News

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
Whitewaterbanner.com
March 14, 2021

At the School Board candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters on March 13, it was announced that Andrea M. Svec would not be participating due to having decided not to actively pursue a seat on the board. The ballot will still include her name in addition to Tom Ganser, Larry Kachel, and Maryann Zimmerman.

In her response to the www.vote411.org candidate questionnaire, Andrea Svec stated, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will not actively be pursuing a seat on the Whitewater school board for 2021. I look forward to renewing my efforts for a 2022 seat. Thank you for your support and understanding.”

Results of the February 16 primary election were:

Tom Ganser – 534; Larry Kachel – 488; Maryann Zimmerman – 461; Andrea M. Svec – 233; Jakub Fadrowski – 56

In the general election on April 6, the two candidates with the highest votes will be elected. Absentee ballots are expected to be mailed early this week. It should be noted that the request for absentee ballots is only valid for a calendar year, unless the voter indicated that they are “indefinitely confined.”

(UW-Whitewater submission) The UW-Madison Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership and UW-Whitewater are pleased to welcome Siva Vaidhyanathan for a virtual lecture, “Cacophony: How Disinformation, Distraction, and the Heckler’s Veto Undermine Collective Thought” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 30.

This virtual lecture is free and open to public.  Please visit https://thompsoncenter.wisc.edu/events/ for details on how to attend.

A cultural historian, media scholar, and lecturer, Vaidhyanathan serves as the Robertson Professor of Media Studies and the director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. He is a frequent contributor on media and cultural issues on public radio shows and news programs, notably the BBC, CNN and NBC. Siva has also authored several books, including The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry) and Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.

His articles have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian and The Nation. Vaidhyanathan’s current project reflects major societal concerns related to the “global media ecosystem,” but touches on such issues as the prevalence of propaganda and misinformation (and its easy dissemination on social media) which further threatens to undermine democracy and destabilize governments across the world. Moreover, the lecture considers the importance of news and information literacy, which is fundamentally one of the most important issues of our time in an age when expertise and intellectualism is under attack.

(Whitewater Public Library submission) The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library Presents: Mexicans in Wisconsin on Tuesday, March 23rd at 6:00 p.m. Registration for this Zoom program is at whitewaterlibrary.org.

Trace the diverse journeys of Mexicans to the Badger State with historian Sergio M. González, author of Mexicans in Wisconsin (Wisconsin Historical Society Press). González will follow the emigration trails that led Mexicans to settle in Wisconsin over the last century and share how they’ve come to build homes and community in rural and urban spaces across the state. Sergio M. González is an assistant professor of Latinx Studies at Marquette University. A historian of twentieth-century U.S. immigration, labor, and religion, his scholarship focuses on the development of Latinx communities in the Midwest.

We welcome everyone in the community to attend our meetings and participate in our events. If you require accommodations to make that possible for you, please call the office of the Library Director (473-0530) 72 hours prior to the meeting.

City of Whitewater Plan & Architectural Review Commission – Monday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Public Hearing for proposal of a Conditional Use Permit to serve alcoholic beverages by the glass at Grunzolio Pizzeria and Public Hearing for proposal of a Conditional Use Permit for changes to signage at Burtness Chevrolet, Buick, GMC
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/819394469
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (408) 650-3123
Access Code: 819-394-469
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/819394469

Whitewater Unified School District School Board – Monday @ 6:15 p.m. (Closed session; 7:00 p.m. (Open session)

6:15 via Zoom online – closed session

• URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81040553865?pwd=RFZnc0YyRmZXMmVaUFhTTGJBdldaZz09 –
  Password: 645726
• Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
• Webinar ID: 810 4055 3865
• Password: 645726
• 7:00 p.m. via Zoom Online – Open session

– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86811719916?pwd=UEljc1VjQVZQMnp5QWZFLzhJZXM5QT09 – Passcode: 589551

• Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
• Webinar ID: 868 1171 9916
• Passcode: 589551

Irvin L. Young Memorial Library Board of Trustees – Monday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes 2021 strategic plan activities and review/possible action on market appraisals of property owned by the library.
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/911192765
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (571) 317-3112
Access Code: 911-192-765
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/911192765

City of Whitewater Alcohol Licensing Committee – Tuesday @ 5:45 p.m.
Agenda includes request for beer & wine license for Grunzolio Pizza, 108 S. Fremont St., and appeal of denial of beverage operator’s license
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/396810245
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (408) 650-3123
Access Code: 396-810-245

City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes resolution extending Tax Incremental District #4 to support affordable housing, closing Tax Incremental Districts #5,6,7,8 and 9, acceptance of community development block grant for water tower project.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/97693876561?pwd=Y1NzUGRFOTJpSUVRWVplM0dtTzdyUT09
Passcode: 344288
Or Telephone:
US: +1 929 205 6099
Webinar ID: 976 9387 6561
Passcode: 344288

City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Board – Wednesday @ 5:30 p.m.

Agenda includes lakes drawdown update
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/204313821
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (408) 650-3123 Access Code: 204-313-821
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/204313821

(Whitewater High School submission) Congratulations go to Olive Coburn, Josh Kirley, and Anderson Waelchli on their performance in the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association Honors Choir.  Josh and Anderson performed in the Bass Clef Choir and Olive performed in the Treble Clef Choir. They prepared the music beforehand and then rehearsed online one weekend in January.  This event culminated in a virtual choir concert that premiered on YouTube: The Bass Clef Choir introduction starts at 19:23 and the Treble Clef Choir begins at 28:20.   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDqflSiNKmI

(Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club submission) Whitewater Kiwanis Club President Jean Bromley poses with a backpack, part of the club’s continuing effort to supply area children with this needed item. New backpacks have been donated to The Community Space and are available free of charge to any student who needs one.

(Whitewater Lions Club) At their most recent membership meeting, the Whitewater Lions Club members were honored to have State Representative Don Vruwink present an American Flag that had been flown over the Wisconsin Capitol on February 17, 2021.     February 17 marks the 82^nd anniversary of the Whitewater Lions Club.  Accepting the flag is Lions Club President Sue Patnaude and Lion Don McComb.

(LWV – Whitewater Area press release) The League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area will be hosting two virtual candidate forums this Saturday, March 13, 2021 in advance of the April 6 Spring Election. The first forum, for City of Whitewater Common Council candidates, will be held in the morning, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. The second forum, for WUSD School Board candidates, will be held in the afternoon, 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. 

All candidates for Common Council, Carol McCormick (District 1), Brienne Diebolt-Brown (District 3), Greg Majkrzak (District 5), Neil Hicks (District 5), Lisa Dawsey Smith (At-Large), and Daniel Machalik (At-Large) and all candidates for the WUSD Board, Tom Ganser, Larry Kachel, Andrea M. Svec, and Maryann Zimmerman have confirmed their participation in the live, online forums.

To attend the Common Council virtual forum live, please join the webinar by using the URL: bit.ly/lwv-commoncouncilforum. Or join us by telephone: dial (312) 626-6799. Webinar ID: 921 9872 0090, Passcode: 971638.

To attend the WUSD School Board virtual forum live, please join the webinar by using the URL: bit.ly/lwv-schoolboardforum. Or join us by telephone: dial (312) 626-6799. Webinar ID: 943 7797 6465, Passcode: 804422.  

Both forums will be live streamed on the League’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/lwvwhitewater.org, and a recording will be made available on our website, https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area, during the weeks leading up to the April 6 Spring Election. 

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 lwvwhitewater.org and like us on Facebook!