Author: jnweaver

Metro bus riders will be taking alternate streets on several routes beginning Wednesday.

Landowners interested in learning how to grow switchgrass can now get a “how to” guide from the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

The guide, “Establishing and Managing Switchgrass,” was released Wednesday.

Switchgrass is a native prairie grass that has been shown to be a good fuel source for heat or power.

If Chancellor Carlos Santiago leaves the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, it will be a loss for the region.

But if he goes, his ideas must stay and be brought to fruition. We respect Santiago, but the ideas – putting UWM on the research map and making the school a major economic driver for the region – are bigger than the man.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos Santiago has advanced to become one of four finalists for the position of president at Florida International University, officials announced Monday night.

The news came after Florida International officials said Friday that Santiago was among 13 candidates for the top job at the 38,000-student university in Miami.

Madison firefighters spent hours fighting grass fires Wednesday afternoon — a situation that is getting more prevalent as grass and soil dry out.

Public Information Officer Bernadette Galvez said 14 grass or brush fires have been reported to the department in April already, including three fires on Wednesday.

The first fire on Wednesday was reported at about 3:50 p.m. between Park Street and Walnut Street along the bike path near Lake Mendota.

….The third grass fire of the day for Madison firefighters was reported at 5:09 p.m. in the University of Wisconsin Arboretum along Fish Hatchery Road north of Carver Street.

Amid criticism over how it handled non-emergency calls that later proved to involve serious incidents, the Dane County 911 center is developing a formal policy that would have operators probe for more information during such calls as they now do with 911 calls.

Madison Police Capt. Carl Gloede said establishing the policy would help satisfy his concerns about two high-profile incidents.

If “listening to a cow’s beating heart” has been on your to-do list for years, head down to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital on April 26.

The animal hospital, 2015 Linden Drive, is holding its first open house in over six years. Admission is free and the open house is from noon to 4 p.m. Free parking is available on campus in lot 62.

Visitors will be able to listen to a cow’s heart, meet unusual animals and learn what it takes to become a veterinarian.

The Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission has awarded more than $155,000 in grants in support of community arts, culture and local history programs.

The funding includes $148,080 in grants for 54 projects and $7,331 for four capital grants.

The public-private money from the commission is combined with funds from the Evjue Foundation, the American Girl’s Fund for Children, the Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation, the Madison Community Foundation’s Arts Access Fund, the Overture Foundation and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation to total about $1.5 million, with that amount being matched from other sources.

Many people would agree that earning a PhD is hard work worth celebrating. But is a doctoral graduation gown worth $800?

At a time when the economy is rocky and jobs are harder to find, some University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee doctoral students are balking at the price tag of the regalia they’re supposed to wear to spring commencement – a fancy frock that is three times as expensive to rent as doctoral attire at UW-Madison.

MILWAUKEE — A new national report released Monday shows salaries for professors at Wisconsin’s public and private universities are below the national average.

The American Association of University Professors tracked salaries for full professors and found the University of Wisconsin-Madison trails the national average by $6,000.

Dear Editor: I’m looking forward to being your 911 director.

…Residents of and visitors to Dane County: 911 service (and thus overall emergency response) is on the upswing. I’m heartened by the plans for near-term improvements and am made confident about the future by seeing many things already being successfully begun. One of the most helpful initiatives thus far was the hiring of nine new staff members who are currently being trained and will be ready for the busy summer season. I pledge to you that the staff and I will work diligently to continuously improve emergency communications and response in Dane County.

Dear Editor: Empire building again. That appears to be what the UW System is up to with its plan for the future of Iraq, making Iraq sort of a sister nation — as if the UW-Madison did not already have enough on its plate. More than enough.

I have over the years watched the UW, obsessed with growth and outreach, chew up the beautiful campus, knock down woods near the tower on Bascom Hill, and continually prostrate itself for the gods of growth — to the detriment of the taxpayers’ ability to pay, and to the environment itself.

Endless growth thrown against a fixed supply of natural resources is an oxymoronic proposition. And the UW should not endorse it.

Are you a Badger without a job?

Perhaps the Wisconsin Alumni Association can help.