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Today is Tuesday, May 12, 2026
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Sunday, November 5 the Whitewater High School Football Team held its end of season banquet and awards presentation.
The following student athletes received All Conference Honors…
Nate Black 1st Team Wide Receiver
Casey Lyon 2nd Team Linebacker
Mi’shaun Harris 2nd Team Cornerback
Ethan Barels 2nd Team Offensive line
Ty Hagedorn Honorable Mention
Ivan Gonzales Honorable Mention
Jesus Barajas Honorable Mention.
Head Coach Samuel Bartlett also presented the following players with team awards…
MVP Offense – Nate Black
MVP Defense – Nate Black
JV Whippet Award – Edrick Camacho
Varsity Whippet Award – David Rubio
ACE Award – Jesus Barajas
Coach Bartlett would like to thank his assistant coaches, Shawn Hagedorn, Dan Lindsey, John Schimming, Garret Junemann, Michael Maas and the equipment manager Dan Comfort for all of their hard work this season.
Editor’s note: The above announcement was provided by Shelly Black.
Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Fort HealthCare.
For 39 years, an honored holiday season tradition at Fort HealthCare is the Partners Love Light Tree project. Lights are purchased by community members and added to special trees surrounding Fort Memorial Hospital. The Love Lights Tree project began in 1985. It is a heartfelt way to honor loved ones who are amongst us (colored lights) or to memorialize those who have passed away (white lights). Every year, all monies raised through the Love Light Tree project help to fund special services and projects.
In 2023, Love Lights campaign funds raised will be used to help subsidize the cost of the CareLine service for those who cannot afford it. CareLine is a medical personal emergency response service that allows subscribers to get emergency help 24/7 at the press of a button. Funds will also be used to support several healthcare scholarships for students and professionals in the community.
Kari Behling, Fort HealthCare Volunteer Services Manager, states, “The CareLine Program is so important to our community. It allows individuals to remain in their homes and avoid losing their independence. It also provides peace of mind for their families and loved ones knowing that help can be accessed quickly. For community members who have chronic health conditions and cannot afford this life-saving alert system, the funds raised will allow the Partners CareLine Program to provide FREE or reduced rates to qualifying clients.”
Behling adds, “We also believe that providing scholarships to students and professionals seeking further education in healthcare is important because they are our future. We want to ensure that the people entering the healthcare field have resources available to pay for their education. Your contributions to these worthwhile projects will be greatly appreciated by the Partners and the many local people who will benefit.”
Purchasing Love Lights
Love Lights order forms are available at www.forthealthcare.com/lovelights, The form and payment can be sent through the mail or made directly through the website (there is a $5 minimum required for online donations, which automatically purchases two lights). Honor cards can be emailed to individuals to show that you’ve made a gift in their honor. Donations of $25 or more are recognized as Love Light Tree sponsors. To ensure you are properly recognized in this year’s sponsor and donor listings published in late December, Fort HealthCare Partners must receive your donations by December 6th.
Love Lights Tree Lighting Ceremony
The Love Lights Tree lighting ceremony will take place on Tuesday, December 5th, at 6:30 p.m. on the Sherman Avenue lawn in front of Fort Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson.
About Fort HealthCare and our Partners
Fort HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities, with a vision to be the healthiest community in Wisconsin. As the leading healthcare provider in the region, it is our goal to reach as many members of the community as possible with health and wellness messages, providing tools and resources to help individuals improve their health and quality of life while collaborating with several partners to positively improve the population’s health overall on a long-term basis.
As members of the Fort HealthCare Partners organization, Fort Memorial Hospital volunteers are an invaluable resource to the community and a vital part of any healthcare organization. Important roles filled by volunteers add a tremendous amount of value to Fort HealthCare’s services. Call 920-568-5276 or toll-free at 1-800-421-4677 ext. 5276 or visit FortHealthcare.com/volunteer to learn more. More information and donations for Love Lights Tree can be viewed at www.FortHealthCare.com/LoveLights.
Chuck Owen & ReSurgence – 11/8/23 @7:30 p.m.
5-time GRAMMY nominee, Chuck Owen, unveils his latest musical project with this All-Star jazz septet! Recognized internationally for his unique compositional voice, Chuck’s creative, evocative, and intensely personal compositions are steeped in the jazz tradition but draw liberally and playfully from an array of additional influences – classical, American folk/roots music, Latin, funk, and more!
