Skip to main content

Author: jplucas

Raabe, ‘Wizard of Oz’ Munchkin actor, dies at 94

Posted on
Madison.com

Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner in “The Wizard of Oz” and proclaimed in the movie that the Wicked Witch of the East was “really most sincerely dead,” has died. He was 94. Raabe, born in Watertown, Wis., in 1915, was a member of the Midget City cast at the Chicago Worldâ??s Fair in 1934. He earned a bachelorâ??s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin and, years later, a masterâ??s degree in business administration from Drexel University.

New questions about Kissinger role in 1970s Latin death plot

Posted on
Los Angeles Times

Quoted: “I think the document reinforces what we already know — that Kissinger wanted to downplay Condor,” said Jeremi Suri, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin and author of a 2007 book on Kissinger. “His primary concern was to maintain good and … productive relationships with Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Condor was seen as an irritant.”

Underground cash economy thrives in Sacramento

Posted on
Contra Costa Times

Quoted: As much as $2 trillion in income went unreported nationally in 2008 â?? about 24 percent of total adjusted gross income in the United States, said Edgar Feige, a University of Wisconsin economist and authority on the topic. Thatâ??s the highest level since World War II, he said.

How Tackling Allergies Can Ease Asthma Suffering

Posted on
National Public Radio

Quoted: “For the vast majority of children with asthma, allergies are a very important, if not the most important factor in causing symptoms and determining risk for hospitalizations and emergency room visits,” says asthma expert Dr. William Busse of the University of Wisconsin.

Munchkin coroner in ‘Oz’ declared witch dead

Posted on
Washington Post

“By working at these worldâ??s fairs as a midget, I was able to work my way through the university,” Raabe said. He received a bachelorâ??s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin and, years later, a masterâ??s degree in business administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

What Kids Know: McDonald’s, Toyota, Disney

Posted on
ABCNEWS.com

Quoted: “Young children are ready learners and are learning about their brand environment just about everywhere,” said T. Bettina Cornwell, a professor of marketing and sports management at the University of Michigan. Cornwell and Anna R. McAlister, a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin, published their study “Childrenâ??s Brand Symbolism Understanding” in the journal Psychology and Marketing last month.

Friends frozen out as Botox deadens facial expression

Posted on
The Times, UK

It may get rid of your wrinkles â?? but cost you your friends. Women who use Botox are sending the wrong social signals because their frozen facial muscles make it difficult for them to express the normal range of emotions.

David Havas, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who led the study, says his research proves Charles Darwinâ??s theory that facial expression is an important factor in producing emotion in the brain.

Madison Mourns Death Of Polish President

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

The shocking plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski is being recognized in Madison.The Polish Heritage Club and the University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s Polish Student Association walked down State Street Saturday, lighting candles in honor of the victims.

Scientific pursuits pay off for Salinas fellowship winner (Monterey Herald)

Posted on

Alejandro and Consuelo Huerta, immigrants from Michoac n, Mexico, and Salinas residents, spent a lifetime working in the fields so their three daughters didnâ??t have to. So, when the youngest one informed them she wanted to pursue a career in agriculture, they were puzzled.

A first-year doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Huerta has just been awarded a research fellowship from the National Science Foundation, one of the coveted 2,000 that are granted each year. The three-year fellowship comes with a $30,000 annual stipend, $10,500 cost-of-education allowance and $1,000 international travel allowance.

After big season, big departures ahead for UW hockey team

Posted on
Madison.com

It may take some time, but perspective will eventually find members of the University of Wisconsin menâ??s hockey team and it should provide a good measure of comfort.The Badgers fell short of their long-stated goal when they absorbed a 5-0 loss to Boston College in the NCAA Frozen Four championship game Saturday night at Ford Field in Detroit.

Chancellor takes tough stand on drinking

Posted on
Madison.com

The University of Wisconsin-Stout chancellor is promising to get tough with students who have numerous alcohol-related violations _ even if they happened off campus. Chancellor Charles Sorensen says suspension is among the possibilities for students who have numerous underage drinking citations, repeatedly use fake IDs or host house parties.

