News

On September 30 representatives of the WI Department of Transportation (DOT), the City of Whitewater, and the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department, together with State Senator Janis Ringhand, and State Representative Don Vruwink met with the public to discuss the recent improvements to the 12/N intersection and receive feedback.

A double-fatality crash had occurred on August 1, followed by a single fatality crash on August 8. DOT had indicated that improvements to the intersection were scheduled for the summer of 2020. A meeting between DOT and state, county and local representatives was held on August 20 to discuss what could be done on a more timely basis. DOT installed a camera from August 22-28 to monitor the intersection. On August 24 they implemented flashing yellow left turn arrows for traffic in all four directions. DOT representatives indicated that the surveillance for the several days after the installation of the flashing arrows showed that most drivers were waiting to enter the intersection until oncoming traffic was clearing, and that the northbound Hwy 12 traffic turning to Hwy N was generally allowing for larger gaps in oncoming traffic before turning. No crashes have been reported since that date.

Members of the public generally expressed the feeling that the flashing yellow turn lights have improved the safety of the intersection. Friends of the families who were involved in the first crash emotionally stated their belief that the DOT waited too long to make improvements, as there have been approximately 40 crashes since January, 2015.

Suggestions from community members for other possible safety enhancements included: 1) Reduce the speed limit at the intersection or throughout the bypass to 45 m.p.h.; 2) Change the left turn signals to red and green; 3) Install warning lights approximately 800′ before the intersection to flash when the signals are about to change; 4) Install on/off ramps.

DOT indicated that they would take the suggestions into consideration and will continue to monitor all three bypass intersections. Some additional improvements are still scheduled for next summer. The representatives acknowledged that the bypass was designed to be a four-lane highway, with that configuration not anticipated to be constructed for the foreseeable future.

The Cambridge Artists Society will share their vision and creativity via their art at the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s Cultural Arts Center on 402 West Main Street in October.  The show runs October 3 to October 27 and will be open for viewing Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.  There will be a reception on Sunday, October 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

The Cambridge Artist Society is for Cambridge artists to inspire, create, and support other local artists. They do this by creating new and challenging projects and ways to exhibit and promote individual and community growth. As a group, they are taking on a broader view of presenting art – where individual works share space and time. Each show is based around a singular theme, but this is translated by each artist with inspiring diversity. Though individual pieces can be viewed and appreciated separately, what the group demonstrates through the art show is the flexibility and diversity of a shared, single subject theme through an individual lens.

Twenty-one artists will participate in the Cambridge Artists Society show:

Barb Gregory

Ben Timp

Bryan Holman

Grace Leonard

Issac Miklik

Jacy Eckerman

Janet Nelson

Jason Miklik

Jill Jensen

June Buchanan

Katherine Simdon

Laura Strehlow

Loretta Byrne

Rhonda Reinen

Ronna Trapanese

Sarah Krajewski

Virgil Kelter

Ann Strieter

Huck Gent

Griffin Roberts

Kristin Stockwell

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.

Hwy 12/CTH N Intersection Public Meeting - Monday at 5:00 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More Information

City of Whitewater Common Council - Tuesday at 6:30 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More information

Landmarks Commission - Thursday at 6:00 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More information

The Friends of the Library will be having their semi-annual book sale, Monday, September 30  through Friday, October 4.  There will be books, music CDs and DVDs for sale.

Auction: 10 a.m. – Consignments (15% to church) or donated items wanted. Large donated items can be picked up. Call 608-883-9999 for information. Call or email by Sept. 20th to be listed on the auction bill. Weberauctionser@centurytel.net or 608-868-7136

Bake Sale, Produce, Crafts & Lunch Stand: Open 9 a.m.

Corner of Church Road & County A – 1/4 mile West of Hwy. 89, Richmond Township – South of Whitewater

UW-Whitewater Continuing Education is pleased to announce the theme for the fall Fairhaven Lecture Series.  Eight lectures in the “Exploring Religion, Spirituality and Cultural Traditions Around the Globe” series will feature presentations by faculty from UW-Whitewater’s Whitewater and Rock County campuses on topics from common misconceptions of Islam and the experience of Mormonism to Hmong cultural traditions and human evolution from Buddhist and Christian perspectives. 

