Quoted: Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist.
Neumann rolls out first ad in Wisconsin governor’s race
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Author: jnweaver
Carthage to go ahead with speech, despite protest
WKOW-TV 27
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Carthage College in Kenosha says it has no plans to cancel a speaker opposed to homosexuality.
More than 400 students signed a petition objecting to a regional conference of an evangelical Christian group called “Intervarsity” this weekend.
Student who drowned in La Crosse was intoxicated
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The La Crosse County medical examiner said the college student who drowned in the Mississippi River this week had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
County rankings could help make communities healthier
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Over the past six years, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has ranked the health of each county in Wisconsin. While calling attention to the counties with the best and poorest health is often controversial and may at first glance seem somewhat punitive, we have learned that in both rural and urban low-ranking areas, the rankings have raised awareness and inspired action to improve health. A column by David A. Kindig, emeritus professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison tackles future demographics as an issue
A panel of academics from UW-Madison held a public discussion on how society might change due to shifting demographics.Currently, racial minorities make up 15-percent of Wisconsinâ??s population. Thatâ??s lower than many other states but will almost certainly go up.
Doug Moe: Cold call turned into movie deal for former UW-Madison prof
Wisconsin State Journal
Tim Tysonâ??s home phone number in North Carolina isnâ??t listed, so when the stranger called and introduced himself, the first thing Tyson wondered was how he got the number.
“I didnâ??t even catch his name,” Tyson was recalling this week.
That was three years ago, and the man – whose name was Bob Steel – sure knew Tyson. He especially knew Tysonâ??s 2004 book, “Blood Done Sign My Name,” which was written and published during the 13 years Tyson spent at UW-Madison as a professor of Afro-American Studies.
Side dishes
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison dietetic and nutrition students will be this weekâ??s guest breakfast team, with help from chef David McKercher, Mermaid Café, at the â??Taste of the Marketâ? Saturday at the Dane County Farmersâ?? Market from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St. Farmersâ?? market hours are 8 a.m. to noon.
Breaking barriers: More female conductors make their way to front of orchestra
….Female conductors “shouldnâ??t be news anymore, since itâ??s been happening for 20 years,” said Beverly Taylor, head of the choral program at UW-Madison and conductor of the Choral Union, which performs with the MSO.
Also quoted: Ching Chun Lai, a doctoral candidate in orchestra conducting at the UW-Madison School of Music
Campus Connection: Animal rights group wants answers from USDA
Capital Times
Michael Budkie, the executive director of Stop Animal Exploitation Now, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack demanding an independent investigation of the agencyâ??s animal research oversight organizations due to a number of animal deaths in labs across the country in the past year-plus.
We bring this up because some on the UW-Madison campus have argued in recent months that animal research at the university is ethical, in part, due to stringent federal oversight.
But Budkie, whose group opposes primate research for moral and financial reasons, says thatâ??s not the case.
Better farm-to-market delivery needed, UW study says
Capital Times
With demand outpacing supply, local food producers need to shore up delivery systems to get their goods to customers, according to a study out Thursday from UW-Madison and the UW-Extension.
“Scaling Up: Meeting the Demand for Local Food” takes a look at 11 enterprises and organizations trying to fill the middle level distribution role, which has suffered a setback in recent years when established distributors went out of business.
UW Madison researcher pursues King Tut’s probable assassin
Capital Times
A team of scientific sleuths claims that malaria and a degenerative bone condition, not human assassins, killed King Tutankhamen, the boy pharaoh who died at age 19 around 1324 B.C., according to a study published in this weekâ??s issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
….It turns out that nobody at UW Madison was part of the international team of medical scientists and anthropologists lead by the charismatic Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Court of Antiquities in Cairo. But there is another local connection.
Dr. Laura Knoll, an associate professor of medical microbiology and immunology at UW Madison, is working on an idea for a vaccine for malaria. It involves cat litter, of all things.
On Campus: Tavern message is clear: No UW Music School
Wisconsin State Journal
This sign is hard to miss while driving down University Ave. The owners of Brothers Bar and Grill are in the midst of legal battle with the UW Board of Regents in an attempt to prevent the university from taking their property for a new UW-Madison School of Music Building.
Biz Beat: State pension fund solvent, report says
Capital Times
The state of Wisconsin gets positive marks for its pension fund under a new report issued by the Pew Center on the States.
Wisconsin was one of nine states designated as being a solid performer when it comes to state retiree health care and other non-pension benefits.
What the report didnâ??t mention, however, is that the State of Wisconsin Investment Board will begin using borrowed money to try and boost performance.
