News & Events

The National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Weather Forecast Office indicates that the Whitewater area is at a “slight risk” of seeing 1+” hail this evening, primarily before 7 p.m.

• Storms will continue after 7 PM and evolve into congealed clusters that will diminish the hail threat late in the evening.
• Storms will diminish and move out between 11 PM and 1 AM Wednesday.
• Main hazards remain hail and lightning.

From Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 8, 26 members of Ferradermis put their new 2026 robot CEO (Chief Excavation Officer) to the test on the field at Lakeland University. Lakeland played host to 33 Wisconsin teams for the first ever Wisconsin District Event. Over the course of the last year, Wisconsin has transitioned from a “regional” model of competition to a “district” model of competition. In essence, this means that Wisconsin FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Teams will now play in-state to a State Championship with teams earning a berth to the Houston World Championships via their performance at State. This transition was possible because of the growing popularity of the program in the state; Wisconsin is now home to 72 FRC teams.

The 2026 FRC game, like the FLL and FTC games from the fall, is based on an archeology theme. In the case of the FRC game, Rebuilt, the game brings back field elements and game pieces reminiscent of games played over the last 25 years of FIRST. The only game piece this year is a bright yellow solid foam ball called fuel, just like the yellow whiffle balls from Ferradermis’ rookie year in 2017. There are 504 pieces of fuel on the field at any one ti

me, leading to complete chaos and the likelihood that robots will go “fuel surfing” by ending up entirely beached on top of multiple pieces of fuel. Alliance partners often have to give each other’s robot a nudge to get their robots off the top of the fuel field.

The performance of CEO improved greatly over the course of the event as the pit crew including sophomore Jayden Kehrer, lead programmer Ace Hudec, and mentor Quinn McKenzie continued to make slight adjustments to electrical, mechanical, and coding aspects of the robot between matches. The robot relies heavily on computer vision through use of a Limelight camera to spot April Tags (like QR codes) on the field to automatically calculate the angle of its shots.

The drive team, consisting of Driver Mason Genung, Operator Erison Dreksler, Human Player Vivian Harris, Technician Owen Taylor, and Drive Coach Mark Zimmermann, led the robot onto the field for 2 practice matches and each of its 12 qualification matches. District events are designed to be smaller and run on a compacted schedule, leaving much less time between matches. At the end of qualifications, the Ferradermis robot ranked #13.

The scouting team including Emilie Bruns, Mily Zeferino-Hernandez, and Preston Miller worked diligently in the stands throughout qualifications with their scouting alliance partners Red Raider Robotics from Sheboygan North and CORE from Waukesha. The trio of teams had decided to band together to test out a new scouting app. Thank you to mentor Kevin Housel for helping Head Scouts Rae Breisath, Georgia Esch, and Zoey Ambrose learn the ins and outs of the new system. Ferradermis students cycled through hour-long scouting shifts, with each student following a particular robot in a match and entering data into the app. Students also paired up to do pit scouting, interviewing other teams in the pits about the capabilities of their robots.

Alliance selections for the playoffs took place immediately after the last qualification match, and, armed with their scouting data, Ferradermis was represented on the field by Breisath, Ambrose, and Genung. The team was invited to join the #8 seeded alliance with the RoboCats from River Falls and Saber Robotics from Franklin. The *alliance was defeated in the double-elimination playoff bracket first by the eventual champion alliance led by BadgerBots from Middleton and then by the #4 seed led by Ripon Robotics.

On Saturday, the Impact Presentation Team of Al Nelson, Sam Raupp, and Cooper Housel met with a panel of judges to share a 7-minute presentation and do a 5-minute Q & A session. These students outlined all of the work that Ferradermis does to support younger students in STEM and to help create other FRC teams in the state, highlighting the over 1,500 hours of outreach that team members have logged just since June.

Also on Saturday, team FIRST Leadership Award nominees Raupp and Harris sat for their interviews with a panel of judges. The Leadership Award is the only individual student award in FIRST, and candidates need to learn to highlight their personal contributions rather than talk about what the team has accomplished.

