News & Events

Carol McLernon writes, “Last week, my neighbor, Darryl Pieper, suffered a cardiac event in the vicinity of McDonald’s while driving to the pharmacy to get his wife Darlene’s prescription. A nurse who happened to be nearby tended to Darryl and comforted Darlene. The paramedics arrived promptly and administered appropriate care. A kind university student offered assistance and went for the prescription using his own money although Darlene had given him money. The nurse took her to the hospital in Janesville. How blessed we are to have these and other wonderful young people here in Whitewater.”

Our thanks to Carol McLernon for sharing that beautiful account, which she titled “Young Heroes.”

Darlene’s son, Anthony Menneke, posted the following words of thanks on the Facebook page of the local Whitewater Anything Forum. Through the comments that were made on that post it was learned that the nurse is Ashley Voigt, and the young man is a student at UW-Whitewater.

Anthony Menneke writes, “Want to give a huge shout out and thank you to the nurse and young man that helped my stepdad and mom last Wednesday night. They were driving and turned by the McDonald’s when my stepdad who has been having heart issues blacked out and they went over the curb at McDonald’s and hit a bush which stopped the car. My mom called 911. Luckily they or no one was hurt. Luckily a woman in the parking lot is a nurse and immediately checked on my stepdad. Police arrived and they pulled him out of the car and immediately started CPR. A nice young man/student sat with my mom calming her down and helping her. Rescue squad arrived and took him to the Janesville hospital. He coded twice in the ambulance but they got him back. This amazing nurse that checked on my stepdad when they crashed was gracious enough to take my mom to the hospital. My stepdad is doing well and getting a pacemaker today. Want to give a huge thank you to this young woman/nurse, the young man who comforted my mom while they were working on my stepdad, Whitewater PD, and the EMTs that brought him back. We are blessed to still have him. Whitewater is an amazing community.”

Editor’s comment: The following post was made on August 10 on the City of Fort Atkinson Facebook page. It elicited many posted grateful comments from Fort residents and their chamber of commerce. Many tree lawns in Fort have still been piled high with tree branches as a result of the storm that brought very strong straight line winds to the city on July 28.

It’s time once again for #flashbackfriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. Here is the 2nd of our series of change in Whitewater businesses taken by George Scharfenberg in the 1990s and early 2000s. This photo is from 1994, when the Skindingsrude Furniture Store went out of business.

The Skindingsrude furniture and funeral business began on Main Street in 1926 and eventually the funeral business was relocated to a home that once stood next to the First English Lutheran Church on West Main Street. Later, the furniture store moved to this location on Whitewater Street, now the location of Second Salem Brewing Company. It was very common in the 19th and early 20th centuries for furniture stores and funeral services to be part of the same business.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

Photo from the George Scharfenberg photo collection, Whitewater Historical Society.

Yard Sale
Saturday August 12
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
903 W Conger St, Whitewater. 
Boys clothes (mostly 10/12.)
Womens clothes (larger Sizes)
Misc household
Lots of games/books
Small child’s bike with training wheels
Ping pong table

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE.

Unified Strength, Shared Progress: Celebrating Success WUSD

WHITEWATER, WI – At the heart of every successful school district is a team that believes in its mission and supports one another. Over the 22-23 school year, the teachers, staff, and administrators of the Whitewater Unified School District demonstrated their incredible commitment, and we are proud to take a moment to share all we accomplished together.

Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, we collectively committed to working in Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s). PLC’s are an ongoing process in which we work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students we serve. This work improved our outcomes! According to a recent survey initiated by the WUSD School Board, hosted by a third party, a staggering 99 percent of our staff agree or strongly agree their work holds purpose and 93 percent feel in control over the manner in which they perform their duties. This speaks volumes about the sense of empowerment and purpose that is pervasive across our schools.

Utilizing PLC’s, our elementary staff worked very hard last year to implement a new math curriculum, Bridges. During professional development days, our teachers met, worked on their practice and adjusted the way we taught math. The students have demonstrated exceptional improvement following these changes. The Forward, Wisconsin’s measure of academic progress, tests grades 3-5 in Math at the elementary level. We moved from a combined average of a 36 to a 45.4 in Grade 3 on the Forward, from a 34.7 to a 35.9 in Grade 4 and from a 30.5 to an astounding 50.8 in Grade 5, outperforming the state. While this is cause for celebration, we will not settle in; this year, we are taking on reading at the elementary level.