Across Planet Hip-Hop: A newcomer’s guide to the Line Breaks festival (The A.V. Club Madison)

Posted on

While Madison has certainly carved its initials deep into the grunge tree, it has never been acknowledged as a booming hip-hop community. However, in recent years, some at UW-Madison have been working tirelessly to change thatâ??whether by bringing in the iconic Chuck D for the Hip Hop As A Movement Week conference in 2008 or throwing a bad-ass international break-dancing competition called Breakinâ?? The Law.

UW-Madison students to vote on fee hike for ‘Nat’

Posted on
Madison.com

University of Wisconsin-Madison students are voting this week on whether to raise student fees by $108 per year for a new state-of-the-art recreational center. At issue is whether the university moves forward with a $62 million renovation of the Natatorium, which includes pools, gymnasiums, racquetball courts, weight rooms and other fitness equipment.

Israel Exports Greatest Resource–Stone (Israel National News)

Posted on

The Land of Milk and Honey is exporting its equally famous Ramon-Grey Gold stone for a new building at the University of Wisconsin. Quarra Stone executive vice president John Rodell, who was in Israel as part of a special delegation of government and business leaders from Wisconsin, signed the agreement to purchase 12 containers of the stone.

U. of Wis. cuts ties with Nike over labor concerns (AP)

Posted on
BusinessWeek

The University of Wisconsin-Madison canceled its licensing agreement with Nike Inc. on Friday, becoming the first university to take that step over concerns about the companyâ??s treatment of workers in Honduras. Chancellor Biddy Martin said Nike hasnâ??t done enough to help workers at two factories that abruptly closed last year to collect severance payments they are owed.

Posted in Uncategorized

College Of Holy Cross Responds To Campus Assault

Posted on
National Public Radio

NPRâ??s investigative team has been working with reporters at the Center for Public Integrity on a sensitive topic: sexual assaults on college campuses. The investigation shows that campus discipline systems rarely expel men who are found responsible for a sexual assault. Today, Tell Me More focuses on an exception to that norm: the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., which expelled a young student for sexual assault.

Badger Nation disappointed by hockey championship

Posted on
WKOW-TV 27

Badger fans gathered at bars and restaurants across Madison to cheer on the hockey team in the NCAA championship game on Saturday. Despite a 5-0 loss to Boston College, Badger Nation is proud of its team for making it to the final game.

UW to end licensing agreement with Nike

Posted on
WKOW-TV 27

No more Nike swoosh on UW apparel. UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin announced Friday the school would end its apparel licensing agreement with Nike, after Nike failed to develop a solution to the displacement of 1,700 workers with the closing of two factories by Nike sub-contractors in January 2009.

Posted in Uncategorized

Future tasks of incoming appellate judges

Posted on
Wisconsin Radio Network

Quoted: UW-Madison Law Professor Keith Findley says for most citizens the appellate court is probably their final chance as the supreme court takes few cases, â??The court of appeals describes itself as a high volume, error correcting court and for most people thatâ??s the end of the game,â? says Findley.

UW Regents approve new tuition policy

Posted on
Wisconsin Radio Network

The UW Board of Regents is setting new guidelines for approving special tuition hikes.  The Board on Friday approved changes to how requests for differential tuition increases are reviewed. UW System spokesman Dave Giroux says Regents want to stress the importance of having student input on efforts to launch new initiatives on a specific campus.

Badger Rush Ahead of Big Game

Posted on
NBC-15

The Badger Menâ??s Hockey team is in the national championship game. And Nick Cozzi is ready to show his pride.”Iâ??ve been to a couple games,” said Cozzi. “The atmosphere, the energy thereâ??s like 20,000 people against six or seven guys on the ice of the other team. Itâ??s great. I love it.”

UW-Madison students should demand more sustainable food choices

Posted on
Isthmus

The UW-Madison campus is in a city that hosts the nationâ??s largest producer-only farmerâ??s market, is home to three grocery co-ops, nearly 50 community gardens, and more than 200 organizations working on food or sustainability. Youâ??d think it would be easy for students here to find a variety of local and sustainable foods at campus grocery stores and dining facilities.

Update: Imago sold to Pennsylvania company

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Imago Scientific Instruments, a Fitchburg company that makes high-power microscopes providing 3D images, has been purchased by Ametek, a publicly traded company in suburban Philadelphia, for $6 million. Imago was founded in 1998 based on technology discovered at UW-Madison.