On Sunday morning, after the mentor parade, Zimmermann was welcomed to the field as the team’s Woodie Flowers Award nominee for outstanding mentor. As is FIRST tradition, previous Woodie Flowers Finalist Award Winners, including Ferradermis Advisor Laura Masbruch, created a high-five line for the nominees. This year’s winner for the state will be announced at the State Championship event.

During Sunday’s opening ceremonies, 13 team members including Chacha Binagi, Asher Downs, and Colby Long volunteered to be part of the FIRST Wisconsin Team Choir to sing the national anthem. Also helping where they could and filling volunteer roles at the event were Alex Fletcher, Charlotte Trautman, and Frankie DiFiore who helped with field reset during Friday night’s practice matches. On Sunday, the tournament host again reached out to the team for volunteers and Trautman, DiFiore, and Carson Miller stepped up for a full day of field reset duties while Paxton Wilson and Julian Rennells helped queue robots for matches. Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman volunteered as an ambassador, giving tours to VIPs visiting the event. Housel served as the team’s media representative. Thank you to mentors Kat Dunham, Tori Breisath, and Matt Doherty for volunteering their time to help support students in the stands and in the pit. We also loved seeing Ferradermis alumni now working with other teams: Reilly Aschenbrener with Graffiti from Greendale, Jacob Lee and Rosie Aschenbrener with the Mukwonago Bears, and Peter Portwine with UPS from Milwaukee.

Ferradermis is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary season in FIRST, and students planned some celebrations to highlight the milestone. After researching and finding that diamonds are a representation of the 10th anniversary, team members ordered tiaras to wear at the event. However, they wanted to share the fun with the other teams at the event marking the same milestone. The team delivered tiaras to Red Raider, Warriorbots from Muskego, and FE Freedom Engineers along with 10th anniversary cards signed by the team. In addition, the team created a series of 3D printed pit awards to be given to other teams. Teams were recognized for forging a friendship with iron-skinned Ferradermis (an award in the shape of an anvil), being the most helpful, having the best mascot, and putting safety first, among other things.

Throughout the event, students in the pits need to be prepared to speak with roving pairs of judges that will stop by and ask questions about the team and the robot. Wildermuth-Breitzman and Safety Captain Nina Heim remained in the pit for all three days of the event, ready to discuss whatever questions the judges had. The judges were particularly interested in speaking with Hudec about the team’s control system. Under the guidance of programming mentor Andy McKenzie, the programmers have implemented a custom button board each of the last two seasons. As a result of these conversations, the team was announced as the winners of the Innovation in Control Award sponsored by nVent. This award recognizes teams with unique and effective control systems—software, electrical, or mechanical—that enhance machine performance.

Ferradermis will play in their second district event in La Crosse from April 2 – 4. The Seven Rivers District Event in La Crosse will be the fourth and final qualifying event for Wisconsin teams. All teams will play in two of the four competitions. State qualification berths will be finalized after the La Crosse event.

On the way to the event, the team took time to tour the Kohler Design Center and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.

Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor
lmasbruch@wwusd.org

“The Matrix” will be featured at Wisconsin Makers’ Movie Night on Wednesday, March 11. The public is invited to attend the free showing of the film at 7 p.m. at the community makerspace, located at 200 E. Clay St. in Whitewater.

Free popcorn will be served. Pizza, soda and water will be available for $1.

Before and after the film, attendees are welcome to tour the makerspace to see what it has to offer.

The 1999 action/sci-fi film is the first installment in the Matrix film series. It stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano. The film depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality created by intelligent machines. The plot follows the computer hacker Neo, who is recruited by Morpheus into a rebellion against the machines.

The film will be shown on the makerspace’s 15-foot-wide movie screen with 500-watt surround-sound.

Located at the corner of Wisconsin and East Clay streets, Wisconsin Makers is a community workshop with members from Jefferson, Walworth, Rock and Waukesha counties and beyond. It houses machine, welding/fabrication, electronics, automotive, 3-D printing, laser engraving and woodworking shops. It also offers ceramics, metal art, quilting, fabric arts, matting/framing and more.

The building is accessible, and has off-street parking, Wi-Fi, and many other amenities.