At the high school level, our educators have pivoted their focus towards tangible student achievement. We have seen a significant increase in students earning college credit through collaboration with Gateway Technical College and UW-Whitewater. This allows our students to earn college credit while still in high school, an exciting opportunity for them to get a jump start on higher education. Additionally high school student enrollment in Youth Apprenticeship opportunities is increasing which allows for students to explore future careers. Meanwhile, the introduction of additional career, technical education and agricultural courses has broadened our students’ horizons, equipping them with valuable life skills and career exploration opportunities. Lastly, we have adopted a new program to assist with academic skill development for the 23-24 school year, aiming to provide our students with the tools they need to put their best foot forward on the important college entrance exam. Last year, 49 WUSD students at WHS went to state in their respective sports and clubs. They represent the “best of the best” in Wisconsin.

All means all. All of these outcomes are while servicing the highest population of students with needs connected to language, needs connected to disability and need connected to poverty in the region. Our dedication is to ensure that WUSD is the best it can be, and we will never stop striving towards that goal. We are emboldened by our progress and are committed to building on our success, driving ever forward in pursuit of educational excellence. Every step we take is a step towards a brighter future for our children, our community, and our district. Every student, Every Day, in a Unified Way.

Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty is superintendent of the Whitewater Unified School District.

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

A 2019 graduate from Delavan-Darien High School, Jinchao “Patrick” Wei, 22, is accused of receiving thousands of dollars from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for providing sensitive military information to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). According to the Pentagon, Wei, a Navy sailor, sold the Chinese secrets about war exercises, naval operations, and other critical technical information. Wei, who was born in China, was in the process of applying for U.S. citizenship when first approached by the officer. Now a citizen, Wei is being held without bond. If convicted he could face as much as life in prison.

In court in San Diego on August 3, prosecuting attorney John Parmley said Wei’s only U.S. relative is his mother, who lives in Wisconsin. Parmley alleged that she knew what he was doing and told him to continue, adding that when he was done with the U.S. Navy he could go work for China, ABC News reports.

According to the Times of San Diego, “Wei pled not guilty on August 3 to espionage-related charges. U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said…that per the indictment, Wei was approached by a Chinese intelligence officer while his application to become a U.S. citizen was pending.

“Wei admitted to his handler that he knew this activity would be viewed as spying and could affect his pending citizenship application,” Grossman said. “Whether it was greed or for some other reason, Wei allegedly chose to turn his back on his newly adopted country and enter a conspiracy with his Chinese handler.”

According to Voice of America, quoting ABC News, Wei was denied bail on August 8 at his pretrial detention hearing as the judge ruled him a flight risk and a danger to the community. He is next due in court on August 21.

The following is posted to the Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice website. (The second servicemember is from California.)

In two separate cases in the Southern and Central Districts of California, two U.S. Navy servicemembers were arrested for transmitting sensitive military information to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

“These individuals stand accused of violating the commitments they made to protect the United States and betraying the public trust, to the benefit of the PRC government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to use every tool in our arsenal to counter threats from China and to deter those who aid them in breaking our laws and threatening our national security.”

“These arrests are a reminder of the relentless, aggressive efforts of the People’s Republic of China to undermine our democracy and threaten those who defend it,” said Assistant Director Suzanne Turner of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The PRC compromised enlisted personnel to secure sensitive military information that could seriously jeopardize U.S. national security. The FBI and our partners remain vigilant in our determination to combat espionage, and encourage past and present government officials to report any suspicious interactions with suspected foreign intelligence officers.”

United States v. Jinchao Wei, Southern District of California

A U.S. Navy sailor, Jinchao Wei, aka Patrick Wei, was arrested yesterday on espionage charges as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, the homeport of the Pacific Fleet. He was indicted for conspiracy to send national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the People’s Republic of China.

