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Articles by Josh Stoughton
A forever sister
Graceful. Courageous. Kindhearted. Beautiful. Those are words that Alpha Sigma sisters described their fellow sorority sister, Samantha Buysse, who passed away unexpectedly late Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. Buysse was a member of the Alpha Sigma sorority at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater during her freshman year before moving back home to De Pere to continue her education in Green Bay. “We all probably wish she would have stayed in Whitewater with us,” said Alpha Sigma sister Erica Winterlin.
Students network in snowstorm
Every student that goes to college has one common goal: to find a job after graduation. One way that colleges prepare students is by hosting a career fair, inviting students to meet employers and network. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater hosted their semesterly job fair in the Williams Center on Feb. 12. Employers from all over Wisconsin and some from Illinois showed up to look for potential new employees or interns.
City Council passes referendum
The City of Whitewater’s Common Council voted to add a public safety referendum question on the upcoming April 1, 2025 ballot. Voters will be asked whether or not to support an increase in the annual tax raise to fund additional police offices, cross-trained firefighters and EMTs along with their equipment and a dispatcher. The referendum comes as a response to Whitewater’s need for additional services. Since 2010, the Whitewater Police Department has seen an increase in calls by 90%.
New organization walks for kindness
Kindness is one thing that unites a community. One group of people took it upon themselves to spread this kindness to the Whitewater community. This group, named Be Kind, hosted their inaugural event, the CommUnity Walk, Saturday, Nov. 16. Around 60 participants arrived for the walk, with community members of all ages and races. Participants were given signs to hold while walking saying “Be Kind: Commit to Civility” and “Seamost Amables y Corteses” (Be Kind and Courteous).
Comedian brings musical twist to show
Comedians are a staple of UC Live, as they are the most common events that they host. They have invited comedic magicians, singers and more. One that they invited was Jamie Shriner, who performed her set for the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater on Nov. 7. Shriner went to school for musical theater. After graduating, she moved to Chicago to find work. After constantly being told she would be hirable when she is older, Shriner turned to comedy. Originally, she performed normal sets.
Elementary school “walks” for school supplies
Communities are some of the tightest groups of people. They rally around each other to help one another when it is necessary. One topic communities rally around are the schools. They will support the schools no matter what, to give their kids the education they need. One way communities help the schools is through fundraisers, which help get schools the necessary tools to educate in the classrooms.
Local haunted house delivers “Shock” to residents
Haunted houses are a staple of Halloween. They are everywhere, as communities host them to give guests a fright of their lives. In Whitewater, one group of people took it upon themselves to give the community what they want. Founded by Pam and Dick Kraus, the Shockwave Haunted House by the Fuzzy Pig has been a staple in Whitewater every Halloween. For 15 years, they have delivered scary haunted houses to Whitewater residents and residents from neighboring communities.
National Cybersecurity team visits UW-Whitewater
As the Internet expands day by day, threats to security become more and more prevalent. This includes threats to government, schools, hospitals and small businesses. To counter this, President Joe Biden released the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy in July of 2023. Wednesday, Oct.
Bashing melons for a cause
Greek Life has been portrayed in media as a place for party animals to go and only have fun with their friends, partying every night. However, it is a lot more than that. Greek Life does a lot of community and philanthropy work, helping the campus and community in more ways than one. One of the fraternity chapters, Lambda Chi Alpha, hosts many different events every year to raise money for different foundations and the community.
Whitewater resident chases district representation
As the 2024 elections approach rapidly, everyone’s eyes are on who will be the next president of the United States. People usually forget about the other elections that are happening, such as state elections, which are just as important. One Whitewater resident has taken it upon herself to run for a Wisconsin State Assembly seat in hopes of being elected this November.
UW-W student killed in shooting, suspect arrested
On Friday, Aug. 30, at about 11:54 p.m., Whitewater Police responded to a call on 100 block of W. Whitewater Street, about an individual who suffered multiple gunshot wounds in an apartment. Upon arrival, officers found a deceased 21-year-old female. A 23-year-old male, who was known to the deceased female, was arrested by police at the scene.
