Includes interview with Natasha Paris, Regional crops educator, UW-Madison Extension.
‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Zac Schultz, Anthony Chergosky, Natasha Paris
PBS Wisconsin
Author: jnweaver
Public Investigator Tamia Fowlkes on taking tips, chasing leads and telling stories about her community
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
As someone who grew up in Milwaukee, attended school here and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and took some of my first swings at investigative reporting as an intern at the Journal Sentinel in 2021, I take great pride in coming to work every day.
US Supreme Court ruling weakening federal agencies may affect Wisconsin regulations, legal battles
Wisconsin Public Radio
Steph Tai, law professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, said the decision means that litigants, regardless of whether they’re conservative or liberal, will likely bring cases before courts that align with their own political preferences despite claims that judges are impartial.
“They’re going to pick judges that are more likely to be sympathetic to their argument that whatever federal regulation should be overturned,” Tai said.
Pro baseball; Wisconsin rowing to be represented in the Olympics
Wisconsin Public Radio
Four Badger women’s rowing alumni will go to the Olympics this summer. We talk with the program’s head coach Vicky Opitz about the secrets to elite rowing success and introducing novices to the sport. Plus, we go over the basics of rowing for new spectators.
Madison Rep. Mark Pocan hopes to double federal Pell Grant
Spectrum News
Pocan is proposing to double the size of need-based Pell Grants, a federal assistance program that began in the 1970s. Pocan received Pell Grants himself when he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How Wisconsin is creating the future of precision medicine
PBS Wisconsin
Every patient is a unique individual. They have their own genetics, their own exposures to the environment that they have been in,” said Dr. Muhammed Murtazais, associate director of the Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicineat the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And, so, precision medicine is this approach that could we actually learn more about each individual patient, so that each patient gets the right drug at the right time.
This popular doughnut chain is bringing customizable treats, doughnut sandwiches to Madison
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Duck Donuts, the North Carolina-based doughnut shop franchise known for its unique menu offerings and build-your-own donuts, is opening its first Wisconsin location near the University of Wisconsin-Madison this summer. According to the shop’s Facebook page, it plans to open in late July at 3308 University Ave., Madison.
New Alice in Dairyland Halie Heinzel hopes to connect consumers with agriculture
Wisconsin State Farmer
I recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Life Sciences Communication. With the opportunity to serve as Alice in Dairyland, I am so excited to travel across Wisconsin for a memorable and rewarding year, connecting communities with agriculture and learning more about this diverse industry across our state.
With all eyes on Wisconsin, a new class of clerks prepares to run elections
Wisconsin Public Radio
“They’re under more scrutiny in a presidential race, when Wisconsin will be one of the key swing states in the Electoral College,” said Barry Burden, who directs the Election Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “An error, a small mistake, or a delay caused by a clerk can lead to suspicion or misinformation or even conspiracies about something that’s going wrong in the election.”
Legislation aimed at helping children in poverty, Using ecstasy to treat PTSD, Traveling Shakespeare theater
Wisconsin Public Radio
UW-Madison researchers on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, including MDMA. Madison was the only Midwest site for phase 3 trials of a psychedelic-assisted therapy treatment for Post-traumatic stress disorder. We learn about the potential for these substances in improving mental health.
Here’s what last year’s dry summer and a mild winter mean for this year’s Japanese beetles invasion in Wisconsin
Green Bay Press-Gazette
PJ Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab, began seeing reports of Japanese beetle activity the last week of June, which is typical. Numbers will increase during their prime feeding months of July and August when they damage (but usually don’t kill) roses, grape vines, basil, raspberries, crabapples, birches and ornamentals, among others, by skeletonizing the leaves.
Study tracks how wolf reintroduction at Isle Royale affected foxes, martens
Wisconsin Public Radio
The reintroduction of wolves has only had temporary effects on other small carnivores at Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior, according to new research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
More efforts are underway to limit social media. How do you separate good from bad?
