News & Events

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

Fort McCoy, 40 miles east of La Crosse and the Minnesota border, is one of eight military bases in the U.S. that is temporarily housing refugees who fled from Afghanistan after the Taliban toppled Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed government on Aug. 15. As of this week, 12,500 Afghans were staying at the Wisconsin base. The Wisconsin State Journal reported this week that many Afghan refugees staying at Fort McCoy still had not been able to get a new set of clothes.

First United Methodist Church is participating in an “Ingathering for Afghan Daily Needs,” and will be arranging for transportation to Ft. McCoy for items received by Friday, September 24.

INGATHERING FOR AFGHAN DAILY NEEDS
Below is an updated list of needs for the guests at Ft McCoy as of 9/14/2021. Please
consider donating new or gently used items for this Ingathering. They
may be dropped off at FUMC, 145 S. Prairie Street. and we will take them to the designated
collection site. Donations may be brought to the Prairie Street entrance and left in the church library during office hours, Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

An even easier option is to click on this link, which has the current
list. If you click on “Check out my list on Amazon” it will take you directly to
the Resettlement registry where you can purchase items directly. Amazon
will then deliver the items directly.

This is an updated list for the guests at Ft McCoy as of 9/14/2021:
Mens Size 7-9 Closed Toe Shoes
Womens Size 5-8 Closed Toe Shoes

Kids elementary age All Sizes Plain Long Sleeve Shirts (no logos, sayings, or cartoons)
Kids elementary age All Sizes Pants
Kids elementary age All Sizes Closed Toe Shoes
Kids elementary age All Sizes Coats/Jackets

The League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area has provided the following suggestions:

The League of Women Voters supports policies responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises and we applaud efforts being made by Wisconsin Emergency Management and the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families to offer ways for Wisconsin residents to help Afghan individuals and families recently relocated to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, by Operation Allies Refuge. 

The Afghan evacuees at Fort McCoy face the daunting task of adjusting to life in a new country and culture very unlike their own. They arrived with little or no luggage. In the spirit of universal kindness and belief in the value of diversity and inclusivity, the League of Women Voters of the Whitewater Area encourages all Wisconsinites to support our Afghan allies in their time of need. Your donation to any of the following reputable charitable organizations is greatly appreciated.  

Catholic Charities of La Crosse has gift registries set up through Amazon Smile, Target, and Walmart where donors can purchase needed items and have them shipped to La Crosse for distribution at Fort McCoy. Call 888-212-4357 or 608-782-0710.  https://cclse.org/ 

Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church, Committee on Immigrant & Refugee Ministries: Give through your local church or through the Immigration Assistance button on the homepage at www.wisconsinumc.org. Call (608) 837-7328 or (888) 240-7328.

Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin, Refugee and Resettlement Services: Visit  https://www.lsswis.org/ for ways to give and get involved. Call 414-246-2300.

International Institute of Wisconsin:  Assists immigrants and refugees in transitioning into the Milwaukee community by offering programming and support services. From immigration and social services to refugee resettlement, the Institute promotes international cooperation, understanding, and a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural perspective. Call 414-225-6220. http://iiwisconsin.org/

World Relief of Fox Valley: World Relief’s work in the United States, specifically, focuses on helping refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations rebuild their lives in a new country. Call (920) 231-3600.  https://worldrelief.org/fox-valley/

Jewish Social Services of Madison: Hasn’t yet been called upon to resettle SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) recipients being processed at Fort McCoy. Call (608) 442-4081 or visit https://jssmadison.org/ for news updates.

American Red Cross: Supports Afghan resettlement efforts across the nation. https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/news/Red-Cross-Helps-as-Refugees-Flee-Homelands.html

Thank you for caring,
Mary Beth Byrne, Co-President, LWV Whitewater Area, WisconsinWoods@gmail.com
Ellen Penwell, Co-President, LWV Whitewater Area, ellen@lwvwhitewater.org

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by Knight Public Affairs LLC. 

The Discover Whitewater Series (DWS): Half Marathon & 5K is set for this Sunday, September 19th, 2021. The W3 Fit Kid Shuffle is set for Saturday, September 18th, 2021. 

The whole weekend is shaping up to be a fun-filled athletic event that involves the entire Whitewater community. On Saturday, volunteers will begin setting up everything at the high school and participants can start picking up their race packets. From noon to 3:00 p.m., children can participate in the W3 Fit Kid Shuffle, a free mile long run.

On Sunday, race festivities begin at 7:45 a.m. with Interim UW-W Chancellor Dr. Jim Henderson giving the welcoming remarks. At 8:00 a.m., the half marathon runners begin taking off. At 8:15, the 5K runners begin their race. Our awards ceremony will begin at 9:45 a.m. 

Parking will be available at Whitewater High School and Whitewater Middle School. We will be following our flag warning system to notify runners of weather conditions; green for good conditions, yellow for less than ideal conditions, red for potentially dangerous conditions, and black for a cancelled event. 

It’s not too late to register as a volunteer or participant! Sign up today at https://runwhitewater.com. If you don’t want to participate, we encourage community members to come out and cheer on our runners. See you on Sunday. 

About the DWS

The goal of the DWS is to promote the City of Whitewater and highlight its greatest features, while keeping everyone in the community active. All the proceeds from the race are donated to five local non-profit partners: Bethel House (which provides interim housing for homeless families), Whitewater LEADS, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness (W3), Whitewater Unified School District and the J-Hawk Aquatic Club. The DWS partners with the city, business community, university and the school district to make this a tremendous event that benefits all who participate. For more information about the race visit www.runwhitewater.com.

Editor’s note: Our thanks to Marilyn Fuerstenberg for submitting these comments and photos.

