Ed Nuttycombe knows something about “not burying the lede” — fundamental to journalists and apparently to frustrated, retired Hall of Fame track coaches.
UW football facility won’t work for track and field, ex-coach warns
The Capital Times
Author: gbump
Leader of UW-Madison police’s encampment response seeks top job
The Capital Times
The interim leader of campus police at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is among the finalists vying to become the agency’s next chief. Brent Plisch rose to the role last February after Kristen Roman resigned amid an investigation into her conduct as chief.
‘It’s almost like it chose me’: Wisconsin’s new OC talks career, reviving the Badgers’ identity
Wisconsin State Journal
The walls in Jeff Grimes’ office are mostly bare, save for a series of large whiteboards and a TV screen to watch game tape.
How much Wisconsin football fans spent on alcohol at Camp Randall in 2024
Wisconsin State Journal
The totals over seven games at Camp Randall in 2024 were 255,122 sales for $3,088,690, according to records provided by the athletic department through a public records request.
Most of Gov. Tony Evers’ Cabinet is unconfirmed. Here’s why it matters
The Capital Times
While agency appointees in Wisconsin are afforded the same powers as someone who is confirmed, their job security is much less stable. Going years without being confirmed undercuts the legitimacy of agency leaders, said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“I think there’s a kind of public confidence or clout that gets associated with someone who’s been through that (confirmation) process,” Burden said. “They have gotten the stamp of approval from the Legislature, even if the powers don’t change the day that happens. There’s a perception I think that makes them more effective in their jobs.”
Why Edgewood College will spend $250k to be Edgewood University
The Capital Times
Edgewood College’s plan to transition to a new name could cost as much as $250,000 and take a few years to fully implement, but changes are expected to start this summer.
Wisconsin men’s basketball Los Angeles trip ‘on schedule’ amid city’s devastating wildfires
Wisconsin State Journal
Amid concerns over devastating wildfires impacting Los Angeles, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team’s trip to the city is “on schedule at the moment,” a school spokesperson said.
Here’s how the Madison area will be celebrating Martin Luther King Day
Wisconsin State Journal
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Dinner: The MLK Jr. Coalition hosts this annual event and buffet dinner, 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at UW Gordon Dining and Event Center, 770 W. Dayton St. Meet neighbors, share in the spirit of Dr. King and hear music from WYSO Music Makers at 6:15 p.m.
MLK Symposium 2025: Donzaleigh Abernathy, the youngest daughter of Civil Rights Movement co-founder Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy and goddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr., is the featured speaker in this special event honoring King’s legacy, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, in Shannon Hall, Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St. Hosted by the UW-Madison Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement.
Acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch had long ties to Madison, exhibited here
Wisconsin State Journal
He was also a prolific painter, musician and print artist who came to Madison every summer starting in the late 1990s and developed a long-term collaboration with UW-Madison’s Tandem Press, then-director Paula Panczenko recalled in 2022.
Number of WPR listeners, PBS Wisconsin viewers shrinking
The Capital Times
“We are watching all of those things very closely to ensure that we’re meeting Wisconsinites where they want to consume public media,” said Jordan Siegler, interim executive director of the Division of Public Media at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which along with the Educational Communications Board oversees PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio.
An ice castle rises in Wisconsin’s North Woods
Wisconsin State Journal
“I put it together and then we talk about it. It’s not like we have an architect,” said Anderson, who shared the design with his classmates in an MBA program he’s in at UW-Madison. “The comradery we have in our leadership corps really helps in our construction process. But our volunteer firefighters are really what makes this happen.”
UW Engineering hall design doesn’t match rest of campus | Bruce Harville
Wisconsin State Journal
Letters to the editor: When I look around campus, the most pleasing views include the oldest buildings, or those with some stylistic consistency with their neighbors.
Trump’s ‘mass deportation’ likely to face legal challenges
The Capital Times
Knowing your rights in your own home is just as important, said Raffi Friedman, an attorney and clinical instructor with the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For example, some immigrant households are made up of mixed-status families — parents who are undocumented and children who were born in the United States and are legal citizens.
“Those who are U.S. citizens should definitely apply for U.S. passports and have them on them,” Friedman said.
Wisconsin Innocence Project gets $1.5M to free wrongfully convicted
The Capital Times
Founded in 1998, the Wisconsin Innocence Project is a law clinic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s law school. Students and staff work to exonerate Wisconsinites who claim innocence in primarily serious cases, such as sexual assault and homicide, Burg said.