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Heather Kirkorian is a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who studies how kids and parents interact with digital media. Warning labels are good for raising awareness, she said, but “my sense is that most teens and parents have heard about the potential risks and are aware that that might be a concern.” Treating social media “as analogous to cigarettes is unhelpful, because there are potential benefits of using social media as well, and I don’t think we can make that same argument for smoking cigarettes.”
Wisconsin’s Sarah Franklin hurts ankle in final; USA volleyball wins silver
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin star, who was the national player of the year last season, suffered an apparent ankle injury midway through a five-set loss to the Dominican Republic and did not return.
With the RNC coming to blue Milwaukee, historical tensions brew in the background
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Republicans are having a harder time when it comes to picking a city for their national conventions. Big cities have become more Democratic in recent years and the GOP’s messaging is increasing about the ills of big cities, including problems like crime, culture and failing schools,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center. “Being in a big city is an opportunity for Republicans to emphasize their arguments about Democrats having failed to govern urban centers effectively.”
‘Bachelorette’ Jenn Tran talks about her time at UW-Madison, from Badger games to working at Eno Vino
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Years before upcoming “Bachelorette” and former “Bachelor” contestant Jenn Tran was looking for love on TV, there was something else she was trying to find:
A college with “a lot of school spirit.” She’d find it — in Wisconsin.
Guns fuel domestic violence with Mariel Barnes
WORT FM
Mariel Barnes, a founding faculty member of UW–Madison’s Sexual Violence Research Initiative, joined host Allen Ruff to talk about the Supreme Court case as well as statistics of domestic violence in Wisconsin.
Professor Randy Goldsmith on new technique to unlock a molecule’s “unprecedented detail”
WORT FM
UW-Madison scientists have developed a new technique for identifying and analyzing a single molecule.
The new development, published in the May edition of the journal Nature, is the most sensitive way of identifying single molecules yet. With a variety of applications in a wide variety of scientific fields, it offers a future of “new microscopic perspective of unprecedented detail.”
‘Good luck America’: Biden debate performance leaves voters in liberal Madison lamenting choice
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“It was a painful experience to sit through. Neither candidate inspires our country,” Anders said. The Madison resident soon to start law school at the University of Wisconsin said the debate left him with concerns about Biden’s cognitive abilities but that he also questions Trump’s mental abilities.
Vel R. Phillips Plaza is opening on downtown Milwaukee’s west side. Here’s what to know
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Born Velvalea Hortense Rodgers in Milwaukee in 1923, the influential public figure was ahead of her time.
She received a scholarship to attend Howard University, in Washington D.C., where she obtained her bachelor’s degree. Phillips continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin Law School and was the first African-American woman to graduate there. She and her husband then opened a Milwaukee law firm.
Shorewood advocate celebrates win on electronic absentee voting for people with disabilities
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
He said it’s one of the main reasons he sought to call Shorewood home in 1987 after obtaining a master’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and moving to Milwaukee County in 1975.
Could this be the rare debate that changes a presidential race?
Washington Post
As University of Wisconsin at Madison political scientist Barry Burden noted on Thursday, debate viewership has been trending up since the 1990s, though that may be in part because of more investment in partisan identities. That is, people may tune in not to learn more about the candidates but, instead, to root on their team’s representative.
States with abortion bans saw birth control prescriptions fall post-Dobbs, study finds
NBC News
Rebecca Myerson, a co-author of the study and assistant professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin, said the results surprised her because she had assumed that if people didn’t have access to abortion, that might incentivize them to be more diligent about preventing pregnancy via contraception.
Pollution from Ohio train derailment reached 110 million Americans
Popular Science
“Everybody expected a local contamination issue,” said David Gay, coordinator of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lead author of the new study. “But I think what most people don’t understand about this fire is how big it was and how wide-ranging the implications are.”
Don’t order ladybugs through the mail. Here’s how Wisconsin gardeners can attract helpful predators
Wisconsin State Farmer
With a population explosion going on in the flowerbeds, what is a gardener to do? UW-Madison entomologist PJ Liesch says gardeners have several options in combating the hungry horde.