Stem cell firm Cellular Dynamics raises $40.6 million
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Madison-based Cellular Dynamics International has raised $40.6 million, according to a filing the company made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The privately held company, known as CDI, sells stem cell-derived heart cells to Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche and others to help them test the toxicity of drugs. CDI was founded by stem cell pioneer James Thomson and several other University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, along with some people previously associated with NimbleGen Systems LLC.
Owner of Madisonâ??s new distillery ready to debut his first product
Wisconsin State Journal
When Nathan Greenawalt was working on his economics degree at UW-Madison, the vision of his future didnâ??t include traveling to the backwoods of Kentucky to buy a moonshine still.
The 11th Frame: Live webcast of major college tourney this weekend
Madison.com
The 41st Backhaul Direct Hoosier Classic this weekend will feature one of the largest fields in college bowling history and the United States Bowling Congress announced that it will provide wire-to-wire live webcasting on BOWL.com.
Madison spending millions on new streets: Is that good?
Capital Times
Pleasant View Road is little more than a dirt path in places right now. Drive west on Mineral Point Road past Target and it is easy to miss the beginning of Pleasant Viewâ??s southern extension, which will connect it to Valley View Road and the cityâ??s burgeoning southwest side.
But stand at the intersection of Pleasant View and Mineral Point at 5 p.m. on any weeknight and look east toward Madison, and itâ??s easy to see why Pleasant View may become one of the most important new roads in the city.
….The majority remains farmland, waiting for the recently approved University Research Park II to be built as one of the cityâ??s largest new economic development projects.
UW’s health rankings go nationwide
Wisconsin State Journal
When Juneau County ranked last among the stateâ??s counties in health status four years ago, local officials got mad — and then took action to improve the countyâ??s health.
They opened a dental clinic for the poor and started offering reduced rates at medical clinics. They gave prenatal care to more pregnant women and handed out books to children.
Itâ??s too early to know how much those steps have helped. But researchers from UW-Madison hope similar activity takes root around the country Wednesday, when their annual county health rankings for Wisconsin expand nationwide.
Campus Connection: Help name UW’s new south campus union
Capital Times
The Wisconsin Union and the Associated Students of Madison are about to start taking suggestions for what to name UW-Madisonâ??s new south campus union, which is currently under construction and slated to open in the spring of 2011.
On the surface, this sounds like a great idea — giving students and others a say in naming the new, $95 million facility. But is it?
Sierra Club sues Wis. DNR over power plant records
WKOW-TV 27
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Sierra Club is asking a judge to force the Department of Natural Resources to release public records related to alleged Clean Air Act violations at state-run power plants.
In a lawsuit filed Monday, the environmental group alleges the DNR is violating the stateâ??s open records law by failing to release the records.
The Sierra Club asked in October for DNR records related to its claims that power plants at UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout, UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire should be required to install pollution controls.
UW to propose $3 increase for football tickets; no increase for basketball, hockey
Madison.com
The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department Tuesday sent out a release to Wisconsin football season-ticket holders informing them that the department is requesting a $3 per ticket increase for the 2010 season.
Leuer appears ready for action
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The waiting is over and the speculation can end: Wisconsin junior forward Jon Leuer, who has missed UWâ??s last nine games since suffering a broken left wrist on Jan. 9 in a victory over Purdue, returned to practice Monday and afterward sounded like a competitor who doesnâ??t plan to miss any more games.
Tom Bush: Ethics program supported by Rotary
Wisconsin State Journal
High school students, like all of us, encounter ethical issues everyday. The Rotary Club of Madisonâ??s Ethics Symposium, to be held Friday, provides them a chance to discuss ways to think them through.
This marks the service clubâ??s 10th annual symposium, where over 200 high school juniors from schools across the Madison area will discuss ethical issues that arise in everyday activities.
A group of talented UW-Madison students, known as the First Wave Spoken Word and Urban Arts Learning Community, will open the symposium with an interactive performance to engage the students and encourage them to examine their own thoughts and biases about ethics.
Campus Connection: Induced stem cells don’t meet ‘gold standard’
Capital Times
Despite a great deal of hype surrounding the potential of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, a study published Monday by a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor shows these cells donâ??t quite measure up to the “gold standard” of their embryonic stem cell counterparts.
UWâ??s efforts to offer Hmong studies donâ??t meet expectations
Capital Times
Peng Her recalls meeting with University of Wisconsin-Madison officials at the peak of controversy over culturally insensitive remarks by a Law School professor three years ago that focused attention on the Hmong-American student community.
