Author: jnweaver

Despite concerns by city officials about height and size, St. Paulâ??s University Catholic Center is proposing a striking, 14-story facility with a chapel, student center and residences on State Street Mall â?? a project Madison Catholic Diocese Bishop Robert Morlino says is more important than rebuilding the Downtown Cathedral.A redevelopment of the Catholic Center would create a “religious learning center” that would serve thousands of Catholic students at UW-Madison and the larger community, church officials said.

A column by William Barnes, a junior majoring in communication arts, and Porter Pearce, a junior majoring in political science and religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both are interns at One Wisconsin Now, a statewide liberal advocacy organization.

Like a growing number of college students across the country, Teresa Welsh considered spending a semester studying abroad.

â??But Iâ??ve heard from a lot of people that you basically go and hang out with other Americans or English speakers, live in a dorm with others like you and donâ??t necessarily integrate yourself with the culture or students in your classes,â? says Welsh, who is set to graduate from UW-Madison in May with a double major in journalism and Latin American studies. â??Thatâ??s not what I wanted.â?

Administrators at the University of Wisconsin-Stout are trying to crack down on alcohol abuse after six students died in alcohol related incidents in the last two years.Chancellor Charles Sorensen informed students and staff of the new measures in an email Tuesday, saying “strong and decisive steps are necessary to address a serious situation,” and he said the school would begin taking disciplinary actions against students who abuse alcohol.

MADISON, Wis. — This week marks the two-year anniversary since the death of University of Wisconsin-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann in her downtown apartment.

For Madison police investigators, the Doty Street house where the 21-year-old lived and was killed serves as a reminder. Much like the public perception of their investigation, the building is unchanged from two years ago.

â??People just want to know the answer, so I do appreciate that side of it as well,â? said Police Capt. Mary Schauf. â??We want to do a quality investigation, but we also want the right person arrested.â?

Schauf said that this case is far from cold. In fact, she said detectives work on it daily and there have been occasions that they thought they might have a break.

For several University of Wisconsin-Madison students, this yearâ??s spring break was an opportunity to skip the traditional beach parties in Florida or Mexico in order to spend their time volunteering at parks, schools and nursing homes in six cities – including a stop Monday in Auburn.

Laura Phelan, a freshman at the university, said the students have already stopped in South Bend, Ind., and Pittsburgh and will visit Bethel, N.Y., Philadelphia and Washington D.C. when they are done volunteering.The trip is part of a nationwide Pay it Forward Tour meant to encourage college students to spend their spring break volunteering in local communities.

LA CROSSE, Wis. — A University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student has been found sleeping in another personâ??s car after he was reported missing after leaving a bar, prompting a nearly six-hour search.

The La Crosse Tribune reported Sunday that the 22-year-old student was last seen at 1 a.m. leaving the State Room bar downtown. He had told friends he was walking home, but never made it.

Brittany Zimmermannâ??s mother shares a personal nightmare in hopes others will share what they know about her daughterâ??s murder.

….Madisonâ??s point man on the census, planning staff member Brian Grady, says the city is working with members of its Complete Count Committee and the organizations it represents to get an accurate count of the cityâ??s population. Every person not counted means the loss of an estimated $1,000 a year in federal funding to the community, he says.

The city has focused on census tracts that had a low response rate in the 2000 census, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, South Park Street, Fish Hatchery Road near the Beltline and Allied Drive. Mail-in returns of the 2000 census for those areas ranged from 60 to 70 percent, compared to 81 percent for the city as a whole.