News & Events

For anyone who is in need of a place to keep warm, there are unfortunately very few shelters in the area that have been posted as being available other than during business hours on the weekend.

In an urgent situation, 24/7:
– 211 is an information and referral phone number
– City of Whitewater Police: (262) 473-0555 option 4 or 312 W. Whitewater St.
– Walworth County Health & Human Services: 262-741-3200
– Jefferson County Health & Human Services: 920-674-3105

Walworth County provides a list of libraries that can serve as shelters. None of them are open on Sundays. Whitewater’s Public Library, 431 W. Center Street, is open Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Andersen Library, 750 W. Main Street, is open the following hours during school sessions and is open to the public. Note that there is a charge for parking on campus except for starting at 5 PM on Friday and extending through 11 PM on Sunday. City street parking, however, is available at no cost across Main Street.

Monday – Thursday: 7:30 am – 12:00 am
Friday: 7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 pm – 12:00 am

The Daily Jefferson County Union has published a list of warming centers in Jefferson County. The only location that is indicated to be open on Sunday is the Watertown Public Library, 100 S. Water St., Sunday 12 – 4 p.m.

Rock County has the most extensive list of warming sites, with the following introduction:

When forecasted temperatures, real temperatures, or wind chills drop below zero degrees in Rock County, WI, these locations shall automatically authorize use as a warming site during their normal business hours only. These daytime site locations will not extend or alter their hours so citizens should plan accordingly. Warming sites may close without notification and are not obligated to participate. Citizens are responsible for their own belongings. Food and water are not provided. Overnight warming sites will only open during a county emergency activation.

Warming sites are activated overnight when temperatures drop below 0 degrees. Overnight warming sites will be open Thursday night, January 22nd through Tuesday morning, January 27th.   New safety notice: Zero tolerance for drug, alcohol, intimidation, or weapons.  Violators will be removed immediately and Law Enforcement contacted.

Uptown Janesville (formerly the Janesville Mall) is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
The Milton Public Library, 430 High Street, is open Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by S K from Pixabay.

Exhibition: Thursday, March 5, 2026 – Sunday, March 29, 2026. Whitewater Arts Alliance Cultural Arts Center Gallery, Whitewater, WI

Artrageous Birds is an annual, themed, juried exhibition of original artwork, showcasing traditional, physical media alongside digital artwork in a traditional yet innovative in-gallery experience, together with online display of all accepted work. Theme: Birds! Original artwork depicting or inspired by birds. Two Divisions (Salons) Traditional Salon: welcomes 2D and 3D visual art mediums such as painting, drawing, illustration, mixed media, sculpture, and photography which will be displayed in both a traditional, physical gallery exhibit, and in an online web exhibit. Accepted pieces must be physically delivered to the gallery and be ready to hang with wire hangers (2D), or fully assembled and ready for display (3D). Digital Salon: welcomes 2D visual art mediums such as digital painting, digital drawing, digital illustration, digital mixed media, and photography which will be displayed electronically in-gallery and in an online web exhibit. Entries are submitted as digital files only and no physical delivery is required. Questions?Please see our Frequently Asked Questions Page Key Dates Exhibition: Thursday, March 5, 2026 – Sunday, March 29, 2026. Reception: Saturday, March 7, 2026, 1pm-4pm. Submissions Close: Sunday, January 25, 2026, 11:59pm. Notification of Acceptance: Monday, February 9, 2026. Drop-Off (Salon): Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 4pm-6pm; Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 12pm-2pm. Pick-Up (Salon): Monday, March 30, 2026, 4pm-6pm.

Ashley Dimmig is the Crossman Gallery Director at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. In addition to overseeing all operations of the Crossman Gallery and its permanent art collection, she also teaches art history in the Department of Art and Design. After completing her PhD in the History of Art at the University of Michigan (2019), she worked as the interim curator of Islamic Art at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Additionally, Dimmig has served on a number of professional boards, she has published in various scholarly journals and edited volumes, and she has been the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including residencies at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and the Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations in Istanbul. Dimmig also holds two Master of Art degrees (Indiana University Bloomington and Koç University in Istanbul), as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Kansas City Art Institute.

Nicholette “Nikki” Marsicano:I received my fine arts education at UWM -Milwaukee and UNM – Albuquerque (BFA degree) and my Pre-K-12 Art Specialist certification at UW- Whitewater. In 2002 I received the Herb Kohl Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. Retired after 29 years of classroom teaching K-8, I continue to teach children and adults privately. I have illustrated four children’s books by Marilyn Ellman.  My work has been on exhibit at various venues in Wisconsin and New Mexico and can be found in collections across this country as well as Europe and Asia.     Retired after ten years as president of Geneva Lake Arts Foundation, I continue to support its mission by volunteering for various programs which brings the arts to the community including Art in the Park.

