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Today is Tuesday, May 12, 2026
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The Whitewater Varsity Girls’ Basketball team lost in their season opener Tuesday night, November 14, at Fort Atkinson. Fort Atkinson jumped out to an early lead and led almost the whole game. The energy and ball movement improved in the second half, and the girls battled the whole game. Whitewater hosts Elkhorn in their home opener on Friday night, November 17!
The Junior Varsity Whippets jumped out to a double-digit first half lead and hung on to win their season opener by one point! It was an exciting 26-25 finish and a great win for a team full of many new players.
Article Submitted by Mike Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
dowmi01@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Peter and Bob Mischka
WHS Grad and UNC sophomore Reese Brantmeier swept the singles and doubles titles at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Fall National Championships in San Diego on Sunday, November 6th. Reese became the first player since 2001 to accomplish the feat. Reese Brantmeier won a three-set match against Ayana Akli of South Carolina 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 for the title.
A few hours later, Reese and UNC teammate Elizabeth Scotty would compete in the women’s doubles final. The UNC doubles team won the ITA championship with a win in the finals over Oklahoma State’s Ange Oby Kajuru and Anastasiya Komar in straight sets 6-1, 6-2. Brantmeier and Scotty did not lose an entire set in doubles play at the ITA doubles tournament.
On top of all the success on the court, there is a project very special to Reese. Reese began her tennis career at Washington Elementary school. It was here that she began as a tennis player.
The Reese Project Court Restoration Project Announced
Reese has reached out to many people and organizations in the nation’s tennis community to band together and support her efforts to restore the courts on the Washington Elementary school grounds. This is a passion project for Reese who is a graduate of WUSD and a Washington Elementary alum.
Events that are currently in the works are …
- The UNC’s Women’s tennis program (current NCAA 2023 National Champions) is hosting a donor event in January as they kick off their season to raise money for the project.
- The legendary Billie Jean King and Rosie Casals have donated autographed wooden racquets and a signed book as well as their time and efforts to the project.
- The Pancho Gonzalez Foundation and the Latin American Tennis Foundation have donated items for raffles and continue to put project organizers in contact with other interested organizations.
- Sports agencies are helping Reese get the word out to companies wanting to support community efforts to provide a lifelong sport to this community.
- The nationally ranked UWW men’s and women’s teams have offered their support to help in events at Washington to grow interest in tennis and the project.
To create sustainable courts, we are looking to raise $200,000 through these above efforts as well as through anyone interested in donating to the project. For more information on the project or to donate, go to the Reese Brantmeier Project.
Article and Photos Submitted by Greg Stewart, WHS
gstewart@wwusd.org
LWV Whitewater Area to Honor Jenny Rule, founder of the Whitewater Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, on November 19
The League of Women Voters Whitewater Area is honored to announce that Whitewater resident Jenny Rule has been selected to receive the League’s 2023 Making Democracy Work award for her outstanding leadership in the Whitewater Area Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. The League’s Making Democracy Work Award recognizes citizens who strive to make their community a safer and fairer place in which to live.
A public reception celebrating Jenny’s advocacy on ways to reduce gun violence and encourage responsible gun ownership will be held Sunday, November 19, at 2 p.m., at the Prairie Village Community Center, located at Prairie Village on County U and Fremont Street in Whitewater. Refreshments will be served.
Jenny organized the local Whitewater Area Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in 2018, driven by a desire to do something positive in the wake of the horrific Parkland High School shooting. Her first meeting drew six people. The group now reaches out to over 100 concerned citizens on their mailing list.
Please join us on November 19th in honoring Jenny Rule, who became civically engaged and motivated others to join her in the fight against gun violence. Learn more about Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense and how you can become involved.
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 https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area and like us on Facebook!
Two of Whitewater High School’s former students, Ella Smith (above) and Haley Street, are appearing in the fall musical at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The production is the modern musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Ella Smith, after completing a year of training at Manhattan School of Music in New York and a year of international travel, is now a freshman at UW-Madison. Ella plays the part of Feste with enthusiastic singing, guitar playing, acting, and dancing to her credit.
Haley Street, another enthusiastic member of the ensemble, is a sophomore at UW-Madison majoring in Vocal Performance with a certificate in Theatre. This is her first production at UW-Madison. Haley has several singing performances in Twelfth Night in addition to acting and dancing throughout the musical.
