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The City of Whitewater – Department of Public Works will deliver sand on Monday, December 4, 2023. Residents who wish to receive a quantity of sand for placement on public sidewalks, during the winter months, are asked to have a sturdy container at the curbside by 7:00 a.m. on Monday, December 4. City officials stress that a cardboard box is not considered a sturdy container.
If there is a snowstorm or some other unpredictable occurrence that prevents delivery that week, the sand will be delivered as soon as weather permits.
As a reminder, the owner, occupant, and person in charge of any building or lot fronting upon or adjoining any sidewalk shall remove all snow and ice from the sidewalk no later than twenty-four hours after a snow or ice event. When any ice is so formed on any sidewalk that it cannot be removed, then the responsible party shall keep the same sprinkled with salt or sand.
For additional questions or concerns contact the Streets Department at (262) 473-0560.
Filled with music of hope and promise, the Christmas Cantata, “A Journey to Joy,” by Joseph M. Martin, will be presented on Sunday, December 10th at the 10:00 a.m. worship service and a 4:00 p.m. concert at First United Methodist Church. The 35-voice choir is comprised of singers from the Whitewater Area Regional Ministry and community. This beautiful work will be accompanied by a full 17-piece professional orchestra.
Soloists for the work are Jen Crone, Nathan Roley, Barb Taylor and Kay Ebert. The choir is conducted by Christine Hayes and accompanied on piano by James Athas. The work is a joyful blend of traditional carols and contemporary selections all telling the Christmas story. Scripture and narration is interjected throughout the cantata, delivered by The Rev. Dan Fahs and The Rev. Beth Staniforth-Seamster. Prelude music for both presentations will be performed on harp by Lauren Hayes.
The cantata is presented with memorial money in honor of Joe Mansfield and in memory of Sandy Mansfield, (grandparents of Kay Ebert), in memory of Kay Pincikowski (Kay’s Aunt), and in honor of Barb and Chuck Taylor (dear supportive friends of Kay).
Admission is free. First United Methodist Church is located at 145 S. Prairie Street in Whitewater.
Fort HealthCare is pleased to announce the opening of a new Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine department, which will bring specialty lung care under the direction of pulmonologists to Fort HealthCare. With the opening of Fort HealthCare Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, patients will receive lung care from specialists in our network.
Fort HealthCare Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine will offer diagnosis, treatment, and preventive care for lung conditions, including asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease, lung cancer, pulmonary hypertension, and more. In addition, as prevalence and awareness of sleep disorders have grown, expanding FHC’s Sleep Medicine services is very timely. The new department will address such issues as snoring, insomnia, restless legs, unrefreshed sleep, grogginess, and narcolepsy.
Raed Hamed, MD, and Mouhammed Rihawi, MD, will be leading our Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine medical practice. Dr. Hamed completed his residency in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia and Dr. Rihawi completed his residency in Pulmonary Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Two additional team members are Tom Freichels, APNP and Angela Monzon, APNP. They both they have many years of experience as advanced practice providers and are looking forward to joining the FHC community.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Hamed and Dr. Rihawi to Fort HealthCare. Our community has a great need for Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine services as access into this specialty has been difficult. They will bring a high level of expertise to our community eliminating the need for our patients to travel to receive this critical medical care,” shared Michael Anderson, MD, President and CEO of Fort HealthCare.
To learn more about Fort HealthCare Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine or to schedule an appointment with immediate availability, please visit FortHealthCare.com/Service/Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine/.
OPEN HOUSE TO CELEBRATE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN SUCCESS
Community members are invited to an open house at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library (431 W. Center St.) on Friday, December 8 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. to celebrate the success of the library’s capital campaign, “Engaging the Community; Promoting Learning.” The library successfully reached its fundraising goal and raised more than $2,300,000 for the upcoming library expansion and renovation.
By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Waverly, Iowa — The No. 5 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team fell to undefeated No. 3 Wartburg College 31-28 in a NCAA Quarterfinal matchup Saturday in Waverly, Iowa.
The Warhawks started off fast. After taking the opening kick, it took just three plays for UWW to get on the board as Tamir Thomas hauled in a pass for a 69-yard score. The Jeff Isotalo-McGuire kick made it 7-0 less than two minutes into the game.
UW-Whitewater’s defense held the driving Knights to a field goal on Wartburg’s first drive of the game before the teams traded punts.