Wisconsin men’s basketball monitoring Los Angeles fires as West Coast trip nears
Wisconsin State Journal
Plans for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team to travel to California this weekend for a set of upcoming games remain unchanged amid concerns over wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area, Badgers coach Greg Gard said Monday.
Tom Still: Getting more business ‘starts’ for Wisconsin requires action on several fronts
Wisconsin State Journal
As the 2024 “Empowering the Wisconsin Idea” report noted, UW-Madison is sixth in the nation in research and development spending but not as vibrant in fostering startups. Other universities with R&D budgets comparable to Madison are the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, the University of Minnesota and the University of Washington. All four generate far more startups
In fact, all but three of 14 universities examined by the report were tied to more startups — including some with a fraction of the UW-Madison’s research budget.
UW system sets the targets chancellors must hit to get 15% bonuses next year
Wisconsin State Journal
Chancellors at Universities of Wisconsin campuses that have lost a high percentage of freshmen will have bigger retention targets to meet in order to earn the 15% bonuses newly available to all chancellors, according to information provided to the Wisconsin State Journal.
UW-Madison engineering building wins final OK to start construction
The Capital Times
Work can begin on a new engineering building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison after the State Building Commission reversed course Friday and approved the long-awaited project.
Charlene Kate Kavanagh
Wisconsin State Journal
Dr. Kate went on to become an Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine and School of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Keep UW-Madison campus in Universities of Wisconsin system | Eugene Johnson
Wisconsin State Journal
Letter to the editor: The proposal to detach UW-Madison from the other Universities of Wisconsin system campuses smacks of elitism.
UW-Madison’s engineering building is on track again after state delayed funding
Wisconsin State Journal
Plans to build UW-Madison’s new $419 million engineering building got back on track Friday after the state’s Building Commission — which initially denied UW system’s request to reallocate millions in state funds for the Madison project and others — signed off on the transfers.
Michael L Symons
Wisconsin State Journal
Mike retired from the UW-Madison Physical Plant in 2008 after more than 30 years of service.
How Madison’s economy could change in 2025
The Capital Times
The nearly 150,000-square-foot Element Labs opened at University Research Park in March 2024, with space for up to 20 bioscience companies. A similar-size project, called Velocity Station, is slated to replace the former Clock Tower office park at 6411 Odana Road, but no timeline has been announced.
12 UW-Madison inventions that changed the world
Wisconsin State Journal
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, known for helping UW-Madison commercialize discoveries such as vitamin D enrichment, a blood thinning drug and stem cells, may seem like a solid presence on campus whose existence was never in doubt.
But WARF, the nation’s first university technology transfer office, had to fight for survival from its founding in 1925 until at least 1980, when the federal Bayh-Dole Act said universities could retain patent rights on federally funded research.
This unsung team’s ‘thankless job’ is crucial to Wisconsin football
Wisconsin State Journal
Head football equipment manager Jeremy Amundson and assistant equipment manager Sam Wrobel led a team of 14 student managers this season. This equipment staff collaborates with not just players and coaches but other Wisconsin departments to help provide the resources and assistance needed for the Badgers to perform at their best.
UW system has added 34 new programs since fall 2023; here’s what you can study now
Wisconsin State Journal
Universities of Wisconsin campuses have approved dozens of new programs in the past year, with expanded science or more-advanced degrees taking precedence.
New Year’s Eve fire displaces handful of residents from apartment near campus
Wisconsin State Journal
Asmall number of residents has been displaced from a fire Tuesday night at an apartment complex near the UW-Madison campus.
UW-Madison employees call for separate, paid bereavement leave
The Capital Times
Under UW-Madison’s current policy, employees can use accrued sick leave, vacation days, banked leave or personal holidays after a family member dies. A new proposal encourages the university to add a separate, paid bereavement leave category for all employees, including faculty, staff, graduate student employees, postdoctoral fellows and others.
Most Dane County districts don’t weigh class rigor in ranking students for guaranteed UW admission
Wisconsin State Journal
With a law guaranteeing top-ranked students admission to state universities set to take effect next school year, 15 of Dane County’s 16 school districts have opted for class-ranking systems that don’t take into account the difficulty of the classes students take.
‘Don’t look for just one magic cure’ to your seasonal depression
Wisconsin Public Radio
Dr. Ellen Marks is the interim director of Mental Health Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She, too, said SAD derives from a range of factors and should be approached holistically.
