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Author: jnweaver

Language immersion programs at UW-Madison

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Capital Times

The Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute and the South Asia Summer Language Institute are eight-week intensive language training programs for undergraduates, graduate students and professionals. The eight-week courses, both of which are currently hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, count as one full year of language.

The Southeast Asian institute offers instruction at the first-, second- and third-year levels in Burmese, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Javanese, Khmer, Lao, Thai and Vietnamese.

UW is home to Asian language immersion programs

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Capital Times

Hezzy Smith was willing to move halfway around the world to learn how to speak Bengali.

But when the recent Harvard graduate didn’t get a spot this summer in a program in Dhaka, Bangladesh, he was less enthusiastic about moving halfway across the country to study this South Asian language.

“I’m from New Jersey, went to high school in New York and college in Boston,” said Smith, who needs to learn Bengali before moving to Mymensingh, Bangladesh, where he will begin working with people who have cognitive disabilities in April 2009. “And now I have to go to Madison? I was like, ‘I’ve never been out west.’

“I remember how everyone kept asking me, ‘Why are you going to Madison to learn Bengali?’ ”

Flight for Life to open new base in Fond du Lac

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The medical arms race now has health care systems vying for air supremacy.Medical Helicopters

Flight for Life, the nonprofit air ambulance service based in the greater Milwaukee area, will open an air base in Fond du Lac next month that puts it in a position to draw patients from similar services in Neenah and Madison.

This means that to break even, Flight for Life will need to take market share away from ThedaCare in the Fox Valley or UW Health in Madison.

UW Health â?? which transported 1,312 patients last year through UW Med Flight â?? declined to comment on how Flight for Lifeâ??s new base could affect its service.

Big Ten meetings on tap

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The 2008 Big Ten Conference pre-season football meetings are set to be held Thursday and Friday at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Returning Badgers taking tough lessons of 2007 to heart

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Their belief that they underachieved and wasted a rare opportunity has not waned.

Their psychological wounds caused by that failure have not fully healed. Their newfound sense of humility, laced with determination to make amends, remains intact.

When many of the University of Wisconsin players reflect upon the 2007 football season, several moments of triumph remain overshadowed by the knowledge a season that began with so much promise ultimately was marred by lackluster performances, including a galling 21-17 loss to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.

Tuition is just the beginning of bills for college

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It was the $40 laptop lock that threw Curt Bauer for a loop. Hidden Costs of College

After years of making deposits into the college fund, consulting budgeting books and scouring the Internet for obscure scholarships, the Waukesha dad finally sent his oldest daughter off to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee last fall.

He was ready for the cost of tuition, room and board. It was the little unexpected expenses like the laptop lock – “all those nickels and dimes,” he said – that added up.

Special Assignment: UW Worm Egg Therapy

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NBC-15

“It is very exciting!” exclaims Dr. John Fleming, “It’s the first time in the world that it’s been tried in a systematic way with Multiple Sclerosis patients. So in Wisconsin, we will be ground zero.”

Dr. Fleming is the lead researcher on a new study to determine whether drinking a worm potion can reduce the symptoms of MS.

“It’s a clear drink, kind of like Gatorade,” Fleming explains, “There are 2500 eggs in here that the patient will drink every two weeks.”

Transfer agreement to help MATC students to UW College of Engineering

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Capital Times

Transfer agreement to help MATC students to UW College of Engineering

Todd Finkelmeyer â?? 7/17/2008 8:34 pm

Madison Area Technical College is set to provide its students with a road map for earning access into UW-Madison’s highly regarded College of Engineering.

On Monday, MATC and UW-Madison officials plan to sign an engineering transfer agreement which will guarantee qualified MATC students admission to 10 degree programs at the College of Engineering.

Madison musician wins human rights award for work in healing racism

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Capital Times

A few years ago, Lynette Jandl found that racism had gotten into her, and it was Richard Davis who helped get it out.

Jandl attended Davis’ Institutes for the Healing of Racism Inc., which the renowned Madison bass player runs out of his West Shore Drive home.

“Everyone who goes feels profoundly changed,” Jandl told a crowd of about 100 at the Diversity Picnic held by the Madison Department of Civil Rights Thursday at the Warner Park Shelter on Northport Drive.

Davis won the 13th annual Rev. James C. Wright Human Rights Award, presented by Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.

