression. We believe in peace. We believe in democracy.
Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Walworth County.
More than 100 million adults in the U.S. are now living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While that statistic is startling, there is good news. People with diabetes or pre-diabetes can improve their health by joining a Healthy Living with Diabetes workshop sponsored by the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Walworth County and Aurora Health Care. A 2010 Diabetes Care study showed that the program improved the health of adults with diabetes or pre-diabetes.
In just six weekly sessions, Healthy Living with Diabetes gives participants strategies for managing diabetes, including techniques to deal with symptoms and information about healthy eating, appropriate use of medication, exercise and working effectively with health care providers. Participants learn to make realistic, achievable action plans, share their experiences, and help each other solve problems.
Healthy Living with Diabetes will be held in the Observatory room on Wednesdays (1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.) from April 6 to May 11, 2022, at the Walworth County Health and Human Services building at 1910 County Road NN, Elkhorn. The workshop has a suggested donation of $10.
For questions or to register for the program, contact Chetney Dudzic RDN, CD at (262) 741-3309.
About the ADRC of Walworth County: The ADRC provides information and assistance to older and disables adults, their friends, family, caregivers, and the public. We can assist by evaluating your current needs and help provide options available to meet the needs of your personal situation.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
UW-Whitewater Women’s Basketball faces Amherst College (MA) in the national semifinal DIII game on Thursday at 4 p.m. The game notes shown below, and many additional statistics, are available here. Two Whitewater High School grads, freshman guard Kacie Carollo and fifth year senior guard Rebekah Schumacher, were major contributors to the team’s success in the playoffs.
Live streaming video will be provided here. The winning team will advance to the championship game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. versus the winner of Thursday evening’s contest between Trine University (IN) and Hope College (MI).
Whitewater High School’s FIRST Robotics Team Ferradermis has been busy prototyping, designing, manufacturing, building, wiring, programming, and testing their 2022 robot since FIRST unveiled the new game for the Rapid React season on January 8. The team is currently between competitions, having traveled to Duluth, Minnesota for the Lake Superior Regional from March 2 – 5. They will be competing in Milwaukee at the Wisconsin Regional during Spring Break and again in La Crosse at the Seven Rivers Regional from March 30 – April 2.
Advance Judging Interview
At the Hotel
Chief
Compiling Scouting Data
Getting Inspected
Gracious Professionalism Award
In the Stands at the DECC
On the Practice Field
Pit Scouting
Taking the Field
Team Meal at Sammy's Pizza
UMD Engineering Tour
UMD Robotics Lab
Working in the Pits
This year’s game is sponsored by Boeing and themed around the elements of an airport. The game involves shooting oversized tennis balls (cargo) into an upper and lower hub in the center of the field and climbing a set of monkey bars in the hangar during the last 30 seconds of each match. As always, games are played with six robots on the field at a time, 3 on the blue alliance and 3 on the red alliance. To learn more about how the robots play the game, watch the game animation at https://youtu.be/LgniEjI9cCM
Prior to competing, members of Ferradermis enjoyed hosting the community for an Open House on Saturday, February 12. Team members greeted visitors and showed them the game animation before demonstrating the CAD model for the newest robot. Members of the mechanical, electrical, and programming teams then demonstrated how they accomplish their goals, and the tour wrapped up with a visit to the tables hosted by the Whitewater BrickLayers FIRST LEGO League teams from Washington, Lakeview, and Lincoln Elementary Schools.
On Saturday, February 20, members of the team traveled to Sussex Hamilton High School to participate in a pre-regional scrimmage with 25 teams from southern and central Wisconsin. This annual event gives teams the opportunity to test their robot on a full official field for the first time. Teams also have the opportunity to see what other teams have created and discuss ideas. Sussex also includes sessions where students can discuss scouting and strategy at events, see each others’ Chairman’s awards presentations, and practice for Dean’s List interviews.
Duluth welcomed 112 high school FIRST Robotics Teams to the DECC on March 2, split between the Lake Superior Regional and the Northern Lights Regional. This was the first in-person regional event to be held since the first week of March of 2020, when Ferradermis competed at Northern Lights, and everyone was thrilled to be back in action! The 58 teams competing on the Lake Superior side of the curtain this year represented Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Because many COVID protocols were still in place, team members had completed two judging interviews prior to traveling north. At other regionals, the judges will mill about in the pits and interact with teams in a much less formal way.
The robot played 9 qualification matches in Duluth, with a record of 5 – 4. The team ended up ranked 38 out of 58, and did not make the playoffs. However, the team was thrilled to win the Gracious Professionalism Award for the Lake Superior Regional. Gracious professionalism is a main tenet of FIRST which expects teams to compete as hard as they can on the field but to also do everything they can to help other teams reach their own potential. Go, Ferradermis!
Article Submitted by Laura Masbruch Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor and Banner Volunteer lmasbruch@wwusd.org
Editor’s note: The following information was provided by Ripon College.
Ripon College has announced its Dean’s List for the Fall 2021 semester, recognizing academic excellence. To qualify for the Dean’s List at Ripon College, students must achieve a 3.40 grade point average or higher on a 4.00 scale and complete at least 12 credits of regular letter-graded work.
Clarice Bergman of Whitewater
Heather Charter of Whitewater
Jacob Zuehlke of Whitewater
Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon’s liberal arts and sciences curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. In recognition of its academic excellence, the college was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1953, placing it among a select group of the nation’s top colleges. Visit ripon.edu.
Editor’s note: The following was received from Dwight Foster Public Library.
On Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. the US Veterans Project Library will welcome author Robin Hutton to a presentation at the Dwight Foster Public Library in Fort Atkinson. Hutton shared the story of Korean War hero, “Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse” with us last December. Now she returns to share the stories of the many other animals that assisted the US and our allies in World War II.
Millions rallied to the cause of freedom against Nazism and the menace of Imperial Japan. But did you know that some of those heroes had fur, or feathers? War animals guarded American coasts against submarine attack, dug out Londoners trapped in bomb wreckage, and carried vital messages under heavy fire on Pacific islands. They kept up morale, rushed machine gun nests, and even sacrificed themselves picking up live grenades.
This book tells the heart-warming stories of the dogs, horses, mules, pigeons—and even one cat—who did their bit for the war effort. American and British families volunteered beloved family pets and farm dogs when rationing made it difficult to feed them; President Roosevelt bought honorary commissions in the reserves for lapdogs and other pets not suitable for military duties to “exempt” them from war service and raise money to defeat Hitler and Tojo. Many of these gallant animals are recipients of the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal, the “Animals’ Victoria Cross.”
This presentation will be in-person in the FCCU Community Room on the first floor of the Library. Robin Hutton will join us virtually through Zoom. It will also be possible to attend remotely on Zoom by clicking the link you find on this web page: fortlibrary.org/war-animals/ Contact Amy Lutzke at (920) 563-7790 for additional information or to inquire about accessibility to this program.