For more information about Movie Night or the makerspace, contact Chris Spangler at (920) 728-2960.

Members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater faculty will present free lectures in Whitewater and Janesville this spring. Lectures will be held in March and April and are open to all.  Historians, scientists, artists, as well as some students, will share their expertise and craft in engaging talks that encourage lifelong learning for all.

In the Our Stories. Our Future. series, UW-Whitewater shares the unique and bold stories of its people — students, faculty, and staff — both historical and contemporary.

“We are coming together to celebrate our collective Warhawk story to help build the university’s future,” says Matt Vick, dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education. “It’s a bright narrative with plenty of pages yet to be written. This spring we join with the UWW Foundation on their campaign and present our talented faculty, staff and students as they share their experiences on campus and off.”

Lectures in the Fairhaven Lecture Series are held in Olm Fellowship Hall at Fairhaven Senior Services, 435 West Starin Road, Whitewater. Visit uww.edu/ce/fairhaven for more information and descriptions of each lecture.

Public lectures held in the Cedar Crest Lecture Series will take place in the Clubhouse at Cedar Crest, Inc., 1702 South River Road, Janesville. Visit uww.edu/ce/cedar-crest for lecture descriptions and updates.

Free parking is available at both locations and registration is not required.

Patrons needing accommodations should contact UW-Whitewater Continuing Education (at least two weeks before the date of the lecture). Requests are confidential. UW-Whitewater provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA.

Please contact Kari Borne at bornek@uww.edu or 262-472-1003 for further information.

UW-Whitewater’s Continuing Education has hosted lectures in the Fairhaven Lecture Series in Whitewater since 1983. The Cedar Crest Lecture Series in Janesville was established in 2020.

Lectures scheduled for Mondays at 3 p.m. at Fairhaven Senior Services in Whitewater: 

March 9

From Quakers to Warhawks: The History of Intercollegiate Athletics at UW-Whitewater

Presented by Angela Kelm, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information and Tom Fick, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information (Retired)

March 16

On Campus Housing Through the Decades: The Evolution from Dorms to Residence Halls

Presented by Terry Tumbarello, Executive Director, University Housing

March 30

Past Plays, Present Lights: How Design Shapes Our Experience of Theatre

Presented by Matthew Imhoff, Assistant Professor, Theatre and Dance

April 6

Chasing Storms: Documenting the Extreme Weather Travel Study Course

Presented by John Frye, Associate Professor, Geography, Geology and Environmental Science, Sabrina Wolf, Environmental Science Major, and Peyton Walz, Journalism Major

April 13

A Royal History: The UW-Whitewater Student Newspaper 

Presented by Keith Zukas, Professor, Journalism

April 20

Stories from the Front: Letters Home from Whitewater’s WWII Soldiers

Presented by Jennifer Motszko, Head of Archives and Library Associate Director

April 27

Then & Now: The Student Experience at Rock and Whitewater

Presented by Kristin Fillhouer, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

Lectures scheduled for Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at Cedar Crest Retirement Community in Janesville:

 March 10

Rooted in Tradition, Leading the Future: UW–Whitewater’s Journey in Teacher Education

Lana Collet-Klingenberg, Dean, College of Education and Professional Studies

March 17

Not Your Mother’s Art History

Ashley Dimmig, Director, Crossman Gallery

March 31

50 Years of Women’s and Gender Studies at UWW: From Challenging Androcentrism to Intersectional Advocacy

Ashley Barnes-Gilbert, Assistant Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies

April 7

Chasing Storms: Documenting the Extreme Weather Travel Study Course

John Frye, Associate Professor, Geography, Geology and Environmental Science,  Sabrina Wolf, Environmental Science Major, and Peyton Walz, Journalism Major

April 14

A Royal History: The UW-Whitewater Student Newspaper 

Keith Zukas, Professor, Journalism

April 21

Then & Now: The Student Experience at Rock and Whitewater

Kristin Fillhouer, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

About Continuing Education

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Department of Continuing Education is committed to meeting lifelong learning needs by offering a variety of classes, workshops and trainings that respond to the evolving personal and professional interests of adult learners. Working closely with UW-Whitewater’s School of Graduate Studies and Department of Camps and Conferences, we connect talented faculty, staff, and students from the university with residents of the region for hands-on, high-level engagement on relevant topics.