….Davis, a professor of European classical and jazz bass, jazz history and combo improvisation at UW-Madison, came to the UW in 1977 after spending 23 years in New York City establishing himself as one of the world’s premier bass players.

Wisconsin lawmakers seek review of state employee sick leave use

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

State legislators on Thursday questioned whether state employees were abusing sick leave and said they wanted a review of sick leave use by early next year.

State employees on average use 65 hours – or a week and a half – of sick leave each year. Lawmakers said they believe that is higher than the private sector and want to see a further analysis of the issue.

$1.6M grant allows new biomed tool for UW

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Capital Times

UW-Madison scientists will soon be getting new cutting-edge research tools to allow the university to stay in the forefront of medical and biological research.

The National Center for Research Resources announced Thursday that UW will get a $1.6 million grant to allow the university to purchase a new instrument that combines a mass spectrometer, a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer and a liquid-chromatography system to be used in a variety of research projects, including projects developing new antibiotics and drugs for a range of diseases including cancer, tuberculosis and diabetes.

Smithsonian gets real dirt on Wisconsin soil

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Capital Times

Dirt is finally getting its due with an exhibit opening this weekend at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Several Madison scientists are spearheading “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil,” and the Soil Science Society of America, based here in Madison, is a founding sponsor.

It’s about time for this “misunderstood” science to get its own exhibit, according to Arboretum director and soil scientist Kevin McSweeney. Even the common name for soils, dirt, has a “contemptuous meaning.”

UW-Extension names new provost/vice chancellor

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Capital Times

Christine Quinn has been named the new provost/vice chancellor for the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

After a national search, Quinn replaces Robin Shepard, who was interim provost/vice chancellor. Shepard was not a candidate for the position.

UW Colleges/UW-Extension Chancellor David Wilson announced Quinn’s appointment Thursday morning.

Tegenkamp treats fans with Olympic tuneup (photo gallery)

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Capital Times

Former University of Wisconsin runner Matt Tegenkamp, fresh off earning a berth on the U.S. Olympic track and field team, ran the fastest 1,500 meters ever on Wisconsin soil Tuesday night in a four-man showdown at the McClimon Track Complex.

Tegenkamp’s victory in a time of 3 minutes, 37.94 seconds, came in front of about 1,000 fans, and at the expense of fellow UW alumnus Chris Solinsky, who finished third in 3:40.67.

U.S. Transplant Games coming to Madison

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Capital Times

The Transplant Games are coming to town.

Madison has been chosen as the site for the 2010 U.S. Transplant Games, a 14-sport athletic competition for people who’ve received life-sustaining organ transplants.

Sara O’Loughlin, administrative director for the University of Wisconsin Hospital transplant program, said the announcement means a lot for both Madison and the UW.

Sabbatical’s over for Soderberg

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Capital Times

The last time Brad Soderberg had an interim job, the interim turned out to be a lot shorter than he wished.

So as the new interim athletic director at Loras College in Dubuque, Soderberg is keeping an open mind as to the definition of “interim.”

UW map shows range of flooding devastation

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Capital Times

A new map produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s WisconsinView program shows just how much the water from flooding last month had a widespread and devastating impact across southern and central Wisconsin.

Citizens speak up here against military action in Iran

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Capital Times

A gathering of more than 100 concerned citizens adamantly voiced their opposition to military action in Iran at a town hall meeting Tuesday.

Concerned that the Bush administration is actively pursuing plans to take military action in Iran, members of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Madison Area Peace Coalition, and several other groups put together a panel of five local experts on U.S. policy on Iran with the goal of educating the audience and organizing a proactive, vocal anti-war group.

Quoted: Joe Elder, a UW-Madison sociology professor born in Iran, and Majid Sarmadi, a UW human ecology professor.

Peterson’s behavior pattern fits mentally ill profile

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Capital Times

Five weeks after Madison resident Joel Marino’s death, the man who would be charged with his murder had become so volatile, his demeanor so out of character and worrisome to friends and family, that local authorities were called to check on him.

What transpired immediately following that call on Friday, March 7, put 20-year-old Adam Peterson face to face with law enforcement and mental health professionals in a local hospital through much of the following week. His stay was prompted by a psychological evaluation that determined further attention was necessary.

