Women’s advocates are worried about potential changes in laws affecting reproductive rights that could emerge during the 2005 session of the Wisconsin Legislature. They’re concerned because the Legislature has shifted toward the right after the last election.
….Wisconsin Right to Life plans to keep an eye on Governor Jim Doyle’s plan for stem cell research.
The UW Medical School today announced grants for a baker’s dozen of innovative health programs around the state. Most of them aim at improving public health for minorities and the poor, though one program seeks to extend health insurance to farm families.
Thirteen programs will split a total of $5.4 million that resulted from the conversion of Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of Wisconsin into a for-profit business.
A former University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and his wife were among those who died Sunday when the tsunami that killed thousands struck Sri Lanka, a relative says.
Muttaiya Sundaralingam, 73, and his wife, Indirani, 63, of suburban Columbus, Ohio, were vacationing when the tsunami hit the eastern side of the island.
Outside a windowless warehouse just south of the Dane County Regional Airport, 54 people stood in the rain. It was a Friday in December and it was not quite 8 a.m. Every week the warehouse receives about seven semitrailer truckloads of surplus items from state agencies and state universities. And every week the items are sold by the University of Wisconsin-Madison�s Division of Business Services through a program called Surplus With a Purpose.
Quoted: Phil Pellitteri, an entomologist who specializes in Lyme disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: Gordon Baldwin, UW-Madison emeritus law professor.
Bowl games or playoffs? Playoffs or bowl games? With the Bowl Championship Series again under fire and The Associated Press top 25 poll being removed from the formula that determines the BCS rankings, the aforementioned debate isn�t going to die down anytime soon. University of Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez and Georgia coach Mark Richt, participants in the 2005 Outback Bowl, on Tuesday made it clear they do not want to see a playoff system implemented for college football.
Pat Behling loves snowflakes. Her ardor doesn’t stop with ogling them or tasting them on her tongue. Behling tries to capture their oh-so-fleeting existence on film. It’s a hobby for Behling, 52, who works in the Center for Climate Research at the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. To get her snowflake photos, Behling sets out microscope slides on cookie sheets. The slides are coated with a sealant, and as the snowflakes fall on the slides, they leave an impression, similar to someone making a snow angel. Behling then takes pictures through a microscope of the snowflake impression. A showing of her snowflake photos is at the Mosquito Hill Nature Center in New London until the end of January.
Interested college students no longer have to coyly ask friends whether a particularly attractive classmate is single. The information might well be available at thefacebook.com. The site is the latest craze to hit college campuses.
….There are 293 schools on the site, including UW-Madison and Milwaukee, and more than 1 million members. (from the 12/28/04 Capital Times print edition, reprinted from the Harford Courant)
In its Dec. 31 issue, Entertainment Weekly has named Afro-American studies professor Tim Tyson’s “Blood Done Sign My Name” the third best nonfiction book of 2004. The magazine praises Tyson for injecting new life into writing about the civil rights movement.
Doug Moe’s column also mentions Chicago utility executive and UW-Madison alumnus John W. Rowe.
Joe Flad expanded what was essentially a local business to become a major player nationally in the design of hospitals, schools and research laboratories, said his son, John Flad. As a local company Flad & Associates designed several projects on the University of Wisconsin campus, including Van Vleck Hall and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Building
At the University of North Carolina, three incoming freshmen sue over a reading assignment they say offends their Christian beliefs. In Colorado and Indiana, a national conservative group publicizes student allegations of left-wing bias by professors. Faculty get hate mail and are pictured in mock “wanted” posters; at least one college says a teacher received a death threat. The episodes…all touch on an issue of growing prominence on college campuses.
Badger football fans and other travelers should expect longer security lines Wednesday at the Dane County Regional Airport, but airport officials say parking shouldn’t be a problem.
Hundreds of red-and-white clad Badger fans will disembark on three charter flights Wednesday morning, heading to Tampa, Fla., for the Outback Bowl.
Athula and Renuka Gunawardena had a difficult couple of hours on Sunday as word broke of a tidal wave hitting the coast of their native Sri Lanka. They waited two hours before finally hearing from her brother.
“My parents’ house is OK. But most of our friends have died,” said Renuka Gunawardena. She lives in the Eagle Heights apartments with her husband, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Barry Alvarez brought in a well-known motivational speaker to address the University of Wisconsin players on Monday and it was none other than Lou Holtz.
A series of earthquake-generated tsunamis – massive tidal waves – radiated across the Indian Ocean on Sunday, killing more than 20,000 people. Dennis “Chuck” DeMets, professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, talked about these killer waves with Journal Sentinel science reporter Susanne Quick.
Paul J. Cleary, age 76, of Madison and Green Valley, Ariz., passed away on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2004, at Tucson Medical Center.
He was the first male to enroll in the home economics department at UW-Madison, earning a B.S. in food administration and experimental foods in 1955. Starting at age 16 in the dish room, he spent the next 25 years in food service management at the Memorial Union, ending his service there as food director.
Ask Jeter if he’s ready to be a head coach if the opportunity arises and he smiles and simply says, “I have confidence in my ability, sure.”