Click here for more information and to submit your work.

Gallery Exhibit Hours

Thursdays: 12pm – 4pm
Fridays: 12pm – 4pm
Saturdays: 12pm – 4pm
Sundays: 12pm – 4pm

Please Note: The gallery is closed outside of Gallery Exhibit Hours except for special events and is also closed when no show is currently running.

A massive fire late on Monday, January 19 destroyed a large portion of the AJ Anich Lumber – Pal Steel Company on Third Street near Highway 59 in Palmyra. An off-duty police officer first saw smoke coming from the business and called emergency services at about 11:48 p.m.

The extreme cold temperatures caused firefights to upgrade the response to a four-alarm fire, bringing in 30 fire trucks from Dane, Jefferson, Walworth, and Waukesha counties.

“We had multiple departments respond to help us out,” said Dylan Callas, deputy chief of the Palmyra Fire Department. “The cold weather definitely made things more challenging for our crews, but everyone worked together effectively.” Fire officials indicated that the fire was one of the worst in the past decade.

Company officials said staff will move operations to another facility while investigators determine the cause of the fire.

Firefighters remained on scene until 11:05 a.m. on Tuesday, using a backhoe to knock out remaining hot spots from the blaze. No injuries were reported among civilians or firefighters despite the size of the fire.

The cause of the fire has not yet been announced.

Further information is provided in the press release below.

Hate to announce that due to the extreme cold warnings, we will not have the market on Saturday, January 24. It will be too cold for the safety of the vendors and our market goers. Everyone please stay warm and safe this week. We will see everyone next week.

Editor’s note: This announcement was posted to the City Market Facebook page.

Join the UW-Madison Division of Extension Agriculture Water Quality Program for a free weekly webinar series that will focus on the latest research in conservation practices that will give you new tools and resources to consider for your farm.

Webinars will be every Tuesday, February 3-March 24, from noon–1:00 p.m., with the exception of the Discovery Farms Multi-State webinar on March 24, which will be 2.5 hours from 9:00–11:30 a.m. CST. CEU credits will be available for each webinar.

Registration is free but required. Please note the separate registration form for the March 24 Discovery Farms webinar!

February 3: Supporting Economic and Water Quality Opportunities Through Expanded Dairy Heifer Grazing
Raising dairy heifers on well managed pastures can improve soil health, water quality, and biodiversity. In addition to ecological benefits, heifer grazing offers cost savings to grazers, supporting viable farm enterprises. In this session we will learn about collaborative efforts to support increased dairy heifer grazing in the state.

Speakers: Sarah Lloyd, Value Chain Coordinator, Grassland 2.0, Stephanie Bowers, Extension Dairy Educator, and Paul Daigle, Dairy Grazing Specialist, Dairy Grazing Alliance

February 10: Diving Deeper Into Tile Drainage: Installation and Conservation Practice Considerations*
The use of tile drainage in Wisconsin is growing. Tile can help dry out a wet field, yet there are water quality concerns with increased nitrates in water discharging from the tile outlet. This session will dive deeper into tile and share data on how bioreactors and other conservation practices impact nutrient losses, and discuss considerations when choosing which practices fit your operation.

Speakers: Matt Helmers, Professor, Iowa State University and Director, Iowa Nutrient Research Center and Margaret Zimmer, Associate Professor, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, UW–Madison

February 17: Reducing Phosphorus Losses by Pushing Beyond the Basics*

Phosphorus is essential in crop growth, yet its journey from field to waterway creates one of the most persistent challenges. This webinar will share research on how P interacts in the environment, especially at the shallow top two inches of soil. The audience will be pushed to consider how different types of phosphorus act during different times of the year and make farming discussions accordingly.

Speakers: Laura Paletta, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist and Steve Hoffman, President and Managing Agronomist, InDepth Agronomy

February 24: A Bird’s Eye View of On-Farm Conservation
Tired of looking at next steps in your conservation journey from the ground? Join us in the sky to get a bird’s eye view of on-farm conservation! Open your eyes to the whole landscape; what can you observe on your farm? Matt Oehmichen offers his experience as an agronomist and Water Action Volunteer to support broadening our view of what conservation practices on the farm can mean for stream health and wildlife. Sheri Schwert brings in examples from Discovery Farms research on how farm management practices affect water quality, including in-stream data.