Quoted: UW-Madison professor of psychiatry Ronald Diamond, medical director of the Mental Health Center of Dane County.

Madison link sought to Wisconsin Rapids man

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Madison police plan to see whether thereâ??s a tie between a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two men in Wood County and a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student who was killed in April.

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Lanphear link to Madison homicide explored

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Sharif Durhams

Madison police plan to see whether there’s a tie between a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two men in Wood County and a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student who was killed in April.

Edward Lanphear, 46, is being held on $1 million bail at the Wood County Jail, charged with 12 felonies ranging from kidnapping to sexual assault to false imprisonment and battery.

Wood County sheriff’s investigators who searched Lanphear’s home last week found a newspaper clipping of a story about the death of Brittany Sue Zimmermann, a UW-Madison student found dead in her apartment in April, according to court filings.

Another highlighted newspaper found in Lanphear’s home, dated July 7, contains news about the search for a missing 23-year-old Grand Rapids man who later turned up in Lanphear’s basement.

Report: Police seek possible link between Zimmermann murder, kidnapping case

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Capital Times

Madison police plan to see whether there’s a tie between a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two men in Wood County and the murder of Brittany Zimmermann in Madison, who was killed in April, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Web site reported Tuesday.

The newspaper reports that Edward Lanphear, 46, is being held on $1 million bail at the Wood County Jail, charged with 12 felonies ranging from kidnapping to sexual assault to false imprisonment and battery.

Dave Zweifel’s Plain Talk: Get rid of secrecy in state worker pacts

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Capital Times

The Wisconsin State Employees Union has raised more than a few eyebrows over its dogged insistence that its union contract can trump the state’s open records law.

Although it has lost in Circuit Court, it has now appealed all the way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to defend contracts with the state — contracts that should never have been accepted by the state in the first place — that prohibit the public release of the names of its rank-and-file members.

Rick Bogle: Dalai Lama doesn’t exhibit compassion for animals

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Capital Times

Dear Editor:

I had to chuckle at Phil Haslanger’s understatement that the Dalai Lama’s beliefs can’t be stuffed into tidy boxes.

While the Dalai Lama’s position on Tibet and China appears confused, even more so does his position on compassion for all sentient beings, a hallmark of Buddhism. After his visit here in 2007, he went to Milwaukee and dined on veal.

Madison celebrity Richard Davidson often cites the Dalai Lama’s support for animal experimentation — such as Davidson’s own invasive brain experiments on monkeys — when asked about these experiments during his own public lectures.

ATC application complete for power line

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Capital Times

The clock has started ticking on American Transmission Company’s proposal to build a 345-kilovolt transmission line across Dane County.

The Public Service Commission has deemed the 2,000-page application as complete, and will start the formal process leading to approval or denial, a process that could take up to a year.

Foodies go crackers for Potter’s

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Capital Times

Thanks to an innovative pair of Madison food entrepreneurs, the lowly cracker gets to be a star at the snack table, rather than just the unsung transport vehicle for cheese or savory dips.

But it’s not just any cracker that chefs like Chicago’s Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill fame are raving about and local consumers are craving.

UW men’s hockey: Eaves rumor mill churning

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Capital Times

Word is there was some talk around the NHL entry draft in Ottawa three weeks ago involving Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves and the vacant Los Angeles Kings head coaching position.

I both despise and am intrigued by rumors, but this one falls more on the side of intrigue. The Kings fired coach Marc Crawford last month, and the only person reported to have been interviewed by general manager Dean Lombardi thus far is associate coach Mike Johnston.

Late-night cookie truck promises sweet relief

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Capital Times

Not everybody wants a gyro or a slice of pizza at bar time. Those with a sweet tooth might be more inclined toward a warm double chocolate chunk or M&M cookie and some cold milk.

“That is heaven right there,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison student Will Catron, 26, holding up an ice cream sandwich made with two white chocolate macadamia cookies and vanilla ice cream in the middle.

“It’s great,” said Catron, who visits the Insomnia Cookies truck on State Street Mall once or twice a week to get his favorite confection. “This is the cookie I love the most.”

Noose, guns found in Lanphear’s home

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Investigators found a noose, plastic restraints and a newspaper story about a homicide investigation among other items in the home of a Wisconsin Rapids man accused of abducting two men last week, according to court documents.

