News & Events

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the City of Whitewater Police Department.

The City of Whitewater Police Department purchased a DJI-M30T drone entirely from donated funds.

The drone was purchased in early June. The WPD drone team, consisting of seven officers trained to operate the drone, received training on July 26th, which is the same date the drone team became operational.

In the last year, Whitewater Police Department (WPD) has requested drones from outside agencies to assist in the searches of a missing at-risk adult, a missing juvenile, and an armed individual who fled on foot after crashing his vehicle during a pursuit. A drone was also requested to assist in documenting a major crime scene. Unfortunately, in each of those cases, officers lost valuable time waiting for the drone to arrive from outside Whitewater.

On the first day, the WPD drone team was operational, the drone was deployed to assist officers in the search for a male who fled on foot from a domestic abuse incident. “This is a major advancement in our department’s technical capabilities related to search and rescue operations and criminal investigation. This cutting-edge technology will make our officers and our community safer. We truly appreciate all the individuals and businesses who helped make this a reality by donating to the WPD crime prevention fund,” stated Chief Dan Meyer.

Having new equipment such as drones has already made a significant impact on the safety of the city and the efficiency of the organization. Without these donations, this equipment would not have been purchased. Thank you to all who have donated and assisted in these efforts.

The Whitewater Banner has always been a volunteer effort, and while our small volunteer team really enjoys what we do, we could use a little more help. Could one of the following roles be of interest to you? You’d need to have access to the Internet/email, but advanced technical skills aren’t required.

• Content editor: Format material such as press releases into our WordPress software. Much of the time it’s copy/paste of text plus deciding what will work as an image.
• Ad rep: Respond to inquiries about advertising. Actively seeking new advertisers would also be appreciated. Insert ads into our software and manage their ongoing placement.
• School Board reporter:  Watch School Board meetings either in person or virtually and report objectively on information presented and decisions made. It isn’t necessary to watch the entire meeting, or even every meeting, depending upon what’s on the agenda.
• Common Council reporter: Watch Common Council meetings either in person or virtually and report objectively on information presented and decisions made. It isn’t necessary to watch the entire meeting, or even every meeting, depending upon what’s on the agenda.
• Feature writer:  This individual could have quite a bit of freedom in discovering subjects that would be of interest to our readers, doing research/interviews, and writing articles. Our policy does not allow for covering political matters, other than elections, and we generally avoid controversial issues.

If you have a potential interest in any of these areas, please email us at whitewaterbanner@gmail.com.

Steve Watson writes, “Osprey photos taken over a couple days. The bald eagles are scarce at this time, but I see ospreys quite often. Upper and lower ponds.”

Our thanks to prolific nature photographer Steve Watson for sharing more of his work.

— 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 or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage.  Thanks for thinking about this!

City of Whitewater Equal Opportunities Commission – Monday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/510303125
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 510-303-125
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
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https://meet.goto.com/install

City of Whitewater Public Works Committee – Tuesday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Installation Of “No Stopping, Standing Or Parking” Areas Along The East Side Of Elizabeth Street Across From Laurel And Court Streets, Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Sidewalk Replacement Program, Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Amending Municipal Code, Chapter
11.16.040 – Forty-Eight Hour On Street Parking Limit, and Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Amending Municipal Code, Chapter
19.51.180 – Truck, Trailer, Mobile Home And Equipment Parking Restrictions.
Cravath Conference Room
Municipal Building – 2 Floor
312 W. Whitewater St

Editor’s note: The below press release was received from State Representative Ellen Schutt.

County Land Conservation Committee Membership Bill Signed into Law

State law will now guarantee that farmers are represented on county land
conservation committees following the August 4 signing of a bill authored by Representative Ellen Schutt (R-Clinton).

“Farmers are our land’s greatest stewards,” said Schutt. “It was essential to ensure Wisconsin farmers have a seat at the table when important policy decisions relating to water and land conservation and use are being decided.”

In November 2021, a USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) attorney made a determination that FSA county commission members in Wisconsin cannot represent the FSA in any official capacity in any “outside groups,” including the county land conservation committee. This bill removes the
FSA requirement and instead, allows a county board to appoint any person who is engaged in an agricultural use.

“As a person that grew up on a farm, and continues to be involved in agriculture related activities, and as a representative of a largely rural district, I understood the need for eliminating this uncertainty, and allowing for real representation from the agriculture community.”

This is Representative Schutt’s first bill to be signed into law since taking office in January.

Landmark Trek, sponsored by the City of Whitewater’s Landmark Commission has finished its third episode, focusing on the Whitewater Passenger Depot. Now they also have started a major collaboration in producing the series with the Whitewater TV Access Station. James Olm, the host, writer of the series, and Landmark Commission member noted, “The people of the Whitewater region will notice a more polished, well-edited, and faster paced show this time around. Zach Popke does a fantastic job with the television camera work and editing to really give this series a new look and feel.” Episode Three on the Whitewater Depot is only Part 1 of a two-part series. “There’s so much train and depot history, that I felt this landmark deserved two episodes. This episode will cover why the train-line was built through Whitewater, and the next will be on the depot from the ending of the train era to the present, including an interview with local historian, Carol Cartwright.” You’ll be able to access the series on this YouTube address, or on the Whitewater Public Access station, Spectrum Channel 990, when functional.

Fort HealthCare Reminds Patients of BadgerCare Plus & Medicaid Renewals

Fort HealthCare wants to remind patients under BadgerCare Plus or Wisconsin Medicaid to submit their renewals in time to maintain coverage. The state of Wisconsin renews healthcare benefits between June 2023 and May 2024. If you have an assigned renewal date of August 2023, you must renew by August 17, 2023. If you have a renewal date of September, you can renew your benefits from August 14, 2023, through September 15, 2023. It is important to renew your benefits as soon as possible to avoid any delays in coverage or gaps.

What is a renewal?

When you apply for benefits, you give details to the state of Wisconsin, such as your household income, insurance, and financial assets, to qualify for coverage. To maintain your benefits, you must update your information every year.

There are three ways to find your renewal month:

• Through the letter received from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
• Through the access.wi.gov website. If you do not have an account, you can create one to view your “Benefits Renewal Overview.”
• Through the MyACCESS app, use the same username and password for access.wi.gov, or you can create an account through the app.

How do I complete my renewal?

You can complete your renewal in several ways, such as online, through the mail, or by phone. If you are renewing your benefits online, you can log into access.wi.gov and click “Benefit Renewals Due For.” If you do not have an account, you can create one. If you are renewing by mail, fill out the form that was sent to you in the mail and return it. If you are renewing by phone, keep in mind that wait times may be long, but there is an option to ask for a call back, so you don’t have to wait in line. Once you renew your benefits, you can keep them until the next renewal date. If you do not renew your benefits in your assigned month, your benefits will come to an end. You have 90 days to submit a late renewal; however, you might have a gap in coverage and will need to reapply four months after your renewal month. To avoid gaps in coverage and delays, renew your coverage as soon as you are able to. For more information on renewals and renewal dates, visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forwardhealth/renewalstatus.htm.