News

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This image is along Whitewater Street, taken some time just before 1900. How do we know this? First, the small shed-like building was the old horse-drawn engine house for the fire department. According to old maps, it was demolished by 1904 after the City Hall was built in 1900 with large fire department quarters. Also, the building to the left, part of the old Winchester and Partridge wagon factory (closed c.1893) has a sign that reads, “George Kinney & Company Flour, Feed, and Salt.” George Kinney started his feed mill business in 1894, but it only lasted a few years. By 1898, the building housed agricultural implements. Historic information is often helpful in dating photographs.

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

(2942GP, Whitewater Historical Society)

Updated 4/17/26 @ 2:45 p.m. – A tornado watch is in effect for all of Southern Wisconsin until 8 p.m.

Updated 4/17/26 @ 1:30 p.m. – A flood watch is in effect for all of Southern Wisconsin from 1 p.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday

The National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Weather Forecast Office indicates that our area has the potential for another severe storm on Friday afternoon. It’s expected to arrive around 5 p.m. with the primary risk being damaging winds.

Speaking of damaging winds, some city residents were without power for as much as twelve hours after the storm that hit the city at approximately 1 a.m. on Tuesday. A number of businesses were also without power for hours, reportedly resulting in massive losses of refrigerated food at Aldi, Kwik Trip (at least on Hwy 59) and Walmart.

The Weather Service has been busy this week following up on reports of possible tornadoes, and thus far has confirmed at least six touchdowns. The closest was an EF-1 in East Troy with windspeeds exceeding 100 m.p.h., resulting in destruction of a house.

On behalf of the Walworth County Board of Supervisors America 250 Committee, Al Stanek and Pat Blackmer presented the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) with America 250 proclamations and flags. Accepting these gifts were WUSD Superintendent Samuel Karns and School Board President Stephanie Hicks. The flags will be distributed to the high school, middle school, Lakeview, Lincoln, and Washington elementary schools across the district.

Superintendent Karns proposed that the five schools might coordinate a simultaneous celebration, raising and flying the newly gifted flags for the first time at 2:50 p.m. on a day that will be chosen in the near future.

The Walworth County Board has purchased 100 flags, which are being distributed to schools and municipal governments throughout the county. This initiative commemorates the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States, marked by the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The America 250 Committee is currently planning a celebratory event open to all, to be held on the Thursday during the Walworth County Fair week.

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Above is a photo that was taken April 13 at UW-Whitewater when the proclamation and flag were presented to the Student Body Government on behalf of the Walworth County Board of Supervisors America 250 Committee.

Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by Pat Blackmer. Photos are courtesy of Tom Ganser.

The Friends of the Whitewater Public Library will hold their annual membership meeting and election of board members on Friday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m. in Meeting Room 1 at the Whitewater Public Library.

The Friends of the Whitewater Public Library is a 501(c)(3) organization of library lovers who work together to promote and expand the programs and services of the library. They actively support the mission of the library, are a valuable link between the library and community, and provide funding to enhance the quality library services offered to City of Whitewater residents and surrounding communities.

The Friends support the library in many ways: by spreading the word about library programs, resources, and services; volunteering at various events, programs and fundraisers; providing seed money for new library collections; supporting programs and projects; and purchasing special request items not allocated in the library’s general operating budget.

New members are welcome! Want to join? Membership is open to all and is $10 per year. Forms are available at the library or at whitewaterlibrary.org.

The Whitewater Public Library is located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater. For more information, visit whitewaterlibrary.org, email library@whitewater-wi.gov or call 262-473-0530.

SnapPlus (Soil Nutrient Application Planner) is Wisconsin’s nutrient management planning software that helps farmers make the best use of their on-farm nutrients and make informed decisions about commercial fertilizer purchases. This latest release of the software includes new maps, and easier ways to add crops and grazing schedules.  Join Extension, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), and the SnapPlus Team to walk through new features in SnapPlus Version 3. 

