On Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024, at approximately 2:42 a.m., Whitewater Police received a report of an armed robbery that had just occurred at the Kwik Trip Gas Station, located at 305 Elkhorn Road, in the City of Whitewater. The suspect reportedly attempted to purchase an item inside the store, but his debit/credit card was declined after multiple attempts. When employees wouldn’t allow the suspect to leave without paying for the product, the suspect reached into his waistband, brandished what was believed to be a firearm, and made threatening statements to the staff that he was going to “start spraying.” Employees told the suspect to simply take the item and leave, fearing what the suspect might do. The suspect then left Kwik Trip without further incident.
At the same time the armed robbery was being investigated by officers, the Whitewater Communications Center received a separate phone call of an incident involving a male who had been drinking alcohol, was being disorderly towards the caller, and was in possession of a gun. This location was located in close proximity to the eastside Kwik Trip gas station. Officers responded to this secondary location and recognized that the suspect involved in this second call was the same person from the Kwik Trip armed robbery due to viewing video surveillance moments prior. During this second incident, a handgun was recovered at the scene and the suspect was taken into custody.
The suspect, Noel J. Gonzalez (25-year-old male) [107 N East St,] was confined in the Walworth County Jail on multiple criminal charges. The Walworth County District Attorney has formally charged Noel Gonzalez with the following charges: Armed Robbery (Wis. Stat. 943.32(2)), Carrying a Concealed Weapon (Wis.Stat. 941.23(2)), and Disorderly Conduct – Domestic Abuse (Wis. Stat. 947.01(1) with modifier 973.055(1)).
The Whitewater Police Department would like to thank the University of Wisconsin Whitewater Police Department, which assisted in the efforts to take the suspect into custody without incident. It is noted that this case has not been concluded. Unless a judgment of conviction is entered, the defendant is presumed innocent of all charges.
Editor’s note: The above press release was issued by the City of Whitewater Police Department on January 19.
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.
This week’s image is the opposite view of last week’s. It was taken at the corner of First and Center Streets in front of the large Bower’s New Metropolitan Block. It shows three buildings on Main Street, two of which are not extant. The two-story building to the right of the three-story building and the three-story building were torn down for the Schultz Brothers “dime” store, now the Main Street Shoppes. The three-story building was reportedly the first brick building constructed in the downtown in the early 1850s. The two-story building was constructed in 1912 and replaced an old hotel. It was the home of McAlister’s Department Store. The building to the left of the three-story building is still standing. It was built in 1872 for Joseph Haubert’s Harness shop and now houses Fanatico’s restaurant.
Join us next week for another winter scene in downtown Whitewater.
With a goal of increasing comfort, understanding, and connection within our community, First English Lutheran Church invites everyone to come to an introduction of: So You Think You Can Talk.
Based, in part, on David’s Brooks’s How to Know a Person, Dr. Barb Penington, Professor Emeritus of Family Communications, will introduce us to what we hope can become an ongoing conversation about developing our ability to hear and talk to each other in productive ways.
Whether it’s a matter of faithfully living out a calling to love and serve our neighbors or the challenge of living in community with the many complex views and beliefs held by others, this event is for you.
Sunday, January 28th, 10:45 a.m. (approximately 1 hour) First English Lutheran Church, 401 W Main St., Whitewater Fellowship Hall, downstairs Light refreshments provided, free event
Editor’s note: The above announcement was provided by First English Lutheran Church.
Students who have met all graduation requirements by the end of the first semester of their senior year are permitted to graduate in January. The final step for these students is to present their Graduation Portfolio.
Keylin Torres Caceres
On Thursday, January 18, ten seniors presented portfolios and are now ready to take the next step on their life paths, whether it be to pursue a career, join the service, or start post-secondary education.
Congratulations to these students as they leave WHS; we wish you all the best. January grads participate in the commencement ceremony in May.
Article Submitted by Kate McNulty Whitewater High School kmcnulty@wwusd.org
Per Lee Hollingshead, the annual lot owners and directors meetings of the Cemetery Association of Whitewater will be held in the rec. room of Blackhawk Manor, 1155 Blackhawk Ln., Whitewater on Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
The National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Weather Forecast Office has issued a Wind Chill Advisory that is in effect from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. Wind chills in our area are anticipated to be as low as approximately -20 degrees F. There is the possibility of another wind chill advisory on Saturday night.
Applications to fill the Common Council vacancies for Member at Large/ Even Years and Aldermanic District 1 are now available. The term for an individual appointed to the District 1 seat would expire in April, 2025. For the at large position, the term would expire in April, 2024. [Presumably a person residing in District 1 could apply for both seats.] A map of the districts may be found here. District 1 is basically in the east/southeast part of the city; a call to the city clerk’s office can confirm a resident’s district.
Common Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Members are expected to review the agenda packet prior to the meeting. In addition, all members serve on one or more committees. The salary is $300 per month.
Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the City of Whitewater Public Works Department.