It’s a big week for Whitewater Forward!

EVENTS THIS WEEK!
Join us at a pop-up event tomorrow and/or Wednesday! The planning team will be prepared to talk about Whitewater Forward, listen to your thoughts and ideas, and provide materials to share with your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues!

• TOMORROW! | Tuesday, March 10 | 4:00p to 5:30p | University Center (190 Hamilton Green Way)
  Editor’s note: There is a fee for parking on the campus; click here for information.

• Wednesday, March 11 | 11:00a to 1:30p | Innovation Center (1221 Innovation Drive)

NEW POLL ON THE WEBSITE!

This month’s poll brings the focus to housing in Whitewater. Take a moment and visit the project website today to submit your answers to the new monthly poll, share your ideas or concerns on the interactive map, and learn about upcoming events you can attend!

Can’t make it to the events this week? Join us in April for the Design Workshop! More information is on the project website.

Thank you for your commitment to the future of Whitewater!

www.whitewaterforward.com

Town of Cold Spring
By appointment only for absentee voting. Voters may contact us at 262-473-6228 or clerk@townofcoldspringwi.com. 

Town of La Grange
Thursday March 26, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Thursday April 2, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30a.m.

Town of Lima
Absentee hours are by appointment only. Please call the clerk at 262-893-2427.

Town of Richmond
April 1^st from 5PM to 7PM and April 4^th 11AM to 1 PM 
Testing of the machine April 4^th at 10AM.
Regular voting hours will be April 7^th from 7AM to 8PM.
At the Town Hall W9046 County Rd A.

City of Whitewater
Starting 3/24: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through 4/2/26. On 4/3/26 until 5:00 p.m.

Town of Whitewater
VOTING EARLY, IN-PERSON, ABSENTEE BALLOT
HOURS:
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Wednesday, March 25 ,2026 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Thursday, March 26, 2026 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Saturday, March 28, 2026 9:00 AM – Noon
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 4:00 – 6:30 PM
Thursday, April 2, 2026 4:00 – 6:30 PM
Friday, April 3, 2026 – BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
In-person, absentee voting is not available the day before the election.

Editor’s note: The hours were provided by the respective city/town clerks.

The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) is set to host Carmen Bills and Brittney Lewis to present on Edgerton’s new Pain and Spine Center opening in Whitewater.

This event will take place on Thursday, March 12th at 7:00 a.m. at Jessica’s Family Restaurant: 140 W Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190.

Edgerton Hospital’s new Pain and Spine Center will be brand-new to Whitewater, with providers specializing in pain management and treating acute and chronic pain conditions. They can diagnose patients to create a treatment plan, which will improve their mobility. There is a wide range of conditions that these providers can treat, such as: back and neck pain, shoulder to hip pain, knee pain, and even headaches! You can find the center at 757 E. Milwaukee St., Suite A, Whitewater, WI 53190, around the corner and in the same building as Edgerton Hospital Whitewater Urgent Care.

The GWC’s upcoming monthly meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, March 12th at 7:00 a.m. at Jessica’s Family Restaurant: 140 W Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190. The public is more than welcome to attend this meeting to learn more about the new Whitewater Pain and Spine Center. If you are interested in attending, you must RSVP. To reserve your spot, contact Jeff Knight at jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com or 920.728.0662 by Wednesday, March 11th.

“I am very excited that Edgerton Hospital will be improving and expanding our healthcare across our community,” said GWC President, Jeffery Knight. “I want Whitewater residents to receive high-quality specialized care that isn’t too far from home.”

For further details, please contact Jeffery Knight at 920.728.0662 or jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com. 

About the GWC

The GWC is an action-oriented group committed to collaborating with citizens, elected officials, and policy makers to identify, craft, and implement a pro-business agenda. The agenda advances the economic, education, and social policies needed to energize and secure the Whitewater area’s economic future, as well as protect Whitewater’s quality of life.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Greater Whitewater Committee.