News & Events

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Public Library.

Memory Cafés are designed for people living with memory loss, and their care partner. The Glacial River Library Memory Project hosts one café a month, rotating between four public libraries. The next café will be held Monday, April 8th^th at 10:30 A.M. at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, located at 431 W. Center St. in Whitewater. The theme will be The Solar Eclipse. Please call 262-473-0530 for more information. Please click here to register and choose “events.”

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The Whitewater Ministerial Association has for many years sponsored a Good Friday “progressive” service (as in a progressive dinner) which takes place at First English Lutheran Church, Congregational United Church of Christ, and First United Methodist Church. This year, on March 29, the service started at noon at the Methodist church, followed by the Congregational church, and concluding at the Lutheran church. Hymns were sung, prayers were offered, and at the Methodist church the choir sang “Wondrous Love” and the moving “Via Dolorosa.” Brief meditations were shared by Rev. Dave McDonald, Rev. Dan Fahs, and Rev. Joseph O’Donnell. Also participating was Rev. Madeline Burbank, UW-W Campus Pastor with support of ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin and Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. Nearly twenty participants followed Joe Sherman of the Methodist church as he carried the cross from one church to the next.

The city offers brush collection by appointment every Tuesday, all year. Effective April 2, per a press release from the Department of Public Works, residents wishing to schedule a brush pickup must call 262-473-0560 by Monday at noon. When calling, you should provide your name, address, and phone number. Alternatively, a request may be submitted online by Monday at noon.

Brush must be brought to the curbside and placed with the cut ends facing the street.  Brush cannot be brought to the curbside before 4 p.m. on the Sunday prior to the scheduled Tuesday for collection.  Brush must be at the curb by 7 a.m. on Tuesday.  

Brush must be a minimum of 3/4″ and a maximum 6” in diameter. The brush must be a minimum of 3 feet in length.

The City reserves the right to not collect brush for just cause. Vines, rakings, roots, and root balls will not be accepted. Property owners can dispose of vines, rakings, roots, and root balls at the compost site. The site will be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning on April 6 and on Wednesdays from 3-7 p.m. beginning April 10.

Brush located at the curbside will be collected and chipped. The first 10 minutes of chipping will be free of charge if an appointment has been received by the DPW.  Any chipping after the first 10-minutes will be charged to the property owner at a rate of $30 per 10-minute increments. Major storm damage brush collection will be done at no charge. The City will determine and announce emergency storm related brush collections. All brush placed at the curb will be collected on the day of appointment. No exceptions!

Además de la hora habitual de cuentos de la biblioteca, también se ofrecerá un programa mensual en español. La primera sesión es el martes 9 de abril a las 11:00 a. m. Se invita a las familias a asistir para recibir libros y canciones en español. También habrá actividad y merienda.

This Music Mosaics concert features a new member of the UW-W Piano Trio, pianist Diana Shapiro. Music Mosaics concerts raise funds for music student scholarships.

On this concert, the trio will perform Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s powerful piano trio in D minor. Other works will include Shostakovich’s first piano trio plus two works—“Soir” and “Matin”—by Mel Bonis. All three works show off the versatility, range, and interplay of which piano trios are capable.

Tuesday, March 26, 7:30 p.m., Light Recital Hall in the Greenhill Center for the Arts, 950 W. Main Street. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for age 65+ or under age 18. There is a $2 surcharge for tickets purchased at the door.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from UW-Whitewater Continuing Education Services, Camps and Conferences.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus comes to life in summer with thousands of campers learning new skills and developing their talents. For more than 50 years, Continuing Education Services (CES) has offered athletic, arts, academic and enrichment programs for youth.

As families begin making their plans for summer, parents know their children will make friends and memories participating in UW-Whitewater programs, and thanks to new policies and procedures, they can also be confident their children will be safe. 

“Choosing a youth program is no easy task for parents” said Morgan Anderson, CES Director. “UWW has worked hard to increase its youth protection presence through designed trainings and tools to support all staff and volunteers interacting with minors, who may encounter unique experiences and feelings during their time at camp.”

