News

Downtown Whitewater, Inc. and the Whitewater Dementia Friendly Community group have partnered to create large font versions of menus from every restaurant in Whitewater. Physical copies of these menus are available to view at the Discover Whitewater office (150 W Main St), the Irvin L Young Memorial Library (431 W Center St), and the Starin Park Community Building (504 W Starin Rd). There is also a PDF version available for download at click here.

The goal of this project is to make the menus from local restaurants more accessible to all residents. We hope that these menus will make it easier for residents with dementia to enjoy meals out with their family and friends, without all of the stress that comes from not being able to read the menu. The large print menu will also benefit those with vision impairment or any caregiver wanting to plan an outing to a local restaurant.

About the organizations: Downtown Whitewater, Inc. is a volunteer-driven organization spearheading community efforts to re-energize and enhance our historic downtown. We are community advocates and volunteers who share a passion for Whitewater. We bring people from all walks of life together to celebrate Whitewater’s history and traditions, to care for our downtown neighborhood, and to inspire confidence and investments that are flowing toward an economically vibrant, engaging and exciting place in the heart of Whitewater – a place we love, a place we’re proud to call home, and a place where future generations can grow and take pride in calling their own.

The Whitewater Dementia Friendly Community’s mission is to create a Dementia Friendly Community that includes effective, ongoing programs to support individuals with dementia and their care partners.

In remembrance of Dr. King, there will be no U.S. Mail delivery on Monday, January 20. Some banks will be closed as well.

The UW-W commemorative event is on Wednesday, January 22. Details are on the front page of The Banner under “recent posts.”

Appropriate for parents of children of all ages.

The ThreadBender Fiber Arts Exhibition for February of 2020 features 15 participating fiber artists and 44 quilts.  The show runs January 30 to February 23 each Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s Cultural Arts Center on 402 West Main Street.

A free reception will be on Sunday, February 2 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. with refreshments.

The ThreadBender Fiber Arts group does periodic challenges for their members and the artworks from various challenges will include: Anything Goes, Octabulous, Photo Inspiration: Door, and a section which was an open artist choice for display as well. 

More information about their work can be found at:  https://threadbendersblog.wordpress.com/

Taylor McDarison, Part-Time Gallery Manager for the Cultural Arts Center, said, “The ThreadBenders are a creative, innovative fiber arts group with so much gusto and passion in each of their projects. The challenges their members undergo are both incredibly intriguing and awe inspiring. There’s certainly no lack of love for every laborious stitch and collection of all the unique fabrics. It has been a privilege to collaborate with this group and I cannot wait to share this upcoming quilt exhibition!”

The Cultural Arts Center is located on 402 West Main Street in the historic White building near the Birge Fountain. Parking is behind the building. An elevator is available for access from the parking lot entrance. 

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.

Fort HealthCare will be providing a series of educational discussions related to health and wellness in the Whitewater community for 2020.  Programming is free and open to the public. Mike Wallace, President/CEO of Fort HealthCare, will kick off the educational discussions on January 23, 2020 at Fairhaven Senior Services, starting at 1:15 pm.  Mr. Wallace will share thoughts on how we can improve the US healthcare system, as well as ways that Fort HealthCare has organized itself to improve the communities’ health.  

Educational discussions are scheduled to take place at either Fairhaven Senior Services (435 W Starin Rd) or Seniors in the Park (Starin Park Building 504 W Starin Rd).  Although geared for the aging population, these discussions are meant to provide education for preventative care and anyone is welcome to attend.  Health and wellness topics may include, but are not limited to, pre-diabetes, mindfulness & meditation, conservative care to protect your hands, nutritional needs for the aging population, cognitive health and medication safety.  A list of confirmed topics and dates are as follows.

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. 

This event takes place on January 22nd from 3:30 – 5:00 pm and the keynote speaker will be Dr. Eddie Moore. This event is being hosted by the Office of Student Diversity, Engagement & Success, University Housing, and the Learn Center. Parking will be available in Lot 7 next to the Visitor’s Center. This event is free and community members are invited to attend.

Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. currently serves as Director of The Privilege Institute (TPI) and The National White Privilege Conference (WPC), both founded under his direction to provide opportunities and possibilities for research, publications, speaking and collaborations by those committed to true social and institutional change. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies at the University of Iowa and under his direction and inclusive relationship model the White Privilege Conference has become one of the top national and international conferences for participants who want to move beyond dialogue and into action around issues of diversity, power, privilege, and leadership.

In 2014 Dr. Moore founded The Privilege Institute, which engages people in research, education, action and leadership through workshops, conferences, publications and collaborative partnerships and relationships. The non-profit umbrella organization now includes not only the White Privilege Conference but also a fully on-line peer reviewed journal, “Understanding and Dismantling Privilege,” of which Dr. Moore is a founding editor, a Speakers Bureau for speaker connections, research opportunities for social justice and collaboration opportunities through outreach and service-learning. The Black Male Think Tank meets yearly at The White Privilege Conference and is committed to being a visible and community-based asset to the lives of young black males and providing them with the Action, Serving, Healing, Innovating, Educating, Loving and Developing that “affirms their existence, cultivates their excellence, supports their development, raises their consciousness and protects them from white supremacy and other forms of oppression.”*

January 14, 2020 – Aaron Raap, City of Whitewater Chief of Police, shared today with The Whitewater Banner that the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department crash reconstruction of the fatal traffic accident involving a vehicle and pedestrian on October 20, 2019 has been completed. Kay Gustafson, 71, of Whitewater was struck and later died due to her injuries. The accident took place at the crosswalk near the 1300 block of West Main Street. Raap stated that the investigation did not establish that the driver was using her cell phone, was impaired by drugs or alcohol, or was distracted in any other manner. The driver was estimated to have been traveling at 24-28 m.p.h. in the 25 m.p.h. speed zone. Per the statement of the driver and the only identified witness, who was a few car lengths behind the involved vehicle, the pedestrian was not seen before being struck. The investigation indicated that the pedestrian may have made a sudden movement into traffic. Consequently, the Whitewater Police Department has decided not to issue any citations. The Banner has chosen not to identify the 21-year-old driver. Raap also indicated that there was little indication that the design of the crosswalk or its surroundings contributed to the tragedy.