News

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the UW System.

University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson on December 22 announced a new
incentive for UW students with nursing skills and other health backgrounds to work on the front lines of
Wisconsin’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The new variant threatens to overwhelm our health care system,” President Thompson said. “Our students
have stepped up in the past, and this is another opportunity for them to gain valuable experience while
helping Wisconsin combat the latest coronavirus wave.”

About 1,000 students will be eligible for the $500 tuition incentive for working in hospitals and other health
care settings.Thompson announced that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services would provide
$500,000 toward the incentive. UW System is working to secure additional funding to expand the program.

A $500 tuition refund will be provided to students who meet the following criteria:
• Must be enrolled at a University of Wisconsin System campus during the Spring 2022 semester.
• Must work a minimum of 50 hours in a Wisconsin clinical or health care setting, such as a hospital,
clinic, nursing home, long-term care facility, state or local health care facility, or state veterans home,
between December 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022.
• Must meet health care licensure and certification requirements, such as a Registered Nurse (RN),
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA),
Emergency Medical Technician (CEMT), or Nurse Aid.

The program is open to students currently employed or who become employed in a Wisconsin clinical or
health care setting. To be eligible, students must present a letter from their employer verifying the type of
work and the hours worked to their campus Bursar’s Office by no later than March 31, 2022.

Students who qualify will receive a $500 tuition refund at the end of the Spring 2022 semester. Students
may receive only one $500 tuition refund regardless of number of hours worked beyond the 50-hour
minimum. Depending upon demand and available funding, lower tuition reimbursement amounts may be
necessary.

Students interested in becoming involved can connect with employers via Handshake, an online job listing
and candidate management system. The UW System will promote the use of Handshake to potential health
care employers, and UW campus career services administrators will help students identify job eligible
opportunities.

The UW System is considering additional spring semester incentives for health care work, including clinical
support for vaccinations.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by Kettle Moraine Baptist Church.

We want you to celebrate Christmas with us! The members of Kettle Moraine Baptist Church invite you to come and experience the joy of the Christmas season!

Do you know the story of Jesus’ birth? Do you love singing traditional Christmas carols? We’d love for you to join us as we sing familiar Christmas carols and read the Christmas story from the Bible.

Friday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Kettle Moraine Baptist Church
Pastor Steve Kindstedt
505 S Wisconsin St.
Whitewater, WI 53190
262-473-2224
www.kmbcwi.org
FB: @KettleMoraineBaptistChurch

Gov. Evers Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of Chad P. Christiansen of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #149 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff tomorrow, Thurs., Dec. 23, 2021, in honor of Chad P. Christiansen, of Baraboo, a Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs security officer at Volk Field Air National Guard Base who lost his life due to complications from contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.  “Chad was a valued member of our Department of Military Affairs team and his loss is felt not only by his colleagues at Volk Field, but throughout the agency and state,” said Gov. Evers. “Kathy and I are sending our thoughts and prayers to Chad’s family, the folks at Volk Field and the Department of Military Affairs, and all those who knew and loved him.” A memorial service will be held for Chad P. Christiansen on Thurs., Dec. 23, 2021, in Clinton, Iowa.  Executive Order #149 will be in effect from sunrise to sunset on Thurs., Dec. 23, 2021, and is available here.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the office of the governor.

Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #149 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff tomorrow, Thurs., Dec. 23, 2021, in honor of Chad P. Christiansen, of Baraboo, a Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs security officer at Volk Field Air National Guard Base who lost his life due to complications from contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.  “Chad was a valued member of our Department of Military Affairs team and his loss is felt not only by his colleagues at Volk Field, but throughout the agency and state,” said Gov. Evers. “Kathy and I are sending our thoughts and prayers to Chad’s family, the folks at Volk Field and the Department of Military Affairs, and all those who knew and loved him.” A memorial service will be held for Chad P. Christiansen on Thurs., Dec. 23, 2021, in Clinton, Iowa.  Executive Order #149 will be in effect from sunrise to sunset on Thurs., Dec. 23, 2021, and is available here.

Editor’s Note: The following photo was provided by Tom Ganser.

The Whitewater Elementary School Choir Concert took place on December 14. In the below photo, the choir is directed by Val Troxel, the choir teacher at Washington Elementary School. The concert took place at the Whitewater High School Auditorium.

Editor’s note: The following statement was provided by Jill Gerber.

Whitewater community member Jill Gerber is running for the 4th district council seat being vacated by council member Lynn Binnie. Gerber believes in hard work, transparency, and getting results.

