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Today is Tuesday, May 12, 2026
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By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Under normal circumstances the ballot for the April 2 Common Council election would now be finalized, as January 2 was the deadline for nomination papers to be filed. Unusual circumstances regarding two of the seats have resulted, per state statute, for the filing deadline to be extended to Friday, January 5 at 5:00 p.m. City Clerk Heather Boehm, who was recently appointed to the position after the resignation of Karri Anderberg, indicated that extension is effective for the At large position as well as for Aldermanic District 4.
At large seat
The only person to have completed the nomination process is Greg Majkrzak, 1294 Tower Hill Pass. Majkrzak previously served on the council in a district position.
Boehm indicates that Keith Staebler has filed a Declaration of Candidacy statement but has not yet submitted the required nomination papers.
The At large seat was held by the late James D. Allen, who passed away on December 23. The filing deadline was extended for this seat due to that occurrence.
Aldermanic District 2
Orin Smith, 901 W. Starin Rd., #502A, is the only person who has filed for this seat, for which there is no filing extension.
This seat is being vacated by Lukas Schreiber, a UW-W ’23 graduate who chose not to run for re-election.
Aldermanic District 4
Brian Schanen, 441 S. Buckingham Blvd., is the only person to have filed for this seat.
This seat is currently held by Jill Gerber, who did not file a Noncandidacy Statement nor a Declaration of Candidacy. The filing deadline was consequently extended except for the incumbent.
How to file
Persons who may be interested in running for the At large or District 4 seat may find information about the process here. Candidacy and nomination papers must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 5. Signatures must be obtained from at least 25 people for a district seat or 50 persons for the At large seat. Forms can be printed off at www.elections.wi.gov or picked up and returned to the City of Whitewater Clerk’s office, 312 W Whitewater St. The Declaration of Candidacy may be found here. The Nomination Paper may be found here. In case of questions, the phone number for the Clerk’s office is 262-473-0102.
Since John’s Disposal was closed on New Year’s Day, all routes will be delayed by one day. The city routes will be picked up on Friday, January 5.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
City Manager John Weidl announced on January 2 that in a letter to the city clerk dated December 27, David Stone resigned immediately from the Common Council, due to an “emergency situation.” Stone has represented District 1 since last April. Per a Common Council policy that was adopted in 2012, at its next meeting on January 16 the council is expected to ask the city clerk to advertise for applicants for the vacant position, while setting a deadline for such applications to be received. The council would then interview the applicants in an open meeting, and may decide to appoint a new council member by a vote of the members. Per state statute 17.23(1)(am), such a member could serve until the term expires in April, 2025, or until a special election is held. It might be expected that if such an election was called, it would likely be scheduled coinciding with the fall primary or general election, with the term still ending in April, 2025.
With the passing in December of Jim Allen, the Common Council now has two vacancies in its seven seats. The members are expected to consider advertising for applicants to fill Allen’s at large seat at the January 16 meeting. If appointed, such an individual would only serve until April 16, since that seat’s term expires on that date. For the present, if more than one member of the council is absent at a meeting, the lack of a quorum will prevent any action from taking place.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Last year the Whitewater Unified School District had twelve candidates on the ballot for three School Board seats, which resulted in a February primary to reduce the field to six candidates. Per Jaclyn Tueting, school board secretary, this year only three individuals filed as candidates for one of the two open seats on the board by the January 2 deadline, so no primary will be needed. The election will be held on April 2. The candidates are:
Larry Kachel (incumbent), 457 S. Buckingham Blvd.
Jeff Tortomasi, 658 Waters Edge Dr.
Maryann Zimmerman (incumbent), W7582 R and W Townline Rd.
Steve Watson writes,
“The end of 2023
Has finally come.
Here’s some photos,
Just for fun.
Happy New Year,
Everyone.”
Our thanks to Steve Watson for this beautiful variety of photos.
— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share. Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com. Thanks for thinking about this!
The Whippet Wrestling Team closed out 2023 by hosting the Mid-States Wrestling Classic Tournament held on the campus of UWW. This was the 45th year this tournament has taken place in which 42 teams gathered to compete on six mats over the course of two days.