The Whitewater High School Classes of 1960, 1961 and 1962 Celebrated 61,
60 and 59 Years. We celebrated Sept. 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, starting on
Thursday with a pizza party and pontoon boat rides at Lauderdale
Landing, A Friday Fish Fry at Willow Brook and a Saturday sit down
dinner at Evergreen Country Club, Sunday morning Pancake Breakfast at
the Fire House. Photos were taken by Jeff Bierman, son of Sharon Kehoe, a
member of the class of 1961.

Our thanks to Tom Ganser for sharing these photos of the Fire Department breakfast on September 11.

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It’s time again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society!

Pictured here are the students in first through third grades at the Lima Center School in 1961. The school building on Lima Center Road was rebuilt in 1881 after a fire earlier that year. In the 1960s, around one hundred students in grades first through sixth attended the Lima Center and Utters Corners Schools in Lima Township, which had been by that point incorporated into the Whitewater Unified School District. In 1970, the school board elected to phase out use of the two rural school buildings in favor of adding additions to the existing elementary schools. The Lima Center School Bell, first rung at midnight on January 1, 1882, now ​sits in front of Whitewater Middle School.

​Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society collections!

5195P, Whitewater Historical Society

​The Whitewater Historical Society collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Whitewater and the surrounding area. Be sure to join us next week for more from the Society’s collections. Please “like” us on Facebook, and check out our website at whitewaterhistoricalsociety.org!

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The Whitewater Common Council this month authorized an application to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for a grant to fund the early efforts at creating an arboretum within Starin Park.

An arboretum is essentially an outdoor museum of trees and shrubs intended to provide educational opportunities for children and adults by identifying and preserving a diverse network of native and imported trees and plants. As a living outdoor classroom an arboretum demonstrates the essential value to humans that trees and shrubs provide by enhancing air quality and helping tamp down increasingly warmer summer temperatures. The non-profit Arbor Day Foundation estimates that a medium sized tree provides the equivalent temperature reduction of 10 room size air conditioners each running 20 hours per day.

The DNR Urban Forestry Grant is expected to reimburse up to $25,000 of city and volunteer efforts to plant and maintain new trees and shrubs within the nearly 35-acre park. Starin Park borders the UW-Whitewater (UWW) campus and its 7.6-acre Chopp Arboretum and the 1873-initiated Salisbury Arboretum effort to label UWW trees that started out as a 5.2-acre effort. The grant is also designed to encourage city private property owners to plant trees to replace those being removed and to increase and diversify the citywide tree inventory.

Tree planting advocates stress the importance of tree and shrub planting to reduce the impact of “Climate Change” which is widely believed by the scientific community to be one of the greatest threats to the Earth’s atmosphere and its ability to maintain reasonable temperatures and abundant clean air.

Humans and animals take in oxygen from the atmosphere and exhale carbon dioxide as a by-product. The combination of growing human and domesticated animal populations along with the significant impact of burning coal and fossil fuels is creating an environment that most scientists believe might not be able to support future generations. The Arbor Day Foundation identifies carbon dioxide as the single most destructive “greenhouse gas” affecting climate change.

The concept of an arboretum at Starin Park was initiated by Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission (UFC) member and retired educator Jim Nies. Mr. Nies estimates that there are currently as many as 50 unhealthy trees in Starin Park today that will soon need to be replaced. It is estimated that the park currently contains roughly 650 trees. Whitewater City Forester Brian Neumeister estimates that the park has lost over 20 trees in just the last three years. The initial UFC-led city effort is hoping to plant as many as 150 trees next year to replace removed and dying trees with a wider variety of native trees.

The UFC is a permanent sub-committee of the City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Board which consists of a representative of that board, the City Plan Commission and up to five citizens. Currently only four of the five citizen UHC appointments are filled. City residents interested in joining the UFC can contact City Clerk Michele Smith at (262) 473-0102.

The city supported volunteer group is in the process of establishing partnerships with the UW-Whitewater, the Whitewater Unified School District, the Starin Park Neighborhood Association and other interested businesses and individuals. A fund-raising effort is underway to cover the initial cost of purchasing trees and shrubs and producing educational materials. UFC member Bill Chandler is leading the effort to generate financial support from individuals, businesses and foundations. He can provide information by calling (414) 630-3598.

The UFC has already placed nearly 30 informational tree tags identifying common trees at Starin Park as a sample of the type of information to be provided. Expanded tree tagging will continue for existing trees as well as for future new plantings. In depth information on each tree will ultimately be available via an on-line program called PlantsMap. The UFC’s early efforts have recently resulted in formal accreditation of the Arboretum at Starin Park by the international arboretum accreditation agency ArbNet.

The image on the homepage, “Starin Park Treeline” by UWW University Housing is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the City of Whitewater Department of Public Works.

The Water Utility will begin its semi-annual water main and hydrant flushing program on Monday, September 27, through Friday, October 1, 2021. Flushing of water mains is necessary in order to continue to deliver clean, safe water to our citizens. If we have more repairs than expected throughout the week, we may have to continue flushing into the following week.

Flushing of water mains and hydrants can cause some discoloration of water. Caution should be exercised in
washing of white clothing. Discoloration of water due to flushing WILL stain white clothing. We notify the public
in all local media outlets; therefore, we cannot be responsible for stained clothing. If discoloration is detected,
run the cold-water faucet until the discoloration clears. While we are still flushing in your area, the water may
take a while to clear up. You may want to wait until we have left the area and the water settles down before
running your water tap. If reduced pressure is experienced after flushing, you may have to clean the aerators
on your house faucets.

For additional questions or concerns, contact the Water Utility at (262) 473-0560. For other requests, visit
https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/RequestTracker.aspx.