News & Events

The winners of the Jefferson County “Deck the House” contest were recently announced.
Three winners from each participating community were named, one for each of three categories: most elegant, best holiday spirit and Clark Griswold, where “any color lights, props, inflatables, roof top and yard décor that can be seen from outer space fits,” according to the official voting form.

Winners in Whitewater were:

Most elegant: 190 Locust Lane
Best holiday spirit: 1127 W. Walworth Ave.
Clark Griswold: 216 S. Locust Lane

Winners in Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Ixonia, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills and Watertown may be found here. Here’s a link to the house map.

Coincidentally, (or perhaps not surprisingly), Matt Wojtkunski wrote to the Banner to say that his street, Locust Lane, has a few houses lit up in a row, and his home is animated to music. The show runs from 4:30ish to 10 p.m. Tune to 88.5 FM. “We love the holidays and enjoy doing something like this for the community,” Matt wrote.

Also, here are pictures that Paul Jhona sent of the roof at Standard Process in Palmyra.

The Whitewater High School Music Masters Ensemble, directed by Karen Tordera, presented their Music Masters Showcase on December 17 at the high school. The event included solos and small ensemble performances as well as songs sung by the entire ensemble. Photos are courtesy of Tom Ganser.

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

Bird Global, the company that operates the electric rental scooters in Whitewater during warmer months, on December 20 voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to undergo restructuring to strengthen its balance sheet in preparation for the sale of its assets. The company’s primary lenders are providing an additional $25 million debtor-in-possession funding for operations in the meantime. According to seekingalpha.com, the company has been experiencing falling sales, and in spite of aggressive expense reductions has been unable to achieve profitability. This week the company assured the city that it expects to continue fulfill its commitments and to resume normal operations in the spring, although Bird acknowledged in a November public statement that there was substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Apparently it was after that announcement was made that the company agreed to a “stalking horse bid” in which lenders provided a floor for the company’s value in the hope that other prospective owners offer a higher bid. In its communication to the city, Bird indicated, “We expect Bird to emerge from this restructuring process in 90-120 days with a strengthened financial position that will allow us to invest more significantly in our operations, employees, and the communities we serve for years to come.”

Jimmy Gilman, Bird’s government partnerships manager, wrote, “Our commitment to the City, local workforce, and riders remains unwavering and we expect that this restructuring will allow us to continue investing in hardware and technology and to continue building on our success in the City.” 

In response to Bird’s message, City Manager John Weidl stated, “The City of Whitewater acknowledges Bird Scooters’ recent announcement regarding their financial restructuring. We remain focused on the provision of uninterrupted services in our community. Bird’s assurance of maintaining their operations during this period is important to us, as we continue to prioritize diverse, accessible, and sustainable transportation options for our residents, such as scooters, golf carts, UTVs, and our shared ride program with Brown Cab. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with Bird and their contribution to our City’s transportation network.”

Our thanks to Steve Watson for another beautiful and informative nature submission.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com. Thanks for thinking about this!

Updated on 12/24/23 at 1:00 a.m. to reflect the passing of James D. Allen.

The following three seats on the Common Council will be up for election on April 2, 2024. Candidate information was provided by City Clerk Karri Anderberg.

Aldermanic District 2 (Wards 9 & 10) – Currently held by Lukas Schreiber, who has filed a certificate of noncandidacy. Orin Smith, 901 W. Starin Rd., #502A, has filed nomination papers.

Aldermanic District 4 (Wards 6, 7 & 8) – Currently held by Jill Gerber, who had not filed a certificate of noncandidacy by Thursday morning, December 21. Since that notice was due to be filed by that date if an incumbent does not plan to run, it is likely that Gerber intends to run, but The Whitewater Banner has not received a response to its email inquiry to her.

Brian Schanen, 441 S. Buckingham Blvd., has submitted nomination papers for District 4.

Council Member at Large – Was held by the late James D. Allen, who passed away unexpectedly on or about December 23. See this article.

Greg Majkrzak, 1294 Tower Hill Pass, has submitted nomination papers for the at large seat.

Persons who may be interested in running for a Common Council seat may find information about the process here. Nomination papers must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2. If there are more than two candidates for any seat, a primary will be held on February 20.

The following two seats on the Whitewater Unified School District School Board will be up for election on April 2, 2024. The Whitewater Banner did not receive a response regarding candidate status from the District office on December 20, the last day the office was open before winter break. If there are more than four candidates, a primary will be held on February 20. The seats are currently held by the following:

Larry Kachel, who indicated to The Whitewater Banner that he will be running for re-election.

Maryann Zimmerman, who indicated to The Whitewater Banner that she will be running for re-election.

Persons who may be interested in running for a School Board seat may find information about the process here. Candidacy papers must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2. The district office is closed for winter break until January 2 at 7:30 a.m.

“Oppenheimer”
Tuesday, December 26, 12:30 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE EARLY START TIME!
(Biography/Drama/History) 
Rated R (sexuality, nudity, language)
3 hours, 1 minute (2023).

The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. Stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Robert Downey, Jr.

Seniors in the Park is located in Starin Park, 504 W. Starin Road. There is no charge to attend. 

Sunday, December 24

We would be honored to welcome you to any of our services on Christmas Eve.

10:00 a.m. – On this, the last Sunday of Advent, we light the fourth candle. Katie Fortney will sing “Some Children See Him” and “Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow.” Pastor Dan Fahs will bring the message. This service takes place in our upstairs sanctuary. An elevator is available.

4:00 p.m. – We have a children and family worship focus. There will be carols sung and a retelling of the Christmas story that speaks to children of all ages. We will feature our drummers and lift up the spirit of the season! This service takes place in our upstairs sanctuary. An elevator is available.

7:00 p.m. – This will be a more traditional worship service with carols, a wonderful anthem from our choir, and a message from Pastor Dan. We will also light candles in our congregation as we sing about Christ’s birth. This service takes place in our upstairs sanctuary. An elevator is available.

11:00 p.m. – A combination of Bible lessons and carols. We will hear the Christmas story and sing traditional Christmas songs and celebrate communion. As United Methodist pastors sometimes say in our Invitation to the Table, “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to be at peace with one another.” If you can say you do or have done these three things, you are welcome to receive. The service will culminate with the singing of “Silent Night,” lit by candles. This is a truly moving time of worship that will inspire us as Christmas Day approaches. This service will be held in the chapel on the main floor.

Welcome

You are welcome to come just as you are and be met by God who knows you by name, who loves you and wants to have an ever-closer relationship with you. God made us who we are, and ALL of us are children of God.
To people of all…

• sexual orientations and gender identities
• racial and ethnic backgrounds
• ages and physical/mental abilities
• economic and family status
  …. we welcome and affirm you.
  We are all on a spiritual journey and want all to feel included here.