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Today is Monday, June 15, 2026
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Ten new faces are joining the Whitewater High School Staff for the 2025-2026 school year, and they are excited to be part of the Whippet Family!
New Whitewater High School Staff Members:
- Mrs. Valerie Alvarez, School Social Worker
- Mr. Kevin Ditter, Math Teacher
- Mr. Aaron Gibbs, Science Teacher
- Ms. Megan Gleisner, School Psychologist
- Mr. Ben Hertel, Counselor
- Mr. Kurt Nickelsburg, Business and Information Technology Teacher
- Mr. Nolan Otremba, Technology and Engineering Teacher
- Mr. Mike Rick, Career and Technical Education Coordinator
- Miss Abigail Sokoloskis, English Intern
- Mr. Gavin Van Epps, Math Teacher
Video and Information Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Teacher and Banner Volunteer
lmasbruch@wwusd.org
Editor’s note: Apologies for the late posting of this program. Unfortunately, the deadline for registration is shown as Sunday, August 24. Hopefully they might accept a Monday registration. (If one is not sure, perhaps it’s worth risking $20 to get the registration in on time.)
UW-Madison Extension Dairy Program – Calving management practices and Neonate care in dairy cattle.,
Workshop – August 28-29, 2025
By, Alison Pfau and Manuel Pena, UW-Madison Division of Extension – Bilingual Dairy Program
The training of the farm personnel has positive impacts on animal welfare and performance and increases the overall farm profitability. To support dairy farms and their employees, the UW-Extension Dairy program has developed the “Calving management practices and Neonate care in dairy cattle” bilingual workshop. This program will help farm personnel to recognize (1) the imminent signs of birth and calving process, (2) provide guidelines for calving management practices to reduce the prevalence of stillbirth and health issues in cows, (3) be able to determine when first calf heifers or cows need assistance at calving, (4) the importance of calf management and neonate care after calving, and (5) the importance of the transition cow nutrition as a method of disease prevention and welfare. Also, the participants will have a Hands-On demonstration, where they will have the opportunity to practice calving events on a cow model along with learning guidelines for calving management practices. We want to thank Zoetis for sponsoring this workshop and supporting our programs.
The workshop training features Dr. Lautaro Rostoll Cangiano, Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, Dr. JP Martins, Assistant professor Department of Medical Sciences School of Veterinary – UW Madison, M.Sc. Manuel Pena, bilingual regional dairy educator from Sheboygan, Dodge, Fond du Lac, and Ozaukee counties, and M.Sc. Alison Pfau, bilingual regional dairy educator from Dane, Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties.
Join this event in August and take the opportunity to learn from, and discuss with experts during the dates below:
Location: UW Madison extension office Jefferson County- 864 Collins Rd. Jefferson WI. 53549
- August 28th, 2025 – 9:00am-4:00pm – English Session
- August 29th, 2025 – 9:00am-4:00pm – Spanish Session
All attendees are in-person at the location of the event.
There will not be a Zoom option available.
Pre-registration by August 24th, 2025, is required!
Cost: $20 – Includes lunch and materials
For more information and to register for the training, visit:
https://go.wisc.edu/jeffersoncalving2025
For more information, please contact:
Alison Pfau → Bilingual Regional Dairy Educator Dane, Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties
alison.pfau@wisc.edu
Phone number: 608-220-4779
Manuel Pena → Bilingual Regional Dairy Educator Sheboygan, Dodge, Fond du Lac, and Ozaukee counties.
manuel.pena@wisc.edu
Phone number: 920-449-0725
Our Whippets have been labeled the “road warriors” playing in three consecutive tennis invitationals this week.