In spring 2023, the Universities of Wisconsin established a Youth Protection and Compliance Policy to ensure the safety of youth participants in activities on all campuses, state-wide and year-round. Since then, UW-Whitewater has onboarded more than 670 employees and volunteers with nearly 1,500 trainings and 600 background checks. Trainings focus on illness and injury, severe weather events, emergency situations, medication and dietary restrictions, communication channels, and youth mental health.

“Ensuring the safety and security of our academic year programming and summer camps is crucial, which is why a robust youth protection program is vital,” said Michael Dugan, Dean of the College of Arts and Communication, home of dozens of youth programs. “It fosters an environment where creativity can thrive and cultivates trust and inclusivity, enhancing the overall experience for everyone involved.”

CES takes great pride in establishing and maintaining an environment in which campers of all ages and abilities will thrive and have a memorable experience.

“Gymnastics offers year-round programming to some of the youngest youth athletes on campus,” said Jen Regan, head gymnastics coach and camp director. “Supporting the youth protection standards allows for our programs to safeguard each child that enters our gym.”

Parents and guardians can feel confident that no matter what camp their child enrolls in, they will be safe and cared for while on our campus.

Visit our website to learn more about #WarhawkCamps and find the right one for the youth in your life.

About Warhawk Camps

Since 1973, Continuing Education Services has hosted summer camps and clinics on the Whitewater and Rock County campuses. In 2023, more than 6,700 people experienced summer programming, breaking past participation records. Athletic, academic, arts, and enrichment programs are offered every summer for lifelong learners of all ages, in state-of-the-art facilities, with inclusivity, belonging, and safety as core priorities.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

According to a press release from the Whitewater Fire & EMS Department, the department and the city on March 27 signed a contract for acquiring a Safe Haven Baby Box which will be installed on the west side of the municipal building, 312 W. Whitewater Street. The box allows for the safe, anonymous surrender of a newborn infant. After an infant is placed in the box, the box is automatically locked on the exterior and an alarm immediately notifies the EMS personnel, who will evaluate the baby within minutes before transferring it to a hospital.

A law that was enacted in 2001 allows for the anonymous surrender of an infant less than 72 hours old to a police officer, emergency medical staff person, or hospital staff member. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, between 2012 and December, 2023, at least 209 infants were surrendered in that manner. It is felt, however, that especially in smaller communities a mother may be apprehensive that they will be recognized by someone to whom they are surrendering an infant. The finding of a deceased infant in a field in the city on March 4, 2023 prompted Representative Ellen Schutt to author legislation that would allow for the use of baby boxes. That law was signed into law in December, 2023.

The nonprofit organization that markets the Safe Haven Baby Boxes indicates that 43 babies have been surrendered to one of their boxes. The organization also provides a national 24-hour hotline to provide counseling and assistance to mothers in crisis. They indicate that they have received over 9000 calls and have referred over 500 women to crisis pregnancy centers.

Supporters of the baby boxes say they save lives. They are not, however, without criticism. According to NPR, in 2012 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child began advocating for a ban on the approach, believing that baby boxes only encourage parents to give away babies. Maria Herczog, a child welfare advocate and member of the committee, argued that the boxes are a bad message for society, and that children may be abandoned by male relatives or pimps, against a mother’s wishes. “These boxes violate children’s rights and also the rights of parents to get help from the state to raise their families,” she says. Also, in the view of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, “all children have the right to know who their parents are, and their own identity.” Additionally, it is felt that the contactless surrender might contribute to a parent evading investigation for possibly having abused an infant.

What happens if a parent changes their mind? Can they request custody of their child after they surrendered them? Per the state law, such a parent must contact the County Human or Social Services Department in the county where they left the baby with a professional. Before the county can consider returning the baby, the mother must first prove that they are the baby’s parent, which can be proved by a genetic test. After that is established, steps must be taken by the county to ensure that the baby will be well cared for, and the county and the court must approve the return.

A national newscast on PBS News Weekend on March 23 reported on steps that are being taken in Whitewater to welcome and meet the needs of the recent immigrants to the community from Central and South America. Interviewees included Community Space Co-founders Kay Robers and Kristine Zaballos, School Board Member Miguel Aranda, immigrant advocate Jorge Islas-Martinez, Police Chief Dan Meyer, and Common Council Member Brienne Brown. The approximate six minute video may be viewed here.