“If the population of aphids is not harming the plants or competing with the monarchs, you can just tolerate them. However, if it’s getting out of hand, blast them off with a jet of water (which causes the aphid’s mouthpiece to break off and eventually starve), or you can squish them and wipe them off the plant,” he said.
Voting access lawsuit, The cultural impact of Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A.,’ Oneida Nation’s 50th Pow Wow
Wisconsin Public Radio
We look at how electronic absentee voting works and why it’s not more common. Interview with Bryna Godar, a staff attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
How to take control and adapt to the evolving ag industry landscape involving technology
Wisconsin State Farmer
Written by John Shutske, a professor of biological systems and engineering and also an Extension specialist at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Students can earn 60 credits at Moraine Park tech college, start as UW-Milwaukee juniors
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
College students who earn two-year degrees in certain programs at Moraine Park Technical College can transfer 60 credits, or half of a four-year degree, to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under a new articulation agreement between the two schools.
A college degree is worth the investment. But Wisconsin high school grads increasingly seek other options.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wisconsin colleges have a well-documented demographics problem. Smaller and smaller graduating high school classes have left colleges scrambling to fill seats, squeezing budgets and making painful cuts.
Gun violence crisis prompts doctors to ask patients about firearm safety at home
CBS News
“I felt like I had a real deficit in talking about firearms with patients,” said Dr. James Bigham, a primary care doctor and professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.
Bigham runs a class for medical students and staff about the basics of firearms at Max Creek Gun Range, alongside shop and gun owner Steve D’Orazio.
Fourth of July cookout costs in US rise by 5% this year, survey finds
Reuters
Still, the overall increase of food prices in the United States in 2024 is expected to be about 2%, down from an average of 3% annually, Andrew Stevens, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Reuters.
“Yes, food prices are increasing, but they’re not increasing as much as they have in recent years, and they’re even a little below the long-run average,” Stevens said.
A Dean Called for Silencing Harvard’s Faculty Critics. He’s Been Roasted.
Inside Higher Ed
Donald Downs, the Alexander Meiklejohn Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and one of the principles’ developers, said Bobo’s op-ed is “the opposite of everything we stand for.” Downs said the principles—like the more well-known free speech statements—say academic freedom should extend to professors speaking about their own university. He argued university professors are in positions to know more about what’s going on inside their institutions.
Trump’s wealth buys leniency in America’s ‘rigged’ justice system
The Hill
Op-ed by John Gross, a clinical associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School and director of the Public Defender Project.
What First Amendment lawsuit means for designated protest zones at RNC in Milwaukee
Wisconsin Public Radio
Howard Schweber, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, thinks the judge still has enough time to rule on this case, which he expects will be in favor of the city of Milwaukee.
Schweber spoke to WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” about the First Amendment arguments in the case and the lack of clearly defined legal guidelines on the issue.
New charter school looking to open in Waukesha County
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Charter schools can be run either by public school districts or independently. Independent charter schools can be authorized by the Milwaukee Common Council, the chancellor of any Universities of Wisconsin (UW System) institution, each technical college district board, the Waukesha County Executive, College of Menominee Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, and the UW Office of Educational Opportunity, according to the DPI.
Yes, humans are still evolving
MSN
“Humans are definitely still evolving,” agrees John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Infant mortality rate rose following Texas abortion ban, study shows
CBS News
But the results did not come as a surprise to Tiffany Green, a University of Wisconsin-Madison economist and population health scientist who studies the consequences of racial inequities on reproductive health. She said the results were in line with earlier research on racial disparities in infant mortality rates due to state differences in Medicaid funding for abortions. Many of the people getting abortions are vulnerable to pregnancy complications, said Green, who was not part of the research.
Wisconsin wants to be tech mecca. After Foxconn broken promises, the state says this time is for real
CNBC
The (tech hub) designation allows Wisconsin to compete for up to $70 million in federal grant money. More important, it formalizes a consortium of companies, including GE Healthcare Technologies — which has a major presence in the Milwaukee suburbs — and institutions like the University of Wisconsin-Madison supporting each other and smaller companies like Northstar.
