There’s an editorial at Royal Purple that contends a future Grocery store should accommodate students. The editorial makes sound points for pricing outreach to students, but my focus here isn’t merely a supermarket or co-op, but the general economic market of Whitewater and nearby, smaller towns (some of which are part of the local school…
City
City, Holiday
Boo! Scariest Things in Whitewater, 2017
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the eleventh annual FREE WHITEWATER list of the scariest things in Whitewater for 2017. The 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 editions are available for comparison. The list runs in reverse order, from mildly frightening to truly scary. 10. Dirty Dogs. This town’s like a magnet for every smooth talking heel…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, October 31st, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Halloween Movie Festival
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, October 31st at 12:30 PM, it’s Halloween movie festival at Seniors in the Park with Halloween treats and movie tricks including a Mighty Mouse cartoon, a serial chapter Commando Cody “Radar Men from the Moon,” and “KONG: Skull Island.” Kong: Skull Island is a redo/update/reboot of “King Kong” with an All-Star cast of…
City, Demographics, Walworth County
Area Population, Properly Understood
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s an unfortunately misleading story from the Lake Geneva Regional News, picked up uncritically at the Banner, on a population increase for Walworth County and part of Whitewater. See “Walworth County population is up — here and there.” The story (1) cites a tiny population increase, (2) ignores relative trends entirely, and (3) leaves readers (and…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, October 24th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Ghostbusters (2016)
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, October 24th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Ghostbusters (2016) @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, “paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.” Paul Feig…
City, Culture, Local Government, Politics
The Same Ten People Problem (Revisited)
by JOHN ADAMS •
In a presentation from September on the state of the city (really meaning the state of Whitewater’s municipal government), City Manager Cameron Clapper tackled again the ‘Same Ten People Problem’ (STPP), where only a few people participate in municipal meetings, etc. One can find the full video presentation below; Clapper’s remarks on the STPP appear…
City, Culture, Education, School District
A Brighter Outlook for Whitewater High
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater High School has the advantage of a new principal and assistant principal. I’ve written before that I’ve no particular advice for Messrs. Lovenberg and O’Shaughnessy. See For Your Consideration, Dr. Jonas Salk. (Indeed, in that post I offered only a question, but – to be sure – one that implied how very much their efforts…
Babbittry, Bigotry, City, Law, Liberty, Local Government, Trump
The Somber Trio
by JOHN ADAMS •
Among the most serious harms are those to liberty and physical well-being. One can compensate adequately for many injuries, but damages at law are slight compensation for lost liberties and physical injuries. We’ve a new national environment, in which actions once impermissible are now encouraged, and redress once required is now no longer recognized. If…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, October 10th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Wonder Woman
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, October 10th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Wonder Woman @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. Wonder Woman (2017) tells of the famed comic book heroine: “Diana is the principled warrior-daughter of the female ruler of Paradise Island, sheltered from men and the outside world’s evils. Then,…
City, Laws/Regulations, Local Government
Amendments, Canaries, Coal Mines
by JOHN ADAMS •
Embed from Getty Images I wrote yesterday about two proposed amendments to Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission ordinances (Items O-1 and O-2 on the 10.3.17 Council agenda). See Amendments Concerning the Landmarks Commission. Last night, Council unanimously passed O-1, and amendment O-2 died for lack of a…
City, Local Government, Planning, Politics
The Erosion of Political Norms (Part 2 in a Series)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater, as with other Wisconsin cities and towns, has a Planning Commission. Like some towns (but not others), Whitewater by practice places a member of one commission (let’s say, Parks & Rec) on another commission (let’s say, Planning): a representative of one commission to another. So a person might be appointed to serve on the…
City, Culture
The Shallowness of Local Policymaking (and Some Policymakers)
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, September 26th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: The Shack
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, September 26th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of The Shack @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. The Shack (2017) tells of a “grieving father who is drawn to an abandoned shack, where he meets and receives counsel from a woman who calls herself Papa — the name…
City, Development, Local Government, Planning
Hotel Preliminaries
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s full-service grocery closed in 2015, and then the UW-Whitewater Foundation bought the property. (Premier Bank, successor to Commercial Bank, has a 5% interest in the property.) A developer from Minnesota, having been unsuccessful in a project near the center of town, now proposes purchasing the former grocery building & lot, and constructing a Fairfield…