Speakers: Sheri Schwert, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist and Matt Oehmichen, Agronomist, Farm Manager, and Water Action Volunteer

March 3: Finding The Right N Rate Balancing Yield, Profitability, and Water Quality

This session centers one question: can we find a nitrogen rate that balances yield, profitability, and water quality? Outreach specialist Guolong Liang and Extension Specialist Dr. Matt Ruark will talk about why it’s important to find the right rate, the process we use in generating N rate guidelines, the challenge farmers face to find the balance among yield, profitability, and nitrogen loss reduction.

Speakers: Guolong Liang, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist and Matt Ruark, Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, UW-Madison, and Discovery Farms Co-Faculty Advisor

March 10: Understanding Nitrogen Leaching and Water Budget Measurements
There are many reasons to measure nitrate leaching and water budgets to support both water quality and quantity goals in Wisconsin. For water quality, nitrogen leaching measurements can help understand whether management practices are increasing or decreasing nitrogen loading to groundwater. For water quantity, water budgeting can help understand how different management practices are impacting groundwater recharge or replenishment of aquifers. Outreach Specialist Izze McNamee and Extension Specialist Mallika Nocco will share approaches and tools for measuring and understanding nitrate leaching and water budgets.

Speakers: Izze McNamee, UW–Madison Extension Ag Water Quality Outreach Specialist and Dr. Mallika Nocco, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, UW–Madison

March 17: Impacts of Cereal Rye as a Cover Crop Depending on Farm Goals
Using cereal rye as a cover crop can be beneficial for many aspects, like impacts on water quality, soil health, and weed management. These speakers will share data that compares cover crop seeding rate to find what rate is needed for these benefits. The speakers will also discuss impacts to consider at different seedings rates, like nitrogen management.

Speakers: Rodrigo Werle, UW–Madison Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Francisco Arriaga, UW–Madison Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, and Matt Ruark, UW–Madison Professor and Extension Specialist and Discovery Farms Co-
Faculty Advisor

March 24: Discovery Farms 2026 Multi-State Webinar (separate registration required)
Discovery Farms® Programs in Wisconsin, Vermont, Arkansas, and Minnesota will present program updates and new data. Join this interactive webinar to learn more about farmer-led water quality research in these four states and celebrate 25 years of the Discovery Farms Program. This 2.5 hour webinar will begin at 9:00 a.m. CST.

Speakers: TBD
Register for the Ag Water Series and the Discovery Farms webinars now (note the separate registration for the Discovery Farms webinar on March 24).

*These presentations were also given at the Wisconsin Water and Soil Health Conference in December 2025.

Editor’s note: The Banner is grateful to have permission to use the image on the homepage by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay.

The Whitewater Unified School District invites local businesses, organizations, and community members to engage in partnership opportunities to support students.

Community members and businesses interested in partnering with the district are encouraged to complete the Whitewater Unified School District Community Partnership Interest form, available at https://forms.gle/HvbjNX9JjLxsopjt9.

The form is open to individuals and organizations looking for opportunities such as classroom visits, career presentations, work-based learning experiences, internships, sponsorships, and advisory support.

“Schools are strongest when they are connected to the community they serve,” said Superintendent Samuel Karns. “There’s a lot of talent and experience in the Whitewater area, and we would love to hear from community members and businesses interested in partnering with us to support students.”

Feedback collected through the form will help the district build a network of partners aligned with district needs and community strengths, supporting student learning, staff development, and community growth.

Get your augers and tip-ups ready for the Lions Club 50th annual Fish-a-ree. Celebrate your award for the biggest fish at our Pancake breakfast, open from 6 – 11 a.m. Pancakes, eggs, sausage and our famous jalapeno poppers are guaranteed to satisfy! And don’t forget to bid for in-house raffles, and fabulous merchandise on our online auction (see flyer for details). All proceeds go back to the community, so come and feast for a good cause.

DeKalb, Ill. – More than 1,200 students received their bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Northern Illinois University in December. Included among the graduates is Ian Vara of Whitewater, WI, who earned a Bachelor of Science.

About Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university with a global network of nearly 260,000 alumni. With expertise that benefits its region, the country and the world, NIU offers more than 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs across seven colleges: Business, Education, Engineering and Engineering Technology, Health and Human Sciences, Law, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts. Through its main campus in DeKalb and education centers for students and working professionals in Naperville and Rockford, NIU serves a diverse and international student body of over 15,400. The 16 NIU Huskies Division I athletic teams compete in the Mid-American Conference. For more information, visit NIU.edu.