News & Events

(UW Extension press release) Upcoming Shoreline Education Events

Our lakes are vital to where we live, work and play. But they need our help!

Join these upcoming free webinars to find out how you can help our shorelines and lakes by learning about invasive species, healthy shoreline management and how to improve water quality and decrease erosion. Note there are two webinars listed here with different registrations. These free webinars are hosted by University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension in collaboration with local and regional organizations.

Take Action to Keep Our Lakes Healthy

Thurs., March 4th, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Lesser celandine, Phragmites, and knotweed are three invasive plants in southern Wisconsin that grow in wet areas and have significant impacts on our lakes. Learn how to identify them, their affects, and how you can take action by looking for and reporting infestations via email or with the Great Lakes Early Detection Network app. Presented by Jason Granberg, Conservation Biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Anne Pearce, Coordinator of the Wisconsin First Detector Network.

This is a free online event, but registration is required. Please use the following link to register: https://go.wisc.edu/ixpf32

* Once registered, a connection link to the webinar will be sent the day before the event.

Shoreline Gardening for Healthy Lakes

Thurs., March 18th, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

In this webinar, you will learn what rain gardens are and how this special type of low maintenance garden can filter pollutants, recharge the groundwater and reduce pollution of local waterways. You will also learn what services healthy shorelines provide, including habitat, improved water quality and decreased erosion. Presented by Paul Skawinski, Lakes Outreach Specialist and Statewide Coordinator of the Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Network and Patrick Goggin from the Extension lakes team.

This is a free online event, but registration is required. Please use the following link to register: https://go.wisc.edu/663c99

* Once registered, a connection link to the webinar will be sent the day before the event.

If you have questions about this event, please contact Julie Hill, Horticulture Outreach Specialist, julie.hill@wisc.edu

To find additional upcoming local and statewide events from Extension, see our calendar: https://extension.wisc.edu/events/ or visit our Extension Rock County website: https://rock.extension.wisc.edu/

The Banner is grateful that Ken Knuteson reached out with news that work has started at the roundabout on Elkhorn Road on the east side of town. He thought that it is Kwik Trip starting to move dirt.

Mr. Knuteson is correct that the work is related to the planned Kwik Trip store, though the actual start of construction is farther off than some had hoped. Brad Marquardt, City of Whitewater Director of Public Works, told the Banner that Kwik Trip is “prepping for blasting of bedrock in the near future. However, actual construction of the building is not slated until mid July. I do not have a completion date.”

When asked if he has concerns about the potential impact of blasting on nearby buildings, Mr. Marquardt replied that in Wausau, where he previously served as Director of Public Works, “We (the contractor) blasted all the time…to install new sanitary sewer and/or watermain in existing streets with houses on both sides.”

Kwik Trip also owns property at Janesville Street and Highway 59, and has indicated that construction of that store is anticipated to follow closely behind that of the other store.

Experience The Magic of Bill Blagg – Live at Young Auditorium
In-Person Tickets & Live Stream Access Available For This One-Of-A-Kind Family Event
Saturday, February 20 – 3:00 p.m. | Part of Young Auditorium’s Community Connections Series

Whitewater, Wis – One of the nation’s top touring illusionists will leave you spellbound as Bill Blagg brings his
one-of-a-kind, interactive magic show to Young Auditorium on Saturday, February 20 at 3:00 p.m. With limited in-
theater tickets available for purchase and ‘Donate What You Can’ live stream access, EVERYONE can enjoythis family friendly afternoon of grand illusions.

Critics and audiences alike rave about Bill’s interactive magic tricks that will have you rubbing your eyes in
disbelief. Blagg’s show combines his mind-blowing magical talents along with his trademark off-the-cuff
personality to take you on a magical journey you’ll never forget! Witness objects float in mid-air, vanish in the
blink of an eye and so much more! The MAGIC of BILL BLAGG LIVE! is more than a magic show, it’s an
interactive magic experience!

TO PURCHASE LIMITED, IN-PERSON SEATING
To account for social distancing and other safety protocols, only fifty (50) tickets will be made available to the
public. To purchase, please visit www.youngauditorium.com, or contact UW-Whitewater Ticket Services at
262-472-2222.