– Clearing Snow from Fire Hydrants can Save Lives…
A clearly visible, accessible fire hydrant could save your home – or even your life. If a fire hydrant is buried in snow, firefighters can lose valuable time trying to locate it when they arrive at a fire. You can perform a valuable public service and protect yourself, your family and your neighbors by taking on the responsibility of shoveling out and clearing a fire hydrant near your home during and after a snowstorm. Here are a few suggestions:
Know the location of the nearest fire hydrants.
Make sure they are shoveled after each snowfall.
Clear the snow 3 feet around the hydrant so firefighters have enough room to use the hydrant.
Taking the time to remove the snow from around a hydrant near you can save precious minutes in case of a fire. The City of Whitewater appreciates community members who take the time to shovel out hydrants.
Brad Marquardt Director of Public Works (262) 473-0560 bmarquardt@whitewater-wi.gov
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point honored more than 2,500 undergraduate students for attaining high grade point averages during the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Full-time undergraduates who earned grade points of 3.90 to 4.0 (4.0 equals straight A) are given the highest honors designation. High honor citations go to those with grade point averages from 3.75 to 3.89 and honor recognition is accorded to those with grade point averages from 3.50 to 3.74.
Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Rainbow Community Care.
Rainbow Hospice Care Rebrands to Rainbow Community Care:Ushering in a New Era for Understanding Wellness as We Age
Rainbow Hospice Care, a trusted local provider of hospice care for over three decades, proudly announces it is rebranding to Rainbow Community Care. This transformation reflects its Board’s longstanding commitment to provide a broad spectrum of services that supports patients and families throughout the entire aging journey, not just at end-of-life, and, in the process, improves the overall health of the communities the organization serves in rural southern Wisconsin.
“It has been a tremendous honor to be viewed as the area’s cornerstone hospice provider for so many years,” said Karen Carrig, Rainbow Community Care CEO. “Our vision began in 1990 with a small, but dedicated group of volunteers who recognized that advances in medical technology and treatment had added years to average life expectancy but changed where and how most of us were dying. These courageous women saw patients and families struggling to manage this new reality and felt it was their duty to create an organization whose people would be at their side with compassion, commitment and comfort. We are very proud how our reputation has evolved from this humble beginning to one that has consistently grown and has provided exceptional end-of-life care.”
Carrig also emphasized that Rainbow has been dedicated to helping people live well prior to the onset of terminal illness for many years. “In 2003, for example, we added a new volunteer program that provides neighborly assistance to the elderly, disabled and seriously ill – folks who could benefit from receiving just a little extra non-medical help in order to remain living independently in their homes. A decade later, we added advance care planning and palliative care to our continuum of care followed more recently by community grief support services and parish nursing. What we discovered, however, is that a lot of people are not fully aware of this work.”
Thus, the decision to rebrand is very much a conscious effort by Rainbow to reframe how it is perceived. Carrig added, “Perhaps the best way to think of Rainbow Community Care is as an umbrella term that allows us to better convey the breadth of the services we currently offer to the community, including hospice care, supportive care management, advance care planning, grief support, friends in action, and community health ministry. And, moving forward, as we add new programs that better meet the evolving needs of the vulnerable people living among us, the Rainbow Community Care name will take on even greater meaning.”
Interesting Facts about Rainbow
Rainbow is one of the state’s few remaining local, independent, and non-profit providers of hospice care. Nationally, nearly 75% of hospices are for-profit.
Over time, Rainbow – in collaboration with its local care partners – has turned Jefferson County into a place where more people choose to receive hospice care at end-of-life than almost everywhere else in the United States. In 2019, for example, Hospice Analytics – an expert in all things related to hospice claims and data – shared that Jefferson County ranked 35th out of 3,143 counties (Top 1.1%) nationally in terms of the percentage of Medicare beneficiaries (67.6%) choosing to receive hospice care in their final days, weeks or months.
Stories about the extraordinary care our teams provide are regularly published in local papers including the Cambridge News, Daily Jefferson County Union, Lake Mills Leader, and Watertown Daily Times.
Last summer, Rainbow was among four organizations in the country selected by the producers of Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid to be the focal point of an upcoming short-form documentary series titled Hospice & Palliative Care: Serving Families with Honor & Compassion. The public television segment featuring Mr. Quaid and Rainbow will be distributed to PBS stations throughout the United States in February of 2024.
Rainbow recently opened an office in Beaver Dam to better serve northern Dodge and eastern Columbia counties.
The rebranding efforts of Rainbow Community Care encompass a refreshed visual identity, including a new logo, website and marketing materials. These changes reflect the organization’s high-touch approach to delivering comprehensive care, while honoring its enduring commitment to the community.
Rainbow Community Care is a local, independent and non-profit provider of services that support patients and families throughout the entire aging and serious illness journey. Highly regarded for excellence in hospice care, palliative care, advance care planning, grief support, parish nursing, and volunteer programs, Rainbow cares for people living at home, in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, and at the Rainbow Hospice Care Inpatient Center in Johnson Creek. Regardless of age, race, gender, faith, ethnicity, insurance coverage or economic status, they treat all patients and their loved ones with the same respect, kindness and concern—focusing on enhancing quality of life, maintaining comfort and dignity, and providing expert support tailored to each individual’s unique needs and wishes. To learn more call (920) 674-6255 or visit www.rainbowcommunitycare.org.