In the Race to Artificial General Intelligence, Where’s the Finish Line?
Scientific American
But “intelligence” itself is a concept that’s hard to define or quantify. “General intelligence” is even trickier, says Gary Lupyan, a cognitive neuroscientist and psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In his view, AI researchers are often “overconfident” when they talk about intelligence and how to measure it in machines.
Denied the ‘right to hug’: In many U.S. jails, video calls are the only way detainees can see loved ones
NBC News
Julie Poehlmann, a professor of human development and family studies from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, has studied the impact of incarceration on families and children for 25 years. “One hug is worth a thousand video visits,” she said. “Young kids, they need that form of comfort and connection in order to have a deep connection with that parent or family member.”
Family of Rachel Morin faces grief as suspect in killing faces judge
Washington Post
“Many politicians, law enforcement personnel and ordinary citizens are nonetheless incensed because this person should not have been in the country and thus capable of committing a crime,” said Michael Light, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who has studied the issue. “This view that the person’s undocumented status is an aggravating factor is also likely a reason why these crimes generate such strong responses.”
Clarence Thomas’ originalist interpretations go too far, even for fellow conservatives
Business Insider
“This is a case where, if you invalidate this statute on the basis of originalism, you go back in time and say, essentially, at the time of the original ratification of the Constitution, domestic violence was tolerated — and therefore, based on originalism, we need to invalidate the statute,” John P. Gross, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School who’s also the director of the Public Defender Project, told BI. “And that is, of course, an absurd, horrible result.”
A sex historian weighs in on former UW-La Crosse chancellor’s porn scandal
Wisconsin Public Radio
Sex historian and journalist Hallie Lieberman, who received her doctorate from UW-Madison, has been following the story closely. She worries if Gow is dismissed for sexual activities he pursued in his free time, it will set a dangerous precedent to fire professors for saying and doing things the public doesn’t like.
“When they go after porn and sex, it’s low-hanging fruit. What comes next?” she said. “Freedom of speech is for the speech we hate, it’s for the thought we hate.”
Obesity drug used in Mounjaro and Zepbound may help treat dangerous sleep apnea
San Francisco Chronicle
Dr. Paul Peppard, a sleep medicine researcher at the University of Wisconsin who was not involved in the study, said losing weight has long been recommended as a way to reduce the severity of sleep apnoea by expanding lung capacity, reducing fat in the airways and improving oxygen usage.
Overturning Roe Didn’t Just Cut Off Access. It Sabotaged Science, Too.
Mother Jones
During a 2023 workshop held by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, University of Wisconsin reproductive health researcher Jenny Higgins reported that fake individuals, or “bots,” had submitted about 3,000 responses to one of her surveys one weekend. Her team then had to spend hours on data quality checks and hire a data scientist to “weed out” ineligible participants.
‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Rich Barnhouse, Chris Larson, John Blakeman
PBS Wisconsin
Here’s what guests on the June 21, 2024 episode said about the closing of two-year Universities of Wisconsin campuses, the financial scandal at Milwaukee Public Schools and the past and present of Donald Trump campaigns in Wisconsin.
Late surge earns Wisconsin swimmer Phoebe Bacon spot on U.S. Olympic team in 200 backstroke
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
This continues to be Phoebe Bacon’s year.
The University of Wisconsin swimmer qualified for her second Olympic Games on Friday night with a second-place finish 200-meter backstroke at the USA Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Third Olympic berth puts former Wisconsin track and field standout Zach Ziemek in exclusive company
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Zach Ziemek earned a return trip to the Olympics on Saturday and put himself in a class by himself when it comes to athletes who have come through the University of Wisconsin men’s track and field program.
