News

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The U.S. Supreme Court on October 26 sided with our state’s legislature, refusing to allow an extension ordered by a federal judge in the deadline for returning mail-in ballots beyond Election Day. The decision, on a 5-3 vote with three liberal justices dissenting, left in place a lower court’s October 8 decision that blocked U.S. District Judge William Conley’s ruling that would have allowed ballots to be counted as long as they were postmarked by November 3 and received by November 9. A group of voters and disability rights groups, joined by state and national Democrats, had sued the Republican-controlled state legislature in an attempt to get the deadline for the receipt of mail-in ballots extended in view of delays in mail delivery in the midst of the pandemic. Ballots must be received before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3 in order to be counted.

Although the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Thursday, October 29 at 5:00 p.m., ballots requested that late are unlikely to arrive in time for a voter to receive the ballot in the mail and return it by mail to be received by November 3. If you have requested a City of Whitewater absentee ballot but have not yet received it, you may wish to contact the office of the City Clerk at 262-473-0102.

If you have already received an absentee ballot, and plan to return it by mail, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Absentee ballots may be returned, 24/7, to the secure ballot box in the 312 W. Whitewater Street entrance to the Municipal Building. That box is emptied every weekday, and will be checked for a final time in the afternoon of November 3. Absentee ballots may also be delivered to your polling place on November 3 before 8 p.m. Wards 1,2,3,4,5,6,10 and 11 will vote at the Downtown Armory, 146 W. North Street.  Wards 7,8,9,13 and 12 will vote in the Kachel Field House on the UWW campus, 907 W. Schwager Drive.

In-person absentee voting at the Municipal Building continues on the following days. There has normally been little or no waiting:
Tuesday, October 27 9am -5pm
Wednesday, October 28 1pm -5pm
Thursday, October 29 1pm -5pm
Friday, October 30 9am -5pm

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

At the regular School Board meeting on October 26, a motion by Jim Stewart to return to full face-to-face instruction in the Middle School and High School effective November 2 was supported on a 5-2 vote, with Tom Ganser and Casey Judd opposed. There was no disagreement that a return to in-person would be preferred in terms of optimal education; the concerns that were expressed regarded whether it was safe to do so in the midst of rising COVID-19 infections in the state and area.

District Administrator Caroline Pate-Hefty had suggested that the alternative to the plan that was ultimately adopted would be continuing with the current hybrid model with Board assessment on January 11 as to whether to make a change on January 25. Dr. Pate-Hefty did not offer a recommendation between the two models. Less than ten people spoke during the public comment period, considerably less than in previous meetings where the instruction model was considered. Several high school students spoke in favor of continuing with the hybrid model which started on October 12, generally expressing that they felt that it represented the best balance of safety and education. It was acknowledged by the school principals that with all the students attending in-person, approximately 60-70% of the classes could not be socially distanced, whereas currently the students in almost all classes are separated by at least six feet. A few parents, including one who had open enrolled her students in another district, spoke in favor of the proposal to return to full face-to-face instruction. It was indicated that a number of nearby districts are already in-person, including East Troy, Elkhorn, Jefferson, Lake Geneva, and Palmyra-Eagle. Fort Atkinson and Johnson Creek have been in-person but are temporarily closed due to COVID-19 infections.

Matthew Sylvester-Knudtson, Director of Business Services, reported that 264 students have open enrolled to other districts as of the third Friday count. This compares with 168 students last year, resulting in additional expense to the district of approximately $850,000. It was hoped that with the return to in-person instruction some parents might choose for their students to return to the district.

Dr. Pate-Hefty reported that there has been a significant increase in attendance concerns for Middle and High School students under both the virtual and hybrid models. Even though these concerns have diminished since going to the hybrid approach, the concerns are still more than double those of last year. Thus far 32 homeless students have been identified in the district, compared with 62 at the end of the last school year, raising concern that many such students may have gone unidentified thus far this year. On an unrelated subject, there have been ten referrals to Child Protective Services. It was indicated that approximately 60% of parents have been transporting their children to school, which is appreciated as it allows for better physical distancing on the buses.

The Board unanimously adopted the proposed budget for 2021 as recommended by Sylvester-Knudtson, as well as a tax levy of $11.10 versus the current year’s $11.50, approximately a 3.5% reduction. Matthew suggested that the reduction was feasible based on a $600,000 surplus in the previous year, which would be directed towards reducing the debt service portion of the levy. In response to a question as to whether it would make sense instead to direct the surplus towards paying down debt, Sylvester-Knudtson indicated that the earliest that any of the debt can be called is 2026, and there is already $5,000,000 in reserve for debt payment.