School board welcomes new members
Josh Stoughton, Community Editor The Whitewater Unified School District School Board has new members joining its ranks this spring. Larry Katchel became president, Maryann Zimmerman was elected as vice-president, Stephanie Hicks became clerk, Miguel Aranda as treasurer and Jaclyn Tueting as secretary.
'Cold is just a mindset'
Spring Splash Josh Stoughton, Community Editor Whitewater is known for many things. The university football team, being known as the “Second Salem” and more. However, one annual event that is anticipated and draws people from all around the state and beyond – most being college students – is Spring Splash. Held each spring, it occurred Saturday, April 22 to give students time to destress themselves for a day before finals week comes sneaking up on them.
Election results
Josh Stoughton, Community Editor With the general elections over, new members of different seats start to take on their role. School board members, Wisconsin Supreme Court judges, and others learn what they have to do to be able to do the most in their positions. Here are the winners for each of the positions that were voted for on April 4.
Suicide confirmed
Josh Stoughton, Community Editor On Sunday, March 26, the Whitewater Police Department and Fire and EMS services received a report of a man hanging off a bridge near Main Street around 11:30 a.m. The body was identified as 47-year-old Cameron Bicknell of Whitewater. The death was confirmed to be a suicide by the Walworth County Medical Examiner. In a statement, the Whitewater Police offered condolences to the man’s friends and family.
Hanged man found from bridge
Josh Stoughton, Community Editor A caller reported seeing a deceased male hanging from the Main Street bridge the morning of Sunday, March 26. The Whitewater Police Department and Emergency Medical Service responded to the 100 block to find 47-year-old Cameron Bicknell of Whitewater suspended from the bridge. The Walworth County Medical Examiner was called to the scene to assist in the investigation and an autopsy has been scheduled, according to WPD Chief Dan Meyer.
Clean energy projects proposed to Common Council
Josh Stoughton, Community Editor The common council had a big day today, speaking with representatives of ClearPath Energy about using the city’s closed landfill site for a place to install solar panels that could help the city, the UW system and the school system in lowering costs. Representatives Jeffrey Brown and Omar Khaleel from ClearPath Energy came to the common council to talk about energy costs.
Whitewater Polar Plunge supports Special Olympics Wisconsin
Happy First Day of Spring! Josh Stoughton, Community Editor It was a cold Saturday morning with temperatures around 15 degrees, with wind making feel closer to two degrees. Participants line up outside a pool filled with cold water to get a chance to jump in, only to climb out super fast. Spectators lined up to cheer on their family and friends.
What to look forward to this summer
Happy First Day of Spring! Josh Stoughton, Assistant Community Editor As the temperatures rise, citizens of Whitewater look forward to all the summer events that take place. Whitewater comes together as a community in many ways during the warmer months of the year to celebrate events that ignite fun and make new memories for its citizens.
Public meets school board candidate finalists
As Election Day draws closer the public wants to learn more about who is running for school board of the Whitewater Unified School District. To help citizens out in their decision making, the Whitewater Area League of Women Voters held a second forum with the six remaining candidates Saturday, March 11 at the Whitewater Municipal Building. The candidates include Joseph Kromholz, Stephanie Hicks, Christy Linse, Thayer Coburn, Chuck Mills and Lisa Huempfner. The forum was moderated by Lynn Binnie.
Council split on telecommuting
Josh Stoughton, Assistant Community Editor Tuesday, March 7 the Whitewater Common Council voted on an amendment to end telecommunication, or meeting online virtually, for the City of Whitewater boards and commissions except upon extreme circumstances. The motion was not passed, however. A second motion was presented, stating “Whitewater does not support telecommuting.
Best of Whitewater 2023
Results are in! Josh Stoughton, Community Editor As another school year heads into its final quarter, the Royal Purple likes to look back to see what everyone likes most about this terrific town. With approximately 500 votes our results highlight the many amazing businesses, events and campus locations and more. Take a look at this year’s Best of Whitewater results in the photo gallery of first, second and third place winners.
Whitewater police respond to report of dead baby
Check out this year's Best of Whitewater Results! Josh Stoughton, Community Editor The Whitewater police force are currently investigating a report of a dead baby found in a field. Whitewater police and emergency medical services responded to a report from North Tratt Street at the Twin Oaks Home Park for a reported dead newborn baby Saturday, Mar. 5 at around 11:10 a.m. The police are seeking information regarding this that might help them with the investigation into the death.