Marks said SAD exists on a spectrum and can affect people with varying levels of severity. She encourages the normalization of SAD through education and discussion.
Wisconsin leaders honor Jimmy Carter, state to lower flags
The Capital Times
Photo caption: Former President Carter talks about his anti-poverty program, the Atlanta Project, in Madison in 1994. More than 1,000 people came to hear Carter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Union Theater.
Madison changed in 2024, with new leaders, BRT and a shocking tragedy
The Capital Times
UW-Madison started offering six weeks of paid time off to eligible employees in July, after the birth or adoption of a child. Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin celebrated the move. “The truth is that this isn’t going to be terribly expensive to implement,” Mnookin said in April, when the policy was announced.
The university community said farewell to a long-standing fixture on campus when “the Shell” was torn down this fall. UW-Madison’s athletics department plans to build a new indoor football practice facility next to Camp Randall stadium. The $285 million project is needed to remain competitive with peer institutions, especially at a top-tier football program in a northern climate, athletics department officials said.
10 in-state Badgers who have made significant impact on Wisconsin football since 2015
Wisconsin State Journal
Many players from within state borders have excelled on the University of Wisconsin football team over the past decade, and keeping the top talent within Wisconsin has been a priority for multiple Badgers staffs since Barry Alvarez took over the program in 1990.
How Madison failed to count nearly 200 absentee ballots
The Capital Times
The 193 absentee ballots were left uncounted across three wards on the west side of Madison, near the isthmus and in the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus area.
Opinion | GOP takes another kick at the University of Wisconsin
The Capital Times
Despite losing 14 seats in the fall election, GOP legislators still feel empowered to hold the state’s largest economic engine hostage to the whims of its most petty members. Republicans on the state Building Commission ganged up on UW-Madison last week and threw another obstacle in the path of the long-awaited and already-approved new engineering building.
UW med school dean reflects on abortion training, faculty diversity
The Capital Times
As he first announced nearly a year ago, Robert Golden will soon step down as dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health. He’s held that role since 2006, overseeing more than 5,400 faculty and staff, nearly 2,400 students and postgraduate trainees, and over $640 million in research grants.
Wisconsin volleyball home crowds smaller after record-setting season
Wisconsin State Journal
There was an average of 6,083 tickets scanned for Badgers home matches this season, down 2.8% from the high-water mark of 6,261 in 2023 but still the second-highest figure on record.
How Trump got more Madison college student votes than ever
The Capital Times
Thomas Pyle wants to build on the momentum College Republicans drummed up at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this semester.
UW system’s tuition waivers have helped first-generation college students the most
Wisconsin State Journal
Just more than half of the Universities of Wisconsin freshman students who benefitted from a system-funded tuition-waiver scholarship program for low-income families in 2023 were the first in their families to attend college. That’s about twice the percentage of first-generation students in the freshman class last year.
Could UW Health nurses unionize in 2025? Maybe, and here’s why
The Capital Times
A union representing hundreds of UW Health nurses hopes a recent court decision overturning limits on collective bargaining will pave the way for success in their own push for recognition, which is set to go before the Wisconsin Supreme Court next year.
Coyotes, red foxes ‘coexist peacefully’ in Madison, researchers say
The Capital Times
David Drake leads the Urban Canid Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 2014, researchers with the project have studied where coyotes and red foxes live in the Madison area, when they are active and how they interact with each other, in addition to humans and pets. University students help Drake set up traps around the city from November to March, so they can put radio collars on animals and track them.
“We’ve gotten some really good data,” said Drake, a professor and Extension wildlife specialist at UW-Madison’s Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology.
William Lawrence Church
Wisconsin State Journal
He retired as Volkman-Bascom Distinguished Teaching Professor of Law after teaching for 50 years at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He received numerous awards for excellence in teaching.
Revered Wisconsin volleyball star to start professional career in Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
Sarah Franklin isn’t ready to put Madison in her rearview mirror just yet.
How much Wisconsin will get in rental fees for 2025 Coldplay concert at Camp Randall
Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin will receive $520,000 to host the Coldplay concert at the stadium on July 19, according to the university. The base rental fee is $200,000 and the other $320,000 is to cover expenses like staffing and security.
A scammer stole expense money from ex-Wisconsin athletes. Here’s where the funds came from
Wisconsin State Journal
Aformer University of Wisconsin athlete said she had thousands of dollars remaining in a debit account funded by the athletic department when she finished her college career.
