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Today is Thursday, October 8, 2026
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Besides having fun, what else can you do to prepare for the aging experience? It is going to happen to all of us and the more prepared we are, the more likely we will age gracefully. A number of doctors and experts were asked to come up with a mantra – a short slogan that encapsulates a core truth about physical and mental health. In part one, we heard:
Aging is a good thing.
The way to health is through the gut.
Sleep is important but not important enough to lose sleep over. Here are a few more mantras.
Movement is life.
If you want to maintain your physical and mental health, you have to be physically active. It keeps your brain, heart, lungs, bones and joints healthy; in fact, every cell in your body benefits from pumping blood throughout. It lowers your risk of depression, dementia, cancer, stroke, heart attack – all the things that are likely to shorten your life.
Food is medicine. Food is love. Enjoy it as both.
What you eat connects you to your culture and people you care about. So, eat your favorite foods when you’re celebrating. The rest of the time, choose foods that nourish your body.
Life is finite. Live with it.
Once you acknowledge the limitations of being human, you can plunge your energy into what matters to you. Procrastination, distraction, impatience, addiction and all the rest happen from trying to avoid reality.
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For more advice for living a long happy life https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/06/can-you-lengthen-your-life
This article is submitted by Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park to help educate the community about dementia and to support patients and their care partners. New committee members are very welcome! Call Jennifer to volunteer 262 473 0535 jjackson@whitewater-wi.gov
The National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Weather Forecast Office issued the following updated forecast at 2 p.m. om Thursday.
- Risk level 3 out of 5 for strong to severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening.
- A Tornado Watch has been issued for portions of far-southern Wisconsin, see the attached graphic for details. Watch remains in effect until 8 PM CDT.
- Damaging wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes are possible.
- Timeframe of highest concern is from 5 to 10 PM CDT today.
- Thunderstorms will clear out in a west to east manner from roughly 8 to 11 PM CDT this evening, leaving quiet weather late tonight.
County Residents Report Zoning Permit Scam
Be aware if you receive unsolicited invoices or suspicious messages
County officials were recently notified of a fraudulent invoice scam involving current zoning requests before the Jefferson County Planning and Development Department. Residents have received fake emails that appear to be official correspondence from Planning and Development directing them to pay an invoice in order to finalize a permit. These scam messages often look professional and may even use the names and titles of Jefferson County employees and details regarding a pending request to appear legitimate.
Red flags that could indicate a scam include:
- Suspicious contact information not affiliated with a legitimate email address. All emails from Jefferson County end with @jeffersoncountywi.gov
- Pressure to pay promptly and through a method such as wire transfer. As standard practice, our Planning and Development Department does not send invoices. Residents pay at the time of their application or permit.
Please be aware that scammers can impersonate any County department or private business to try to steal your money. If you receive a message or request that you suspect to be fraudulent, the best practice is to contact the entity making the request via a phone number or email address you know is legitimate. Instead of using the email or phone number in the suspicious message, look up the correct contact information personally and use it to report the message.
If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from the Jefferson County Planning and Development Department, please call (920) 674-7130.
For more about Jefferson County, including contact information for all departments:
https://cms4.revize.com/revize/jeffersoncountywi25/
Carol McCormick writes, “Two swans visited Trippe Lake on Monday morning feeding on a floating bog of cattails. The geese surrounding them didn’t seem to be intimidated by them. More curious than anything. Just another example of how precious our lakes are to our community!
Our thanks to Carol McCormick for sharing another interesting photo.
— 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!
Editor’s note: The link shown above is not accurate. View all class dates and register at:
finances.extension.wisc.edu/programs/
Direct link to view individual classes and register:
- For Rent Smart: Free Virtual Programs – Rent Smart
- Planning AHEAD: Overview ⋮ Planning AHEAD Statewide Virtual Series ⋮ University of Wisconsin-Madison – Division of Extension ⋮ Events
- Encouraging Financial Conversations: Encouraging Financial Conversations Foundations March 17 – April 21, 2026 Training Series
- Money Matters Live: Monthly Money Matters Live – Financial Education
Editor’s note: The above press release was provided by University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension–Walworth County.