UW-W instructor runs for school board seat
Celebrate Presidents' Day! Josh Stoughton , Community Editor Brian Schanen, an instructor in the Department of Communication and co-director of the university forensics team, is running for a spot on the Whitewater School District School Board. The Royal Purple sat down with Schanen to learn a bit more about him and why he’s running. Why are you running for the school board position? My love of education and my interests in being civically engaged.
Effigy Mounds get funding for maintenance
The Whitewater Common Council met Tuesday, Feb. 7 to discuss funding for maintenance of the Effigy Mounds Preserve and the retirement of a city employee. The council discussed how groups have been requesting maintenance to bring them back to a manageable state and contracting those efforts. Funding was proposed as $25,000 included for the management, $10,000 for strategic planning and the rest for cyber security.
Community meets new board candidates
Celebrate Black History Month! Josh Stoughton, Assistant Community Editor As schools and school districts start to form, they need a group of people to oversee and make sure that the schools in the district are running smoothly and are maintained properly. These people are usually elected to their positions and maintain them for a couple of years, or a term, before they must run again.
Local Landmarks at Risk
Josh Stoughton, Assistant Community Editor As the years go by, landmarks start to get older, and therefore start to need maintenance. Some landmarks, such as national landmarks, get constant maintenance that allows them to constantly look beautiful and attract tourists. However, most landmarks, such as local ones, do not get the funding that national ones do. Therefore, they break down to the point where they have to be removed. Such as these landmarks include a few Whitewater landmarks.
Volunteers gather to maintain park
Josh Stoughton, Assistant Community Editor As the years go by, our parks get older, and the brush surrounding them starts to get out of control. Due to this, the brush starts taking up the nutrients that surrounding trees and plants need to survive. The parks need people to come in and cut the brush and maintain the beauty of the land so that these plants can survive. That is what the Natureland Park Fall Workday was for.
Wisconsin Midterm Election results are in!
Josh Stoughton, Assistant Community Editor With the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater students, Whitewater residents, and all of Wisconsin gathering to vote during the midterm elections, they see who they want to vote for. Now with midterm elections done, they start to watch the counts of the ballots to see who the winners of the elections are, especially those who will make a bigger impact on our state. Here are your 2o22 Wisconsin Midterm Election results.
Here are your midterms candidates
Josh Stoughton, Assist. Community Journalist As the year closes, United States residents get ready for another midterm election to vote for US Senate and US Legislature seats. But along with the country’s midterm election comes the statewide midterm elections. And if you are unsure of who to vote for, here are all the positions and candidates and what they stand for. Governor Tony Evers, the current governor of Wisconsin, is the Democratic candidate for Governor.
Whitewater resident runs for district seat
With state elections around the corner, and everyone is looking at who they want to vote for to represent their district. They look for someone who can represent the citizens of the district, but also someone who they can count on. In Whitewater, one resident is running for our district’s seat. Brienne Brown, a Democratic representative, is the resident who is running for this district seat in this election.
Derleth in Whitewater
It's National Newspaper Week! Every Monday in the fall, Fairhaven Senior Services holds a lecture about someone or something that pertains to a certain topic they choose for a series. They bring in guest speakers, usually someone who is very knowledgeable in that topic. This past Monday, Fairhaven brought in John Pruitt, an English professor at the UW-Whitewater Rock, for their series.
The cosmic mythology of Wisconsin
It's National Newspaper Week! This past Monday, Fairhaven brought in John Pruitt, an English professor at the UW-Whitewater Rock, for their series. UW-Whitewate at Rock County professor John Pruit amused audiences about cosmic mythology and Wisconsin Monday, Sept. 26 at a Fairhaven Senior Services lecture about August Derleth. Derleth is a Wisconsin author who wrote over two hundred books and short stories in his lifetime.
Storytelling comes to Whitewater
Josh Stoughton, Community Editor Storytelling was an important part of our history. Before radio and television, storytelling was the main source of entertainment. Now, storytelling is an art that has been left in the past. With events such as the Whitewater Storytelling Festival, storytellers are able to bring this forgotten artform to life again.
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