News & Events

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Walworth County.

The Walworth County Public Works Department has recently received full accreditation from the American Public Works Association (APWA). This prestigious accreditation formally verifies and recognizes that the agency is in full compliance with the recommended management practices set forth in APWA’s Public Works Management Practices Manual. Walworth County Public Works Department is only the second agency and the first county to be accredited in the State of Wisconsin. The other accredited agency in Wisconsin is the City of Janesville.

Open to all governmental agencies with responsibilities for public works functions, initial accreditation from APWA is for a four-year period, during which time semi-annual updates will be required to demonstrate continuing compliance. After that time, there is a re-accreditation process that builds on the original accreditation, encouraging continuous improvement and compliance with newly identified practices.

The purpose of accreditation is to promote excellence in the operation and management of a public works agency, its programs, and its employees. Accreditation is designed to assist the agency in the continuous improvement of operations and management, and in providing a valid and objective evaluation of agency programs as a service to the public and the profession.

“The Department of Public Works has dedicated itself to continuous improvement, excellence, fiscal and personal accountability,” says Richard Hough, Director of Walworth County Public Works. “The credit for this accomplishment belongs to the staff whose mission is to provide services and programs that contribute to making Walworth County a great place to live and work.”

APWA’s accreditation process includes five major steps:
 Self-Assessment: Using the Public Works Management Practices Manual, an internal review of an agency’s practices combined with a comparison of the recommended practices contained in the manual;
 Application: Once the decision has been made to commit to the Accreditation Program, the agency submits a formal application;
 Improvement: After the agency has completed the self-assessment and identified areas needing improvement, the agency will work to bring all practices into an acceptable level of compliance with the recommended practices;
 Evaluation: Following the completion of the improvement phase, the agency will request a site visit. The site visit will consist of a review and evaluation of the agency to determine the level of compliance with all applicable practices;
 Accreditation: The Accreditation Council will review the site visit results and recommendations from the team, voting to award or deny accreditation.

About APWA
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization with more than 33,000 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy, and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, MO, has an office in Washington, DC, and 63 chapters in North America.

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

A major windstorm that hit the city at approximately 11 p.m. on Friday has left 1884 customers in the Walworth county portion of the city without power as of 8:45 a.m., as well as 111 in the Jefferson county portion. That represents 33% of the customers in the dark. Several traffic signals are not functioning and some side streets are closed due to large tree branches down.

Fort Atkinson is in worse shape, with 5252 customers reported without power, representing 82% of their customers.

A city crew was out after midnight with a front loader and chipper clearing branches.

Editor’s note: The following is from the Whitewater Police Department Facebook page.

The WPD drone team is officially up and running! Our seven operators received training on Wednesday, and we had our first drone deployment Thursday, in the search for a suspect who fled on foot from a domestic incident.

It’s time once again for #flashbackfriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. The last of our summer street images is this postcard that is dated 1906. It is a lovely look west along Main Street featuring the Birge Fountain, which just celebrated its 120th birthday! Again, note how the trees dominate the image.

The postcard was sent to announce the funeral of someone who had just died. Like text messages today, postcards were often used to send quick messages of interest to people when calling long distance on the phone was very expensive and a letter took more time to write.

Join us next week when we begin a series of photos taken by our late member George Scharfenberg of businesses from the 1990s and early 2000s.

#2278PC, Whitewater Historical Society

A total of 8,625 students received degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison on May 12-13, including students from the Whitewater area.

There were two live ceremonies, on one for undergraduates at Camp Randall and one for all graduate degree candidates at the Kohl Center. Graduating were 6,225 undergraduate students, 1,487 master’s degree students and 913 doctoral candidates.

Keynote speaker Eric H. Holder Jr., the third-longest serving U.S. attorney general in the country’s history and the father of a Badger alumna, praised graduates for grasping the most urgent issues facing America.

“You’re already leading the way,” Holder told them.

Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said the graduates’ achievements were extra impressive given that most of them were just freshmen when the pandemic hit. 

“You are graduating into a world that looks pretty different than the one you might have planned for when you arrived here,” Mnookin said. “You’ve learned to adapt to monumental change, and that’s about the only thing we know for sure the future will bring – more change, and sometimes unexpected change. Along the way, you’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a Badger.”

Liam McLean, senior class president, offered remarks on behalf of the class of 2023. He recounted how a serious speech and language delay as a child made him the target of relentless bullying. Now, he leans into that experience to help others be heard. 

“Looking back on this, I realized my motivation for becoming the best communicator I could be was rooted in how the speech challenges impacted me,” said McLean, of Fox Point, Wisconsin. 

For more information about UW-Madison, visit http://www.wisc.edu.

Here are the degree recipients from the Whitewater area:

NAME, COLLEGE1, DEGREE1, MAJOR1(S), DISTINCTION (if listed), COLLEGE2 (if listed), DEGREE2 (if listed), MAJOR2 (if listed), DISTINCTION2 (if listed)

Sandy Cohen, Law School, Doctor of Law (Juris Doctor), Law
Caroline Crowley, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Arts-Journalism, Journalism, Graduated with Distinction
 Sophia Elworthy, School of Med & Public Health, Master of Public Health, Public Health
 Jaden Henneman, Col of Agricultural & Life Sci, Bachelor of Science-Agricultural Business Management, Agricultural Business Management
 Andrew Marquardt, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science, Psychology
 Connor Steinke, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science with Honors in the Major, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, International Studies, Graduated with Distinction
 Meghan Tracy, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Environmental Studies
 Daniel Trost, Col of Agricultural & Life Sci, Bachelor of Science, Biology

Check out the new Storywalk Book at First United Methodist Church (145 S. Prairie St.).  This book is called Wishes.  “Wishes tells the powerful, honest story about one Vietnamese family’s search for a new home on the other side of the world, and the long-lasting and powerful impact that makes on one of the youngest members of the family.”  We hope you enjoy!

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

The City of Whitewater is excited to announce that effective July 26, our Whitewater Fire & Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Department has obtained its Paramedic service license. This significant achievement has been a result of countless hours of hard work and dedication from a team of committed individuals. The City of Whitewater wants to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in making this long-awaited process a reality. City of Whitewater wants to personally thank EMS Chief, Jason Dean. This is a direct result of his leadership and dedication.

As we move forward, FEMS is diligently working on procuring the necessary supplies, obtaining a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number, and acquiring the required medications to ensure our Paramedic service operates at its full potential. Presently, we have five licensed Paramedics who are in the process of submitting their Local Credentialing Agreements for approval through our Medical Control, under the leadership of Interim Lt. Crystal Griffin.

During the next 12 months, FEMS will be gradually transitioning to a fully operational Paramedic service. Our Paramedics will be informed about the specific skills they are authorized to perform as we equip them with the necessary equipment and supplies. Though the City aims to expedite this process, our top priority remains to effectively and accurately provide this elevated level of service for our department.

The City must commend the enthusiasm and dedication of our Paramedics and support team, who are excited to put their well-honed skills and expertise into practice. However, the City kindly ask for your understanding and patience during this time of transition, as their training and adaptation will require considerable effort and focus.

FEMS will be providing direct communication to our Paramedics regarding the next steps in this transformative journey. As a community, let us rally together in support of the FEMS department, appreciating the invaluable services they provide to keep us safe and protected.

The City of Whitewater provides efficient and high quality services which support living, learning, playing and working in an exceptional community. Visit www.whitewater-wi.gov for community information and updates.