News & Events

Editor’s note: The following charges from the police blog in Lake Zurich, IL were reported in the Lake Zurich Courier.

Oscar Lopez-Fajardo, 29, of the 200 block of North Fraternity Lane, Whitewater, Wisconsin, was charged November 12 with driving while license suspended, attempted possession of a controlled substance, operating an uninsured vehicle and having no vehicle registration following an incident at Route 12 and Ela Road. Lopez-Fajardo is scheduled to appear in court December 6 in Waukegan.

Lisvania Moreno-Menis, 20, of the 700 block of West Walworth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin, was charged November 12 with forgery and unlawful possession of a fraudulent identification card following an incident at Route 12 and Ela Road.

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

Following the 2020 U.S. Census, state redistricting resulted in changes to both the Senate and the Assembly district assignments for the City of Whitewater. In fact, the city was split into two new Assembly districts, being divided by the Jefferson/Walworth County line. This redistricting appears to have played a major role in the city being represented on the state level by only Republican legislators for the first time in a decade. During that time the city was in Assembly District 43, which was served by Democrats Andy Jorgensen (2013-17) and Don Vruwink (2017-23). The city was represented for even a longer consecutive time by Democrats in State Senate District 15, including Judy Robson (1999-2011), Tim Cullen (2011-15), and Janis Ringhand (2015-23.)

Steve Nass (R) will represent Whitewater, which is now in State Senate District 11. Nass defeated Steven J. Doelder (D) by 44,967 to 32,083 votes.

Ellen Schutt (R) will represent the Walworth County portion of Whitewater in the State Assembly, District 31, having garnered 14,704 votes versus the 10,134 favoring Whitewater resident Brienne Brown (D).

Scott Johnson (R) will represent the Jefferson County portion of Whitewater in the State Assembly, District 33, having beaten Don Vruwink (D), who represented the entire city since 2017. Johnson received 13,709 votes vs. Vruwink’s 13,462. Vruwink previously served in District 43, but the redistricting that took place after the 2020 census resulted in his residence being located in District 33 instead of 43.

Bryan Steil (R) will represent the Walworth County portion of Whitewater in the U.S. Congress, District 1, having received 162,562 votes to Ann Roe’s (D) 135,788. The entire city was in District 5 until the recent redistricting.

Scott Fitzgerald (R) will continue to represent the Jefferson County portion of Whitewater in the U.S. Congress, District 5, having received 243,719 votes to Mike Van Someren’s (D) 134,562.

Ron Johnson (R) was reelected to the U.S. Senate by a slim margin, 1,336,873 to Mandela Barnes’ 1,310,451. Effective January, 2023 the only Democrat representing Whitewater in the state or federal legislatures will be Senator Tammy Baldwin.

Whitewater has been a popular target during redistricting.  The city had been in the Congressional 1st district and was represented by Les Aspin from 1971-93 until he was appointed Defense Secretary by President Clinton in 1993.  The city was moved to the 2nd Congressional district after the 2000 census and represented by Tammy Baldwin. After the 2010 census the city was moved to the 5th Congressional district and represented by Jim Sensenbrenner. The city has now come full circle as most of it is back in the First Congressional district. 

Meanwhile, Whitewater resident Dave Gerber (R) was elected Walworth County Sheriff, successfully besting a write-in campaign by his primary opponent, Craig Konopski, by a vote of 34,889 to 3,382.

The entire city ordinance regarding removal of snow/ice on city sidewalks is printed below, but the bottom line is that snow and ice must be removed within 24 hours after a snow/ice event. When ice is so formed that it cannot be removed, the sidewalk must be kept sprinkled with salt or sand. There’s a minimum cost of $100 if the city has to have snow/ice removed from a property owner’s sidewalk.

12.20.020 Snow and Ice Removal Required.
The owner, occupant, and person in charge of any building or lot fronting upon or adjoining any sidewalk shall
remove all snow and ice from the sidewalk no later than twenty-four hours after a snow or ice event. When any
ice is so formed on any sidewalk that it cannot be removed, then the responsible party shall keep the same
sprinkled with salt or sand. If any such owner, occupant, or person in charge refuses or fails to comply with the
provisions of this section within the time aforesaid, the city manager or an appointed representative may
remove such snow or ice and the cost thereof shall be charged at a rate of one hundred dollars per hour, with
a minimum charge of one hundred dollars. Work lasting more than one hour will be billed an additional twenty-five dollars. Any subsequent snow removal, which takes place within six months of the prior removal, will be
charged at a rate of one hundred fifty dollars per hour, with a minimum charge of one hundred fifty dollars.
Work lasting more than one hour will be billed an additional twenty-five dollars. If the city contracts the service
out for snow and ice removal, the city shall bill back to the property owner the cost, for any labor, equipment,
and material necessary to remove the snow and ice from the public sidewalk the rate of the cost of the
contracted service, plus a ten percent administrative cost fee, or, at the city’s discretion, the street
department’s going rate for time, materials and equipment. The cost of such removal shall be reported to the
city clerk in writing with a description of the premises, and such costs shall be and become a special tax and
lien against the premises, and if not previously paid shall be inserted by the city clerk in the next ensuing tax
roll as a special tax against such premises; and such costs may, in the discretion of the common council, be
collected by suit against the owner or occupant of the premises.