The musical was declared a success this past weekend and will delight audiences once again this coming weekend: Thursday, Nov. 16 @ 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18 @ 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at the UW-Madison’s “Campus Arts Ticketing” site. Admission is $26 for adults, $21 for seniors, $9 for college students and children K-12. CONTENT ADVISORY: This play contains mature content and depictions of physical violence.
Quotes from the musical’s program describe the vibe: “‘Twelfth Night is a rousing contemporary musical inspired by Shakespeare’s classic comedy. The musical features an original jazz-funk score. Expect pure joy and lots of laughs with a deeper message of empathy and compassion.”
Twelfth Night is a rousing contemporary musical inspired by Shakespeare’s classic comedy about love, mistaken identity, and self-discovery. Separated from all she knows after a wreck at seas, young Viola washes up on the shores of Illyria, and disguises herself as a man in order to survive. Sent to court a Countess on behalf of her new employer, she instead falls hard for him herself! Hilarious mishaps ensue as she navigates this strange and wonderful new land, finding her true self and true love in the process. Featuring an original jazz-funk score by Shaina Taub, this fresh take on Shakespeare’s classic delivers its meaningful messages of empathy and compassion with music, joy, and lots of laughs.
Editor’s note: The following announcement was received from the Jefferson County Parks Department.
Each year, in collaboration with all our wonderful park users, the Jefferson County Parks Department creates an exceptional calendar of dogs, doing dog things, at the Jefferson County Dog Park. These calendars have been a huge success the past 10 years, and we are proud to be releasing the 11th edition just in time for the holiday season.
Each Calendar sells for $10 and all sales proceeds go directly to the maintenance and development of the Jefferson County Dog Park. Proceeds from the sale of the annual calendar make up almost 15% of the total operating budget of the Dog Park. Your help is essential in keeping the park as beautiful as possible.
To purchase your calendar today you can:
*Stop by the Jefferson County Parks Office
311 South Center Ave, Room C1060
Jefferson WI 53549
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., or
*Follow us on Facebook (Jefferson County Dog Park Friends) for updates on when staff will be selling them at the Dog Park (W5098 Canine Dr., Johnson Creek, WI 53038).
As always, we also want to thank our many dedicated sponsors for their contributions to this year’s calendar including Nestle Purina, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, Jefferson Veterinary Clinic, Sullivan Veterinary Service, Lake Mills Veterinary Clinic, Pidder Padder Paws, and Theisen’s. Without all of you, we can’t do what we do.
Thank you,
Jefferson County Parks Staff
311 South Center Ave
Jefferson WI, 53549
920-674-7260
jeffcoparks@jeffersoncountywi.gov
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Updated 11/14/23 @ 3:15 p.m. to show a response at the bottom of the article from the state project manager regarding the sealer that the county used on their project.
County Highway N
Readers may have noticed areas on the newly resurfaced County Highway N that look oily or shiny. Some people have even expressed the opinion that the road is slippery when wet or cold. The Banner reached out to Duane M. Jorgenson, Jr., director of public works for Rock County, to inquire about these reports. His response is shown below.
“We applied a thin asphaltic emulsion sealer on CTH N (similar to a couple other county highways in the past couple years). This is a treatment to fill in small air voids in the surface material to reduce the early deterioration of the pavement in an effort to extend the life of the pavement. (Typical life expectancy is approx. 24 years; we are trying to extend it to 30 years). These small air voids get water in them and with the freeze thaw cycles we see and combination of the pavement oxidizing over time (you see the pavement turn lighter gray over time) the pavement begins to break down. This is an effort to slow that deterioration process down.
The sealer does leave a slight sheen appearance initially, but that will wear off in time. There should not be any significant difference in slipperiness as compared to a new asphalt pavement. We did some friction testing on a section last year and it was consistent with new pavement.”
US Highway 12
Upon the long-awaited reopening of Highway 12 between Whitewater and Fort Atkinson, some people expressed great relief but questioned why not all the pavement looked new. The Banner reached out regarding this to Craig Hardy, the project manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Per Hardy, resurfacing of Highway 12 took place in three phases over the past five years:
– Whitewater Bypass intersection with Business Highway 12 to Buckingham Road started on 4/12/18 and was completed on 9/28/18.