ReSurgence (as the name implies) is largely culled from his acclaimed 19-piece Jazz Surge family. The incredibly accomplished personnel (all Grammy nominees and leaders in their own right) includes: Kate McGarry – Voice, Sara Caswell – Violin, Corey Christiansen – Guitar, Danny Gottlieb, Drums, Mark Neuenschwander – Bass, Chuck Owen – Keyboards, Jack Wilkins – Saxophones.
Tickets are $28 when purchased online; an additional service fee applies if purchased at the door.
Young Auditorium serves as a presenting organization for the performing arts and as an educational and cultural center enriching the lives of regional communities. Tickets for any show can be purchased online, by calling the Box Office at (262) 472-2222, or in person. Ticket Services is located in the atrium of Greenhill Center of the Arts, 950 West Main Street, Whitewater, and they are open Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are two parking stalls in lot 1 that are for ticket purchasing. The Young Auditorium is adjacent to this building at 930 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190, and parking is always free during your event. To learn more, visit www.YoungAuditorium.com.
Whitewater College High Class of 1950 held their 73rd class reunion on October 18.
Pictured, standing, left to right are:
Tom Bray
Helen (Leiting) Kish/ Richards
Bob Stock
Seated
Joan (Weaver) Bray
Cele (Larkin) Krahn
Not pictured
Joan (Heth) Maasz
Geraldine(Johnson) Traxler
Editor’s note: This submission is courtesy of Patty Tarpley.
City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion and possible action regarding motion to reconsider RFP for legal services to
retain an outside law firm to advise the Common Council on employee discipline and personnel matters not to exceed $10,000; Discussion and possible action regarding approval of the amended agreement for legal
services from von Briesen and Roper SC; Discussion and possible action regarding MOU/MSP with the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater for the Innovation Center to extend the contract date to June 30, 2024; Discussion and possible action regarding the Whitewater Aquatic Fitness Center lease agreement between the City of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District; and Presentation of the 2024-2025 Budget, which includes $3,000,000 of general obligation debt for the library expansion/renovation. Closed session, followed by open session: 1) Discussion regarding complaints received by the Human Resources
Department and Discussion and possible action regarding the Whitewater Aquatic Fitness Center lease
agreement between the City of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District.
Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room,
312 West Whitewater St., Whitewater, WI 53190
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81780069924?pwd=AiRTEkIgZ3shxTX9mj7mcpo0mjxMjg.1pCVNp6YuTE9hM
kn
Or Telephone:
1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 817 8006 9924
Passcode: 679710
Wow…all we can say is wow! The Whitewater Girls’ Swim Team showed up to compete at Sectionals on Saturday, November 4 at Sauk Prairie with a majority of best times and an individual ticket to STATE!
The 200 Medley Relay consisting of Georgia Esch, Atreya Wilson, Lucy Davis, and Payton Peacock started off the meet with a major time drop of 8 seconds. They paved the way for a very successful day of competition!
200 Freestyle –
Lucy Davis and Atreya Wilson went head to head in their heat and both kept an impressive pace.
STATE QUALIFIER and NEW SCHOOL RECORD HOLDER, Makayla Bazeley with a time of 1:56.41.
200 IM –
Emerson Dunham dropped 2 seconds to go a time of 2:34.06 which placed her 15th overall
50 Freestyle –
Maggie Maas joins the Under 30 club with a time of 29.08
Charlotte Hajewski dropped 1 second to go a time of 30.03. She is milliseconds away from joining the Under 30 Club with her lane mate!
Adalynn Frye drops nearly 2 seconds going a season best time of 31.98
Payton Peacock went a 32.98 by dropping nearly 3 seconds
Georgia Esch finishes up the 50 Freestyle best times with a time of 34.88
100 Butterfly –
NEW SCHOOL RECORD HOLDER and STATE QUALIFIER, Makayla Bazeley with a 3rd place finish and a time of 58.86
100 Freestyle –
Adalynn Frye dropped 4 seconds with a time of 1:15.11
Payton Peacock dropped 5 seconds with a time of 1:15.43
Georgia Esch dropped 3 seconds with a time of 1:17.12
500 Freestyle –
Emerson Dunham had an 8th place finish by breaking a 6-minute hurdle. She dropped 9 seconds and earned herself a time of 5:56.42
Charlotte Hajewski finished 1st in heat with a time of 6:25.31. She dropped 6 seconds overall!