If you didn’t subscribe to MLB TV, how can you watch the Brewers this season? Cable subscribers are in luck, as the entire season will be available on the following channels.
Spectrum channel 319 [Thanks to Tom Wegner for passing this on to us.]
TDS channel 243
Per the Leader-Telegram, the Brewers also announced 10 free over-the-air broadcasts during the season, including the opener, that will be aired on local television stations across the state. For our area the primary local station is WITI FOX6 from Milwaukee.
The dates for future over-the-air games are March 31 (6:40 p.m.), April 28 (6:40 p.m.), May 12 (6:40 p.m.), May 19 (6:40 p.m.), June 2 (6:40 p.m.), Aug. 4 (6:40 p.m.), Aug. 18 (6:40 p.m.), Aug. 25 (6:10 p.m.) and Sept. 8 (6:40 p.m.).
Updated 3/31/26 @ 4:45 p.m. with clarification that all season games will be on cable and also the dates when over-the-air broadcasts will be available.
“Jefferson County’s Land and Water Conservation Department and Planning and Development Department are jointly hosting a free workshop on April 7, 2026 from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Jefferson County Courthouse focused on shoreland development and restoration. The main topics include County and City shoreland zoning rules, native plantings, bioengineering practices, riprap practices, funding opportunities, and resources available to contractors and landowners. There will be speakers from Jefferson County, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Agrecol and Envirolok LLC.
Contractors in attendance will have their company highlighted on our contractor lists noting that they attended the workshop
Shoreland Contractors Workshop Agenda
Shoreland Restoration: Permits, Practices and Partnerships
April 7, 2026
Jefferson County Courthouse
Board Room, C2063
311 S Center Ave, Jefferson, WI
7:45 – 8:00 Check-In & Registration (Coffee, Snacks)
8:00 – 8:10 Welcome & Introductions
8:10 – 9:00 Shoreland Zoning 101
- County Zoning – Matt Zangl & Sarah Elsner, Jefferson County Planning
and Development - City of Fort Atkinson – Jed Draeger, Fort Atkinson Department of
Neighborhood and Building Services
9:00 – 10:00 Benefits of Native Plants, Best Practices, Envirolok – Eric Seidl, Envirolok
10:00 – 10:10 BREAK
10:10 – 11:00 Calculating Storm Wave Height – Colton Hutchinson, Jefferson County
Land & Water Conservation Department (LWCD)
Rock Infiltration, Calculating Rock Size & Quantity, Engineering – Jon
Lisowe & Hanna Johnson, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade
and Consumer Protection
11:00 – 12:00 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) RipRap Exemption,
Bioengineering and Permitting – Erin Cox, DNR
12:00 – 12:20 Project Funding & Resources – Jefferson County LWCD
- Lake Ripley Management District
- Wisconsin Healthy Lakes and Rivers Program
- Jefferson County Cost Share Programs
12:20 – 12:30 Wrap Up – Jefferson County LWCD
Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by Jefferson County.