Wood County sheriff’s investigators who searched the home of Edward Lanphear last week found a newspaper clipping of a story about the death of Brittany Sue Zimmermann, the 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student found dead in her apartment in April, according to court filings.

Posted in Uncategorized

Iran town hall meeting tonight

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Capital Times

First Afghanistan, then Iraq, and now Iran?

Peace activists are mobilizing Tuesday night to discuss the possibility of war in Iran, hoping to raise awareness of the threat of war while also looking at ways to avoid it.

The town hall meeting starts at 7 p.m. in Lowell Hall on the UW-Madison campus, 610 Langdon St., Room B1-A/D.

Local experts will tackle the Iran crisis from different angles.

Posted in Uncategorized

Warming climate could mean thinner northern forests, UW researchers say

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Capital Times

UW-Madison scientist David Mladenoff has been warning for years that some trees common to northern Wisconsin — balsam fir, spruce and jack pine — could disappear from the state as the climate warms.

But now Mladenoff and fellow UW forest ecologist Robert Scheller are adding that it will be difficult for southern Wisconsin species — oaks and hickories for instance — to move northward to replace them.

Wright set for a new challenge

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Guess what? A former Green Bay Packers quarterback has decided to return to the football field.

Imagine that.

Wait a second! Itâ??s not that former Packers QB, the gunslinger who has dominated the weekend news.

No, the ex-Packers passer in question this time is Randy Wright whoâ??s about to enter his first season as offensive coordinator at Sturgeon Bay High School. Wright is a former Badgers QB, as well.

University of Wisconsin-Madison donates ID scanners to businesses

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Anyone under the age of 21 looking to buy alcohol in downtown Madison could soon find it a little tougher to pass off a fake ID.

To combat underage drinking, the University of Wisconsin-Madison used donated funds to buy hand-held scanners â?? at $1,000 each â?? and give them at no cost to seven liquor stores and one grocery store. The businesses, in turn, agreed to use the gadgets to swipe customersâ?? IDs to instantly determine whether they are of age or using a fake.

Cinematheque broadens viewers’ world with films — and TV shows

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Capital Times

Quick, name a 1950s TV show. If you said “Howdy Doody” or “Leave it to Beaver,” time to get your consciousness expanded.

What about “World of Giants,” a pilot about a six-inch-tall spy? Or “East Side, West Side,” a series starring George C. Scott as a social worker in a New York City ghetto?

Look no further than 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave., on the UW campus. That’s where you can find Cinematheque shows on Thursday and Friday evenings throughout the summer. For the 10th year now, Cinematheque has been plumbing the archives of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research (WCFTR) to bring free screenings of the finest, wackiest or most ground-breaking cinema in its original form.

UW researchers, others warn of expanding biofuels in tropics

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Capital Times

Biofuels, by recycling atmospheric carbon, are a potential boon to the world’s ailing climate. But efforts in the tropics to significantly expand biofuel production by replacing tropical forests with oil palm, sugarcane and other agricultural biofuels could speed climate change, a new study warns.

In Wednesday’s issue of the journal Environmental Research Letters, a team of researchers from the UW-Madison and other universities cautions that expanding biofuel crop production in natural tropical ecosystems will lead to a significant increase in carbon emissions for decades and possibly hundreds of years.

Big Ten Network inks deal with Verizon, negotiating again with Mediacom

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Capital Times

The Big Ten Network announced Wednesday that it has signed a deal with Verizon to be carried on its FiOS service, a cable-like TV service that is delivered to homes over fiber optic lines.

Verizon provides phone and Internet services to several Madison area communities, including Sun Prairie and Oregon, but those local markets are not included in Verizon’s FiOS rollout plans that have been released through 2010.

Meanwhile, Mediacom, which serves about 400,000 households in Iowa, is in “active discussions” again with BTN, Mediacom spokeswoman Phyllis Peters told the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Martin Gruberg: Erosion of UW quality a sign of madness in Madison

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Capital Times

Dear Editor:

There’s a madness in Madison.

At one time, in-state students attending the state universities paid only one third of the cost. Now they’re charged for more than half of the instructional budget. (The governor and Legislature recently decided that veterans were to get free tuition. However, since this was an underfunded mandate, the Board of Regents had to come up with the money by raising tuition for all the other students!)