On Thursday night, August 21, the Whitewater Whippets Tennis Team traveled to Kenosha to play Shoreland Lutheran in a non-conference dual match. The Whippets were victorious, defeating the Pacers by a team score of 7-0. All seven players won their matches, and here were their scores:
Singles #1 Taryn Rothwell 6-0,6-0
Singles #2 Lilian Navejas-Ortiz 6-3, 6-1
Singles #3 Maddie Joseph 6-0, 6-1
Singles #4 Yareli Palomec-Garcia 6-2, 6-2
Doubles #1 Natalia Casillas/Kiani Aranda 7-6 (7-0), 6-1
Doubles #2 Izzy Lawton/Abby Treder 6-1, 6-3
Doubles #3 Ruth Lopez/Gisselle Perez 6-1, 6-2
Article and Photos Submitted by Greg Stewart
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Tennis Coach
gstewart@wwusd.org
Updated 8/23/25 8:40 p.m. – Roy Nosek suggested that it should be noted that “those are the original BARR pavers that covered Whitewater Street when I first served on the Common Council and I tried to preserve but were unfortunately removed and replaced with the current concrete street and later squandered at a city summer auction. A picture of a parade down Main Street by Fran Achen used to hang in Jessica’s restaurant and may still.”
Roy Nosek happened to be downtown when Main Street was torn up for the recent replacement of the lead water lines. He was curious as to what materials might be found in previous layers of the street, so he asked a worker if he could get closer to the hole in order to take a photo. Though the employee didn’t want to take the risk of a resident falling into the hole, he did offer to take a few photos himself, which Dr. Nosek forwarded to The Whitewater Banner.
Director of Public Works Brad Marquardt kindly responded with the following analysis of the layers. “It appears from plans from 1963, the section between Whitewater Street and 2nd Street was raised. My guess is that Main Street in these two blocks had an existing section of concrete with the bricks laid on top. Then in 1963, when the curb and gutter was raised, they decided to just pave over the bricks. I do not have any plans indicating when the concrete/bricks were installed.”
Our thanks to both Roy Nosek and Brad Maquardt for providing an interesting historic view of our downtown Main Street.
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This week’s image is of a fine limestone-constructed bridge, probably over Whitewater Creek somewhere. Several of these stone bridges were built in the area around the turn of the twentieth century. Very sturdy for the time, they show great craftsmanship. Unfortunately, these old bridges are long gone. Over time they deteriorated and were not suitable for modern car and truck traffic.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
2948GP Whitewater Historical Society
First Fall Hunter Safety Education Course
Sheriff Fell is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer our third 2025 Hunter Safety Education Course on September 20, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and September 21, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., at the Edgerton Conservation Club, 900 Stoughton Road, Edgerton, WI 53534. There will be an in-person introductory session on September 9, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., at the Rock County Sheriff’s Office. Students will need to attend all sessions to graduate.
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1973, is required to complete a Hunter Safety Education Course to legally hunt in Wisconsin. Students must be at least 12 years of age.
Hunter Safety Education Course
Session 1: September 9, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. @ Rock County Sheriff’s Office
Session 2: September 20, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club
Session 3: September 21, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club
Registration is now open. Complete the online enrollment form to reserve a seat.
https://www.co.rock.wi.us/departments/sheriff-s-office/recreational-patrol/hunter-education
Class size is limited to thirty (30) students. Upon submission of the registration form, the submitter will see an onscreen confirmation message with course information.
The course fee of $10 per student will be collected at the first session. If the student is under 18 years old, a parent/guardian will need to attend the first session with the student. Students will receive course materials at the first session. Please direct any questions to Deputy Michael Borgwardt at michael.borgwardt@co.rock.wi.us.
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Rock County Sheriff’s Department. The department has previously indicated to The Banner that participants are welcome from other counties.
Multi-agency Search and Rescue Exercise to Test Emergency Response in Rock and Green Counties
The Wisconsin Air Coordination Group, in partnership with Rock County Emergency
Management, will conduct a comprehensive search and rescue exercise, ACG SARX 25, to test
coordinated emergency response capabilities across Rock and Green Counties Aug. 22-23.
Exercise Scenario
ACG SARX 25 simulates the impact of severe weather causing widespread damage across both counties.