Lucy Davis dropped 7 seconds and earned herself a season best time of 6:50.94
200 Freestyle Relay of Makayla Bazeley, Maggie Maas, Charlotte Hajewski, and Emerson Dunham vested their seed time by 4 seconds. Makayla Bazeley continues the record-breaking streak by breaking the SCHOOL RECORD in the 50 Freestyle by going a time of 24.91 in lead off leg of the relay!
100 Backstroke –
Maggie Maas finishes 16th overall with a 1 second drop going a time of 1:15.08
100 Breaststroke –
Atreya Wilson pushed passed the 1:30 mark with a time of 1:29.66. This is an impressive time drop with a 6 second difference.
400 Freestyle Relay team of Makayla Bazeley, Emerson Dunham, Charlotte Hajewski, and Maggie Maas went a time of 4:06.39 which is a 10 second time drop from their seeded time! And yet again, Makayla Bazeley in the lead off breaks another SCHOOL RECORD in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.74!
Overall the team dropped over 1 minute and 28 seconds. Wow…just wow, what a way to finish out the season!
Makayla Bazeley will be competing at the Girls Swim State Championship on Friday (11/10) at 5:30 p.m. at Waukesha South High School. Come cheer her on as she swims the 200 Freestyle and the 100 Butterfly!
Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org
By Angela Kelm
Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
Stevens Point, Wis. — Warhawk Football Recap Sponsored by Premier Bank – Game 9: The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team rolled to a 48-0 win over UW-Stevens Point on the road Saturday. The shutout is the Warhawks’ 14th in the series against the Pointers that dates back to 1895.
The UW-Whitewater defense limited UWSP to just six first downs and 115 total yards of offense in the entire contest. Offensively, UWW put up over 500 yards of offense with 354 on the ground and 173 through the air.
The Warhawks scored at least twice in each of the first three quarters with quarterback Alec Ogden getting UWW on the board in the team’s first possession of the game. Ogden punched it it from four yards out to cap a five-play, 40-yard drive.
A second straight three-and-out for the Warhawk defense quickly brought the offense back on to the field. Once again, it was Ogden hitting paydirt with a three-yard run to end an 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive. Jeff Isotalo-McGuire’s kick made it 14-0.
Isotalo-McGuire added to the team’s total with a 36-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Ogden found Tommy Coates from nine yards out for the first passing touchdown of the game. Following a quick three-and-out, the Warhawks had 2:23 left to try and add to their total before the intermission, starting the drive from the UWSP 41 – and that’s exactly what they did. Ogden hit Tyler Vasey for a 14-yard gain. The senior quarterback got another first down with his feet on a 25-yard scamper up to the UWSP two-yard line. Tamir Thomas punched it in from there to make it 31-0 at the break.
On the other side of the half, Brian Stanton tallied his first collegiate touchdown run on a 30-yard burst. Isotalo-McGuire split the uprights on a 32-yard field goal and Mike Ryan hauled in his first touchdown reception for the Warhawks on a one-yard pass from Jason Ceniti for a 48-0 lead.
Ogden was 10-15 for 97 yards and a touchdown while Ceniti was 9-12 for 76 yards in the game. Patrick Lippe and Drake Martin each caught three passes to lead a contingent of 10 Warhawks that registered at least one reception in the game.
On the ground, Ammiel Jackson and Stanton took on the brunt of the workload with 12 and 10 carries respectively. The pair combined for 179 rushing yards.
Defensively, Mason Stepanski paced the Warhawks with eight tackles while Joey Antonietti had seven. Each posted a tackle for a loss in the game.
UW-Whitewater will wrap up the 2023 regular season campaign next Saturday at Perkins Stadium. The Warhawks will host UW-Eau Claire for the team’s annual Military Appreciation and Shriner’s game, as well as Senior Day sponsored by Educators Credit Union.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
The summer of 2023 will be remembered as Whitewater’s Summer of Detours, as three of the primary routes in/out of the city were closed for significant periods of time. Sometime in the middle of the night on November 3, the detour signs for Highway 12 between Buckingham Road and County M (a primary route between Whitewater and Fort Atkinson) were finally taken down. All routes to Whitewater are now open! Actually the Highway 12 project was completed ahead of schedule, as originally it had been indicated that the road might be closed until nearly the end of the year.
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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