The Fairhaven Lecture Series is held 3 p.m. Mondays at Fairhaven Senior Services at 435 W. Starin Road in Whitewater. The dates, titles and presenters of the lectures for the fall 2019 series are:

September 30

Divine Ecstasy: Knowledge, Love and Unity in Sufism

Presented by Hala Ghoneim, associate professor, Languages and Literatures

October 7       

Living the Kingdom of God: The Origin and Experience of Mormonism in America

Presented by Michael Gueno, associate professor, Philosophy and Religious Studies

October 14     

Piety and Precarity: American Prayer Between the Wars

Presented by David Reinhart, lecturer, Philosophy and Religious Studies

October 21      

Unveiling Facts About Islam: Common Misconceptions, Western Media Representations and Stereotypes

Presented by Amal Ibrahim, assistant professor, Communication

October 28     

Tantra: Medieval Indian Technologies of Sex, Power, Magic and Enlightenment

Presented by Nathan McGovern, assistant professor, Philosophy and Religious Studies

November 4  

An Enduring Tradition: Hmong Cultural and Cosmological Beliefs and Practices

Presented by Nengher Vang, assistant professor, History

November 11  

Human Evolution and Religion: Exploring Christian and Buddhist Perspectives 

Presented by Richard Hanson, senior lecturer, Philosophy

November 18 

The Origins of Shia Islam

Presented by Molly Patterson, associate professor, History

For over 35 years, UW-Whitewater faculty and staff and community and business leaders have offered free presentations to thousands of people on topics ranging from art and current events to history and literature.

All lectures are free and open to the public and are held on Mondays at 3 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Fairhaven Senior Services, 435 West Starin Road, Whitewater. Street parking is adjacent to the building. Unable to attend? Links to videos of lectures, including those from prior series, can be found at http://www.uww.edu/ce/fairhaven. If you have a disability and desire accommodations, please advise us as early as possible. Requests are confidential. UW-Whitewater provides equal opportunities in employment and programming including Title IX and ADA requirements. Please contact Kari Borne at 262-472-1003 or bornek@uww.edu for further information.

(From The Daily Jefferson County Union)

Sensenbrenner finds unfriendly audience at Whitewater town hall

From the get-go, attendees at U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner’s town hall in meeting in Whitewater Sunday night were challenging him on issues that have dominated news cycles in recent months.

The meeting with the 5th District Republican congressman began with questions from multiple members of Moms Demand Action — an organization that fights for stricter regulation of guns. A large majority of people in attendance were members of the group.

The discussion then moved to potential proposals to fight climate change and finally ended with a very heated back-and-forth over a whistleblower complaint from the Intelligence Community Inspector General reportedly about President Donald Trump.

Click here for the full article in The Daily Jefferson County Union https://www.dailyunion.com/news/sensenbrenner-finds-unfriendly-audience-at-whitewater-town-hall/article_cacacdd2-a3f6-5c85-a0c1-8bf2bf05faf4.html

Across the United States, police officers, city leaders, researchers and everyday citizens rely on accurate and timely crime information in their efforts to make communities safer.

Law enforcement organizations track and submit their data to create “Uniform Crime Reports,” which are critical to identifying trends in criminal activity, creating effective policing strategies, and crafting public policy.

Now, as police departments across the country are abandoning an old reporting system and using a new and improved one, the FBI has tapped the police chief of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to help lead the way.

Matt Kiederlen is chairperson of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Systems Beyond 2021 Task Force. In addition to his role as chair, he is representing all of the nation’s university and campus police officers.

“It’s both an honor and a challenge,” he said. “Our task force is helping shape this new crime reporting system, making sure it works effectively for both people who contribute data to the reports and those who use and analyze the information for a variety of purposes.”

Kiederlen said the crime reports in this new system, known as the National Incident-Based Reporting System, will be updated more frequently than the old ones, and the information will be more detailed, giving users more timely and accurate information.

The old system will shut down Jan. 1, 2021, so it’s important everyone is ready and on the same page. Standardizing the definitions of crimes and making sure everyone gets trained on the new system are among the topics of discussion.

Kiederlen, who is chief of the campus named safest in Wisconsin, says his experience and participation on the taskforce benefits the university in several ways.

“At UW-Whitewater, we’re well ahead of the curve. Our department has the opportunity to see trends in crimes, best practices in reporting and new technology before many others in law enforcement,” he said. “I also teach a criminal investigation course and bring back what I learn into the classroom to inform students. They get to hear about the latest data and innovative police strategies before some chiefs of police across the country hear about them.”

In addition to the FBI, Kiederlen has also forged positive relationships with leaders of the most respected law enforcement organizations the world, including the City of New York Police Department.

“To be able to reach out and consult with law enforcement individuals of that caliber on a variety of issues – you can’t put a price tag on that.”