UW arboriculture course gives students tree-climbing credit

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

If you happened to pass the Microbial Sciences building on the UW-Madison campus Thursday morning, you would have noticed a strange sight: college students swinging from a tree. About a dozen students attempted to scale the swamp white oak as part of a tree-climbing lab. Itâ??s the highlight of the universityâ??s arboriculture course, where students learn to care for trees and the landscape. Yes, for one day, they were getting course credit for climbing trees.

Official: UW degree goal requires new approaches

Posted on
Madison.com

Reaching a new goal to graduate 80,000 more students in the next 15 years will require more paths to degrees, improved retention rates and higher enrollments, the University of Wisconsin Systemâ??s top academic official said Thursday. The strategies will include adding three-year degree programs on several campuses, increasing the use of online courses, and luring back adults with some college credits to finish, UW System senior vice president Rebecca Martin told the Board of Regents. “This is aspirational — but also, we believe itâ??s possible,” she said of the goal as the regents kicked off a two-day meeting at UW-Fond du Lac.

Doug Moe: 50 years ago, UW athleteâ??s death ended college boxing

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The punch that ended varsity college boxing was a classic right hand delivered to the left temple of a beloved Badger boxer named Charlie Mohr. It happened 50 years ago Friday. On April 9, 1960, the University of Wisconsin was hosting the final night of the NCAA boxing tournament. The site was the Field House, which over the previous 25 years had regularly been filled with up to 15,000 fans. College boxing was enormously popular in Madison. The NCAA had an annual bracketed tournament, in the manner of the basketball tournament today, and UW had won eight of them.

Oates: UW emphatically smashes Cinderella’s skate

Posted on
Madison.com

The name on the front of the jerseys said RIT. From afar, it looked more like Butler. And since virtually everyone at cavernous Ford Field was looking on from afar Thursday, the job of the University of Wisconsin menâ??s hockey team was clearly defined: Avoid getting Butlered at the NCAA Frozen Four.

Plan: Get student input, not approval for UW hikes

Posted on
Madison.com

University of Wisconsin campuses would be required to seek input from students but not their formal approval for special tuition increases under a proposed policy revision. The Board of Regents on Friday will consider the policy spelling out the process for approving differential tuition increases for specific programs and campus initiatives. UW-Madison, UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse have won approval for major increases to improve their quality in recent years, but it hasnâ??t always been clear what role students play in the process.

Official: UW System Computer Project Still On Time (AP)

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

The University of Wisconsin Systemâ??s top financial official said an $81.4 million information technology project remains on time and budget. UW System senior vice president Tom Anderes told a Board of Regents committee on Thursday said some parts of the project to install the new payroll and benefits system might be slightly behind schedule because of vacant positions.

Editorial: UW System expansion a good investment

Posted on
Wausau Daily Herald

Education is economic development. Education achievement is linked to long-term economic success not only for individuals but also for much larger societal groups. Itâ??s education that helps to ensure that workers are skilled and able to adapt to a changing marketplace.

UW scientists unlock mystery of animal spots (AP)

Posted on

In the lab that summer morning, Thomas Wernerâ??s heart pounded. The University of Wisconsin-Madison post-doctoral researcher had to sit down and take deep breaths before continuing the crucial experiment. Werner, who had grown up in East Germany hoping to study butterflies, had instead devoted more than three years to a species of the North American fruit fly, Drosophila guttifera.

Voucher kids on par with public school peers

Posted on
Wisconsin Radio Network

Milwaukeeâ??s so-called voucher students, who are given tax dollars to go to private schools, are performing at roughly the same levels in math and reading as their public school peers. That is the finding of an analysis that has concluded its third year in a five year longitudinal study on the Parental Choice Program.

Students protest UW/Nike contract

Posted on
WKOW-TV 27

 At least 50 University of Wisconsin students marched on Bascom Hill Thursday afternoon, demanding the school sever ties with Nike. Four months ago, Chancellor Biddy Martin issued the apparel company an ultimatum — clean up your act, or weâ??ll take away your license to do business with the UW.

Doug Moe: Med Flight veteran logs 18 years in the air

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Mike Abernethy is chief flight physician with Med Flight, which celebrates its 25th anniversary at UW Hospital on April 22. Abernethy has been there 18 years and estimates that no physician in the country has made more medical flights.