The exercise includes:
- Disaster imagery flights in response to storm damage
- Multi-person search and rescue operations using air and ground assets
- Water rescue response to a boating accident on Lake Koshkonong with a capsized vessel and
victims in the water - Technology-enhanced operations, including personal locator beacon activations and drone-
based search capabilities - Complex terrain navigation to locate and extract survivors
Participating Agencies
Approximately 12 agencies will participate, including:
Wisconsin Wing Civil Air Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin State Patrol,
Wisconsin Army National Guard, Wisconsin Emergency Management, Rock County Emergency
Management, Green County Search and Rescue, Southwest Wisconsin Incident Management Team,
Salvation Army, and additional public safety agencies.
Public Notice
This is a training exercise only – no actual emergency is occurring. During the exercise, residents may
observe increased emergency vehicle activity, aircraft operations, and personnel deployment. Boaters
may see an increase in rescue agency watercraft and a helicopter on or near Lake Koshkonong – please
give those training a safe distance. Real emergency services remain fully operational.
Citizens should:
- Refrain from using drones in the exercise area to allow public safety agencies to train safely
- Recognize increased emergency activity as training
- Continue to call 911 for actual emergencies
- Monitor local emergency management communications for updates
“This exercise ensures our multi-agency response capabilities are ready to protect our communities when real disasters strike,” said Rock County Emergency Management Director Kevin Wernet.
About the exercise: ACG SARX 25 is sponsored by the Wisconsin Air Coordination Group with no federal
grant funding utilized. The exercise follows Wisconsin Emergency Management Homeland Security
Exercise and Evaluation Program guidelines.
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by Rock County Emergency Management. The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
According to online court records, the trial for Chad T. Richards, who is charged with first degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of UW-Whitewater [UW-W] gymnast Kara Welsh, has been rescheduled to begin with jury selection on June 8, 2026. Richards was also a UW-W student and was in a relationship with Welsh. Previously the trial was scheduled to begin on December 15, 2025.
Based on the online record of the status conference which was held on August 19, it appears that a contributing factor to the delay may be the wait for processing of evidence by the state crime lab. District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld referred to “conversations with victim’s family and their frustrations with the crime lab and processing of evidence. Email received from the crime lab today stated that the lab portion of the analysis will be done today however the drafting of the report & the peer review will take a couple weeks to complete.”
According to the complaint, Richards, who was 23, and Welsh, age 21, got into an argument on the night of August 30, 2024. He claimed that Welsh grabbed a gun first and he took it away from her, then shot her because he feared for his life.
Richards faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. He continues to be in custody in the Walworth County Jail.
Previous articles related to this subject may be found here and here.
Obituaries
Patricia “Pat” Lynn Bailey, age 70, passed away peacefully on June 1, 2026 with her daughter by her side. Pat was born February 21, 1956 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to John and Ruth (Hudock) Prentice. After a brief time in Ann Arbor, the Prentice family moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, where Pat grew up as part of the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater community, where her father served as University Registrar. Pat attended the University School and later graduated from UW Whitewater with a degree in Elementary Education. Although she did not pursue teaching, she built a meaningful career in Human … Read more
Gemelino Paris Esperante, 83, long time resident of Whitewater, passed away on Thursday, June 4th, 2026. He was born on January 10, 1943, to his late father and mother, Evaristo and Carmen in Spain. In 1973 he moved to the United States as a sheep herder. On August 21, 1981, he was united in marriage to Cyndie Esperante in Colorado. Gemelino also worked in Mining and construction for many years. He enjoyed the outdoors, fishing, raising sheep and growing things in his garden, and flowers. He will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife … Read more