Editor’s note: The following announcement was received from UW-Whitewater.

Mark Zimmermann, from Whitewater, who is majoring in history at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has won the Outstanding Nontraditional Student Award for 2022-2023.

There are approximately 900 nontraditional students (ages 25 and older) at UW-Whitewater. These students’ drive and intellectual engagement is impressive as they work to juggle school, work, family and other obligations to accomplish their educational goals.

Each year, faculty and staff are asked to nominate individuals who have made notable contributions in the classroom and to campus, and they are recognized during National Nontraditional Student week (Nov. 7-11). This is a time to recognize and celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions that our adult students bring to our campuses.

The Adult Student Outreach, which offers resources to adult students at UW-Whitewater – whether they are returning students or are attending for the first time – coordinates the awards program. In addition to student awards, faculty and staff members are eligible for the CARE (Concern for Adults Returning to Education) Award. These faculty and staff members have provided extraordinary support and encouragement to returning adult students. This year’s CARE recipients are Teri Alder in the Department of Mathematics and Karl Brown in Department of History.

Editor’s note: The following was prepared by the National Weather Service – Milwaukee/Sullivan Weather Forecast Office as of 3:50 p.m. on Monday, November 14.

Here’s an update regarding wet, slushy snow for Tuesday into Wednesday.

Bottom Line Up Front:

• Accumulating wet, slushy snow is expected to start during the Tuesday morning commute, continuing through Tuesday night, with light snow showers lingering on Wednesday. 
• Highest snowfall amounts & increased impacts look to occur across east-central Wisconsin, due to lake enhancement.
• There is high uncertainty with snowfall amounts in far southeast Wisconsin, mainly around and south of Milwaukee, due to milder temperatures and some rain mixing in.
• With this being the first widespread accumulating snowfall of the season, expect some travel impacts.

Timing of snow:

• Snow begins 5-7 a.m. Tuesday morning, becoming widespread with a quick inch of snow accumulation by 9 a.m.
• Peak snowfall is expected mid-morning Tuesday through Tuesday evening.
• Light snow lingers through Wednesday.

What has changed?

• A quick inch of wet, slushy snow is expected to occur during the Tuesday morning commute, which may cause reduced visibility and slippery roads.
• There is high uncertainty with snow amounts in far southeast Wisconsin, mainly around and south of Milwaukee.

Editor’s note: The image on the homepage is by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library

Check Out Wisconsin’s State Parks At Your Library
Pilot Program Plans To Increase Park Access

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Irvin L. Young
Memorial Library have announced a pilot program to make state park and forest vehicle admission day
passes available to library card holders at Irvin L. Young Memorial Library.
Starting Tuesday, Nov. 10th, library card holders at 20 libraries across Wisconsin can check out a pass
for free admission for one vehicle at any state park, forest or recreation area where admission is
required. The pilot program ends March 1, 2023.

“The DNR is continually looking for innovative opportunities to bring more people to state parks and
forests and to ensure everyone in Wisconsin has access to our incredible natural resources,” said
Steve Schmelzer, Director of the DNR Bureau of Parks and Recreation. “By partnering with Wisconsin’s
library system, we can reach households who may not be as familiar with the wide array of
opportunities Wisconsin’s state parks and forests offer.”

The pilot program, Check Out Wisconsin’s State Parks at Your Library, is a collaborative effort between
the DNR, Wisconsin Library Association’s Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries and Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction. Nicolet Federated Library System and Southwest Wisconsin Library
System underwrote the day passes cost.

“Our library provides resources for everyone of all ages and backgrounds about a broad range of
topics, so adding access to our state park system is a natural fit. We are excited to participate as a pilot
library, and we hope to see this program flourish in our community. Anyone with questions about the
program should stop by the library,” said Diane Jaroch, Assistant Library Director.

Along with the day pass, the cardholder will receive an informational kit of state park system materials
and maps, a Wisconsin Explorer Program book, stickers, accessibility information and more. The
program’s goal is to expand access to the Wisconsin state park system to new park visitors. Irvin L.
Young Memorial Library received 50 passes, each with a one-time use.

Based on participant feedback and funding, the DNR plans to continue the program in 2023. Each pass
includes a survey link so the DNR can gather information about who used the passes and how they
enjoyed their park experience. After using the pass, participants who complete the survey will be
eligible to win one of ten 2023 annual state park and forest vehicle admission stickers paid for by the
Friends of Wisconsin State Parks.

Learn more about Irvin L. Young Memorial Library and how to get a library card at
www.whitewaterlibrary.org. For more information about the pilot program, visit the DNR website at
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/outwigo.