â??We understood that there is a lot of misinformation about the Hmong out there. We wanted to find a way to resolve this,â? says Her, a leader in the Hmong community who is director of the East Isthmus Neighborhoods Planning Council.
The contacts with UW leaders in the hot light of controversy led to assurances, says Her, that they would work to build a Hmong studies program at the university.
Campus Connection: UW-Madison among leaders in licensing revenue
Capital Times
The Chronicle of Higher Education is reporting that academic inventions spurred the “creation of a record 543 new university spinoff companies in the 2008 fiscal year, while generating more than $2.3 billion in licensing revenue for 154 institutions and their inventors.”
According to this Chronicle survey, the University of Wisconsin-Madison was one of just 10 institutions that reported licensing revenue of more than $50 million. The survey shows UW-Madison ranked No. 9, with $54.1 million in licensing income.
Wall’s tax breaks become campaign fodder
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political scientist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Milwaukee settles open records suit
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has agreed to settle a campus newspaperâ??s lawsuit demanding full access to the student union boardâ??s meeting records. The university agreed to turn over unredacted copies of the minutes and pay the UWM Post nearly $11,800 in attorney fees, according to the settlement attorneys for both sides signed Friday.
On Campus: UW-Milwaukee settles open records lawsuit with student newspaper
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Milwaukee has agreed to settle an open records lawsuit with the universityâ??s student newspaper, the UW-Milwaukee Post.
Campus Connection: Reader comments flap may cost student paper
Capital Times
The student newspaper at Virginia Tech is coming under pressure for allowing anonymous comments on its website, according to this report in the Roanoke Times.
A panel looking into the situation said the student paper, the Collegiate Times, may be violating the campusâ?? “Principles of Community.” Some in the university community have objected to postings they view as racist or otherwise offensive. This panel, comprised mostly of students, then suggests the body that oversees media groups on campus withhold funds from the student paper.
La Crosse man missing after night of drinking
WKOW-TV 27
LA CROSSE (WKOW) — Dive teams are searching the banks of the Mississippi River near La Crosse for a college student who disappeared early Sunday morning in La Crosse.
Police say 21-year-old Craig J. Meyers spent Saturday night at a wedding reception and drinking at two bars. He was last seen Sunday at 2:00 a.m.
Police say they’re told Meyers’ disappearance is out of character.
At Edgewood College, a surge in minority enrollment
Capital Times
When Edgewood College hosted its first minority recruitment day in the fall of 2000, the goal was modest: The small, liberal arts school on Madisonâ??s near west side hoped to draw a couple dozen high school students from the area.
U.S. women’s hockey: Mark Johnson, a coach who turns the rink into a classroom
Madison.com
Thereâ??s a part of Mark Johnson that, frankly, doesnâ??t get what all the fuss is about.
He doesnâ??t see himself as a womenâ??s hockey coach, even though thatâ??s his claim to fame these days. He sees himself simply as a teacher, as a resource for those who wish to learn the game heâ??s loved forever. Yes, gender is part of his reality, but itâ??s not some sort of boundary.
Deregulation without representation?
Capital Times
For the second time in less than three years, telecommunications giant AT&T is involved in crafting major deregulation legislation at private meetings in the Capitol. Consumer advocates, meanwhile, appear to lack a seat or voice in the process.
Quoted: Barry Orton, UW-Madison professor of telecommunications
Ex-UW-Whitewater Dean Drops Lawsuit, To Pay $1K
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — A former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater dean has agreed to pay $1,000 and dismiss his racial discrimination lawsuit against university officials.
Howard Ross dropped the case after days of trial testimony Friday. His attorney, Robert Kasieta, said it became clear he was likely to lose because the case had become too convoluted for the jury.
UW student burned in lab fire
Capital Times
A UW-Madison graduate student suffered burns to his right hand late Thursday night while conducting an experiment in the Medical Sciences Center, authorities reported.
Madison Fire Department firefighters were called to the building at 1215 Linden Drive at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, and found smoke and haze in the building from a dry chemical extinguisher that the student used to put the fire out.
Vibrant newspapers here to stay
Wisconsin State Journal
Letâ??s pause for a moment, take a break from the relentless blabbing and blogging about the trials and tribulations of the newspaper industry and consider a few facts.
….We remain bemused by the incessant doom-and-gloom predictions of so many, including some who should know better.
Case in point: in a recent story about the future of newspapers in the Isthmus, a Madison weekly, a UW-Madison journalism professor said of newspapers: “Most of them are effectively bankrupt right now. …”
That is wrong – again, as wrong as wrong could be.
UW has hosted this tennis championship 23 times. This year may be the last.