Mary Ann Warner died peacefully on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at Crestridge Assisted Living in Dodgeville. Her physical heart failed, but her actual, loving heart never did. Ann was born June 28, 1939 to Mary and Charles Kearns in Iowa. She moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin and graduated with many dear friends in the class of 1957. Ann married John Warner on September 19, 1959. They lived in Whitewater, Sturgis Michigan, and finally settled in Janesville where they built a beautiful life and raised their family. Together, they ran a business, traveled, played cards, and enjoyed their lives. When they became … Read more
Patricia Ann Jacobson (Bureau), age 81, of Whitewater, WI, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI. Born on September 2, 1944, in Marquette, MI, to the late Donald and Margaret Bureau, Pat grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She graduated from Graveraet High School, attended Michigan State University, and later earned her bachelor’s degree from Northern Michigan University. Pat dedicated her professional life to shaping young minds, working as an elementary and junior high school teacher in both Flint, MI, and Whitewater, WI. At the heart of Pat’s life was a beautiful, … Read more
In loving memory of Lois Lauritzen, age 92, who passed away on June 1, 2026 at Lakewood Memory Care in Brookfield. Lois led an active life full of devotion to family and friends. Born July 14th, 1933 in Silvis, IL, daughter of Harry and Elsie Wilson, she grew up in the Quad Cities with older brother Harry Wilson Jr. Lois graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL with a degree in physical education. She met her husband Paul Lauritzen on the college tennis team. Their marriage on June 12th, 1955 lasted 59 years until Paul’s death on September 26th, … Read more
Donald Walter Triebold passed on to his eternal home on May 21, 2026. Don was born on April 23, 1935, in Evanston, IL, to the late Frederick W. and Mildred (nee Stecher) Triebold. Through his teen years, Don lived and worked on the family’s dairy farm, where he developed a life-long work ethic. His first eight years of education were in a one-room country schoolhouse, in which all eight grades were taught by one teacher. He graduated from Whitewater City High School in 1953 and then graduated from UW Whitewater in 1958 with a degree in Business Education. He continued his education, and earned a Master’s … Read more
William Kincaid Davis, age 84, passed away on Tuesday, May 19 at Agrace Hospice Center in Fitchburg. He was born on November 1, 1941, in Madison, Indiana, the second son of Salvation Army Officers Agnes (Dixon) and William C. Davis. He attended several schools in Indiana and Illinois, including University of Illinois Experimental High School (Champaign), and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1958. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire in 1964 and his master’s degree from UW-Whitewater in 1972. He had an expansive career in education, beginning as an English teacher in Whitehall, Thornton Township (IL) and … Read more
Magdalene “Maggie” Stetter (nee Fritz), 79, of Whitewater, Wisconsin passed from this life onto the next on Monday, May 4, 2026. She was born on January 16, 1947, to the late John and Mary (Presser) Fritz in St. Stefan, Austria. Maggie immigrated from Austria with her parents and brother, became a US citizen, and grew up and attended school in West Allis, WI and then graduated with a teaching degree from University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. Maggie served as a substitute, English, and German language teacher in the Whitewater, Elkhorn, Delavan, and Palmyra schools and at Divine Word Seminary. Maggie … Read more
Lawrence “Larry” C. Hartung, a proud Marine Veteran of the Vietnam War, and longtime resident of Fort Atkinson, WI, passed away peacefully at his home on May 1, 2026. Larry was born June 7th, 1949, to Levon and Charles Hartung in Chicago, IL. Larry enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1968 and served 3 consecutive tours in the Vietnam War. During this time, he became pen pals with his future wife, Candy, via a connection through his father. In 1970, he came home on leave to marry Candy. They celebrated 55 years of marriage on October 31st, 2025. During … Read more
Leo E. Wurzer, 65, of Eagle, Wisconsin passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at his home. Leo was born on April 15, 1961 in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Cyril and Shirley (McNeil) Wurzer. He grew up between Pleasant Prairie and Antigo, spending his childhood summers on his uncle’s farm where he discovered his love for all things tractors. Although he never had a farm of his own, he was able to partially fulfill his dream by working as a driver for Robin’s Trucking in Whitewater, WI in his last days and collecting miniature Tonka toys. He began his career … Read more
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