The Warhawks went 84-yards on nine plays bolstered by a 60-yard Alec Ogden to Tommy Coates connection. Thomas punched it in from a yard out and the extra point made it 14-3. With the offense surging, head coach Jace Rindahl opted for a little trickery on special teams and UWW perfectly executed the onside kick to bring the offense back out near midfield.
The Wartburg defense held and Ogden dropped back for a short punt to pin the Knights inside their own 10. On the second play of the WC drive, Ethan Gallagher jumped a passing lane for the interception and the Warhawk offense took over at the Knights’ 39-yard line.
Thomas took the handoff up the middle for 26-yards to open the drive. After a pair of short gains on the ground, Ogden found Coates in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown. Isotalo-McGuire split the uprights on the point after for a 21-3 UWW lead less three minutes into the second quarter.
Wartburg responded in their next drive marching 71-yards on eight plays to narrow the gap to 21-10. The momentum continued to shift as the Knights capitalized on a sack-fumble and recovery on the next drive. Wartburg went 42 yards in nine plays to pull within four, 21-17, with just under two minutes to go until the intermission.
A quick three-and-out for the Warhawks gave Wartburg the ball with over a minute left and 75-yards to go. UW-Whitewater’s defense stiffened and forced a punt but were pinned inside their own 20 with 48 seconds left in the half.
After a quick first down, an incomplete deep ball and a short run, the Warhawks were content to run the clock out and head into the locker room with a 21-17 advantage.
The Knights claimed the lead in their first drive of the second half. A long, 13-play, 82-yard drive was capped on a one-yard run. The extra point gave Wartburg the 24-21 lead. The momentum stayed with Wartburg as a miscue on special teams gave the Knights the ball back at the UWW 37.
The Warhawks needed a stop and the defense provided one. After a 21-yard gain on the first play, UW-Whitewater held the Knights on the next three downs. On fourth and three from UWW’s 14, Matt Burba got into the backfield and took down the WC quarterback for a sack and a loss of five yards.
Despite a couple of big plays including a 37-yard Ogden-Coates connection, the offense stalled and the 22-yard field goal was no good. Wartburg took over at their own 20 with just over 13 minutes left in the game.
The defense got it done again with a three-and-out to force a Wartburg punt. UWW took over at their own 39 and had seven consecutive plays with gains of five or more yards including a 20-yard reception by Zach Sherman. Ogden found Tommy Coates from seven yards out to reclaim the lead for the Warhawks, 28-24, with eight minutes to go.
UW-Whitewater’s defense continued to surge. On second down, Joey Antonietti perfectly read a quarterback draw and hit the Knight QB in the backfield for a loss of yards. Kyle Koelblinger broke up a possible first down catch on the next play to force a punt. UWW’s offense jogged back on to the field with just over six minutes to go, starting the drive at their own 38.
Wartburg countered with a three-and-out of their own. Kamrin Hutt’s punt was fair caught at the Knights’ 23 with 3:56 remaining.
After a pair of incompletions, Egon Hein tallied a fantastic open-field tackle on a short pass to force fourth down. The Knights called timeout facing fourth-and-four at their own 44. Nile McLaughlin found his receiver on a slant route for a 28-yard gain to extend the drive. Following an incompletion on first down, Wartburg back Hunter Clasen picked up nine yards on a pair of carries and the Warhawk defense had forced another fourth down.
The Knights brought out a unit of defensive players typically used in short gain situations, but Wartburg opted for the pass and McLaughlin hit Thomas Butters for 13-yards and a first down. Koelblinger took down Clasen in the backfield for the loss of a yard but the shifty back hauled in a reception on the next play and got a timely block to scamper into the end zone. The extra point gave the Knights a 31-28 lead with 51.4 seconds remaining.
UW-Whitewater’s final drive started at their own 31. Ogden found his top target, Coates, for a 16-yard gain up the middle. The Warhawks called timeout at their out 47 with 46 seconds left. Ogden was pressured but escaped and was able to throw the ball away – second-and-ten with 40.1 ticks left. Pressured once again, Ogden nearly found Thomas at midfield, but the incompletion likely helped UWW as the clock would have continued to run – third-and-ten with 33.1 remaining. On the next play, Ogden was hit as he threw, and Wartburg came up with the interception. The Knights took the knee to run out the clock.
Ogden was 26-39 for 366 yards and three touchdowns. Coates was the top target with nine catches for 88 yards and a pair of scores. Thomas added 74 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Burba registered two sacks in the game while Antonietti led the way with 10 tackles. Gallagher added nine with an interception.