(Whitewater Unites Lives submission) Summer Markham is a WUL Hometown Hero, and has been nominated “For being an outstanding school secretary, and for creating and organizing the Lakeview Loves program that provides food to hungry students at home.”

The nomination includes, “I would like to nominate Summer Markham as a Hometown Hero.  She is currently the secretary at Lakeview School in Whitewater.  This job, especially this year, can be completely overwhelming:  answering questions from staff, families, students, and being the nurse and security guard as well as doing the administrative work that is her job. However not only is Summer an outstanding elementary school secretary she is also the creator of a food backpack program for the families of Lakeview, Lakeview Loves.

She had this idea her first year at our school (2016) when she saw a need at our school for some of our students and their families.  Kids were acting out because they were hungry. She went into action getting food donated, obtaining grants and organizing volunteers.  This program has provided numerous families with weekly various non-perishable food bags and special treats at the holiday time.  When she saw a need for students to have a milk time snack she set her goals to also provide a snack for those students who didn’t bring one to school.  This program is provided to every family at Lakeview School no matter their financial situation.  During the first year the program served 34 kids, in 2019-2020 it served 52 students, and the enrollment is ongoing for the 2020-2021 school year.”

Summer said, “I am honored to receive such an award.  While I might have gotten Lakeview Loves running, Loves truly only happens with the amazing community involvement we are blessed to have.  I am thankful to all those who donate food and funds, and to our PTA and Whitewater Lions Club who really keep our program running with their outstanding volunteer efforts!   Our community of support is the real hero, for together we keep our students fed and ready to learn!  Thank you for honoring me and Lakeview Loves with this wonderful community award!”

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 

(Lake Mills Cleaners & Dyers news release and web pages) In response to the closing of Majestic Cleaners, Winchester True Value Hardware, 1415 W. Main Street, has established a partnership with Lake Mills Cleaners & Dyers to offer complete dry cleaning, shirt service, household items, and personal laundry service. Lake Mills offers free pick up and delivery, so there is no added charge for three day service. Pickups at True Value are on Tuesdays and Fridays, so what they pick up on Tuesday will be returned on Friday and vice versa for what they pick up on Friday.

Our Mission To “Going Green”
* Our free pick-up and delivery trucks run on LP instead of regular gasoline.
* We recycle our hangers and plastic. 
* The Stoddard dry cleaning method is reclaimable through the dryers.  This way it does not go out into the environment and pollute the air.
* We have introduced the new Green Garmento Bags.  It allows you to save the use of plastic and instead use reusable bags.  You put your dirty garments inside the bag for us to pick up, it then turns around and covers the clean garments; therefore, no need for reproducing plastic.  Please contact us today if you would like to be environmentally friendly and take part in this service.

Lake Mills Cleaners and Dyers is one of the best at what we do! Each garment is pre-spotted individually before it is cleaned and checked over after it is cleaned again for any additional stains. If our spotters or pressers have any questions or concerns regarding your garments you will be contacted immediately by our professional staff to discuss possible solutions. All buttons, sequins or beads that could possibly be damaged with our cleaning processes are removed prior to cleaning. They are re-attached after cleaning by our professional tailors. Each of our presses have a hand iron and any garment requiring hand pressing is taken care of. We are one of the few dry cleaners in the area that utilizes the ‘hand iron’ to give your garment the best finished look possible. We also offer professional shirt and personal laundry services. They will be the best in town. For your shirts, we offer preference of starch and choice of your finished shirts to be put on hangers or hand folded. Personal laundry is done and priced by the pound. Table linens and napkins are washed and hand pressed so they are ready to use any time of the year. We also specialize in a number of other items such as wedding dress cleaning and preservation, leathers/suedes/furs, rug cleaning, draperies, horse blankets, and alterations! Our free pick up and delivery is a three day service; however, specialty items may take a longer time to complete.

History

Lake Mills Cleaners has a long history of dedicated customer service. Since its conception in 1938, the Tarnutzer family has owned and operated the business. Casey Tarnutzer was in the dairy business and saw an opportunity to build a family future in the dry cleaning business. In 1951 his son, Dick, joined him in the business, and it soon expanded far beyond the shores of beautiful Rock Lake. With the creative marketing concept of Free Pick Up and Delivery* the business grew to service most of the south/central Wisconsin area. Dick’s son, Lance and daughter-in-law Ellie, own and operate the business. Today, a fourth generation is in line to continue the great family tradition of customer service and satisfaction at Lake Mills Cleaners.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
October 25, 2020

After a month of declining or stable COVID-19 cases in Walworth County and Whitewater, including UW-W, recent days have seen a reversal of that trend. The city’s incidence now appears to be similar to the statewide average.

