News

UW-Whitewater is hosting the Joint Committee on Finance public hearing on the Governor’s 2021-23 biennial budget on Friday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Irvin L. Young Auditorium, 930 West Main Street.

Hearing attendees must follow the COVID-19 safety protocols, including wearing facial coverings and maintaining social distance. Available seating will be limited due to social distancing guidelines.

Parking is available in Lot 1 for those attending the event. 

The public hearing will be live streamed by WisconsinEye and can be viewed at http://www.wiseye.org/live.

Banner note: The following is from the Joint Finance Committee website. That page also has a link to a form where persons may submit comments to the committee without attending a hearing.

If you are planning on attending one of the public hearings, here are a few important things to note:

-The primary purpose of the public hearings will be to hear from Wisconsin citizens, while committee members may ask questions of speakers, it’s not meant to be a debate.

-Speakers (virtual and in-person) will be given two minutes to speak to make sure the committee is able to hear from everyone.

-We will be following the guidelines from local public health departments for the host location regarding masking, social distancing and room capacity. 

-We ask that once you are done speaking, you exit the room so other individuals who haven’t had the chance to speak can do so.

In the Tuesday, April 6 election, Carol McCormick was reelected unopposed to represent District 1 on the Common Council, as was Brienne Brown for District 3. All other reports in this article are unofficial. The race for Council in District 5 was a very close call, with incumbent Gregory Majkrzak’s 62 votes only a two vote margin over challenger Neil Hicks. On the other hand, there was a decisive margin in the Council’s at-large position, with Lisa Dawsey Smith garnering 708 votes to Dan Machalik’s 328.

Maryann Zimmerman and Larry Kachel were apparent victors for the two open seats on the school board, ousting incumbent Tom Ganser. Kelly Davis chose not to run for reelection, and Andrea M. Svec, who had withdrawn from active pursuit of a seat, still received 299 votes. The tallies, broken down by counties, are shown below.

	Walworth	Jefferson	Rock	Total
Maryann Zimmerman	1064	173	117	1354
Larry Kachel	1024	182	116	1322
Tom Ganser	858	136	81	1075
Andrea M. Svec	224	36	39	299

Further details on the election results will be forthcoming on the Banner.

WUSD School Board Cancels School April 14 & Adds a Make-Up Day at the end of
the 2020-2021 School Year

WHITEWATER, WI, April 6 — Last evening, the School Board was asked to consider
instructional plans for Wednesday, April 14, as the second dose of the COVID-19
vaccine will be administered to WUSD staff on Tuesday, April 13. This consideration
was to help avoid unexpected or emergency closures of school due to potential
absenteeism. Studies have shown and local school districts report that up to 30% of
staff could miss work the day following the second vaccine dose due to side effects.
The School Board voted to cancel school for Wednesday, April 14 and add a make-up
day at the end of the 2020-21 school year. Tuesday, June 8 will be a full school day.
Wednesday, June 9, the last day of school, will be a half day for students. No
changes were made to the High School Seniors year-end schedule; graduation will be
Sunday, June 6, 2021.

Banner note: Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty, District Superintendent, indicated to the board that 23 staff had already been vaccinated prior to the mass immunization day that the district sponsored. On the day after their second vaccine, 17% were absent. Jefferson County Epidemiologist Samroz Jakvani indicated that it might be anticipated that approximately 28-30% of persons receiving the second dose might experience sufficiently severe symptoms the next day that they would not be expected to be able to report to work. Pate-Hefty indicated that a high water mark in absences had occurred on a day in March when 23 staff called off, amounting to approximately 10% of the teachers. Fifteen substitutes were able to be recruited for the day, but it was felt that if circumstances had gotten much worse it would have been close to an emergency situation.

Pate-Hefty suggested that there were four alternatives for the board to consider: 1) No school on April 14, and not make up the day since only one snow day has been used for the year. 2) No school on April 14, but add on a day at the end of the school year. 3) Schedule virtual instruction for April 14. 4) Continue with in-person instruction on April 14.

