News & Events

City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission – Monday @ 4:30 p.m.
Agenda includes discussion of landscape plans for Dollar Tree, Aldi, and Starbucks; Future of Territorial Oak felled timber and possible projects relating to it; protection of oaks from library expansion
Cravath Lakefront room 2nd floor 312 West
Whitewater St.
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/519418125
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 519-418-125
United States: 1 (224) 501-3412
Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://meet.goto.com/install

Whitewater Unified School District Policy Review Committee – Monday @ 5:30 p.m.
Whitewater High School
Agenda: WUSD Organizational Chart

City of Whitewater Police and Fire Commission – Monday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda includes report on Assistant Fire Chief Transition from Part-Time to Full-Time Position; closed session, to reconvene, for interviews of FTE EMT/Firefighter candidate, patrol officer candidate, and patrol lieutenant candidate.
Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room,
312 West Whitewater St.
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://meet.goto.com/326407381
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (408) 650-3123
Access Code: 326-407-381

Whitewater School Board – Monday @ 6:30 (Closed Session)
Whitewater High School Library
534 South Elizabeth Street
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6:30 p.m. via Zoom Online
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82039500370?pwd=K0pkN0l4dW5BQWM4bVplbE1SOE0zUT09
– Passcode: 304438
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– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 820 3950 0370
– Passcode: 304438
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Closed Session Agenda (click on “meetings” in upper right corner) includes: discuss circumstances related to restrictions placed on a community member’s access to District property; discuss and prepare for the Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center negotiations.
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7:00 p.m. via Zoom Online — Open Session
Agenda (click on “meetings” in upper right corner) includes WUSD Strategic Planning & Scorecard Review, Lakeview, Lincoln and Washington Elementary School (Informational);  Establish 2024-25 Regular and Special Education Open Enrollment Space Limitations (Action Item); 2024-25 High School Curriculum Course Proposal: Earth Science (Action Item).
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87078321810?pwd=QllRL2tWNEQ1bk0yWTVwQ2pzQVExUT09
– Passcode: 330848
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– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 870 7832 1810
– Passcode: 330848

City of Whitewater Finance Committee – Tuesday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Shared-Ride Taxi Rate Increases.
Cravath Lakefront room 2nd floor 312 West
Whitewater St
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/770646165
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 770-646-165
United States: 1 (646) 749-3122
Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://meet.goto.com/install

City of Whitewater Lakes Advisory Committee – Thursday @ 5:00
Agenda includes committee goals and objectives.
Cravath Lakefront room 2nd floor 312 West Whitewater St,
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82117796832?pwd=WVpXUHI4WC9STFVLRmwyZXFhVWtiZz09
Meeting ID: 821 1779 6832
Passcode: 417810
Dial 1 312 626 6799 US

City of Whitewater Board of Zoning Appeals – Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda – Applicant: RLA Properties
Property: 355 W. James Street
Relative Code: 19.15.060 Yard Requirements Side yard of 10 feet.
Variance Requested: To place new structure on old structure location that is only 4.5 feet
from side property line.
Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room,
312 West Whitewater St.
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/305001373
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 305-001-373
United States: 1 (646) 749-3122
Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://meet.goto.com/install

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Roberta’s Art Gallery.

IMMERSIVE ART EXHIBIT EXPLORES THE LANDSCAPE OF HUMAN MEMORY AT ROBERTA’S ART GALLERY 

Dive into the mesmerizing past and present worlds at Roberta’s Art Gallery with “Memoria,” by artist Will Timilin. This exhibit features digital imagery and projections that unfold illusions from the human memory. “Memoria” opens on Jan. 10 and will be on display until Feb. 9. 

“Memoria” is an immersive gallery experience that allows audience members to explore the vast landscape of the mysterious recollection. Through digital art and technology, Timlin encourages his audience to search these projected, enchanting spaces for stories. “The stories in the pieces are etched into the intricate folds of our minds,” says Timlin. “They include splinters of illusionistic hauntings fused with the grand, celestial, and euphoric.” 

Will Timlin is a graphic designer and digital artist based in Milwaukee, Wis. This will be Timlin’s first solo exhibition. Timlin is currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in graphic design and a minor in marketing. “I hope my audience will leave with an emotional response and understanding through my projections, whether it’s confusion or love,” says Timlin. “I want to highlight the misinterpretations of memory.”   

The artist reception takes place on Jan. 30 with an artist talk and an audience Q&A from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by an open house with refreshments from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.  

