News

“Spencer”
Tuesday, February 8, 1 pm
(Biography/Drama) Rated R (language); 1 hour, 57 minutes (2021)

During her Christmas holiday with the Royal Family at their estate, Diana Spencer, struggling with depression and her wandering husband, decides to end her decade-long marriage to Princes Charles. Kristen Stewart, as Princess Diana, has been receiving Oscar buzz for this performance, as has this film. Oscar Nominations are to be announced early this morning (February 8). 

Whitewater High School’s FIRST Robotics Team Ferradermis would love to invite you to join us for our Open House on Saturday, February 12, from 9 am until noon at Whitewater High School. Visitors will enter the building through Door #38, which is behind the auditorium and next to the auto shop. 

This will be a work day for the students on the team, so you’ll get to see them in action as they prepare for a pre-regional scrimmage on February 20 and their first full competition at the Lake Superior Regional in Duluth beginning March 2. Students will provide tours of the shops, demonstrate the CAD design of the robot they are currently building, and introduce you to this year’s game, Rapid React. The Washington Brick Layers, one of our elementary LEGO League teams will also be here for part of the morning to demonstrate their projects.

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We hope to see you there!

Editor’s note: The following is from a “gofundme” fundraiser that has been established for WHS senior Aldo Rodriguez and his family. Alternatively checks may also be sent to the following with “Aldo” in the memo: WHS Family Emergency Fund, 534 S. Elizabeth St., Whitewater, WI 53190.

“Hi, my name is Rosalinda Martinez, and I am putting together this fundraiser on behalf of some of Aldo’s past and present teachers and a community that loves him.

For those who don’t know Aldo, probably few and far between, he is one of the sweetest, most selfless human beings you will ever meet. He is currently a senior in high school. He has participated in countless musicals, been a peer mentor, spent his time representing various clubs, continuously earned good grades, all while having a smile on his face. Aldo is a student who came here not knowing one word of English. He pushed himself in every way possible and worked extremely hard to learn the language. There wasn’t a person Aldo wouldn’t go out of his way to greet and share a smile with. 

Aldo was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma cancer. His treatment plan entails a minimum of 30 weeks of chemotherapy which will last roughly nine months. The goal is to shrink the tumor to be small enough to remove it from his knee through surgery. He has a long road ahead of him. This means that mom will have to take time off of work to care for Aldo. He has done so much for others, so here’s an opportunity to repay his good deeds and help lessen the burden for his family.

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Hola, mi nombre es Rosalinda Martínez, y estoy organizando esta recaudación de fondos en nombre de algunos de los maestros previos y actuales de Aldo y de una comunidad que lo ama.

Para aquellos que no conocen a Aldo, probablemente pocos, es un ser humano muy dulce y generoso. Actualmente está en el último año de la escuela preparatoria. Ha participado en innumerables musicales, ha sido mentor de sus compañeros, ha estado en varios clubes, ha sacado continuamente buenas notas, y todo ello con una sonrisa en la cara. Aldo es un estudiante que llegó aquí sin saber una palabra de inglés. Se esforzó en todo lo posible y trabajó muy duro para aprender el idioma. No había persona a la que Aldo no saludara y con la que no compartiera una sonrisa.

A Aldo le diagnosticaron recientemente un cáncer de osteosarcoma. Su plan de tratamiento implica un mínimo de 30 semanas de quimioterapia que durará aproximadamente nueve meses. El objetivo es reducir el tumor hasta que sea lo suficientemente pequeño para poder extraerlo de la rodilla mediante cirugía. Tiene un largo camino por delante. Esto significa que su madre tendrá que faltar al trabajo para cuidar de Aldo. Él ha hecho mucho por los demás, así que esta es una oportunidad para devolverle sus buenas acciones y ayudar a aliviar la carga de su familia.