In view of the instructional time that had been lost due to virtual instruction this school year, the superintendent recommended the second option, particularly since it is unknown at this time as to how the state will count virtual instruction towards the required hours. Board members agreed, and voted unanimously to choose the second option.

The image on the home page, “Daisy macro with colorful background” by Matthieu Toulemonde is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

(UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club submission) The UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club did not let the pandemic stop them from collaborating with others to help carry out two events in March.

On March 6, Community Optimist members, along with UW-Whitewater Student Optimists collaborated with the staff and students from the UW-W Young Auditorium to sponsor a benefit concert.  Upbeat music filled the Young Auditorium as the  Milwaukee-based Funk Club Wagon entertained its audience during a 90-minute jazz-funk concert. 

Business donations from The Coburn Company, Fox Chiropractic, and Fort Community Credit Union, along with a virtual silent auction and donation bucket helped to raise money for two local organizations. 

Proceeds were donated to the Whitewater Unified School District Family Emergency Fund and the UW-Whitewater Warhawk Emergency Fund.

Between rain showers on March 27, the Optimist Club put a new spin on their annual Easter Egg Hunt.  This year’s event was titled The Easter Bunny and Friends and was held at the Whitewater Middle School.

The event included many friends of the Easter Bunny, including Thumper, Willie Warhawk, Scoopie, a chick, carrot, and McGruff the Crime Dog.  Goodie bags were distributed to cars with smiling children—after the bunnies and McGruff were escorted to the site via a Whitewater fire truck and squad car.  Remaining goodie bags were donated to the Whitewater Community Space.  Additional event support came from the UW-Whitewater Student Optimist Club and UW-W communication students.

Whitewater Unified School District Board Special Meeting – Monday @ 7:00 p.m.
Agenda: Consideration of Instructional Plans for April 14, following 2nd COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic. District staff will be receiving their 2nd COVID-19 vaccine dose on April 13. The Board will consider various educational options for April 14, the day following staff vaccination. Studies and local school districts indicate up to 30% of staff could miss work due to vaccine side-effects.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81307880431?pwd=cXdkTFg3S1p4MDQ1TVJadXBRU2pkUT09
– Passcode: 925065
———————————————-
– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 813 0788 0431
– Passcode: 925065

City of Whitewater Common Council – Thursday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes prohibition on smoking and vaping in city parks and update on State budget.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/99738023614?pwd=Mi9CN0pMdTJyS0ZmeGEwcGhpWG5JZz09
Passcode: 623078
Or Telephone:
Dial 1 929 205 6099
Webinar ID: 997 3802 3614
Passcode: 623078

(Whitewater Unites Lives submission) Jake Gerlach is a WUL Hometown Hero, and has been nominated “For leading twice-weekly hikes in the Kettle Moraine and surrounding areas for 23 years, and for sharing his in-depth knowledge of the local flora.”

His nomination includes:  “For those who enjoy being outdoors, hiking is a wonderful activity but no one wants to be lost in the woods or repeat the same trails all the time.  Jake is so knowledgeable on the entire trail system of the Kettle Moraine and the surrounding areas.  Plus, he is knowledgeable on the local flora so we hikers get great exercise with a learning experience.  Hikers meet Jake at 4 p.m. at the Highway 12 trail head on Tuesdays, on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. from the same point and in winter from the John Muir trail heads.” 

WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.   

 Anyone who would like to nominate a local hero of any age should send their nomination, with a short description, to whitewaterunites@gmail.com 

(Fort Healthcare submission) Fort HealthCare is pleased to announce a brand-new, FREE community-based wellness challenge open to adults beginning May 4, 2021, to coincide with Mental Well-Being Awareness Month. Registration began online on April 5th.

This six-week challenge encourages physical activity and tracking steps as a way to get participants moving. Steps and exercises are tools for healthy coping by decreasing the effects of stress on the body.