Madison.com
The biggest question surrounding the future of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Womenâ??s Tennis Team Indoor Championships is not whether this is the last year it will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin.
Rather, the question is: If the tournament were to leave, would anyone in the area notice it was gone? This is the 23rd year UW has played host to the 16-team event. But the future is in doubt, after the ITA requested the host school pay a $25,000 fee, starting next year.
Expanded Chazen Museum to be a ‘crown jewel’
Wisconsin State Journal
The concrete and steel rising next to the Chazen Museum of Art soon will be home to paintings, films and sculpture, but itâ??s also a big piece of something more: a vision for a revitalized UW-Madison arts district.
The $43 million expansion, funded entirely by private donations, will more than double the amount of art the Chazen can display, with new galleries dedicated to African, Asian and Upper Midwestern art, as well as classrooms, a film theater and an outdoor sculpture garden. The new building is set to be completed in May 2011 with a grand opening that October.
Churchill scholar from UW-Madison the first in 30 years
Capital Times
UW-Madison has its first prestigious Churchill scholarship winner in 30 years.
Daniel Lecoanet, a Madison native whoâ??s been involved in chemistry and mathematical research on campus since high school, is one of only 14 Churchill scholars from America this year, with five of the U.S. scholars coming from public universities.
He will spend the 2010-11 academic year at Cambridge University in England, in the historic math program that has produced such luminaries as Sir Isaac Newton and William Thomson, Lord Kelvin.
Campus Connection: Research, political bloggers and dance marathon
Capital Times
Passing along a few links to some higher education-related items …
Studies say love helps conquer disease: a Madison coupleâ??s story
Capital Times
Ah, love….The star-crossed passion of young Romeo and Julietâ?¦The tedious on-and-off again saga of Angelina and Bradâ?¦The heroic Odysseus and faithful Penelopeâ?¦And the sturdy affection of Mary and Gary Dobbs, Madison grandparents about to celebrate their 38th Valentines Day Sunday as a married couple â?? and their 11th year together beating cancer.
The Dobbsâ?? romance may not be the stuff of Shakespeare, legends or tabloids. But the strength of bonds like theirs is celebrated around the world in medical journals, which find over and over again that married people are healthier and survive illness at significantly higher rates than those who are widowed, divorced, or, worse, going through a stressful separation.
Lucas: Why weren’t more students at the Kohl Center for the Illinois game?
Madison.com
Empty possessions. Empty seats.
Was there a correlation Tuesday night at the Kohl Center? Unlikely.
Nonetheless, while the Badgers were misfiring repeatedly on offense throughout a brutal second half â?? coming up empty on possession after possession in the closing minutes against Illinois â?? you couldnâ??t help but notice the empty seats in the 300 level. That would be part of the so-called Grateful Red section.
UW-Madison School of Pharmacy raises $22 million in six-year campaign
Capital Times
The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy has raised more than $22 million in a six-year campaign to bolster recruiting and retaining of top teachers and to establish new scholarships.
Campus Connection: Biddy Martin responds to letter from County Board
Capital Times
UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin responded to members of the Dane County Board who expressed concern about the universityâ??s experiments on monkeys.
In this letter sent Wednesday, Martin admits that the “use of animals in research is a contentious issue and there are clearly sharp differences of opinion about it among people of goodwill.”
But she adds that the “university supports the pursuit of animal research, including non-human primate research, because of its potential to help us understand the building blocks and mechanisms of life, leading to treatments and more fundamental understanding of a wide-range of devastating diseases and conditions.”
No pulse or blood pressure? No problem with new heart pump (Wisconsin State Journal)
Heart patients fitted with a new design of a heart pump are causing worry among dentists and other health care providers when no pulse or blood pressure can be found on the patients.
Not to worry. The HeartMate II, a pump the size of a C battery, operates like a propeller, pumping blood on an even flow, so there is no pulse or blood pressure from the patientâ??s heart.
The UW-Madison Hospital was one of 38 medical centers around the country taking part in a clinical study of the new heart pump, with the study showing patients fitted with the HeartMate II had a much higher rate of survival than patients using an older, larger model.
Ric Grummer: Groundless editorial threatens vitality of dairy industry
Capital Times
Dear Editor: Readers of the recent Cap Times editorial trashing large farms (referred to as â??factory farmsâ?) should know:
….Dairy farm families, whether they operate a small, large, organic or conventional operation, should be cherished and thanked everyday for the nutritious food they work so hard to produce. Sensationalized and groundless editorials threaten the vitality of the Wisconsin dairy industry, its infrastructure, and all dairy farms regardless of size.