Whitewater had ten team members competing in the tournament, and they competed well. The Whippets had five reach what Coach Schimming calls the blood round. This is the round that has winners move onto day two and claim a place in the top 12. Jesus Barajas and Vicente Soto both dropped tough losses in the blood round, just missing out on day two. Both guys competed very well on day one, finishing 2-2 in the tournament.
Jarvis Porcaro, Connor Friend, and Payton Lyon each made day 2. Porcaro and Lyon reached the quarterfinals before dropping their first loss while Connor Friend had three first period pins on day 1 to reach the semi-finals.
On day two, Porcaro won his first match, putting him on the podium as a top 8 finisher. Jarvis had two hard fought matches, unfortunately dropping them, and putting him in 8th place.
Payton Lyon dropped his first match on day two, unfortunately removing him from the podium, but he came back strong wrestling a very good match to put himself into the 9th place match. In the placement round Payton wrestled very well but came up just short in the 3rd period.
Connor Friend had a very good tournament. To open day two in the semifinals, he wrestled the number 1 seed from Sun Prairie. At the end of regulation, it was tied 6-6 so it went into 1 minute overtime where the first points win the match. The two got into a very intense scramble situation with Connor on the losing end. It is always tough to come back from a close loss in a big tournament. Connor drew a young man from Pecatonica whom he had lost to two weeks ago but wrestled a very patient match. Down 0-3 in the 3rd period, Connor got an escape and worked very hard pushing through a tough takedown attempt, putting his opponent to his back, and then securing the pin! The win put Connor into the 3rd place match and again, Connor kept composure and patience down in the 3rd period. Again, the patience paid off as Connor was able to secure a pin, bringing home the bronze medal. Connor was 5-1 in the tournament with 5 pins, and his sole loss was a very well contested overtime match.
The coaching staff was very happy with the performance of the team. Although we did not have as many make the podium as we would like, we felt like the team came and competed, and that is what we ask every time we take the mat in practice or competition.
Thank you to all that helped provide goods for the workers’ room and a big thank you for the great job the team did clearing three mats for the finals, then cleaning up and returning the mats to the high school. The tournament is a huge undertaking for the team, and they did great.
Next up for the Whippets is a Rock Valley Conference dual against Delavan-Darien on Thursday, January 4 at Delavan. The JV then hosts a 30-team tournament at Whitewater High School, and the girls travel to Kenosha Bradford on Saturday, January 6th.
Article Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
How have you handled the holidays?
Caregiver GPS
Learn how to navigate the journey of family caregiving
We invite you to join the Aging and Disability Resource Centers of Rock and Dane Counties for a year-long, virtual, family caregiver education series. Webinars will be offered the 3rd Thursday of each month from Noon – 1 p.m. beginning January 18, 2024. The class is free of charge and open to anyone in Wisconsin. Registration is required to obtain the link. Attend all 12 sessions or just those that are of interest to you.
Family caregivers will learn from experts about topics including: dementia information; communication skills for dementia caregivers; legal, financial and crisis planning; home safety; assistive devices; having difficult conversations; resource connections; travel planning as a caregiver and enjoying your holidays. Each session will allow for question-and-answer time.
For a schedule of topics, more information or to register for the link, please contact Rock County Dementia Care Specialist, Karen Tennyson at 608/741-3615 or karen.tennyson@co.rock.wi.us
Photos courtesy of Tom Ganser
5th Grade Choir
Music Masters Ensemble
Obituaries
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
Leo E. Wurzer, 65, of Eagle, Wisconsin passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at his home. Leo was born on April 15, 1961 in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Cyril and Shirley (McNeil) Wurzer. He grew up between Pleasant Prairie and Antigo, spending his childhood summers on his uncle’s farm where he discovered his love for all things tractors. Although he never had a farm of his own, he was able to partially fulfill his dream by working as a driver for Robin’s Trucking in Whitewater, WI in his last days and collecting miniature Tonka toys. He began his career … Read more
Lois Cummings, 99, of Fond du Lac, WI (formerly of Janesville, WI, Fort Atkinson, WI, Fountain Hills, AZ, and Green Valley, AZ) passed away peacefully on May 5, 2026 at the Meadows Senior Residence in Fond du Lac surrounded by family. Lois was born on February 17, 1927 in Fort Atkinson to Edward and Clarice (Roseth) Stevens. The middle child of 9 children, she attended Fort Atkinson schools and graduated in 1944. On September 11, 1948 Lois married Grant Cummings at Saint Andrew Catholic Church in Delavan, WI. Together they had 3 children, Gary, Colleen (Tom) Sabel, and Patty (Paul) … Read more
Come celebrate William Kincaid’s Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 30th at 1 pm at Trippe Lake Park Pavillion in Whitewater. He truly enjoyed gatherings where his favorite foods and music could be enjoyed with some of his closest friends and family. We will honor him by carrying on one of his favorite traditions. Please bring your own beverages and chairs. There is limited seating. See you all there!
