This Tuesday, March 14th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Manchester by the Sea @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. Manchester by the Sea is the story of an uncle who is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy’s father dies. The 2016 film won two Academy…
City
City, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, WEDC
Far Less Than 10.7%
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s residents may have recently read (3.7.17) another City of Whitewater press release from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) – this time concerning more public spending on selected businesses. (For remarks on a prior release, please see The Simplest Condition for a ‘Shovel-Ready’ Site is an Empty Lot.) There are few better ways to argue against…
City, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, WEDC
The Simplest Condition for a ‘Shovel-Ready’ Site is an Empty Lot
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s residents may have recently read (just yesterday) a City of Whitewater press release about a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) designation for the city’s thirty-five empty acres of tech park land. I’ve reproduced the release in full at the bottom of this post. A few key points: 1. The simplest condition for a “shovel ready” site is…
City, School District
Whitewater High School, Monday Morning, 2.27.17
by JOHN ADAMS •
Update, 12:25 PM: “Two suspicious packages were located and analyzed and were subsequently determined to be non-threatening. The interior of the buildings have also been search for any suspicious items. No additional suspicious items have been located in or around the buildings. Students and families will be notified via Infinite Campus once the building has been re-opened. Classes…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, February 28th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Queen of Katwe
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, February 28th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Queen of Katwe @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. Queen of Katwe is a 2016 biographical drama about Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan girl who sees her world rapidly change after being introduced to the game of chess. The film is directed by…
City, Local Government
Where Reaction Leads
by JOHN ADAMS •
What happens when the municipal officials of a small college town repeatedly malign – in print and on camera – a private business and college residents for the conduct of unrelated third-parties? This is what happens: The City of Whitewater Clarifies Recent Comments Regarding Spring Splash, Encourages Residents to Celebrate Responsibly Whitewater, Wis., February 11th, 2017…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, January 31st, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Sully
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, January 31st at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Sully @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. Sully is a 2016 historical drama based on the story of Chesley Sullenberger, an American pilot who became a hero after landing his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save…
City, Local Government, Planning
At Whitewater’s Planning Commission: ‘Have you heard any rumors about..?”
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a brief discussion about a rumor that a new convenience store might come to small-town Whitewater that illustrates not only the problem of rumors, but others’ unwillingness to point out the problem of rumors. It’s the latter problem that is, in fact, the more serious one for Whitewater. First, I’ve transcribed the exchange from…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, January 24th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Florence Foster Jenkins
by JOHN ADAMS •
This Tuesday, January 24th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Florence Foster Jenkins @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. Florence Foster Jenkins is a 2016 historical comedy-drama about a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer despite having a terrible singing voice. The film is directed…
Art, City, Good Ideas
Studio 84 in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
Studio 84, located in downtown Whitewater, is a non-profit art studio that offers “experiences in the visual arts and theater for the community …working with all people including those with Autism, physical disabilities, cognitive limitations and mental illness.” Milwaukee television channel 58 WDJT recently visited and reported on the studio’s work — CBS 58
Charity, City, Culture, Good Ideas, Hip & Prosperous, Local Government
More on the Right Social Conditions in a Small Town
by JOHN ADAMS •
I posted yesterday that Gentrification Requires the Right Social Conditions, contending in part that a small city like Whitewater remains divided (and by consequence limits its own attractiveness to newcomers) because it remains divided by town and gown (and divided within the town, itself, too). Whitewater’s problem is not that different factions do not have a…
Charity, City, Culture, Development, Economy, Local Government
Gentrification Requires the Right Social Conditions
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve written that Whitewater faces a choice between decisive action now (to lessen government’s role) or years of stagnation and relative decline before eventual gentrification (at which point longtime residents will have almost no say in redevelopment). See, How Big Averts Bad. As I doubt Whitewater’s local political class has the will for near-term changes, the best…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, January 10th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Hell or High Water
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Presidential race 2016, School District, Trump
Update: James Surowiecki on What the Press Missed About Trump’s Win
by JOHN ADAMS •
I posted yesterday on James Surowiecki’s contention that Trump’s success with non-college whites was predictable, but that Trump’s better-than-expected success with college-educated whites is what the press missed. See, James Surowiecki on What the Press Missed About Trump’s Win. Surowiecki makes a few follow-up remarks to his tweet-stream of yesterday. First, Surowiecki is not saying that…