Health, Walworth County, Wisconsin

Walworth County Average or Below Average in Health of Residents, Influences Contributing to Health

by JOHN ADAMS • 12/05/2018 • Comments

Most of Whitewater sits within Walworth County, a county that ranks in Wisconsin’s bottom half for the overall health of its residents (‘ length and quality of people’s lives’) and average for the influences on health (‘individual health behaviors, social and economic conditions, access to healthcare and the quality of the physical environment’). Malia Jones of WisContext asks Which Counties Rank Best For Health? Here’s how Walworth County ranks:

(Jefferson County, in which a smaller part of Whitewater is situated, ranks far better, at 12 of 72 for health outcomes and 14 of 72 for health factors.)

Courts, Crime, Law, Litigation, Police, Walworth County

‘Family of Milwaukee man killed by Walworth deputy in botched drug sting files federal lawsuit’

by JOHN ADAMS • 11/29/2018 • Comments

Bruce Vielmetti reports Family of Milwaukee man killed by Walworth deputy in botched drug sting files federal lawsuit: The family of a 21-year-old Milwaukee man killed by a Walworth County sheriff’s deputy during a botched drug sting has sued the county, two municipal governments and several officers, who the family suspects destroyed dashcam video of…

CDA, City, Economy, Local Government, Poetry, State Government, That Which Paved the Way, Walworth County, WEDC, Wisconsin

Majority of Walworth County’s Renters are Rent-Burdened

by JOHN ADAMS • 10/03/2018 • Comments

A new study, Paying the Rent, from the Wisconsin Policy Forum finds that a majority of Walworth County’s renters are rent-burdened, placing the county in the top five most distressed in the state by that measurement. (There are, of course, 72 counties in Wisconsin, so Walworth County is among the weakest of a very large…

CDA, City, Economy, Local Government, Poverty, State Government, That Which Paved the Way, Walworth County, WEDC, Wisconsin

Walworth County’s Working Poor

by JOHN ADAMS • 10/01/2018 • Comments

In Whitewater and throughout Walworth County, huge numbers of residents are “asset limited, income constrained [yet] employed” (ALICE®). A report from the United Way of Wisconsin, entitled ALICE® ASSET LIMITED, INCOME CONSTRAINED, EMPLOYED WISCONSIN, reveals the truth about many in our community. Walworth County measures slightly worse than the already-disappointing state average. The talk of…

City, Demographics, Walworth County

Area Population, Properly Understood

by JOHN ADAMS • 10/27/2017 • Comments

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…

Crime, Law, Litigation, Walworth County

The Enduring Sadness of Walworth County

by JOHN ADAMS • 02/22/2017 • Comments

“ELKHORN—A woman who son was shot and killed by a Walworth County sheriff’s deputy in 2012 has settled her lawsuit against the county and deputy for $1.1 million. Nancy Brown, mother of 22-year-old John Brown, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee in May 2013 alleging Deputy Wayne Blanchard used excessive force when he…

City, Economy, Poverty, Walworth County

Inequality in the ‘Whitewater-Elkhorn’ Area

by JOHN ADAMS • 06/23/2016 • Comments

Over at the Economic Policy Institute, there’s a newly-published study of income inequality in America, and it ranks Walworth County as one of the most income-unequal places in the nation. The study refers to the ‘Whitewater-Elkhorn’ metropolitan area, but with a population of 102,000, it’s clear that the reference is to Walworth County, using the…

City, Elections, School District, Walworth County

Local Election Recap

by JOHN ADAMS • 04/06/2016 • Comments

Local elections affecting Whitewater went about as one might have expected. I’d guess there were, in the end, no surprises. There were three uncontested races for Common Council (Allen, Binnie, Langness), and two for the Whitewater Unified School District (Brunner, Stewart). That leaves two contested races in the immediate area: a Common Council race between…

Elections, Walworth County

The Walworth County Circuit Court Race (Final Thoughts)

by JOHN ADAMS • 04/04/2016 • Comments

I posted in February on the Walworth County Circuit court race between Family Court Commissioner Dan Johnson and District Attorney Dan Necci. A month and a half later, there’s no change in the dynamic of the race: Johnson has widespread support from officials in the county, across party lines, and Necci is relying significantly on prominent…

Elections, Politics, Walworth County

On Wisconsin’s 2.16.16 Primary

by JOHN ADAMS • 02/17/2016 • Comments

Results are in from yesterday’s February primary, and there are a few clues about the April 5th election, with one big uncertainty. First, the obvious uncertainty. The Republican and Democratic presidential races have offered surprises, and will likely offer more. One or both major-party contests may still be raging by 4.5.16. Ongoing interest in either, or…

Elections, Elkhorn, Politics, Walworth County

The Walworth County Circuit Court Race (Preliminaries)

by JOHN ADAMS • 02/15/2016 • 3 Comments

One may say two things, preliminarily, about the Walworth County Circuit Court race: It’s a race between generally conservative candidates; there are no left-right differences of significance. Incumbent District Attorney Dan Necci, after only briefly serving in that role, is running with almost no local, official support for his candidacy from among those with whom…

Assault Awareness & Prevention, Crime, Law, Walworth County

What the Victim’s Mother Told Walworth County Judge Carlson

by JOHN ADAMS • 03/11/2015 • Comments

It’s both a pity and a disgrace that a fourteen-year-old victim’s mother had to plead with the Hon. James Carlson to sentence to jail the men who assaulted her daughter: ELKHORN—The mother of a 14-year-old girl sexually assaulted by three men in an Elkhorn basement in 2013 pleaded with judges Tuesday to send two of…

Crime, District Attorney, Law, Misconduct, Sheriff, Walworth County

Seventeen Questions: Injustice in Walworth County Wrongly Sends a Fourteen-Year-Old to Jail

by JOHN ADAMS • 02/18/2015 • Comments

Yesterday, I posted about an appellate court decision that reversed a juvenile’s conviction and remanded the case for a new trial. See, Injustice in Walworth County Wrongly Sends a Fourteen-Year-Old to Jail. Today I’ll post several questions concerning the decision and two published accounts about of it. The appellate decision (“Appellate Decision”) is online at…

City, Elections, Local Government, Walworth County, Wisconsin

The 2014 Wisconsin Spring Primary

by JOHN ADAMS • 02/19/2014 • Comments

Results from the Wisconsin Spring Primary are, mostly, now in. In Whitewater. I’ve commented on this race in email and online. The unofficial results (Binnie 152, Yvarra 30, Meyer 26) in the top-two primary show a marked gap between the incumbent and his challengers. In a primary that awarded the race to a candidate…