City of Whitewater Equal Opportunities Commission – Monday @ 5:00 p.m.
VIRTUAL MEETING AGENDA
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/375903845
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: 1 (571) 317-3112
Access Code: 375-903-845

Whitewater Unified School District Policy Review Committee – Tuesday @ 9:00 a.m.
Agenda (Click on “meetings” in upper right hand corner)
Whitewater Unified School District Central Office
Front Conference Room
419 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin

Whitewater Fire Department, Inc Business Meeting – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes transition to paramedic service
Location: EOC Room

City of Whitewater Common Council, Community Development Authority, and Plan & Architectural Review Commission Joint Meeting – Wednesday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda: Vandewalle Associates presentation on City of Whitewater Housing Report
THIS IS A VIRTUAL MEETING ONLY
However, those desiring to do so, may attend the Virtual
Meeting via the Community Room (Council Chambers) of
the City of Whitewater. Council Chamber Attendees will be
able to observe the presentation on the screen.
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join us via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86140176836?pwd=RFdHWDd3UDd3aFA5ZEZUZFdyaEYzdz09
Passcode: 862560
Or Telephone:
Dial: US: 1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 861 4017 6836
Passcode: 862560

City of Whitewater Community Development Authority Board of Directors – Wednesday @ 7:30 p.m.
THIS MEETING WILL ONLY BE HELD VIRTUALLY.
Agenda: Closed session, to reconvene – Item to be discussed: Negotiation of purchase of property for stormwater management purposes – approximately 9.22 acres located adjacent to South Street, and identified as Walworth County Parcel No. /A 71200002
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Topic: Community Development Authority
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84404288333?pwd=b3Fza1oxL05TNDlqUjVGclllY2V4dz09
Webinar ID: 844 0428 8333
Passcode: 255891
Or Telephone:
Dial
US: 1 312 626 6799

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
This Notice is given to inform the Public that members of the Common Council have been invited to the
annual meeting being hosted by the Greater Whitewater Committee. The gathering begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 10 with a social hour. A program will begin at 6:00 p.m. The event will be held at the 841 Brewhouse,located at 841 E. Milwaukee Street in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

This notice is to inform the public that there MAY be a quorum of Common Council members of the City
of Whitewater present. There is no official action planned to be taken, and this notice is merely given to
inform the public of the possibility of a presence of a quorum of Council members.

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

Work Schedule for week of February 6 – February 13

• Crews will work through the weekend (Feb 4-6), one crew on Sunday working Trippe Lake.
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• No work is scheduled for Monday or Tuesday due to warmer temperatures and snow.
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• Wednesday through Sunday, crews will plan to work 24 hours with most work occurring at night due to the cold temperatures.
  *All work is dependent on weather and the worksite conditions. The ground must be frozen by 18″ in order to allow large equipment to drive on and add dirt to loading trucks. Mats are laid on the ground that is not frozen enough to allow vehicles to drive on without sinking. If warmer temperatures and the sun begin to defrost the ground, work must stop to keep equipment from sinking and work can resume when the outdoor temperatures drop again.

Trippe Lake

Dredging started this past Wednesday and crews are working from the middle of Trippe Lake and moving south at this point. They will continue to remove sediment along the planned channel eventually moving north in the following week.

Cravath Lake

Dredging on Cravath started this past Wednesday, Feb 2nd. The dredge area is at the south end of the lake and they will continue to work north towards the park over the next week.

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

This week we have a winter image of Main Street that can be dated to after 1903, since the White Memorial Library (to the right of the image), built in that year, is shown. Since the Scholl glass plate negatives, of which this is one, date to only around c.1910, this means this image is probably from c.1904 to c.1910.

The image also shows the First English Lutheran Church on the left. It may have still been the Baptist Church, constructed in the 1880s, since the Norwegian Lutheran Church (original name for First English) only acquired the church building in 1908. The original Norwegian Lutheran Church was located on the far east side of Whitewater, near the present-day modern water tower. Also note in the foreground there is a decorative hitching post, as this was still the “horse and buggy” era in the city.