His goal doesn’t have a timetable. (12/26/04 Sunday Sports section)
Susan Lampert Smith: It’s enough to turn an Optimist into a pessimist. And it raises the cosmic question: Just what is it worth to sell a bratwurst inside Camp Randall Stadium?
I’m talking about a lawsuit now making its way through Dane County Small Claims Court, titled Monona Grove Optimists versus the National W Club. (12/26/04 Local section)
“The response has been less than overwhelming to Governor Jim Doyle’s proposal to invest nearly $750 million in public and private money in the state’s biotechnology future…,” says Wisconsin Technology Council president Tom Still.
“Doyle should address all legitimate gripes about the specifics of his plan, but he shouldn’t back down a nanometer on the core idea behind it: Wisconsin has a chance to be a national leader in biotechnology, including stem cell research, and that opportunity won’t wait forever while we wring our hands.” (12/26/04 Opinion)
What Wisconsin needs is responsible spending decisions by legislators. With that, there never is a need for TABOR.
The Madison woman detained in Israel for more than a week is headed back toward American soil. Bornshlegel, a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a native of Juneau, Wis., was arrested Dec. 14 in the village of Bil’in, west of Ramallah. A judge had ordered that she be deported.
Celine on Halloween and UW tuition cuts are just two of the topics addressed in Zaleski’s list of tongue-in-cheek predictions for 2004.
University of Wisconsin officials said today that there have been no reports of students abroad getting caught up in the turmoil wrought by Sunday’s tidal wave in southern Asia.
University of Wisconsin football fans headed to Tampa, Fla., for Saturday’s Outback Bowl will be hoping for two things: warm weather (anything above 60 should shake the northern chill) and a Badger victory against Georgia.
While those things will be left to chance, there are certain to be plenty of activities and deals awaiting the red-clad UW faithful in the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater areas.
Quoted: Dennis Dresang, UW-Madison political science professor.
….Once, it was liberal campus activists who cited the importance of “diversity” in pressing their agendas for curriculum change. Now, conservatives have adopted much of the same language in calling for a greater openness to their viewpoints.
Sadly, initial TABOR arguments seem to be mostly a matter of political philosophy. Namely, government as the Great Satan.
Ten years ago, many in the red-sweater crowd were eagerly anticipating the Badgers’ first trip to Tampa, Fla., for the UW’s bowl matchup with Duke…. it is fair to say times have changed for many Badger backers….
How else can one explain that the UW has sold fewer tickets for its lasts three bowl games combined – the 2002 Alamo (6,000), 2003 Music City (7,000) and 2005 Outback (10,000) – than it sold for the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl (24,000)?
Quoted: Menzie D. Chinn, professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: Tom Saari, a University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School pediatrician and vaccine expert.
Lake Wingra’s murky water could be clear within six years if an experiment starting next spring proves the lake can be cleaned of invasive plants and bottom-stirring carp.
The County Board’s Lakes and Watershed Commission gave the green light to Department of Natural Resources lake researcher Dick Lathrop to install a fish “exclosure” on the lake’s western shore, after an informal survey of residents at a public hearing earlier this month showed overwhelming support for the project.
Federal changes in the financial aid formula for low-income college students will result in bigger cuts in Wisconsin than in 43 other states, an analysis by the U.S. Department of Education shows. Steve Van Ess, University of Wisconsin-Madison director of student financial services, estimated that about 2,000 low-income students at UW-Madison will lose an average of 13% of their Pell Grant, or about $250 to $300 a year, as a result of the new formula.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison administration and students are worried that government cutbacks in the Pell Grants program will further erode the ability of the average citizen to afford a college education.
Assembly Speaker John Gard has proposed a new “sunshine” law that would require any individual or organization that attempts to win a procurement or construction contract with the state to register and report on their activities to the state Ethics Board, as lobbyists do.
…He leaves with one regret: the unresolved problem of alcohol-related violence Downtown. He said it will only change if city leaders are willing to make some “brave decisions” about changing the drinking culture near campus.
College students in virtually every state will be required to shoulder more of the cost of their education under new federal rules that govern most of the nation’s financial aid.
Because of the changes, which take effect next fall and are expected to save the government $300 million in the 2005-6 academic year, at least 1.3 million students will receive smaller Pell Grants, the nation’s primary scholarship for those of low income, according to two analyses of the new rules.
Junior point guard Boo Wade’s return from a leave of absence lasting almost two months returned the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball roster to its full complement of 15 players Wednesday.
Contractors seeking work from the state would have to report to the state Ethics Board how they try to influence the procurement process under a change proposed Wednesday by Assembly Speaker John Gard….Gard’s proposal would include building contractors, who do about $400 million a year in work through the state Building Commission.
Dear parents,
In August, I wrote some advice about sending your children off to college. Now, I’d like to offer my thoughts about welcoming them home for the holidays. First, I offer my apologies. They’re not quite in the same condition as when you sent them to us.
If the students in my feature writing class at UW-Madison are the norm, your student is tired. Very, very tired.
And possibly a little sick, too.
