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Show your support for kindness and civility in Whitewater at a nonpartisan CommUnity Walk on Saturday, Nov. 16.
This free, family-friendly event will start at 9 a.m. at the Whitewater Armory, 146 W. North St. There will be refreshments, materials for making kindness and civility signs will be available and time to connect with friends and neighbors. There will be a number of community-based organizations offering information regarding their commitment to kindness and civility. Any organization interested in participating should email bekindwhitewater@gmail.com
The itinerary for the morning is as follows:
9 a.m.: Armory opens for gathering and conversations.
9:15 a.m.: Welcoming statement and remarks by John Weidl, Whitewater city manager.
9:30 a.m.: Walk to the Andersen Library begins. The route will include Main Street through part of downtown and then to the UW-Whitewater campus library.
10 a.m.: Arrive at Andersen Library for more interactions, refreshments, and campus organization tabling. Dr. Dwight C. Watson, former UW-Whitewater Chancellor and current faculty member, will offer remarks.
10:30 a.m.: Leave Andersen Library and return to the Armory where the event will conclude.
A non-perishable food drive to benefit The Community Space will be held. Items current needed include: breakfast cereal, canned tuna, canned vegetables, canned fruit and peanut butter. Be Kind yard signs will be available for a $5 donation at the Armory.
“I love the community. Whitewater is a wonderful place to live,” Watson said. “This is an opportunity to be unified around a common cause, which is to be kind and supportive of all people.”
In case of inclement weather, the event will be held inside the Armory. For updates about this event and other kindness-related events visit the Be Kind Whitewater page on Facebook or search by #BeKindWhitewater.
Editor’s note: The above announcement was provided by the Be Kind Committee.
Stevens Point, Wis. — The No. 7 UW-Whitewater volleyball team punched its ticket to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 28-26) sweep at UW-Stevens Point Thursday night. The Warhawks have advanced to the league tournament title match for the 11th consecutive time and will be seeking their third straight title on Saturday. UWW has won five of the last ten conference tournament championships.
In the other WIAC Tournament semifinal, top-seeded UW-Oshkosh defeated UW-Platteville in five sets. The Titans will host the title match Saturday at 7 PM in a rematch of the 2023 championship.
UW-Whitewater registered a phenomenal performance in the rematch of a regular season loss in Whitewater Thursday night. On the Pointers’ home court, UWW hit .356 with three Warhawks tallying double digit kills. Meanwhile the defense limited UWSP to an attack efficiency of .202 bolstered by nine total team blocks in the contest.
The Warhawks trailed through the majority of the first set but were able to capture their first lead of the match on a 4-0 run that forced a Pointer timeout with UWW leading 17-15. From there, the UW-Whitewater advantage hovered between one and three until a 3-0 spurt capped the set. A UWSP miscue was the catalyst on the run as Jenna Weinfurt and Alayna Jansky followed with two consecutive kills for the 25-21 final.
The first set was the best for UWW offensively. The Warhawks hit .421 led by a fantastic six-kill set from Weinfurt. The powerful outside hitter hit .600 with zero errors in the opener.
UW-Whitewater registered the first five points of set two before UWSP began whittling away at the lead. The Pointers came back to tie the set 9-9 and the squads traded points until UWW was able to put a small run together. With the gap pushed to three, 15-12, UWW maintained the advantage the rest of the way. Abbie Dix and Aubrie Krzus turned away a Pointer attack with a huge block to cap the set and secure the 25-22 win.
Chloe Werner had the hot hand in set two with six kills. Dix showcased her blocking supremacy with five assist blocks in the second set.
Set three was a battle from start to finish. The largest lead by either squad was a 7-4 UWSP advantage early in the set. The Warhawks staved off a first set point for the Pointers before UWSP held on match point to tie it up, 26-26. Weinfurt pounded down a kill to force a second match point and a UWSP error provided the final point.
For the match, Weinfurt posted a team-high 14 kills followed by 12 each from Jansky and Werner. Jansky added three aces and led UWW with 12 digs on the night. Krzus notched 40 assists in the three-setter adding six blocks.
Dix hit .462 with 6 kills in 13 attempts with no attack errors. Defensively, she was stellar matching Krzus’ six-block performance.
Steve Watson writes,
10-13-24. Skate park.
Came upon a heron sound asleep.
I was quiet, didn’t make a peep.
A human passed with a couple dogs.
The heron slept like a log.
Finally woke up and looked around.
Walked into the leaves, and it was gone.
Our thanks to Steve Watson for sharing yet another great wildlife photo .
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The Whitewater City Market has normally moved into the library for the colder months, but due to the construction project at the library, the market has moved to the Cravath Lakefront Community Building, 341 S. Fremont Street. The market will be held there every Saturday through April from 9 a.m. to noon. The only day off will be December 28.
The market typically includes produce, handmade crafts, baked goods, jellies, and many other items. The Facebook page routinely features a listing of the vendors that will be present for each week.
There’s also a craft and conversation corner for kids to have a bit of fun especially around holidays and for lingering over conversation with neighbors/friends.
Ferradermis members have been busy doing STEM outreach this fall as they train new members and wait for the launch of the new season in January.
