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Ted Kujanski shared a picture of a comet which he took on Tuesday evening, October 15. He writes, “We were outside for about 45 minutes. On our back deck, eyes on the sky, I had my cell phone in hand. I took a guess that what I saw was the comet. When we came in I viewed the comet pic. What a STREAK OF LUCK.”
It appears that what Ted saw is a comet called Tsunchinshan-ATLAS (Comet A3), which has traveled here from beyond the solar system. It was discovered in China in January, 2023, and independently found in South Africa the next month. It was determined that the comet would bring it close enough to both the Sun and the Earth in September/October 2024 to possibly be seen by the naked eye.
According to BBC Sky at Night magazine, sure enough, for the past several days and at least through Friday evening, October 18 and possibly through the weekend, “If you want to see Comet A3 all you have to do is go out half an hour or so after sunset, face the west, and there it is, right before your eyes – a misty streak of light low in the sky, to the upper right of the bright planet Venus…..It has a narrow dust tail more than a dozen degrees long, which is obvious to the naked eye from a dark sky site and fascinating to trace in binoculars. It is also sporting an ‘anti-tail’, a very sharp spike of material jutting out of its head like a celestial unicorn horn, pointing towards the horizon.” Astronomers say it won’t return to this point in its orbit for at least 80,000 years.
Our thanks to Ted Kujanski for sharing this “streak of luck” photo with us.
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Thursday, October 17 was a good day for the Whippet Cross Country teams as they raced their guts out at the 2024 Rock Valley Conference Meet.
In this eleven-team meet, the girls finished in 3rd overall, just a few points from second. A tight pack of Whippets played a large role in the team’s success. Carley Boudreau emerged as the top runner in this meet, as she was one of four Whippets that earned honorable mention all-conference honors. Carley finished in 19th with a time of 23:16. In 20th was Athena Soto in 23:22. Mady Hefty was 21st in 23:32, and Virginia Nelson was 22nd in 23:35. The top 24 runners earned all-conference honors. Nola Coburn placed 25th in 23:49. This wave of red was very thrilling to watch race around the course and pass other runners as a pack of Whippets together. Ema Aranda was the team’s sixth runner today and placed 32nd with a time of 24:37. Sami Van Daele was the team’s 7th runner and placed 37th with a time of 25:03.
In the JV race, Delaney Hammack placed 13th in 26:59. Mya Graves-Koran placed 15th in 27:17. Lucy Troxel placed 19th in 27:45. Payton Brautigam placed 23rd and stopped the clock in 30:26. The JV team did not have a team score.
The boys’ team replicated its runner-up finish from a year ago against a very strong Monroe team. Jack Hefty took the lead from the gun and never looked back as he sailed to his second conference title in as many years and finished in 16:50. Xavier Zei earned first-team all-conference honors placing 5th in 17:51. Miles Nickelsburg earned second-team all-conference honors in 9th with a time of 17:56. Luc Pomazac also earned second-team honors in 13th with a time of 18:41. Andrew O’Toole earned honorable mention honors in 19th with a time of 18:49. Rounding out the varsity squad were Onyx Thompson in 27th with a time of 19:22 and Isaac Straight in 48th in 20:20.
In the JV race, Quinton O’Toole led the team and secured a top 10 finish to place 8th with a time of 20:29. Isaiah Mendez was the team’s second runner and placed 12th in 21:08. Wyatt Esch placed 20th in 22:04. Alex Clarksen placed 44th in 24:36. Wrapping up the team scoring was Angel Kilar who placed 58th with a time of 26:49. The JV team finished in 5th with 129 pts.
Next up for the team will be the WIAA Sectional meet hosted on this same course at UW-Whitewater on Friday, October 25th. The top two teams and the top five individuals not on those teams will earn a trip to the WIAA State Meet. The girls’ race will begin at 4:00, followed by the boys at 4:45.
Full Results: https://wi.milesplit.com/meets/628514-rvc-championship-2024
Article and Photos Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Whitewater Volleyball closed its regular season with a non-conference win against Johnson Creek on Thursday, October 17. It was a special night for the Whippets, as they recognized their parents for their constant support all season and honored the program’s six very special seniors (Ava Alvarado, Falyn Krahn, Zoe Kohl, Calli Grosinske, Ella Spear, and Ayden Clark) who played in their final home volleyball match. The Whippets started the match strong and never looked back. The Whippets took the match in three straight sets – 25-11, 25-23, 25-16.
Stat leaders for the Whippets were:
- Kills – Calli Grosinske (senior) – 13; Falyn Krahn (senior) – 7
- Assists – Calli Grosinske (senior) – 15
- Aces – Ella Spear (senior) – 6; Calli Grosinske (senior) 4
- Digs – Calli Grosinske (senior) – 19; Ella Spear (senior) – 12
The Whippets (12 seed) open postseason play Tuesday, October 22nd at 7 pm in Edgerton (5 seed).