Gladys Jean (Riley) Hildebrandt, age 89, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 23, 2026. Gladys was born on December 26, 1936, in Whitewater, Wisconsin, to Theresa Egnoski Riley. She was married to Walter Sobolik Sr., and later married James A. Hildebrandt in 1976. Gladys was a hardworking woman who spent her life caring for others. She worked in school kitchens, restaurants, factories, and cleaning services. She concluded her working career as a full-time nanny. In that role, she lovingly cared for Andrew, Daniel, and Kaitlyn Drzewiecki, who became part of her chosen family. Gladys is survived by her sons, Wally … Read more
WHITEWATER – Nan Rowley died on April 15, 2026, at the age of 90. She was born on September 4, 1935, in a little house on the prairie in the Town of Johnstown, Wisconsin, the daughter of Wayne L. Wilbur and Florence (McQuillen) Wilbur. Nan attended primary schools in the towns of Johnstown and Richmond and in the City of Whitewater. Nan graduated with honors from Whitewater City High School. On June 19, 1954, Nancy and Ken Rowley were united in marriage in Whitewater and went to live on the Rowley family farm in Richmond. Over the years, Nan served … Read more
Marion H. Gorniak (nee Pfeiffer), 74, of Whitewater passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 11, 2026. She was born on October 24, 1951, to the late Harvey and Loraine (nee Drifke) Pfeiffer in Fort Atkinson, WI. On June 2, 1969, she was united in marriage to Alan Gorniak. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, and cooking, especially her rhubarb pies. She especially enjoyed spending time with family and friends and will be missed by all who knew her. Those Marion leaves behind to cherish her memory include her husband, Alan Gorniak; stepson, Alan Bauer; sister, Sue Ann Schultz, other relatives and friends. … Read more
Ruth Irene (Phelps) Justis, 88, of Appleton City, Missouri, passed away Friday morning, April 10, 2026, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg, MO, with her family by her side. Ruth was born June 3, 1937 in Janesville, Wisconsin, to Charles and Ada Mae (Maly) Phelps. She joined the Marine Corps in 1956. During her time there, she met and married her husband, Forest Wayne “Wayne” Justis in 1957. They shared 62 years of marriage and to this union, 2 children, Charles and Dorene, were born. Ruth grew up in Whitewater, WI., the oldest of three children. Ruth graduated from … Read more
Dorothy C. Kau, age 101, of Eagle, Wisconsin passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at Fort Memorial Hospital. Dorothy was born on March 18, 1925 in Eagle on the family farm, the daughter of John and Katherine (Faestel) VonRueden. Dorothy was a 1942 graduate of Palmyra High School. On May 21, 1949, Dorothy was united in marriage to Alvin E. Kau at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Eagle and the Lord blessed their union with 8 children. Alvin and Dorothy enjoyed 50 years of marriage together until Alvin’s death in the year 2000. Dorothy enjoyed being a farm … Read more
Dorothy E. McCracken, 95, passed away peacefully on August 30, 2025, in Sarasota, Florida. Born on April 14, 1930, in Whitewater, Wisconsin, to Carl and Joyce Meyer, Dorothy grew up in Whitewater and graduated from Whitewater High School. She then worked for a photographer and hand painted his first colored portraits, until she got married. She and her first husband, Bernard Wafle, owned and operated a 179-acre dairy farm in Helenville, Wisconsin, for 25 years before relocating to Ocala, Florida, in 1979. Dorothy later married Earl McCracken, in Ocala, Fl. She also shared a special companionship later in life with … Read more
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