Michael J. “Mike” Collins
Wisconsin State Journal
He was an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Battle over more state funding imperils future of UW-Madison engineering building
Wisconsin State Journal
The future of UW-Madison’s new engineering building, as well as other Universities of Wisconsin building priorities, is again in limbo after Republicans on the state’s Building Commission refused to reallocate nearly $70 million in state funds.
Robin Vos wants to mirror Elon Musk’s DOGE committee in Wisconsin
The Capital Times
Q: Would you support a change in the university’s governance structure or spinning off the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the rest of the Universities of Wisconsin?
A: I supported those ideas in the past, so I’m certainly open to having discussions, but our caucus has had no discussion about any of those kinds of things.
Fate of UW-Madison’s new engineering building up in the air after vote
The Capital Times
Plans for a new, long-awaited engineering building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison face another obstacle after the State Building Commission denied a request Wednesday to adjust funding and approve construction.
1,000 patients a day: New UW Health clinic hits the ground running
The Capital Times
UW Health’s new Eastpark Medical Center has seen an average of 1,000 patients a day in the month since it opened, an immediate wave of demand that reinforces the clinic’s goal of addressing a regional need, a top official says.
Female school shooters like the one in Madison are extremely rare, data shows
Wisconsin State Journal
Janet Hyde, UW-Madison professor emerita of psychology and gender and women’s studies, believes socialization explains the gender gap. Hyde is an expert in both the psychology of gun violence and women.
“Of course, we don’t know the details about the motives in this particular one, but in general, women are socialized, girls are socialized, to care for others,” Hyde said. “This is such a violation of what girls are socialized to do — they’re socialized to play with baby dolls, and they’re socialized to become nurses. It’s great to be a caring person, but that’s why we see so few female shooters, because it violates the socialization.”
Wisconsin football’s 2024 season produced a rarity in home attendance
Wisconsin State Journal
The Sept. 14 game against Alabama had 66,679 tickets scanned, higher than for night games against No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 16 (64,642) and No. 3 Penn State on Oct. 26 (66,319).
Abundant Life school shooting prompts calls for support, action
The Capital Times
One resource people can turn to for their own healing is the Healthy Minds Program, Davidson said. The free, evidence-based app was created by Healthy Minds Innovation, a nonprofit affiliated with UW-Madison’s center.
Wisconsin scientists seek to explain strange headaches at US embassies
The Capital Times
Christian Franck, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, leads PANTHER, an multi-institution research hub based at UW-Madison, focused on understanding, detecting and preventing traumatic brain injuries. The hub brings together experts from different disciplines.
PANTHER has received over $50 million from the U.S. Office of Naval Research since 2017, including an additional $10 million recently to investigate how pulsed microwaves might injure the brain.
Madison school shooter was 15-year-old girl, police say
The Capital Times
Fifteen ambulances responded to the shooting. Four victims were transported to St. Mary’s and three to University of Wisconsin-Madison hospitals, Madison Fire Chief Chris Carbon said.
Officers from the Madison Police Department, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and Dane County Sheriff’s Department were on site. Barnes said he also had been in contact with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Why totals of arrests, citations at Camp Randall in 2024 were surprising, expected
Wisconsin State Journal
The first year of expanded alcohol sales for University of Wisconsin football home games brought decreases in the number of arrests and citations issued. A 19% drop in both categories for the 2024 season compared to figures from 2023 was both expected and surprising, a UW-Madison Police official said.
Volleyball gets more exposure, and Nebraska makes a statement
The Capital Times
In a most convincing and dominating fashion, the Huskers swept the Badgers, 24-26, 17-25, 21-25. It was their 26th consecutive home victory in the NCAA tournament, a school record.
UW-Madison police use drone in hit-and-run arrest
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison Police were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on on Arboretum Drive near Mills Street at 11:15 p.m. A totaled black truck sat abandoned, having gone off the road and hit a tree, according to police spokesperson Marc Lovicott.
UW-Madison expands engineering project to put businesses right on campus
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison is adding a business partnership floor to its upcoming engineering building, aimed at opening a direct pipeline between students and the kinds of businesses that may one day employee them.
Mary Teresa Zellmer
Wisconsin State Journal
For several years, Mary worked with the Theater Department at UW-Madison, a highlight of which was traveling throughout the U.S. with performing theater students.