News & Events

Editor’s note: The following announcement was received from Ripon College.

Every year, Ripon College holds an award convocation to recognize students and faculty with outstanding merit and achievements. On April 20, 2022, Ripon College brought back in-person celebrations and hosted an evening for the College’s community and award recipients’ guests.

Lydia Wiley Deal, class of 2022 with majors in Music Education and Physics and a minor in Mathematics, was recognized. Wiley Deal of Whitewater, Wisconsin received the Alumni Association Senior Award and Student Organization Leadership Award.

Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon’s liberal arts and sciences curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. In recognition of its academic excellence, the college was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1953, placing it among a select group of the nation’s top colleges. Visit ripon.edu.

Due to the Memorial Day holiday, trash collection will be delayed by one day this week. In the city that means you should put your toter(s) out on Thursday evening (or very early in Friday morning).

Editor’s note: Yes, we are aware that the image on the homepage does not depict John’s toters! Image by Jarrod Blamey from Pixabay

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched on Friday, May 27 at 6:30 a.m. to a one vehicle crash with two occupants on Twinkling Star Road, south of Highway 12 in the town of Koshkonong.

Preliminary investigation at the scene showed that the vehicle, for which no details were given, was northbound on Twinkling Star Road when it left the roadway and struck a tree. The driver and passenger were transported to a local hospital with critical injuries. The passenger was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

The sheriff’s office personnel were assisted at the scene by Whitewater Fire/EMS, Jefferson paramedic and the Jefferson County medical examiner.

The incident is still being investigated by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release, but speed is a contributing factor.

Remembering Those Who Gave All

By State Representative Don Vruwink

Stephen E. Ambrose, one of Wisconsin’s most famous authors, was raised in Whitewater and graduated from Whitewater High School. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, played for the Badger football team for three years, and earned his doctorate at UW in 1963.

While at the University of Wisconsin, Ambrose was a member of the Navy and Army ROTC. His interest in war history was inspired in part by his father, who served as a physician in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

The younger Ambrose was a history professor from 1960 until his retirement in 1995. His early works centered around the American Civil War. He later focused on World War II. His book on President Eisenhower’s war years, “The Supreme Commander,” was published in 1970. He went on to write Band of Brothers, D-Day, Citizen Soldiers, and – breaking from war stories – Undaunted Courage, about the Lewis & Clark expedition.

As this Memorial Day approaches, we remember all of those who gave their lives during our nation’s wars. In the American Revolution, colonial settlers battled the British Army while ill-clothed and undernourished.

The Civil War brought our democracy to its greatest test. Both the North and South believed it would be a short war, but that was not to be. Antietam, with 23,000 casualties and an ambulance train 20 miles long, is still the worst one-day battle in U.S. history. Gettysburg, where President Lincoln would later dedicate the battlefield, is the overall bloodiest battle site, with 50,000 casualties over three days.

The United States entered the first World War to support our British and French allies. It cost 110,000 American lives, with 43,000 deaths coming from what was then called the Spanish Flu.

World War II stands starkly in our history, with 40-50 million worldwide deaths. One out of every 10 Americans was involved in the war, by serving in the military, working in factories, maintaining victory gardens, and other war efforts.

The Greatest Generation saw America attacked at Pearl Harbor, witnessed the Holocaust, survived or died through D-Day, and island-hopped in the Pacific. The world breathed a great sigh of relief at the Japanese surrender.

During the Korean War, fought from 1950-53, more than 36,000 U.S. troops died. The demilitarized zone between North and South Korea is still the most fortified place in the world.

The Vietnam War, fought by my generation, many of them not yet 20 years old, ended with more than 58,000 American casualties. It was a war that divided our nation, with unprecedented protests on streets and college campuses.

Thousands of American troops died in our most recent wars, from Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm to the war in Afghanistan.

Although he died of lung cancer in 2002 at the age of 66, Stephen Ambrose’s delve into American military history lives on in his words and writings. He gave half a million dollars to the University of Wisconsin to assist future military history scholars. His books have been the inspiration for movies and documentaries. I’m sure his work will continue to inspire others.

Thankfully, American troops are not involved in fighting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but let’s remember the Ukrainian soldiers and citizens who have already died in the fight and keep in our prayers those who continue to defend the freedom of their nation.

On Memorial Day and every day, let’s thank those who continue to serve our country, and remember those who gave all.

Brianna Staebler named to Campbellsville University’s Spring 2022 Dean’s List

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (05/24/2022)– The academic honors’ dean’s list for the Spring 2022 semester has been announced by Dr. Donna Hedgepath, Campbellsville University’s provost and vice president for academic affairs.

The following student has been named to Campbellsville University’s Dean’s List for Spring 2022:

Brianna Staebler, from Whitewater, WI.

The academic honors’ list recognizes students who achieve a grade point average of 3.50 or above for the semester with a course load of at least 12 hours. The Spring 2022 academic honors’ list includes a total of 795 students, with 371 named to the President’s List for achieving a 4.0 grade point average, and 424 named to the Dean’s List for achieving a 3.5 to 3.99 GPA.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 12,000 students offering over 100 programs of studying including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.