TO OBTAIN ‘DONATE WHAT YOU CAN’ LIVE STREAM ACCESS
To obtain ‘Donate What You Can’ live stream access for this performance, please register using the form found
on the ‘Magic of Bill Blagg’ event page at www.youngauditorium.com. All those who register will be sent a
performance link, via email, the morning of the show. Simply click the link, and you’ll be routed to a
performance page containing the exclusive live stream.

While access to the show link is free, Young Auditorium has designated this concert as a ‘Donate What You
Can’ performance. A minimum donation of $5 per household is advised and appreciated, with all proceeds
benefitting the Young Auditorium General Operations Fund. Place your donation today at: https://www.uww.edu/youngauditorium/2020-home.

Young Auditorium’s Community Connections Concert Series, combining live, in-theatre performances with
at-home access, is sponsored by Premier Bank. Live streaming services offered courtesy of DLK Enterprises.
The Magic of Bill Blagg is sponsored by Fort Health Care.

The League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area invites the public to attend a virtual presentation, “Diversity Influences in the Women’s Suffrage Movement,” on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. Join Dr. Dwight C. Watson, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor, as we explore women’s suffrage, with a focus on the experience of African American women. The struggle for the vote looks very different through the diversity lens. Dr. Watson will also address the suffragist movement in Wisconsin, and he looks forward to a lively Q&A session afterwards, in which he can also address the current state of affairs.

Due to COVID-19, this event will be virtual.
To attend live, please join the webinar by using the URL: http://bit.ly/lwv-ww_diversity. Passcode: 140443.
Or, join us by telephone: Dial (312) 626-6799, Webinar ID: 966 4800 4858, Passcode: 140443.
The event will also be livestreamed on the LWV-WW Facebook page (facebook.com/lwvwhitewater.org), as well as recorded and made available to the public afterwards.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit our website at lwvwhitewater.org and like us on Facebook!

Pictured here are two Whitewater Valentines of the past: Harlan P. and Ada M. (Daring) Goodman.
Harlan (1843-1937) and Ada (1858-1949) were married in July 1901 in Whitewater’s Methodist Church. Both had moved to the area with their families at a young age from New York State. They resided until their deaths just down the block from the church on Prairie Street. A Civil War veteran, Harlan was especially proud of having been present for Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address. Locally, Harlan owned a photography studio, operating out of both Whitewater and Palmyra for over 30 years. Many of the Society’s photographs from the early twentieth century feature his studio’s stamp.

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

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 Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Multiple fire agencies responded at 3:09 a.m. on Thursday, February 11 to a fire at N833 Hwy 12 (between Cheesebrough Road and Star School Road). Per WKOW, no injuries were reported. Highway 12 was closed for both directions for an extended period of time, but had reopened by 9:00 a.m. Per the Jefferson County website, the property is owned by William and Stephanie Van Treeck.

(UW-W press release) Beginning in fall 2021, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will offer a major tailored to students who have their sights set on law school or careers in legal professions. The new legal studies major, housed in the Department of Political Science, includes coursework on constitutional law, gender and law, ethics, legal writing and research and a required legal internship. 

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved the legal studies major on Friday, Feb. 5, at its regularly scheduled meeting.

The legal studies major will eventually replace a popular legal studies emphasis within the political science major, according to Jolly Emrey, associate professor of political science and chair of the Department of Political Science, which resides in the College of Letters and Sciences. Emrey was instrumental in developing the major and shepherding it through the application process.

“We know there’s a demand for a program that provides students with the transferable skills that will allow them to hit the ground running in any legal profession and give them a leg up when it comes to applying to and being successful in law school,” said Emrey.

Emrey credits Susan Johnson, associate professor of political science, Joan Cook, interim associate provost and director of academic assessment for UW-Whitewater, and Angela Harlan, professor of mathematics, as being critical members of the team that developed the curriculum and a proposed budget for the new program. 

The B.A./B.S. in Legal Studies will be a multi-disciplinary program that will allow students interested in careers in a legal field to take a full range of courses in public law, private law (business law), political institutions, public policy, and theory and ethics, and hone their skills in quantitative and information literacy through applied coursework.