• With a 7-day case incidence as of October 25 of 39.0, Walworth County is well into the “very high risk” category under the Jefferson County model that Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) is no longer using as guidance. Whitewater’s case incidence, 54.0, is considerably outpacing that of Walworth County. Meanwhile, Jefferson County is also currently reporting a 7-day case incidence as of October 22 of 52. The statewide case incidence is reported to be 54.4. (Case incidence = average new cases per 100,000 people.)
• The school district seems to be bucking the trend. WUSD’s current data, which indicates that since September 1 there have been thirteen positive cases among students and three staff members, a change of only one student since our report of October 17. In-person classes resumed fulltime for 4K – 5th grade on September 28; grades 6-12 began a hybrid model on October 12.
• UWWs current data shows that last week there were 34 students (updated from 24 based on Oct. 26 report) and 2 staff/others with positive PCR tests. Although still a considerable reduction from the early weeks of the semester, this is more than double the previous week, when there were a total of 11 positives. In the initial four weeks of the semester there had been a total of 371 students and 15 others. In the past four weeks there have been 73 students and 5 others with positive PCR tests.
• Per this state website, Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth Counties all have “very high” COVID activity levels. The state as a whole is currently rated in the “very high” activity level. Per the state, “COVID-19 remains very contagious and most people in Wisconsin are still at risk of getting sick from the virus.”
  
  

DAILY CASE INCIDENCE PER 100,000 PEOPLE – WALWORTH COUNTY

End Date	New cases/14 days	Incidence	New cases/7 days	Incidence
9/15	527	38.8	403	59.2
9/22	648	47.7	245	36
9/29	379	27.9	134	19.7
10/5	302	22.2	176	25.9
10/16	308	22.6	176	25.9
10/25	427	31.4	265	39.0

DAILY CASE INCIDENCE PER 100,00 PEOPLE – CITY OF WHITEWATER (WALWORTH COUNTY PORTION)

End Date	New cases/14 days	Incidence	New cases/7 days	Incidence
9/15	345	206.8	284	340.4
9/22	419	251.1	132	158.1
9/29	180	107.9	48	57.6
10/17	42	25.1	20	24.0
10/25	61	36.6	45	54.0

TEST POSITIVITY RESULTS – CITY OF WHITEWATER (WALWORTH COUNTY PORTION)

End Date	# Tests Reported – 14 days	# Positive	Positivity %	# Tests Reported – 7 days	#Positive	Positivity %
8/22	216	27	12.5%	103	6	5.8%
8/29	240	19	7.9%	128	13	9.2%
9/7	421	77	18.3%	274	60	21.9%
9/20	958	404	42.2%	571	204	35.7%
9/29	663	180	27.1%	236	48	20.3%
10/17	175	42	24.0%	80	20	25.0%
10/25	310	61	19.7%	140	45	32.1%

TEST POSITIVITY RESULTS – WALWORTH COUNTY

End Date	# Tests Reported – 14 days	#Positive	Positivity %	# Tests Reported – 7 days	# Positive	Positivity %	% of Those with Positive Results Who Reported being Asymptomatic	Total Deaths
8/22	2386	277	11.6%	1071	112	10.5%	11.4%	25
8/29	1972	210	10.6%	901	98	10.9%	11.1%	27
9/7	1953	228	11.7%	986	129	13.1%	10.9%	32
9/22	2689	648	24.1%	1249	245	19.6%	9.7%	34
9/29	2504	379	15.1%	1255	134	10.7%	9.75%	35
10/5	2189	302	13.8%	864	176	25.6%	9.49%	35
10/16	1803	308	14.6%	1142	176	15.4%	9.47%	36
10/25	3304	427	12.9%	1097	265	24.2%	9.36%	38

WUSD is providing the following “COVID Tracking Data” on its website at this link.

COVID TRACKING DATA

On September 23, 2020 the WUSD School Board voted to suspend the utilization of a community level metric.

Below is the cumulative and current number of close contact, symptomatic, COVID positive staff and students.

