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Winterfest Lake Geneva 2024 is only two weeks away. 
Wednesday, January 31st, through Sunday, February 4th, will be a five-day event of great winter fun. The US National Snow Sculpting Championship is the highlight of the festival. Get ready to be amazed once again, as fifteen award-winning sculpting teams from all over the country come to Lake Geneva for an intense three-day competition, located in Flat Iron Park and the Riviera Plaza.

There will be an Ice Sculpture Walk downtown, bonfires on the beach, and so much more for the whole family to enjoy. This is a huge event in Lake Geneva, drawing record-breaking crowds almost every year. An average year brings in sixty thousand spectators over the five days. Get ready for some great winter fun.

The police chief in Whitewater is asking for federal help in response to a bump in immigration.
The Whitewater Police Department sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking the White House for help to address challenges connected to a “rapid increase” in immigrants. Whitewater’s total population is just over 15,600 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 estimate. Its foreign-born population, not just including new immigrants, but including those with and without citizenship, makes up roughly 7.5 percent of that number (approximately 1170 residents). The letter outlined how some migrants, mainly from Nicaragua and Venezuela, began arriving in the city in early 2022.

Now, there are an estimated 800 of these new migrants in the city, and this is supposedly drawing on municipal services. The changes have created challenges for the police department, including an estimated $6,000 spent on translation services in 2023 and a higher workload that’s made it more difficult to police proactively (incidentally, the total police budget for Whitewater in 2022 was 3.4 million dollars). Language barriers have led to longer investigation times. The letter cites an uptick in unlicensed drivers throughout the city, although that can’t be verifiably connected to an influx of immigrants.

During the first eight months of 2022, the department issued more than 200 citations for operating without a license, roughly a threefold increase compared to that period in 2020, according to information provided by the Whitewater Police Department.  Again, however, there was no way to directly connect that number to immigrant drivers). Wisconsin is among 31 states that do not allow unauthorized immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses which might partially explain the uptick, although no specific records of that are retained either. The Whitewater officials called for federal funding that would allow for new hires at the police department and for the city to have a full-time immigrant liaison officer. Whitewater leaders believe the uptick in migration goes back to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As classes went virtual for an extended period, housing that would typically have been taken up by students was left sitting vacant, and that may have attracted immigrants to fill them. When asked if the city has gotten any communication from either the state or federal offices about aid that would be forthcoming the city indicated that nothing had been responded to so far.

While a shiny road surface indicates an obviously wet or icy road, a road covered with black ice will look a little different. Keep an eye out for pavement that is slightly darker and a little duller looking than the rest of the road surface, this may indicate that black ice is present. Because black ice is so tricky to detect, a driver may not realize there is an icy road surface until his car begins to slide. Here are some tips on how to drive on black ice: As soon as your car begins to slide on black ice, take your foot off the gas pedal. The last thing you want to do is give your car more gas.

It is very important to slow down when you are driving on black ice or in any other winter road conditions. Don’t slam the brakes. While it may be an instinct to slam on your brakes, this will only cause your car to lose control and slide even more. Tap the brake pedal lightly instead of pushing down hard on it. Look for trouble spots ahead. If you have an idea that there may be black ice ahead (if you see cars ahead of you sliding, for example), downshift to a lower gear before you come onto the black ice. The lower gear will force you to drive more slowly, and it will give you better control of your car.

If your car does begin to skid on the ice, turn the wheel in the direction of the skid. This should help to steer your car back on the right track. Leave plenty of space between your car and the other cars on the road. When driving on black ice road conditions, stay well behind the car in front of you (at least a couple of hundred feet), this is not the time to tailgate. Even if you feel confident that you know how to drive safely on black ice, that doesn’t mean the driver in front of you does. Be prepared in case other cars start to slide. Don’t think you’re invincible just because you drive a truck or a big sports utility vehicle. While four-wheel drive vehicles are great for driving in heavy snow, you’re on your own when it comes to driving on black ice.

Four-wheel drive vehicles have no advantage over regular cars when it comes to driving on black ice, so be sure to take the necessary safety precautions no matter what type of vehicle you are driving.