Article and Photo Submitted by Caitlin Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
dowca01@wwusd.org
This Saturday, October 19 is the 29th Annual Wally & Rod’s Raffle/Auction event. This event supports Warhawk football, men’s basketball, and baseball. Doors open at 5:00 with the live auction starting at 6:30. Tickets and tables are still available for purchase. Contact Jarod Wichser, WichserJJ08@uww.edu for more information.
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This week’s post continues our look at buildings on the UW-Whitewater campus built in the mid-20th century that updated the old “Normal School” into a “university.” This is Upham Hall, the new science building constructed in 1962. The building was named for Arthur Upham, science professor at the old Whitewater Normal School from 1888-1922. Upham was a specialist in physics but taught many other science classes. Not deterred by the lack of laboratory facilities in Old Main (the only classroom building at the time), Upham helped his students create their own laboratories so they could have hands-on experiences with science.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
(#4481PC, Whitewater Historical Society)
Have you ever been curious about the Women’s Clubs in Whitewater?
Come join us to find out more! Emerson Club invites you to a New Member Open Meeting on Monday, October 21 from 4:15- 5:30 pm at the Bassett House, 708 W. Main Street, Whitewater. We will have homemade snacks, a brief meeting and an interesting program. We are part of the Whitewater Federation of Women’s Clubs.
If you can’t make it that Monday, you are welcome any third Monday of the month. Same time, Same place! Any questions? Go to www.bassetthousewww.org or call 262-225-9296.
Editor’s note: This press release was received from Renae Prell-Mitchell.
Alayna Jansky goes up for an attack against UW-Stevens Point Wednesday (Michael Gouvion)
The No. 5 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team fell to UW-Stevens Point in a tight five-setter 3-2 (25-19, 11-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11) Wednesday night.
The loss in Russell Arena broke a 20-match home win streak for UWW. Over the last four seasons, the Warhawks are 57-3 on their home court.
The Pointers jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first set. The Warhawks battled to within one, 18-17, but a late run gave UWSP the 1-0 match advantage.
UW-Whitewater dominated set two taking a 10-2 lead of their own. Another big run in the middle of the set had the Warhawks enjoying a 20-6 lead before evening the match with a 25-11 win. UWW hit .583 in the set hammering down 14 kills without committing a single attack error.
The Warhawks jumped out to a 6-2 lead in set three before the Pointers battled back to knot the set 7-7. The teams traded points and small runs until a string of three kills for UWW sparked the Warhawks. Alayna Jansky pounded down the first two and Hannah Proctor added the third to give UW-Whitewater a 22-17 lead. Abbie Dix put the finishing touches on the set with a kill to make it 25-22.
UWW looked to have the fourth set in hand with an 18-11 lead before UWSP came flying back. The Pointers rattled off five straight to narrow the gap to two. Jansky stopped the run with a kill, but UW-Stevens Point responded with three more to tie the set 19-19. The squads traded points with UWW taking a 23-22 lead when the Pointers notched three consecutive kills to force a decisive fifth set.
The Warhawks had an early lead and held an 8-6 advantage at the side-switch. UWSP evened the score 10-10 and then took the lead with a pair of kills, 12-10. Jenna Weinfurt found the floor on an attack to cut the margin to one, 12-11. The Pointers had the response once again with three straight points to take the set and match.
Both teams registered 62 kills in the match with the Warhawks holding the advantage in efficiency hitting .301 compared to .224 for UWSP. UW-Whitewater also tallied a 16-6 advantage in blocks.
Outside hitters Jansky (20) and Weinfurt (17) combined for 37 kills in the contest. From the middle Proctor and Abbie Dix tallied 13 kills in 20 attempts with just a pair of attack errors.
Defensively at the net, Dix registered 11 blocks for the second consecutive contest. Now averaging 1.43 blocks per set this season, Dix is the second-best blocker in the nation. Proctor, a top-10 blocker in Division III added five more to her season total Wednesday. Libero Jaedynn Evans had a game-high 17 digs while Weinfurt joined her double digits with 15.
Setter Aubrie Krzus posted 50 assists adding six blocks and four kills.
With three matches left in the conference slate, the Pointers lead the WIAC with a 4-0 record. UW-Oshkosh is second at 3-1. Four teams are tied for third at 2-2 including UWW, UW-Platteville, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout.
The Warhawks return to the court with a pair of matches this weekend. UWW will host Carthage Friday at 7 and Saint Mary’s (Minn.) Saturday at noon. Due to other events on campus, fans will have to pay for parking for these matches. Click here for more information.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal two vehicle crash on Saturday, October 12 in Dodge County. According to the Sheriff’s Office 45-year-old Jeremy Bock, of Palmyra, was killed when his car struck a parked vehicle followed by a tree on County Highway G near Canary Road. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the incident.
A previous article on The Whitewater Banner provided further details about this crash.
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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