– Buckingham Road to south of Star School/Carnes started 3/6/23 and was completed the week of July 4th.
– Star School/Carnes to County Highway M started 7/6/23 and was completed 11/3/23.
Hardy stated, “When asphalt is placed, all of the oils on the surface are fresh and give off the “new pavement” look. When the southern sections of asphalt were originally placed, it was just as black as the new pavement on the northern half. Over a short period, the sun, dirt and dust have a “bleaching” effect that lightens the color of the pavement. In a few months the northern half of the project will have a similar grey look like that of the south half of the project.”
Update: Reader Eric Cutshall inquired as to why the sealant used on CRH N wouldn’t have also been used on US Highway 12. Hardy provided this response to the Banner, “WisDOT doesn’t typically use the emulsion sealer on our projects. It is a tool that entities can use in their proposed pavement life cycles, but not a requirement. As technologies improve, and studies are completed, maintenance strategies change from organization to organization. As this time we do not use it as a standard practice.”
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
The Jefferson County Sheriff issued a press release on November 13 soliciting help from hunters, specifically around STH 106/CTH A, in watching for anything that may lead to a conclusion in a double homicide case involving suspect Kevin P. Anderson. It was stated that the case remains active while Anderson remains at large, and the agency has continued to follow up on leads generated from across the country.
On June 16, 2020 Kevin P. Anderson is alleged to have shot and killed his sister and brother-in-law, Nedra J. and James H. Lemke, at their family farm in rural Jefferson County. Anderson then proceeded to burn the farm house down and shot at a sheriff’s deputy responding to the farm. Anderson is believed to have fled the area as no remains were found in the farm house. Anderson is an avid hunter and camper. He is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of attempted intentional first-degree homicide, one count of arson, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
Anderson is described as a white male in his mid 60’s, 6’0″ tall, weighs about 200 lbs., has blue eyes, and balding brown hair.
Anyone seeing Anderson, who should be considered armed and dangerous, should not approach him but should immediately contact local law enforcement. Anyone who believes they have seen Anderson, have any knowledge of his whereabouts, or information to share pertaining to this case, should contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 920-674-7310.
Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Wisconsin Makers.
Wisconsin Makers will host its first-ever aluminum pour on Saturday, Nov. 18.
The public is invited to this family-friendly event at the regional makerspace, located at 200 E. Clay St. in Whitewater.
The event will be similar to the past cast iron pours, except organizers will be pouring aluminum, which has very different properties. It melts at a lower temperature, is lighter, is silver in color and does not rust.
Spectators are welcome to watch the “pour team” — Teresa “Tree” Lind, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater lecturer of art and design, and her students and alumni — melt aluminum in an outdoor furnace and then fill sand scratch molds with the liquid metal.
The aluminum will be poured starting at noon, with castings completed by mid-afternoon.
The per-person cost is $25. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Make your own casting
Members of the public wishing to make their own casting may buy a scratch mold square to personalize with their design that day, starting at 9 a.m. They must be completed by 11:30 a.m.
Persons wishing to get a head start on their design may attend a scratch mold workshop at the makerspace Friday, Nov. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.
If participants would rather to do their artwork at home, they may purchase scratch molds beforehand at Binning and Dickens Insurance, 319 W. Center St., Whitewater, during weekday business hours.
“We are very excited to be hosting our first-ever aluminum pour,” said Wisconsin Makers President Al Jewer. “We have held cast-iron pours in the spring for six years and they have been a lot of fun. This is a wonderful opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art.”
Wisconsin Makers is a nonprofit regional makerspace (community workshop) offering an affordable, collaborative and educational environment that inspires people of all ages to become innovators by unlocking their skills through continual experimentation and training. Work areas/equipment include: 3-D printing, laser engraving, machining, welding/fabrication, electronics, blacksmithing, woodworking, ceramics/pottery, jewelry making, arts/crafts, quilting/fabric arts, matting/framing and more.
For more information on the iron pour or scratch mold workshop, or to learn about the makerspace or memberships, visit Wisconsin Makers’ Facebook page at @wisconsinmakers or call Jewer at (630) 430-9498.
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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