Roberta’s Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the James R. Connor University Center at 800 W. Main Street, Whitewater, Wis. The gallery collaborates with campus departments, student organizations, and community artists in coordinating and sponsoring exhibits. During the academic year, which starts on Jan. 22, gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. Roberta’s Art Gallery is closed on Saturday and Sunday. 

At Roberta’s Art Gallery, we pride ourselves in providing free and open exhibits to the public, and attending certain events can earn students class credit. If you are interested in being featured in the gallery, please contact us for a proposal request. Reach us at ucart@uww.edu or 262-472-3193. Visit our website for any questions or inquiries, and follow our Instagram @uww_rag.  

Editor’s note: The following press release was provided by The Jefferson County Solid Waste Committee.

The Jefferson County Solid Waste Committee is hosting a free, educational presentation on Thursday, January 25 at 6 p.m. It will be held at the Extension, Jefferson County Office located at 864 Collins Road in Jefferson, WI. This event is open to any interested citizen!

Craig Czarnecki, WI DNR Air Management Outreach Coordinator and Lindsay Haas, WI DNR Air Management Communications and Outreach Specialist will present on the DNR Air Management and Wisconsin Air Quality followed by an opportunity for questions.

We hope that you will join us for this great educational opportunity!

Please contact Kim at 920-674-7430 or kimb@jeffersoncountywi.gov with any questions.

Updated on January 21 at 8 a.m.: This photo was taken at Whitewater Creek Nature Park. Picture below was taken from the bridge/walk near the entrance to Hillside Cemetery.

Photos taken by Tom Ganser on January 15. Do you wonder if these birds are wishing they were “snowbirds?”

Our thanks to Tom Ganser for sharing another beautiful nature scene.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com. Thanks for thinking about this!

The Dementia Friendly Community Initiative writes, “We received a story from one of our caregivers that makes two (at least) great points:  How dementia changes the brain and why friends and family should keep visiting.“

Mom has progressed to stage 4 out of 5 with her dementia.  Her demeanor has changed. Although she still has her obstinate moments, she is becoming happy, affectionate, and appreciative.  From what I hear, happiness is not a typical part of the progress of this disease.  Depression and aggression are more common, so how wonderful it is that mom is happy these days!  As happy as I have ever seen her.  

This is due in part to loss of short term memory and in part to her attachment to me. Without her memory, she doesn’t retain good or bad experiences, they are gone from her mind. Her brain is filled with the here and now and maybe because I have learned to share warmth, kindness, a gentle touch, her here-and-now is happiness. 

The part of the brain that processes facts and logic is the first to go, but feelings, good and bad, are there to the end. I began to give Mom a gentle pat on the thigh when I sat down beside her. She started to return the gentle touch.  After a few weeks, she began putting her head on my shoulder.  When people come to see her, she anticipates good feelings and her face lights up. 

Being appreciative seems to go back to the manners that we were taught as small children.  Unlike adult life when people use manners out of habit, mom has a strong sense of sharing gratitude.  Maybe she knows it feels good to receive kindness, so passes it on.  When my grandfather was in a nursing home at the age of 93, he had good manners to the end.

Mom has been stubborn her whole life. When she graduated from sixth grade, her mother bought the dress she liked instead of the one my Mom wanted.  Mom had a very unhappy expression in the photo.  If Mom decides she’s not going to take her pills, it is not going to happen and I have to find a different way to administer her medication. That hasn’t changed.

Love is a primal feeling. It is what brings us together, like the gentle touch, smile or kind gesture. As the brain deteriorates, love stays.   If I ask Mom if she is fine, she will reply, “I am fine because you are here.” That is a phrase that I will hear in my mind for the rest of my life. As for those that stay away from people with dementia because they think they cannot love, those friends and family are missing out on a big part of life.

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This article submitted by Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park to help inform the community about dementia and to support patients and caregivers.  New members are always welcome!  Contact jfrench@whitewater-wi.gov or call Jennifer French at 262 473 0535.  More resources for caregivers:

https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/376/Aging-Disability-Resource-Center

https://www.jeffersoncountywi.gov/departments/human_services/aging_and_disability_resource_center/index.php

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/benefit-specialists/ebs.htm

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire extends congratulations to the 2,778 students named to the fall 2023 dean’s list. Their academic performance has been outstanding, and we recognize these students with pride.

Congratulations, Blugolds!

Students from your area who were named to the Dean’s List are:

Whitewater, WI

 Emma Jordan, College of Arts and Sciences