Ho-Chunk artist, Wisconsin native Harry Whitehorse honored with wood sculpture festival
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Decades earlier, Whitehorse began mentoring Gene Delcourt, then a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on his wood sculpting craft. He encouraged Delcourt, who is Abenaki and Filipino, to attend symposiums in Europe dedicated to the art form. Each time Delcourt returned from a symposium, he thought, “I’d really love to put one of these on.”
Wisconsin Supreme Court overturns OWI conviction of man who fell asleep at drive-thu
Wisconsin Public Radio
“It’s the idea that law enforcement kind of wears several hats,” said Rachel Burg, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “One is monitoring and investigating crime and preventing crime but also protecting people and property and doing welfare checks on folks. So the community caretaker exception allows law enforcement to to take action if they have a concern about the welfare of a person.”
Wisconsin’s partial veto has stood for nearly a century. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will give it another look.
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin Law School State Democracy Research Initiative Attorney Bryna Godar told WPR governors have gotten creative with how they’ve used partial vetoes, “but we now have this very long standing practice that is really codified in state law.”
Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar on addiction and imprisonment
PBS Wisconsin
UW Health Behavioral Health and Recovery Clinic addiction medicine physician Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar examines how incarceration impacts people struggling with mental health and substance abuse.
Eradication of insect pests and invasive plants
Wisconsin Public Radio
UW-Madison entomologist PJ Liesch is back. We talk with him about what’s hampering the spread of spongy moths in Wisconsin. We also talk about how climate change is aiding the spread of joro spiders to northern regions. Then, two WDNR invasive species specialists share success stories from across the state.
Fathers suffer from postpartum depression, too, UW-Madison professor’s research shows
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin-Madison social work professor Tova Walsh is glad more people are paying attention to postpartum depression in moms. She said that’s a big improvement.
Live updates: Faculty hearing for Joe Gow begins Wednesday at UW-La Crosse
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Joe Gow was removed as University of Wisconsin-La Crosse chancellor for creating sex videos posted on porn websites. Should he also be fired from his faculty position?
That’s the question facing a group of Gow’s colleagues this week. They will hear Gow and the university administration make their case in a two-day public hearing that will closely resemble a trial with witnesses, cross-examinations and closing statements.
Fresh ideas, new perspective, plenty of kringle. Journal Sentinel newsroom interns arrive.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
One of the most compelling series of stories last summer concerned the evacuation of two apartment buildings contaminated by cancer-causing chemicals, and the discovery that some Milwaukee officials knew residents were living there – yet said nothing.
What made the work especially remarkable was that it was largely reported by two college interns, Yash Roy from Yale University and Sophia Vento from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
First Harry Whitehorse International Wood Sculpture Festival celebrates the art’s past and future
WORT FM
One of Delcourt and Levin’s main goals in creating the festival was to prevent Whitehorse’s work from being forgotten. Whitehorse, who was born in a wigwam in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, studied anatomy at UW–Madison, fine arts at the Arthur Colt School of Fine Arts in Madison and welding at a local technical college. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Whitehorse returned to Madison where he experimented with many different kinds of art, including metalwork and custom car design, before landing on wood carving in the 1980’s. He died in 2017 at age 90.
US Supreme Court ruling on abortion pills, The murky market for legal weed products, How pagans celebrate summer solstice
Wisconsin Public Radio
With a wave of new hemp-derived THC alternatives hitting the market in Wisconsin, we check in with a cannabis historian about what these products are and how they’re shaping policy discussions around marijuana in the state. Interview with Lucas Richert, professor in the School of Pharmacy at UW-Madison.
In Focus with Courtney Bell: Teachers, students in Wisconsin
PBS Wisconsin
Murv Seymour talks with Courtney Bell at the Wisconsin Historical Society about leading the Wisconsin Center for Education Research in its work on classroom innovations, challenges and inequities.
New federal grant sends more OBGYNs to train in rural areas
Wisconsin Public Radio
New federal funding will help place more OBGYNs in training in Wisconsin’s rural communities.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health will receive a $750,000 grant over the next three years to expand their rural OBGYN residency track.