Join us soon for the last of our Scholl glass plate negative winter images.

(#3836GP Whitewater Historical Society)

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by St. Patrick Church in Whitewater.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1225 W. Main Street, will be holding a fundraiser to benefit the Young Adult Mission Trip to New Orleans. “Subs To Go for the Super Bowl” will be held February 13. The form at the bottom of this post may be used for advance orders.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by The League of Women Voters-Whitewater.

League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area Invites All to Conversation on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

The League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area invites its members and the public to participate in its newly formed 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.

The inaugural book will be “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson. In “Caste” Wilkerson “examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.” The book will be discussed via Zoom over two meetings, Thursday, March 10, and Thursday, March 31 from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm. The League has made special arrangements with the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library for those who need to reserve a copy of the book.

Books will be available to check out beginning February 17. Contact Deb Gamble at shebagam@gmail.com or (262) 458-0077 with questions, to reserve a book, or to sign up for the Zoom meetings. Remember, you do not need to be a member of the League (or a woman!) to join the book discussions. We look forward to beginning this new adventure with you!

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!

Men and women gamblers!  Are you a constant loser because of your gambling?  Are you losing your income, self-respect and loved ones?  Compulsive gambling is an addictive, progressive disease.  If you want help for you or someone you love, you are welcome to attend:

Gamblers Anonymous Whitewater

First United Methodist Church—In the Library

145 S. Prairie St.

Whitewater, WI

Mondays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

For information, call (608) 283-5800.

There is no cost to attend G.A.

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

One of downtown Whitewater’s most prominent buildings is likely to get some major renovations and improvements including an entirely new outside look. Greg Aprahamian, the owner of the building at the corner of W. Main and S. 2nd Street, and the City of Whitewater have agreed to a Development Agreement that could lead to an over $2 million improvement to the building most recently known as “The White Elephant.”

The Whitewater Common Council approved the agreement Tuesday, February 1 which will allow Aprahamian and the Whitewater Community Development Authority (CDA) to proceed with an application for a $250,000 WI Economic Development Authority (WEDA) grant to assist the developer. Plans call for the creation of new retail space on the ground level along with twelve “higher end” one and two bedroom residential units.

Specified improvements call for restoration efforts to get “…closer to its original appearance as an important and historical building in Walworth County.” The agreement calls for removing the existing stucco covering on the front and side elevations and replacing it with an “historic fitting” facade, opening of window spaces and replacement of existing windows with modern windows of the same size and appearance of the original structure along with repair and replacement of all mechanical systems to meet current code requirements.

Once referred to as “Bower’s House,” the property dates back to the 1850’s according to documents contained in a Facade Improvement Loan that the Whitewater CDA is offering as an additional incentive to the developer. Additional financing for the project will come from First Citizens State Bank of Whitewater.

CDA Director Cathy Anderson told the Common Council that the assessed value of the building will likely increase to over $2 million after completion compared to the current assessed value of under $200,000.

The Common Council also was informed that dredging of the city’s two downtown lakes is scheduled to accelerate to a 24 hour per day schedule through Saturday,February 5 and scheduled a review of a long awaited City of Whitewater Housing Study on February 9. Whitewater’s status as a relatively small community with a medium sized college campus makes it unique in that it reportedly has the lowest statewide percentage of owner-occupied homes.

In addition the Council approved the issuance of over $5 million of borrowing to support previously approved Capital Improvement Program projects. The list of projects includes contribution toward the replacement of a WWFD Inc. ladder truck, street reconstruction and stormwater improvements projects, payment for the Lakes Drawdown Project and other miscellaneous items.

Wisconsin prohibits municipalities from incurring debt that amounts to more than 5% of
a community’s equalized valuation and the Whitewater policy is to not borrow more than 70% of that figure. After this bond issue, which could be retracted if financial conditions are not favorable, the City will have borrowed up to an estimated 58% of its limit.