“Courses within the major are housed in departments in three colleges across the UW-Whitewater campus,” said Emrey. “Linda Yu, professor of finance and business law in the College of Business and Economics, and Kathy Brady, professor of communication in the College of Arts and Communication, were very supportive during the proposal phase of the new program, and curriculum from both departments is featured in the legal studies major.”

Creating a new major allows for a curriculum more intensely focused on legal topics such as the history of American Indian law and policy, international law, gender and law, environmental law and policy, and journalism and the First Amendment.

“Assistant Professor of Political Science Monica Lineberger, who recently joined UW-Whitewater, brings an expertise in comparative legal systems and international law to our already strong foundation in American legal systems,” said Emrey. “Other critical points of strength in this major are UW-Whitewater’s focus on student success, our department’s track record with placing students in challenging and prestigious internships, and a number of great alumni who are happy to connect with and mentor current students.”

Recent graduate Brian Martinez, who earned a B.A. in political science with an emphasis in legal studies, was afforded a unique view of the legal system through an internship with an alumnus, Chief Judge Jason Rossell of the Kenosha County Circuit Court, who earned a B.A. in history with a minor in political science in 1999 at UW-Whitewater.

“I was able to be right on the front lines of the legal system — attending trials, arraignment hearings, seeing it all. I was given the opportunity to participate in a ride-along with Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department and was able to see the entire legal process: first the arraignment hearing and then the actual trial, all the way to sentencing,” Martinez said. “I got to experience family court, criminal court, juvenile court, and voir dire, which is jury selection.”

Martinez, who eventually plans to attend law school and possibly specialize in election law, now serves as a legislative aide for State Senator Robert Cowles, who represents Wisconsin’s 2nd District. He is already putting the skills he learned in the legal studies program to use on the job.

“Not only am I constantly reading and writing, which is a major part of legal studies, we often have constituent cases that go far beyond basic knowledge of past and current legislation, and you have to call the Wisconsin Legislative Council and ask for all the information they have on a particular issue,” he said. “I’ve been sent 6- to 7-page ‘brief statements.’ I have to read it, understand it and distill it down to something manageable — and to do so you have to understand the statues and terminology. Dr. Emrey really drilled learning your Blue Book inside and out, and I’ve learned to always have my Blue Book on hand, especially when creating citations for letters and emails.” 

Alumna Kayla White, who earned a B.A. in political science with an emphasis in legal studies in 2019, first met Emrey when she took her law and society course, POLI SCI 204. White’s experience exemplifies the opportunities the legal studies program provides.

“Jolly was integral to my falling in love with law. It’s the way she teaches it.” 

Emrey reached out to White about a prized internship opportunity with the American Civil Liberties Union in Milwaukee.

“I had no intention of interning at the ACLU,” said White. “But she said, ‘You’ve got to do this.’” 

Interning for an organization that’s nationally recognized opened up a world of opportunities for White.

“I prize my internship because it opened up my eyes to see that the law can be a helping profession,” said White. “And it led to the opportunity I had to observe the presidential elections in El Salvador, which in turn led to working on a case on El Salvador’s Supreme Court and running an immigration clinic in San Vicente. Now I’m working with a LGBTQ refugee shelter in Sonsonate. That is really the work of my heart, and I’m so thankful the ACLU internship opened that door for me to do such meaningful, life-changing work.” 

White, who talks about her experience with Professor Emrey and her internship with the ACLU in “Meant to Be a Warhawk” and elaborates on the opportunities in El Salvador that the internship opened up for her in “Driven to Opportunity,” will be attending law school in the fall of 2021. Her coursework at UW-Whitewater leaves her feeling confident she will be successful.

“The program sets people up for success with the writing course, and the constitutional law I studied is on par with what I can expect in law school. The program gets you a step ahead of where you need to be.”

Emrey added, “Brian and Kayla are two examples of qualified students who found our legal studies emphasis through their coursework in political science and put it to excellent use. By creating a legal studies major, we hope to signal to prospective students who are interested in going to law school that UW-Whitewater is an excellent place to do their undergraduate degree.” 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in legal occupational areas is expected to increase by 5 percent between 2019 and 2029, representing 67,000 new jobs.

For more information about the B.A./B.S. in Legal Studies at UW-Whitewater, contact Jolly Emrey, chair of the Department of Political Science, at emreyj@uww.edu or 262-472-1124.