The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations rescinded University of Wisconsin faculty raises while approving substantial increases for professional state employees.

(Gruberg is a professor emeritus of political science at UW-Oshkosh)

Fruit flies help fight next flu pandemic

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Capital Times

Forget dogs. The lowly fruit fly is really man’s best friend. At least when it comes to helping researchers fight the threat of the world’s next flu pandemic.

The top flu researchers in the world depend on fruit flies for their experiments, and this week several of them at the UW-Madison have announced a breakthrough that will help drug companies target new therapies.

By injecting fly cells with a modified flu virus, a team of researchers led by UW virologists Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Paul Ahlquist were able to pinpoint which of the fly cells’ 13,000 genes were most vulnerable.

A year later: Grief, nightmares and no new leads in Kelly Nolan case

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Capital Times

A year ago Wednesday, the body of murder victim Kelly Nolan was found in a wooded area in the town of Dunn, providing her family with some closure but little emotional relief from the tragic death of their 22-year-old daughter.

….Nolan, a UW-Whitewater student who had been living in Madison for a month, disappeared after a night out with friends in downtown Madison. She was last seen walking with someone downtown in the early morning hours of June 23, 2007. Although nearly 600 people have been interviewed and 200 tips investigated relating to her disappearance and death, the police currently have no suspects.

(Madison Police spokesman Joel) DeSpain said the police did receive new leads following a press conference that was held June 13. He said detectives continue to work the case, stressing it is by no means a cold case. He instead classified the Nolan case as difficult because of the fact that her body was left in the countryside south of Madison, preventing her body from being found for several weeks. That made it difficult to gather forensic evidence.

New interim UW-Parkside chancellor endorsed

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Capital Times

University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly announced Wednesday that he will recommend Lane Earns as the interim chancellor for UW-Parkside. Earns has spent 21 years at UW-Oshkosh in a range of leadership positions.

University of Louisville Dean Robert Felner was hired in June to be UW-Parkside’s next chancellor, but then resigned the appointment after his lawyer disclosed he is at the center of an investigation into whether $500,000 in federal grant money was mishandled.

Downtown stores accept ID scanners from UW

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Capital Times

Seven downtown Madison liquor stores and one grocery store recently accepted UW-Madison’s offer to participate in an electronic identification scanner pilot program that is designed to help retail clerks ensure that patrons attempting to purchase alcohol or tobacco are of legal age.

Don’t worry, your anxiety is not your fault

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Capital Times

If you’re somebody who just can’t relax, quit stressing over it. All the herbal teas and yoga curls in the world probably won’t change your basic nature. A new University of Wisconsin study suggests that your jittery brain has probably been wired that way since childhood.

The recent UW study, published last week in the Public Library of Science Web site, is the latest addition to a mounting trove of evidence that the brains of individuals who suffer from anxiety and extreme shyness are wired differently than those of their calmer peers. Even in situations most people would find relaxing, the brains of these keenly sensitive people appear to be stuck in a constant state of high alert.

“The brain machinery underlying the stress response seems to be always on in these individuals,” said Dr. Ned Kalin, the study’s author. Kalin is chair of the UW-Madison Department of Psychiatry and director of the HealthEmotions Institute.

Private Langdon dormitory to close

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Capital Times

Come August, when college students swarm Madison to move into new apartments and dormitories, one major housing unit will remain empty.

The Langdon — a freshman-oriented private residence hall at 126 Langdon St. with 360 beds — has closed after its new owner, local landlord Steve Brown Apartments, bought the property from FirstWorthing, which is folding itself.

….Although a weak economy has created chaos in today’s housing market, the dire situation depicted by Steve Brown Apartments is not a view shared by its public housing counterparts. For the UW Division of Housing’s public dorms, the problem isn’t with lack of demand, but a lack of space.

From stabbing to arrest: a timeline in the Joel Marino case

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Capital Times

More than five months after Joel Marino was stabbed to death in his Monona Bay home, neither police nor prosecutors have said what accused killer Adam Peterson’s motive was in the crime.

It’s not clear how soon that information will be forthcoming. Peterson, 20, is due in court for a status conference on Wednesday, July 9, to decide how the case should move forward.

Details about the case have come out slowly, even after Peterson’s arrest on June 26.