(Ric Grummer is a UW-Madison professor of dairy science)
Confirm Butler to serve as federal judge
Capital Times
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted by a wide margin last week to confirm the nomination of former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler to serve as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.
And rightly so. There was no overstatement on the part of Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., when he hailed Butlerâ??s â??intelligence, diligence, humility and integrity.â?
Campus Connection: County Board pressing UW for more ‘sifting and winnowing’
Capital Times
If you havenâ??t heard, 20 members of the Dane County Board sent a letter last week to UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin expressing concern about the universityâ??s experiments on monkeys.
So was this note, signed by nearly two-thirds of the Dane County supervisors, a good thing? If enough constituents make noise, is it important that these officials take an active role in putting a little outside pressure on the university?
Or should these Board members, who have no real power when it comes to deciding what research on campus can and canâ??t be done, be focusing their energy elsewhere?
Campus Connection: â??Mayhem’ at gala, â??two-bit’ blogger and recruiting
Capital Times
…** The Badger Herald ran an interesting article about the UW-Madison fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi being accused of misconduct at an Overture Center event on Dec. 4. The student newspaper linked to a Dec. 18 letter in which the Overture Centerâ??s director of event and patron services, Jacqueline Goetz, outlines a number of problems with the fraternityâ??s Fall Philanthropy Gala at the centerâ??s Promenade Hall and Terrace.
‘God Loves Science’ â?? and the First Congregational United Church of Christ will show kids that this Saturday
Wisconsin State Journal
Itâ??s not a typical event for a church basement, but this Saturday children in the community will be invited to First Congregational United Church of Christ in Madison to watch scientists blow stuff up. The event, called “God Loves Science,” is intended to help kids understand that “science and religion are not incompatible,” said Jeff Rabe, the churchâ??s director of Christian education for children and youth.
Kids working in gardens a growing movement
Capital Times
Getting kids involved in gardening is a growing movement in Madison. To keep the momentum growing, gardening enthusiasts will gather at the Goodman Community Center on Feb. 20 for the Madison Youth Grow Local Conference.
Blog: Did Bielema hire a potential successor to Doeren?
Madison.com
New University of Wisconsin defensive backs coach Chris Ash does not hide his desire to be a defensive coordinator some day.
“Itâ??s one of my future goals,” Ash said in an interview last week. “Right now, Iâ??m focused on going to Wisconsin and being the best DB coach I can be and help Dave (Doeren) as the coordinator.
“Absolutely, down the road, at some point, I do want a shot at being a defensive coordinator.”
Badgers move up to No. 11
Madison.com
After winning two games last week, the University of Wisconsin menâ??s basketball team moved up to No. 11 in this weekâ??s Associated Press Top-25 poll. The Badgers (18-5, 8-3 Big Ten) are No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today coachesâ?? Top 25 poll.
Paul W. Schlecht: We need study to see how much money has been thrown to bicyclists
Capital Times
Dear Editor: A â??first-of-its-kind-studyâ? by graduate students at the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies should have us all genuflecting at the spandex altar. They save the planet and pump big bucks into our state. But is it any more than mere advocacy research?
‘Better mousetrap’ builders compete at UW-Madison this week
Capital Times
The creativity and inventiveness of UW-Madison students will be on full display this week during the annual Innovation Days competition at Engineering Hall.
The competition will feature 23 inventions built by 37 students, vying for more than $27,000 in prizes. The competition is for those inventions and ideas judged to be the most innovative and most likely to succeed in the marketplace.
Students line up to donate blood in Big Ten Challenge
Capital Times
UW-Madison students are said to bleed “Badger red” and now they have a chance to do so literally for a good cause.
The university is competing in the first-ever American Red Cross Big Ten Blood Drive Challenge, pitting all 11 Big Ten schools against each other to see which school can collect the most blood donations in one month.
The highlight of the UW-Madison effort is the annual Buckyâ??s Big Ten Blood Drive, a two-day affair on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Big tree transplants keep nurseries busy in frigid weather
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: Jiwan Palta, horticulture professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Able to elevate
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
If you wondered whether fifth-ranked Michigan State would run away and win the Big Ten Conference menâ??s basketball title without a legitimate challenge, think again.
If you wondered whether No. 16 Wisconsin – minus injured forward Jon Leuer – lacked the talent, depth or mettle to hang with the best teams in the nation and thus stay in the race for the title, think again.
Senior at UW-Madison dies of meningitis
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A campus memorial service has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday for Neha Suri, the popular University of Wisconsin-Madison student who died Tuesday of bacterial meningitis.