On Thursday, November 7, team members Erison Dreksler, Margaret Brown, and Preston Miller spent the morning with the sixth-grade language arts classes at Whitewater Middle School. The sixth graders had just finished reading the book Wild Robot, and the trio of Ferradermis members was invited by teacher Alyssa Orlowski to demonstrate their robot and share stories that paralleled the themes of the book. Throughout the morning, the students focused mainly on the theme of change – how the game changes each year, how the robot changes throughout the season, how the team has evolved, and how their involvement with the team has changed them and even their future plans.
On Saturday, November 9, a small group of team members traveled to the FIRST Robotics Competition Training Day held at Waukesha County Technical College. Students were able to soak up a lot of great information from presentations by other teams, and they also contributed two presentations of their own. Ferradermis Electrical Subteam Lead Erison Dreksler offered a session on how to use AutoCAD to document a robot’s electrical system. Ferradermis Business Subteam Lead Andrew Zimmermann conducted a session called Securing Your Team’s Financial Future. During the presentation, Zimmermann had other teams conduct a SWOT analysis for their team and then shared a Ferradermis SWOT analysis. He also shared information about the team’s endowment fund at the Whitewater Community Foundation, the recent creation of the WUSD Robotics Booster Club supporting robotics in grades 4-12, and the strong bond between our team and the school district, which treats the team like a sport. Also attending workshops were Ferradermis Technical Team Captain Andrew O’Toole and team member Vivian Harris.
Sunday, November 10, brought 31 Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts to Whitewater High School for a Robotics Badge Workshop. Eleven members of Ferradermis rotated the girls through six different sessions throughout the afternoon, depending on their age level. Brownies were able to learn about simple machines and see how they could be used to design a robot for a FIRST Lego League robot mission, while Daisies created binary bracelets and learned about buggy code by giving directions to move a Ferradermis student through a physical maze. Both groups got to experience SNAP Circuits to learn about electricity and used an app called Tynker Junior to learn about coding. Both groups also spent some time with the Ferradermis robot, learning how it uses sensors and playing catch with it. The brownies learned to code small Sphero robots, and the Daisies worked with line following robots called Ozobots. As a result, the Daisies were able to earn their, “How Robots Move,” badge, and the Brownies earned two badges, “Showcasing Robots” and “Programming Robots.”
This weekend ten members of the team will be volunteering at the Mukwonago FIRST Lego League (FLL) Regional in order to learn what will be required when Ferradermis hosts the Whitewater FLL Regional on Sunday, December 8. Whitewater will be hosting 24 FLL teams from around the state for a full day of competition and judging that day. That event will be free and open to the public, and we invite the community to join us to see the FLL teams from Lincoln, Lakeview, Washington, and the Middle School in action as well as demonstrations from the Whitewater Middle School Iron Dragons FIRST Tech Challenge team and the Ferradermis FIRST Robotics Competition Team.
Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor
lmasbruch@wwusd.org
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. A few weeks ago, we posted several views of the old East Side School, now Washington School. Giving equal time, this week’s photo is a post card of what was probably the newly built west side school, now Lincoln School. Completed in 1953, the school building met the needs of the burgeoning school-age population in westside Whitewater. It was designed by noted Madison architects Law, Law, Potter & Nystrom and has stood the test of time. The core building has been remodeled and expanded several times, but still serves the west side today.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
(2117PC, Whitewater Historical Society)
The compost site will be closing for the season on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. The compost site is open this Saturday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. and on next Wednesday from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
*Residents requesting brush collection should call (262) 473-0560 to make an appointment for
pick up on Tuesdays. Appointments must be made by 12:00 p.m. on Monday in order to be on
Tuesday’s collection list. Brush is collected year-round.
NOTICE: City Ordinance Chapter 12.08 – Street Obstructions, Section: 12.08.010 – Residents
are prohibited from depositing any yard waste debris on right of ways other than
City of Whitewater designated days.
For additional questions or concerns, contact the Streets Department at (262) 473-0560. For
other requests, visit https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/RequestTracker.aspx.
Brad Marquardt
Director of Public Works
bmarquardt@whitewater-wi.gov
Sheriff Fell is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer our final
2024 Snowmobile Safety Education Course on December 3, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00
p.m., and December 7, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., at the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, 200 East U.S. Highway 14, Janesville, WI 53545. Students must attend both sessions to graduate.
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1985, is required to complete a Snowmobile Safety Education Course to legally operate a snowmobile in areas open to the public within
Wisconsin. Students should be at least 12 years of age or turn 12 shortly after the class.
Snowmobile Safety Education Course
Session 1: December 3, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. @ Rock County Sheriff’s Office
Session 2: December 7, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. @ Rock County Sheriff’s Office
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/snowmobile-education
Class size is limited to thirty 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 Trevor Lund at trevor.lund@co.rock.wi.us.
Editor’s note: The Rock County Sheriff’s Department has previously indicated to The Whitewater Banner that residents of other counties are welcome to attend.
Obituaries
Marion Jauch Burrows (Feb. 2, 1930 – June 5, 2026) Her sparkling eyes, warm laugh, and generous ways were gifts Marion brought into this world, touching family members and friends alike over the ninety-six years of her life. She was born and raised in Lombard, IL, and in the course of her life lived with her husband and growing family in Abilene, TX, St. David’s, PA, Arkadelphia, AR, Ada, OK, and Colorado Springs, CO, before settling in Whitewater, WI, in 1965. Generosity of heart, compassion toward those in need in and beyond her community, and an unwavering commitment to fairness … Read more
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
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