District COVID Tracking Data Sept 1 – October 22 (updated October 23)
		Cumulative	October 22
STAFF
	Close Contact Positive Person	28	5
	Showing Symptoms	35	3
	Tested COVID-Positive	3	1
	Total Quarantined Staff	66
STUDENTS	Close Contact Positive Person	101	34
	Showing Symptoms	207	58
	Tested COVID-Positive	13	1
	Total Quarantined Students	321
	Totals	Number of Positive COVID Cases	16
	Number of Days of School	38

UWW has established the following dashboard which provides useful information. It is found at this link.

COVID-19 Dashboard

The COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-changing situation and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater actively monitors and reviews a series of health, safety, and resource metrics to guide decision-making with regard to university operations. These metrics are considered in combination and consultation with recommendations and orders from the state and county health departments before any changes in operations are made.

Last Updated 10/23/2020 at 9:00 AM

COVID-19 cases reported to UW-Whitewater

	New reports – Week of Oct. 18 – Oct. 24	Previous week	Cumulative reports since March 2020
Students	24	8	442
Employees	1	3	20
Other	1	0	4
Unknown	0	0	0

Dashboard is updated on business days with available data. Numbers include cases reported through university-coordinated testing, as well as those reported through the COVID-19 Hotline, which may include testing that occurred off-campus through other health clinics/providers. Student employees are counted in the student numbers. The “Other” category is defined as any positive cases reported to UW-Whitewater who are neither students nor employees and may include visitors to the university, contractors or vendors, or others who have been to the university in person.  These numbers represent individuals who have had direct contact with the campuses.  Individuals who are working or attending solely in a remote manner and not living in University Housing are not included.

Regional Metrics

	University Health and Counseling Services (10/1-10/15)	Walworth County (9/29-10/12)	Rock County (9/30-10/13)	Jefferson County	Wisconsin (7-day average)
Percent Positive	29% (36/125*)	12.48%	15.9%	22.3%	20.8%
Time to complete contact tracing	100% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours**	97% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours	51% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours	Not Available	N/A
Healthcare system capacity level	No crisis management of care	No crisis management of care	No crisis management of care	Not Available	16% Available (Based on Immediate Bed Availability)
Total cases per 100,000 (14 days)	n/a	350.8	844.2	758.2	760.9

*UHCS percentage positive is based on PCR testing performed at the University Clinic site of students only.  Case totals are represented by (Total Positives/Total PCR Tests)

**To avoid duplication, UHCS actively partners with Walworth, Rock, and Jefferson Health Departments.  County Health Departments do tracing of positive cases and UHCS employees do tracing of contact cases. 

Previous 7 days of PCR Tests Administered

PCR* Test Date	# of PCR Tests Administered
10/14/20	6
10/15/20	4
10/16/20	1
10/19/20	17
10/20/20	15
10/21/20	14
10/22/20	18

*PCR testing is conducted on symptomatic individuals and individuals with positive Antigen testing results.

Total All PCR Tests	# of PCR Negative	# of PCR Positive	Percentage Positive
987	744	268	26.5%

Previous 7 days of Antigen Testing Administered

Antigen* Test Date	# of Antigen Tests Administered	# of Antigen Negative Results	# of Antigen Positive Results	Percentage Positive
10/14/20	62	62	0	0.0%
10/15/20	69	67	2	3.0%
10/16/20	65	65	0	0.0%
10/19/20	124	117	7	6.0%
10/20/20	181	177	4	2.3%
10/21/20	156	153	3	2.0%
10/22/20	73	68	5	7.4%
Weekly total	730	709	14	1.9%
Total All Antigen Tests	2,822	2,741	81	3.0%

Antigen* Test Date	# of Antigen Tests Administered	# of Antigen Negative Results	# of Antigen Positive Results	Percentage Positive
10/7/20	99	98	1	1.0%
10/8/20	60	58	2	3.4%
10/9/20	60	60	0	0.0%
10/12/20	123	123	0	0.0%
10/13/20	159	157	2	1.3%
10/14/20	62	62	0	0.0%
10/15/20	69	67	2	3.0%
Weekly total	632	625	7	1.1%
Total All Antigen Tests	2,223	2,161	62	2.9%

*Antigen testing is conducted on asymptomatic and random volunteers.

(Walworth County Health Department news release) The Walworth County Public
Health Department and Sheriff’s Office are partnering with the Wisconsin National
Guard to offer a recurring COVID-19 public testing site.

The state recently shifted to a regional allocation of Wisconsin National Guard
(WING) support for COVID-19 testing. This provides counties with the
opportunity to request community testing sites that operate on a repeated
schedule.

In Walworth County, testing will be conducted each Tuesday beginning October
27 and concluding on December 8. Drive-thru testing will be offered at Lakeland
Community Church, N3181 State Rd 67 in Lake Geneva. The site will operate
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can accommodate up to 300 participants each day of
operation.