Obituaries
Sally A. Schutte, age 73, of Whitewater, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on September 21, 2026, while at Hearthstone Memory Care in Whitewater. Sally was born on November 6, 1952, to Roy and Elsie (Rohloff) Haas. Sally married William Schutte in the spring of 2003. Sally grew up on the family farm in the Town of Hebron and graduated from Jefferson High School. She dedicated nearly her entire career to Fort HealthCare, where her hard work and versatility shone through various roles. Over the years, she served in housekeeping and medical records, Center for Dermatology. Sally … Read more
Zachariah “Zach” Schoenke, 41, of Whitewater passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. He was born April 4, 1985, to Keith W. Schoenke and Kathleen Schoenke in Fort Atkinson, WI. He grew up and graduated from Whitewater High School in 2003. Zach worked various jobs over the years but was currently working at Cracker Barrel in Janesville. He was a big Packers Fan and liked to play fantasy football. He enjoyed reading, cooking, and watching horror shows. Zach fiercely loved his son, Lincoln, his sisters, Cami and Cary, his mom and stepdad, and his aunt Robin. He will be dearly … Read more
Carla Winn, 82, died September 5, 2026. Funeral Service will be at 12:00 PM, Saturday, September 12, 2026, at East Heights United Methodist Church, 4407 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67218, followed by a burial at 2:00 PM at White Chapel Memorial Garden 1806 N Oliver Ave. Carla is preceded in death by her parents, Vivian Dwight and Wilma Lois Krehbiel; and sister, Jennifer Krehbiel. She is survived by husband, Stephen; daughter, Ashley (Clint) Gagel, of Overland Park; siblings, Paul (Kay) Krehbiel, of Socorro, NM, Lynn (Bill) Oetting, of Wichita, Ellen (John) Querner, of Wichita, Teresa Woodson, of Lawrence, KS, … Read more
Susan Miller Celebration of Life There will be a gathering of friends and acquaintances at Susan’s Farm Store to celebrate Susan’s life on Saturday, September 19th from 2-5 p.m. at N6623 Lake Lorraine Rd., Delavan, Wisconsin
Our loving mother, JoAnn E Harrop, age 95, passed away on September 11, 2026. Our sorrow is deep, but we are filled with gratitude for the many years we had with her. Even as her mind was failing, she remained strong and appreciative of all who cared for her. JoAnn was born on January 13, 1931, daughter to Fred Braun and Evelyn Braun {Storck). She was raised in Whitewater, Wisconsin by her grandparents, Otto and Edith Storck. She attended Whitewater High School and helped at the Storck tavern where she met her husband Earl C. Harrop. They married on November … Read more
Russell O. Johnson “Russ,” 88, passed away on September 4, 2026 in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Russell was born on July 12, 1938, in Janesville, Wisconsin. Russ grew up in Janesville, and after high school he joined the Air Force on May 1, 1958, serving as an aircraft mechanic until June 12, 1962. He then worked at Parker Pen in Janesville for a time, where he met his future wife, Avis. After marrying Avis Mason in April 1964, Russ worked for Gillman Manufacturing for a time, then began a career at Dana until its closing in 1980. In 1981, Russ started working … Read more
Marcia Zingg, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, businesswoman, and friend, passed away peacefully on September 1, 2026, at the age of 75. Marcia will be remembered for her unwavering love, remarkable strength, generous spirit, and lifelong devotion to her family. She shared 40 wonderful years of marriage with her husband, Jeffrey Zingg, who considered her not only his wife but also his best friend, business partner, and the love of his life. Together, Marcia and Jeffrey built a successful life rooted in perseverance, hard work, laughter, and love. As entrepreneurs in Whitewater, Wisconsin, they owned and managed new car franchises and … Read more
Amanda Jean Hunter was born to Ralph and Malinda (Thomas) Hunter of Whitewater, Wisconsin, on October 6, 1976. She passed away on August 4, in Fort Worth, Texas, where she lived with her family. Amanda passed peacefully in the hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. Amanda was a kind-hearted free spirit with an unmistakable hippie warmth. Generosity, spontaneity, a quick wit, a macabre sense of humor, and an open heart were traits that she embraced. She was a tireless champion of those in need, an innate characteristic that became among the best of her qualities. She proved to be a … Read more
Ellen Eichmiller, 82, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, passed away on Saturday, August 22, 2026. Ellen was born on September 10, 1943, in Monroe, Wisconsin, to Chester “Guy” and Irene (née Holmen) Steig. She married the love of her life, Paul Eichmiller, on December 7, 1963, and together they made their home in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Ellen spent much of her working life as a secretary at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where she formed many lasting friendships and memories. Ellen cherished her family and friends and treasured the time she spent with those closest to her. She was known for her love of … Read more
Janet Quinn, age 71, of Jefferson passed away on Thursday, August 20th. Janet was born on December 22nd, 1954 in St. Joseph, MI to Robert Mounsey and Edith Christison Mounsey. She was a granddaughter to Herbert Bragg Mounsey, Charlotte Mounsey, and Ester Christison West. She married Michael Durden in 1979 and later married Eury Quinn Jr. (J.R.) in 1988. Janet grew up in Benton Harbor, MI, and subsequently lived in New York and Arkansas before moving to Wisconsin in 2016. She was a dedicated caregiver to her disabled Mother, and worked as a custodian for various employers over the years. … Read more
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