New GI bill might finally deliver promise of paid college for vets

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Capital Times

Over time, more and more people started questioning if anything less than complete funding is any way to reward those who had put their lives at risk to serve their country.

Elizabeth O’Herrin, executive director of Student Veterans of America, noted that the Montgomery GI Bill — which provides education funding for those who have served in the military at any point since July 1, 1985 — was created during a relatively peaceful time, near the end of the Cold War.

“There was a feeling that the Montgomery GI Bill wasn’t a sufficient education benefit — especially when one considers what service we are now asking of our military since the advent of the war” in Iraq, said O’Herrin, a 2007 UW-Madison graduate and a member of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.

Loras hires Soderberg as interim athletic director

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Capital Times

Brad Soderberg got his first shot as a head basketball coach at Loras College. Now he is headed back to the small Catholic school in Dubuque to serve as its interim athletic director.

The hiring was announced Tuesday on Loras’ Web site.

Soderberg, a former University of Wisconsin assistant and interim head coach, most recently coached at Saint Louis University. He was fired in the spring after going 80-74 in five seasons there.

‘Wisconsin Day’ on Big Ten Network

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Capital Times

The Big Ten Network announced Monday that Wednesday would be a “Wisconsin Day” on the channel with 3 1/2 hours dedicated to University of Wisconsin-Madison programming, including conversations with renowned alumni and features about student life.

Women’s hockey coach, former Badger hockey player and Olympic gold medal winner Mark Johnson leads off at 8 a.m. on the alumni program “Wisconsin Reflections.” He will be joined by several former teammates, including UW men’s hockey coach Mike Eaves.

The UW programming ends at 4 p.m. with a documentary on the First Wave Spoken Word and Urban Arts Learning Community at UW-Madison. “First Wave- An Unfiltered Story” profiles several talented undergraduates who are part of the only collegiate spoken word/hip-hop theater program in the country.

Body of UW student ID’d

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Capital Times

Preliminary findings from an autopsy Monday indicate that University of Wisconsin student Hao Yu, 19, who was found dead in an Eagle Heights apartment Sunday, died of natural causes, the Dane County Coroner’s Office said.

Coroner John Stanley said the autopsy indicated Yu’s death “did not involve trauma and was consistent with a natural manner of death.”

News industry woes may lead to layoffs at Isthmus

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Capital Times

Isthmus, a Madison weekly newspaper, is considering layoffs to cut costs in the wake of the advertising-draining technological revolution that is shaking the news industry.

“We are making plans that may involve layoffs. Nothing is decided,” Isthmus Publisher Vince O’Hern said Monday. “It may involve some people taking leaves, and some people not being on staff anymore.”

Quoted: Professor James Baughman, director of the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication

State Debate: Help college students with child care

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Capital Times

Help college students with child care, says the Appleton Post-Crescent.

We know Wisconsin is lagging in college graduation rates. Only about 25 percent of adults age 25 or older in the state hold a bachelor’s degree, compared with 30 percent in Minnesota. The national average is about 27 percent.

The state will subsidize child care for full-time college students — but only for two years — while low-income parents working full time can receive unlimited day care assistance.

UW student dies; no foul play suspected

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Capital Times

A University of Wisconsin student was pronounced dead Sunday night after campus police responded to an emergency call from an Eagle Heights apartment.

The cause of death of the man was not yet known, but police said they do not suspect foul play. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday morning.

The man was a guest at the apartment. UW Police officials said the man’s identity is known, but will not be released until his family is notified.

Noted poet-playwright headlines spoken-word, hip-hop event at UW

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Capital Times

Poet, playwright and political activist Amiri Baraka will open the third annual Spoken Word and Hip-Hop Educator’s Institute with a special reading Monday night at the Union Theater on the University of Wisconsin campus.

Born Leroi Jones in 1934 in Newark, N.J., Baraka is the author of more than 40 books and was the founder of the Black Arts Movement in Harlem in the 1960s.

Cindy Crawford highlights childhood cancer event

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Capital Times

Supermodel Cindy Crawford and nearly 1,000 other people who have watched children in their families struggle with cancers at American Family Children’s Hospital gathered Saturday at Monona Terrace for a reunion.

“Sharing is what gives us all strength,” Crawford told the crowd at the event, called Kids With Courage, before heading off to pose for pictures with excited children and their equally star-struck parents.