Pre-registration is strongly recommended and can be completed by visiting
https://register.covidconnect.wi.gov/. Pre-registration ensures an efficient testing
process that produces faster result notification. For those unable to pre-register,
onsite registration support will be available.

Erica Bergstrom, Health Officer stated, “Similar sites are now operating in Racine
and Kenosha Counties. These recurring sites bring us closer to achieving our
goal of ensuring easy access to local testing for Walworth County residents.”

Testing is open to any Wisconsin resident age 5 or older. Members of the
Wisconsin National Guard will administer nasal swab tests and will manage the
specimen samples. Those receiving tests will not be charged.

Whitewater Unified School District School Board Regular Meeting
Monday, October 26 @ 7:00 p.m.
Includes adoption of budget and tax levy; evaluation of current instructional plans
For the complete agenda, click here and then click on “meetings” in the upper right corner.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85722502449?
pwd=K0taZWdQaHZxQ2V1SDVxY3lBNC9Kdz09
Passcode: 337585
Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
Webinar ID: 857 2250 2449
Passcode: 337585

Whitewater Fire Department Business Meeting
Thursday @ 6:30 p.m.
Qualify applicants for vacant EMS BOD position
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.google.com/kuu-yugc-gye
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 929-287-3062
Access Code:
907 589 261

City of Whitewater Plan & Architectural Review Commission
Sign Ordinance Subcomittee
Review of proposed amendments to sign ordinance
Friday, October 30 @ 9:00 a.m.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/783936117
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
Access Code: 783-936-117

(From the Whitewater Fire Dept. Facebook page) At approximately 11:15 p.m. on Friday October 23rd, the WFD was dispatched to a report of a motorcyclist down. First arriving crews found Walworth County Sheriffs deputies on scene with a motorcycle and rider laying in the west side ditch along 89, North of Church Rd. Crews attempted life saving measures along with Jefferson 799 and Walworth MD-1. Unfortunately the rider was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident remains under investigation by the Walworth Cty Sheriff’s Dept.

October 26 Update: Per the Daily Jefferson County Union, the victim was identified as Frank Cisewski, 34, of Whitewater.

People’s Maps Commission Seeking Public Comment At Redistricting Hearing  Public Hearing Oct. 29  Banner comment: This hearing is featuring the 5th Congressional District, which includes Whitewater.

(News release from WI Dept of Administration) MADISON – The People’s Maps Commission is holding a virtual public hearing 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, to seek public input on the upcoming redistricting of legislative  maps.  The hearing is the second in a series of at least eight meetings, one for each one of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts, the Commission will host. The focus of the hearing will be a retrospective of how Wisconsin’s maps were drawn in 2011, and will feature Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District.   The virtual public hearing will include testimony from experts and also provide Wisconsinites the opportunity to express how they have been impacted by legislative redistricting and share their ideas for how Wisconsin can work together to achieve fair maps.      Every 10 years, each state redraws their legislative and congressional districts using data from the decennial census. In addition to the data from the 2020 U.S. Census, the Commission will use information gathered during the public hearing process to prepare new maps. It will then be up to the Legislature to take up and approve the maps created by the Commission.  Although the Oct. 29 hearing will focus on the Fifth Congressional District, all Wisconsin residents are encouraged to watch and participate. Anyone wishing to testify at the hearing must register in advance by visiting the People’s Maps Commission website HERE.  The deadline for registering to comment during this hearing is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. Each speaker will have 3 minutes to speak. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority to residents of Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District. For anyone unable to join the virtual hearing, written comments are strongly encouraged. Written comments can be submitted at any time using the feedback form available on the People’s Maps Commission website ERE. Written comments will be reviewed by the commissioners and are public record.  Selected by a three judge panel, the Commission is a nine-member nonpartisan redistricting commission charged with drawing fair, impartial maps for the state of Wisconsin. More information about the Commission, its members and its activities is available HERE.  Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the People’s Maps Commission will host virtual public hearings for each of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts. Agendas and additional details will be announced in advance of future meeting dates. The hearing dates are as follows: 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, 8th Congressional District Watch the recording of the Oct. 1 hearing HERE. 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, 5th Congressional District  Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, 3rd Congressional District  Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, 4th Congressional District  January hearing date TBD, 7th Congressional District  February hearing date TBD, 1st Congressional District  March hearing date TBD, 6th Congressional District  April hearing date TBD, 2nd Congressional District