The indictment, unsealed this morning, alleges that Wei, was an active-duty sailor on the amphibious assault ship the U.S.S. Essex stationed at Naval Base San Diego. In his role as a machinist’s mate, Wei held a U.S. security clearance and had access to sensitive national defense information about the ship’s weapons, propulsion and desalination systems. Amphibious assault ships like the Essex resemble small aircraft carriers and allow the U.S. military to project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the U.S. Navy’s amphibious readiness and expeditionary strike capabilities.

According to the indictment, in February 2022, Wei began communicating with an intelligence officer from the PRC who requested that Wei provide information about the U.S.S. Essex and other Navy ships. Specifically, the Chinese intelligence officer tasked Wei with passing him photos, videos and documents concerning U.S. Navy ships and their systems. The two agreed to hide their communications by deleting records of their conversations and using encrypted methods of communication.

At the request of the intelligence officer, between March 2022 and the present, Wei sent photographs and videos of the Essex, disclosed the locations of various Navy ships and described defensive weapons of the Essex. In exchange for this information, the intelligence officer paid Wei thousands of dollars over the course of the conspiracy.

The indictment further alleges that in June 2022, Wei sent the intelligence officer approximately 30 technical and mechanical manuals. These manuals contained export control warnings and detailed the operations of multiple systems aboard the Essex and similar ships, including power, steering, aircraft and deck elevators, as well as damage and casualty controls. The intelligence officer confirmed with Wei that at least 10 of those manuals were useful to him. For passage of those materials, the indictment alleges that Wei was paid $5,000.

In June 2022, the intelligence officer requested that Wei provide information about the number and training of U.S. Marines during an upcoming international maritime warfare exercise. In response to this request, Wei sent multiple photographs of military equipment to the intelligence officer.

In August 2022, Wei sent an additional 26 technical and mechanical manuals related to the power structure and operation of the Essex and similar ships. The manuals contained warnings that this was technical data subject to export controls and that it was deemed “critical technology” by the U.S. Navy.

The indictment further alleges that in October 2022, Wei sent a technical manual to the intelligence officer describing the layout and location of certain departments, including berthing quarters and weapons systems. Specifically, Wei sent a weapons control systems manual for the Essex and similar ships. This manual contained export-controlled data that could not be exported without a license from the U.S. government. The indictment alleges that Wei knowingly violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations by transmitting this manual to the Chinese intelligence officer without obtaining a required license. 

The intelligence officer continued to request information in 2023, including information about the overhaul and upgrades to the Essex. Specifically, he requested blueprints, especially those related to modifications to the flight deck. Wei provided information related to the repairs the Essex was undergoing, as well as other mechanical problems with similar vessels.

During the alleged conspiracy, the intelligence officer instructed Wei to gather U.S. military information that was not public and admonished him not to discuss their relationship and to destroy any evidence regarding the nature of their relationship and their activities.

“We have entrusted members of our military with tremendous responsibility and great faith,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. “Our nation’s safety and security are in their hands. When a soldier or sailor chooses cash over country, and hands over national defense information in an ultimate act of betrayal, the United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute.”

The FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigated the case.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Whitewater Arts Alliance.

An update to the Art of Exploration reception: On August 5, 2023, over 60 visitors attended the reception to both meet Dawn Hunter, artist, and purchase her work. Hunter gave a brief speech around 1:45 p.m. talking about her artistic process and background. She is a retired elementary educator which led to her delving into acrylic, collage, and assemblage-working manipulation of a variety of materials since 2002. During this reception, Hunter sold over 15 of her pieces.

The show will continue to viewable in-person and online until August 27. The Cultural Arts Center (CAC) – located at 402 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI – is open Thursdays through Sundays, 12:00 p.m. (noon) to 4:00 p.m. The show is free to attend.

Hunter will be giving a free workshop for the public to attend on August 17 from 12:00 (noon) to 3:00 p.m. at the CAC. At this workshop, attendees will be making art greeting cards that they can give to their friends and family. All supplies will be provided, and no registration required.

To learn more about Dawn Hunter, the workshop, and the exhibition itself, go to the WAA website: https://www.whitewaterarts.org/dawn-hunter-exhibition-2023.