Tiffany Pernat, Fort HealthCare Worksite Wellness Specialist states, “Physical activity is so important for the entire body and all of its systems and should be done at a moderate intensity most days of the week. This can range anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes each day.”

Pernat continues, “Aside from physical activity helping with overall health and values such as blood pressure, cardiovascular endurance, blood glucose numbers and weight, it has a positive effect on the brain, which can help a person when they are experiencing stress, anxiety or depression, and can be a great coping mechanism. With exercise, I always recommend that a person pick something that they know they will enjoy and find fun, because it won’t feel as much like ‘work’ so it will be something to look forward to and maintain throughout time, thus creating healthy and sustainable habits.”

Traci Wilson, Fort HealthCare’s Community Programming Coordinator, adds, “Walking (or any exercise) can help relieve stress in many ways. Short bouts of exercise can boost endorphins in the body, which can help reduce stress hormones and alleviate mild depression.”

Wilson notes, “Everyone experiences some type of stress each day, which can affect our overall health. The key is to manage our stress and the quickest and easiest way to get out of our heads, is to get up and take a short walk. At Fort HealthCare, our mission is to improve the health and well-being of our community. We hope that the ‘Make Each Step Count’ Challenge provides a fun, engaging opportunity for people to challenge themselves by managing their stress with exercise.”

The challenge will also include two weekly tasks to complete. One will be a piece of weekly education and the other will be tracking your steps. If you do not have a tracking device such as a Fitbit, Apple Watch or Garmin, an activity-conversion chart will be provided. Also, many smart phones have a tracking app you can use to keep track of your steps.

Additionally, throughout the challenge, there will be an interactive daily calendar that will have a daily challenge, weekly Bingo Bonus Challenge and great pieces of health information and blogs to encourage your progress. As part of the challenge, there will be prizes given to some of the top step-getters.

Pernat continues, “This challenge is a great opportunity to get moving, come out of an exercise-funk you may be in, or to continue with your current exercise plan. At Fort HealthCare, health and wellness is a top priority, and if we can have a little fun and friendly competition with others in the community, we hope it sparks lifestyle habits that continue for participants beyond the challenge dates.”

The challenge will encourage 10,000 steps a day throughout the six weeks; however, the prize structure will start at 5,000 steps a day to inspire those individuals who are just starting their fitness journey, or those who have taken some time off and are jumping back in.

For more information about the challenge and how to register, please visit FortHealthCare.com/StepsCount.

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.

(Whitewater Arts Alliance submission)   Art by students from ages 4 to 18 will be featured in the April virtual exhibit at the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s website www.whitewaterarts.org.  The show becomes available on Friday, April 9 and runs through Saturday, April 24th.  The gallery at the Cultural Arts Center will be closed for the month of April.

The exhibit will include visual two dimensional artwork by students from area schools.  The art teachers displaying their students’ art are:   Justin Mane (Washington), Sara Sixel (Lincoln), Sara Brautigam (Lakeview), Sarah Heyer (Middle School), and Crystal Gill (High School).

Here is a message from WAA’s President, Kristen Burton, about the show, “Part of the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s mission is to promote arts education. This collaborative exhibit between the Whitewater Unified School District and the Whitewater Arts Alliance supports that mission, provides the community an opportunity to follow the developing talents and careers of our up-and-coming artists, and fosters a positive environment for lifelong learning and creativity.”

The mission of the Whitewater Arts Alliance is to promote the visual and performing arts through an alliance of artists, individuals, educational resources, and organizations to promote creativity and diversity that will serve to educate and enrich the lives of the residents of the Whitewater community and surrounding areas.

Carol McCormick writes, “A young Bald Eagle perched on the same branch where a possible ‘Mom and Dad’ sat two years ago over Trippe Lake. Next generation? A positive sign of the continuation of the species! Immatures take four years to reach the recognizable white head plumage.”

Our thanks to Carol McCormick for sharing yet another interesting nature photo.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage.  Thanks for thinking about this!