Each of the six webinars will cover a different topic.  Each session focuses on a specific part of the software and runs from 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m., including a 45–60 minute tutorial followed by one-on-one “office hours” with staff to ask questions. Sessions cover:

• April 21 — Adding Crops, Setting Rotations, Planting & Application Seasons
• May 12 — Nutrient Systems and Template Builder
• June 2 — Silurian Bedrock Plan Features
• June 16 — Annual Updates
• July 21 — Winter Manure Applications
• August 18 — Grazing

You can register for all sessions, or the ones most relevant to you. Registration is free.  Learn more and register:go.wisc.edu/841xe6

While storms raged across the state, Whippet FBLA brought the thunder to Green Bay and the State Leadership Conference. Lighting struck twice as Atreya Wilson defended her state title and once again became state champion in Entrepreneurship. She is headed back to nationals to compete against the best in the country. Lillian Navejas-Ortiz also made some noise as she made it to the stage taking fifth place in Data Science and AI. She is an alternate for Nationals and could soon be headed to San Antonio as well. The other teams posted impressive finishes of 9th and 12th in the state, showing off their skills in Digital Video Production and Chapter Service Project respectively. It was a great conference to be a Whippet!

Article and Photos Submitted by Kurt Nickelsburg
Whitewater High School FBLA Advisor
nicku01@wwusd.org

Last Friday, students in Ms. Lynn Weilbrenner’s Early Childhood Health and Safety class at Whitewater High School had the opportunity to work with the UW-Whitewater Police Department to earn their CPR certification. A huge thank you to the UW-Whitewater PD for taking time out of their busy schedules to work with our high school students. It was a great learning experience for all. 

Article and Photos Submitted by Lynn Weilbrenner
Whitewater High School Family and Consumer Science Teacher
lweilbrenner@wwusd.org

The College of Business and Economics at UW-Whitewater has received a Tommy Thompson Speaker grant to bring Dr. Ludmila Praslova to campus. Dr. Praslova is a leading voice in neurodiversity, inclusion, and organizational culture. Her work focuses on equitable practices in academic and corporate settings. She is a Professor of Graduate Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Accreditation Liaison Officer at Vanguard University of Southern California. She will be visiting on Monday, April 20, and the event is scheduled from 11:45 AM – 2:00 PM in the Hamilton Room at the University Center. The event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided to registered attendees. Virtual attendance is also available.

Neuroinclusion in the workplace is recognized as valuable, but still limited by outdated systems, stigma, and a reactive approach. Community members, potential employers, and corporate leaders need to hear from experts like Dr. Ludmila Praslova, who are calling for a shift from “accommodation” to systemic redesign, where belonging and dignity are built into organizational practices. Systemic neuroinclusion also means creating workplaces that better support everyone’s needs and productivity. Hence, this presentation can be of interest to those interested in dignity, productivity, and decent work for all.

Event website for registration: https://www.uww.edu/ce/powerdiversemindscobe

Free Somatic Release for Spring Event for Adults

Community members are invited to a free Somatic Release for Spring event facilitated by local writer Katy Daixon Wimer on Thursday, April 16 at 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Through breathwork, movement, and journaling practices, reconnect with your body this spring, and the juicy, messy, radiant, challenging truth it might reveal as you open to the new chapter 2026 brings. Please come with an open heart and mind, a sense of humor, a journal, and a yoga mat or blanket.

This program is for adults. The event is free, but please register in advance at whitewaterlibrary.org/events as space is limited. You may also email sfrench@whitewater-wi.gov or call 262-458-2782 to register, or with any questions. 

The Whitewater Public Library is located at 431 W. Center St. Visit whitewaterlibrary.org for more information and to view all upcoming events.

The Boards of Canvass for the city of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District both convened on Monday, April 13 and certified the results of the Spring Election. There was no change from the results that were previously reported on The Banner.

City of Whitewater Common Council

Councilmember at Large
Orin Smith 1081
Aubrey Thompson 861

Councilmember, District 2
Gavin Kelleher 190
Sean Liebherr 46

Councilmember, District 4
Chuck Mills 210
Brian Schanen 375

Council terms are for two years. The newly elected members will take the oath of office on April 21.

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The Whitewater Unified School District provided the following press release.

Three Members Elected to Whitewater Unified School District School Board

At 3:30 p.m. on Monday, April 13, the Board of Canvassers certified the votes cast from the April 7 School Board Election for the three open board seats.

The results of the canvass are as follows:
Stephanie Hicks – 2044 votes
Terri Jones – 1849 votes
Lisa Huempfner – 2053 votes
Christy Linse – 1707 votes

Stephanie Hicks, Terri Jones, and Lisa Huempfner will hold office for a three-year term, commencing on Monday, April 27, 2026, and expiring on Monday, April 22, 2029.