Gerber has been a part of the Whitewater community for many years. She graduated from
UW-Whitewater with a Business Law Degree and worked as the execuve assistant to the Whitewater
city manager from 2015 – 2019. During her time working for the city, she was able to learn the ins and
outs of Whitewater. Gerber now works for UW-Whitewater in the Office of Field Experience within the
College of Education and Professional Studies.

While already an involved community member, Gerber hopes to continue to serve the City of
Whitewater and its residents as a common council member. She is a strong supporter in upholding the
city’s transparency provisions adopted by the city council. A firm believer in informed decision making,
Jill Gerber maintains that providing council members and the public with information at least 72 hours
prior to discussion allows enough time to understand the views of community members and advocate
for them.

“I have always prided myself in digging in, researching subjects and creating real resolutions,” said
Common Council Candidate Jill Gerber. “I would be humbled if my neighbors elected me as their
representative. I am ready to work alongside the other council members on important city issues as they
arise.”

Gerber believes in diversifying Whitewater’s existing housing stock and supports the construction of
additional single-family residential homes. She plans to advocate for additional housing in Whitewater,
as well as work to increase efforts to land a grocery store in the city. Her core values and strong work
ethic make her a great candidate to represent the City of Whitewater.

About Jill Gerber
Jill works for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the College of Education and Professional Studies
as a data and special programs assistant. Previously she worked for the City of Whitewater as the
executive assistant to the city manager. She has been married to Dave Gerber (Walworth County Sheriff’s
Office) for 21 years and has two sons, Ben and Griffin who are sophomores at UW-Whitewater. For
further details on Gerber’s common council candidacy, please contact Jill Gerber at
jgerber1026@gmail.com.

Editor’s note: The image on the homepage, “Ballot” by OldOnliner is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate zones. It occurs between autumn and spring each year. Winter is caused by the axis of the Earth in that hemisphere being oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures define different dates as the start of winter, and some use a definition based on weather.

When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa. In many regions, winter is associated with snow and freezing temperatures. The moment of winter solstice is when the Sun’s elevation with respect to the North or South Pole is at its most negative value. That is, the Sun is at its farthest below the horizon as measured from the pole. The day on which this occurs has the shortest day and the longest night, with day length increasing and night length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice. (Source: Wikipedia)

The image on the homepage, “happy winter” by suzy_yes is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

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

fortatkinsononline.com made an open records request for the Waukesha County Sheriff department’s records regarding the arrest of Whitewater Police Chief Aaron Raap on Thanksgiving Day. The summary of their review of those records may be found here.

Previous Banner posts on this subject:

Waukesha County DA Drops Potential Case Re: Whitewater Police Chief; City Updates Status of Leave (Dec. 17)

Police Chief Placed on Paid Administrative Leave (Dec. 3)

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

The Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) has expanded their Youth Apprenticeship Program, which allows students the chance to gain work experience in career fields of interest to them. 

In coordination with local businesses in the City of Whitewater, WUSD has worked to develop a program for the upcoming summer and school year that offers high school students ages 16-18 real life experience in jobs they are interested in.  During the 2022 spring semester, the Whitewater Unified School District will host a career fair on January 19th where students can discuss apprenticeship opportunities with local employers.

To aid students as much as possible, Whitewater High School will assist students in building resumes, maintaining proper work etiquette, and hosting mock interviews.  There will then be a follow-up job fair on March 16th which will give students the opportunity to go through the hiring process with businesses of their choice. 

The WUSD Career Fair is set for January 19th, 2022 from 5-7 p.m. and the WUSD Job Fair is set for March 16th, 2022 from 2-4 p.m. Both will take place at Whitewater High School. 

“Our goal is to empower and engage students to start thinking about their future,” said Family/Community Engagement Coordinator, Molly Fuller. “The Youth Apprenticeship Program is a great way to let students test out different job paths and give them an advantage when it comes to college applications and future job searches.”

Once hired for their apprenticeship, students will begin training through the high school from March up until work begins on June 1st. Typically, youth in this program will work at their job of choice for about eight hours per week, completing roughly 450 hours in a year.  

The WUSD is dedicated to making sure this process is equally beneficial for both the youth and the businesses that participate. To ensure students are providing their best efforts, the high school will be consistently contacting employers for updates on students’ performance. 

The Youth Apprenticeship Program will continue to grow over the next few years and will eventually provide younger students with opportunities to get them thinking about their career at an earlier age. The WUSD will continue to allow extra accommodations for anyone interested in this program, and urge as many students as possible to take advantage of this opportunity.

For further information, contact Molly Fuller, Family/Community Engagement Coordinator at: mfuller@wwusd.org  or learn about updates at https://www.facebook.com/wwusd.