Rindahl led the Warhawks to an 11-2 mark this season in his first year at the helm. Wartburg advances to face North Central in a semifinal next Saturday.
Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Whitewater Unified School District.
In a display of community support and generosity, the Whitewater Unified School District Athletic Department has made a donation to the Wisconsin Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The donation will help allow a young girl’s dream of having a playhouse in her backyard to become a reality.
Ten-year-old Sophia Skrede, who is living with a liver transplant, and her family have endured lengthy hospital stays, appointments, and procedures needed for her healthcare. She made a request through the Make-a-Wish Foundation and was granted her wish for a playhouse. The donation facilitated the construction and installation of a custom-designed playhouse in Sophia’s backyard. The playhouse was unveiled to Sophia and her family in a memorable reveal at their home.
“Sophia is an incredible young person living with unimaginable stress and challenges,” said Justin Crandall, WUSD Athletic Director. “We are honored to play a part in bringing a little more joy and magic into her world. This donation is a testament to our community’s caring and compassionate nature and our district’s commitment to giving back to the community we serve.”
Through a collaborative effort, the WUSD Athletic Department donated $600 to fulfill the wish of Sophia. The donation was generated through a Wish Week fundraiser at Whitewater High School as part of a greater Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association (WADA) initiative.
On Saturday, November 25th, students from WHS Choirs and their friends sang Christmas carols at the first-ever Whitewater Holiday Market. The event was held at Cravath Lakefront Park. WHS students who sang were Meridyth Cashion, Lucinda DiFiore, Molly Donner, Ian Ngabo, Cruz Aranda, Alex Sullivan, and Georgia Esch. Thank you to our fantastic students who helped make the event a success!
The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team had an AMAZING night of racing at the Southern Lakes Conference Relay Championship Meet on Thursday, November 30th. The boys placed 5th overall as a team, two relay teams took home medals, and there were many impressive swims on the night!
The night started off with the Medley Relay team of Onyx Thompson, David Enns, Sam Nickelsburg, and Wyatt Esch. The boys each had impressive splits in their respective strokes, but most notable was Sam Nickelsburg’s 50 Fly with a time of 33.45 and Wyatt Esch’s 50 Freestyle of 32.63.
Miles Nickelsburg and Caleb Kluck joined David Enns and Sam Nickelsburg in the 200 Freestyle Relay. The boys had a fantastic race and out touched Burlington by 2 seconds to secure a 3rd place finish and were the first to take home some hardware for the Whippets!
Langdon Coburn, Jack Hefty, Myles Morse, and Cruz Aranda all teamed up to take on the 1000 Free Crescendo Relay and the 200 Butterfly Relay. They all had fantastic performances, placing 4th in the 1000 Free Relay with a time of 11:06.15 and 5th in the 200 Fly with a time of 1:56.98. Langdon Coburn had some impressive splits with 1:01.02 in his 100 FR and 27.15 in his 50 Fly.
The Whippets had two relays in the splash and dash of the evening. Each swimmer sprints one length of the pool for a total of 100 yards. Miles Nickelsburg, Onyx Thompson, Sam Nickelsburg, and David Enns won their heat and finished 7th overall with a time of 56.62. And Caleb Kluck, Angel Kilar, Wyatt Esch, and Isaac Straight all racing in their first meet ever, all swam a great race and placed 11th overall with a time of 1:08.77.
Miles Nickelsburg, Jack Hefty, Cruz Aranda, and Myles Morse put on a stellar performance in the 500 Freestyle Crescendo, 50 -100-150-200, a very fun race to watch where they battled back and forth with Badger with only 4 seconds separating them. They were able to clinch a second-place finish and take home a medal!
The 400 Backstroke relay of Langdon Coburn, Sam Nickelsburg, Onyx Thompson, and Miles Nickelsburg secured a 7th place finish.
We finished out the night with our 400 Freestyle Relay of Caleb Kluck, Wyatt Esch, David Enns, and Angel Kilar. All had some great times and have made some serious improvements from their first timed 100 Freestyles at practice during the first week.
Now that the first meet jitters are out of the way, the boys are ready for their next races on Saturday, December 2nd at the Milton Invite. Racing starts at 10 a.m.; we hope to see you there!
Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org
Obituaries
Marion Jauch Burrows (Feb. 2, 1930 – June 5, 2026) Her sparkling eyes, warm laugh, and generous ways were gifts Marion brought into this world, touching family members and friends alike over the ninety-six years of her life. She was born and raised in Lombard, IL, and in the course of her life lived with her husband and growing family in Abilene, TX, St. David’s, PA, Arkadelphia, AR, Ada, OK, and Colorado Springs, CO, before settling in Whitewater, WI, in 1965. Generosity of heart, compassion toward those in need in and beyond her community, and an unwavering commitment to fairness … Read more
Patricia “Pat” Lynn Bailey, age 70, passed away peacefully on June 1, 2026 with her daughter by her side. Pat was born February 21, 1956 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to John and Ruth (Hudock) Prentice. After a brief time in Ann Arbor, the Prentice family moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, where Pat grew up as part of the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater community, where her father served as University Registrar. Pat attended the University School and later graduated from UW Whitewater with a degree in Elementary Education. Although she did not pursue teaching, she built a meaningful career in Human … Read more
Gemelino Paris Esperante, 83, long time resident of Whitewater, passed away on Thursday, June 4th, 2026. He was born on January 10, 1943, to his late father and mother, Evaristo and Carmen in Spain. In 1973 he moved to the United States as a sheep herder. On August 21, 1981, he was united in marriage to Cyndie Esperante in Colorado. Gemelino also worked in Mining and construction for many years. He enjoyed the outdoors, fishing, raising sheep and growing things in his garden, and flowers. He will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife … Read more
Mary Ann Warner died peacefully on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at Crestridge Assisted Living in Dodgeville. Her physical heart failed, but her actual, loving heart never did. Ann was born June 28, 1939 to Mary and Charles Kearns in Iowa. She moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin and graduated with many dear friends in the class of 1957. Ann married John Warner on September 19, 1959. They lived in Whitewater, Sturgis Michigan, and finally settled in Janesville where they built a beautiful life and raised their family. Together, they ran a business, traveled, played cards, and enjoyed their lives. When they became … Read more
Patricia Ann Jacobson (Bureau), age 81, of Whitewater, WI, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI. Born on September 2, 1944, in Marquette, MI, to the late Donald and Margaret Bureau, Pat grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She graduated from Graveraet High School, attended Michigan State University, and later earned her bachelor’s degree from Northern Michigan University. Pat dedicated her professional life to shaping young minds, working as an elementary and junior high school teacher in both Flint, MI, and Whitewater, WI. At the heart of Pat’s life was a beautiful, … Read more
In loving memory of Lois Lauritzen, age 92, who passed away on June 1, 2026 at Lakewood Memory Care in Brookfield. Lois led an active life full of devotion to family and friends. Born July 14th, 1933 in Silvis, IL, daughter of Harry and Elsie Wilson, she grew up in the Quad Cities with older brother Harry Wilson Jr. Lois graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL with a degree in physical education. She met her husband Paul Lauritzen on the college tennis team. Their marriage on June 12th, 1955 lasted 59 years until Paul’s death on September 26th, … Read more
Donald Walter Triebold passed on to his eternal home on May 21, 2026. Don was born on April 23, 1935, in Evanston, IL, to the late Frederick W. and Mildred (nee Stecher) Triebold. Through his teen years, Don lived and worked on the family’s dairy farm, where he developed a life-long work ethic. His first eight years of education were in a one-room country schoolhouse, in which all eight grades were taught by one teacher. He graduated from Whitewater City High School in 1953 and then graduated from UW Whitewater in 1958 with a degree in Business Education. He continued his education, and earned a Master’s … Read more
William Kincaid Davis, age 84, passed away on Tuesday, May 19 at Agrace Hospice Center in Fitchburg. He was born on November 1, 1941, in Madison, Indiana, the second son of Salvation Army Officers Agnes (Dixon) and William C. Davis. He attended several schools in Indiana and Illinois, including University of Illinois Experimental High School (Champaign), and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1958. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire in 1964 and his master’s degree from UW-Whitewater in 1972. He had an expansive career in education, beginning as an English teacher in Whitehall, Thornton Township (IL) and … Read more
Magdalene “Maggie” Stetter (nee Fritz), 79, of Whitewater, Wisconsin passed from this life onto the next on Monday, May 4, 2026. She was born on January 16, 1947, to the late John and Mary (Presser) Fritz in St. Stefan, Austria. Maggie immigrated from Austria with her parents and brother, became a US citizen, and grew up and attended school in West Allis, WI and then graduated with a teaching degree from University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. Maggie served as a substitute, English, and German language teacher in the Whitewater, Elkhorn, Delavan, and Palmyra schools and at Divine Word Seminary. Maggie … Read more
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
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