A new electronic grading system at UW-Madison means most students will get their final grades within a few days of the end of the semester today, rather than a few weeks, officials said.
“It’s a huge efficiency improvement,” said Registrar Joanne Berg, who developed the Web-based system in the past year with campus computing experts in the Department of Information Technology and a committee of faculty and staff.
Exceeding the minutes on your cell phone plan can increase your bill. That’s why the state is checking its cell phone bill. The state spends about $219,000 a month on cell phones issued to its employees. The University of Wisconsin has about 9-percent of the state’s 10,000 cell phones.
For millions of people with aches and pains, chiropractic care is the answer. But now there’s similar help for your pet, big or small. At the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Dawn Mogilevsky is using chiropractic care to adjust the spines of myriad horses, cats and dogs.
Though the Asian soybean rust fungus has only been found south of the Mason-Dixon, Wisconsin farmers should be ready to battle it anyway. That’s according to Craig Grau and Brian Hudelson, plant pathologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who say the possibility of the fungus entering the Badger State next year is possible.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has dropped a PeopleSoft database for tracking alumni in favor of a system the Wisconsin Alumni Association has used for 12 years. Schools and colleges can access alumni information through the association�s database, a custom software system based on a database from 4D, Inc.
Just as mysteriously as he left the Wisconsin Badgers, Boo Wade reappeared Wednesday.
Saying too little is known about how private firms win state contracts, Assembly Speaker John Gard (R-Peshtigo) said Wednesday he will propose changes that would require executives to disclose their meetings with state officials who control those contracts.
Now a study has found indications that Aleve – part of a class of drugs known as non- steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs – may also up the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Mary Beth Elliott, a UW-Madison associate pharmacy professor. is quoted in this story.
State and local governments, school districts and technical colleges would face spending limits under a proposed constitutional amendment released Tuesday, the latest incarnation of the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights. (AP)
The Associated Press notified Bowl Championship Series officials Tuesday that it is pulling its Top 25 college football poll our of the controversial formula used to determine who plays in the national championship game. (Wisconsin State Journal)
MADISON – Caroline Goss Thompson, founder and long-time director of the Occupational Therapy Program at UW-Madison, died on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, at the age of 95. She served as director of the Occupational Therapy Program for 31 years, from 1945 to 1976.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2005, at 2 p.m. at the FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 1609 University Ave., Madison.
MADISON – Margaret E. Monroe, age 90, died peacefully in her sleep on Friday, Dec. 17, 2004, at Attic Angel Place, Middleton. After eight years (1954-1963) on the faculty of the Graduate School of Library Service, Rutgers University, Professor Monroe moved to Madison to join the faculty of UW-Madison’s Library School. She was director of the Library School from 1963-1970.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004, at 3:30 p.m. at ATTIC ANGEL PLACE COMMUNITY ROOM, 8301 Old Sauk Road.
UW Medical School Dean Dr. Phillip Farrell said Tuesday he will step down next December. There will be a national search for his replacement. (Wisconsin State Journal)
In a major shakeup of top leadership in the University of Wisconsin System, Linda Weimer announced Tuesday she is leaving her job as vice president for university relations effective Feb. 1…. System president Kevin Reilly said he would not replace Weimer. (Wisconsin State Journal)
Wall off the city! Barbarians at the gates!
Next Halloween, the elected guardians of Madison might try to eliminate rowdy crowds by closing off interstate access to the city or putting up gates on State Street.
These measures seem a little extreme, and ultimately, running a blockade would prove pointless. Imagine the ruffians swimming across Lake Mendota, emerging from the surf at the north end of Lake Street wearing dripping t-shirts emblazoned: “I infiltrated Madison on Halloween!” Curses, foiled again.
UW-Madison is considering eliminating all of its roughly 1,800 state-owned cell phones issued to employees. University leaders – as well as state auditors – want to be sure that anyone with a state phone is using it only for official business they couldn’t do with a land line.
When it comes to classical music, it has been a record year, so to speak, with a dozen new CDs put out by local individuals and groups. These new CDs, which usually cost $12 to $15 a disc, are available at many local bookstores and record stores as well as online at www.music.wisc.edu. (Among those mentioned are the UW School of Music’s Christopher Taylor, Vartan Manoogian, and the UW Concert Choir.)
NEW YORK – It looks as if the Bowl Championship Series is headed for another major overhaul. The Associated Press has told the BCS to stop using its college football poll to determine which teams play for the national title and in the most prestigious bowl games.
When the polls close on the ESPN-brokered election – the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year – there’s a good chance that University of Wisconsin cornerback Scott Starks will have received support from at least eight National Guard soldiers, loyal Cheeseheads who have been carrying the banner for the Badgers in the hellhole that is Gardez, Afghanistan, once a Taliban stronghold.
UW-Madison Professor Hector DeLuca and three local proponents of economic development were the winners of the fifth annual Best of Madison Business Awards from Madison Business, which is part of Madison Magazine.
DeLuca, chair of the UW Biochemistry Department and CEO of Deltanoid Pharmaceuticals, received the Brian D. Howell Award for Excellence in Innovation.
