Madison Area Technical College has long been overshadowed by UW-Madison, its bigger, high-profile sister. But like community colleges across the country, MATC has recently been thrust into the spotlight by the poor economy. With an 11 percent increase in enrollment this fall, President Bettsey Barhorst is charged with the critical task of figuring out how the college will train future workers.
Author: jplucas
Oates: Badgers prove they’re for real
Madison.com
UW got the signature victory it needed to show that this season’s improvement was not a mirage.
Why do noncaloric sweeteners taste so sweet?
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Dale A. Schoeller, a UW-Madison professor of nutritional sciences.
New insurance mandates take effect in Wisconsin
Madison.com
Young adults can stay on their parentsâ?? insurance longer, and birth control costs must be covered for those looking to avoid having any kids at all, under new laws that take effect Friday in Wisconsin. Also starting in the new year, state workers and employees at the University of Wisconsin can receive domestic partner health insurance and other benefits. As of Tuesday, 710 people and 57 dependents have signed up for the health insurance, according to the Department of Employee Trust Funds. Another 179 university employees added a domestic partner to their health insurance as of Dec. 21.
Kohl to keep pushing Butler as U.S. judge after nomination turned back
Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl said Wednesday he supports President Obamaâ??s nomination of Louis Butler as a federal judge in Western Wisconsin despite the nomination being turned back in the U.S. Senate on Christmas Eve. A justice on the state Supreme Court from 2004 to 2008, Butler was defeated for re-election by current Justice Michael Gableman. He is currently jurist in residence and a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Texting while driving, smoking target of ’10 laws
Madison.com
Texting while driving, smoking in public and cooking with artery-clogging trans fats will be that much harder under a bevy of state laws set to take effect around the country on Friday. In Wisconsin, both same-sex and unwed opposite-sex domestic partners who work for the state and University of Wisconsin can sign up to receive health insurance benefits. A law that allowed same-sex partners to sign a registry to receive other benefits similar to what married couples get took effect in August.
Former UW Press director dies at 73; Fitchen deeply loved literature, classical music
Wisconsin State Journal
It is every editorâ??s dream to have a classic piece of literature dropped in his or her lap and to shepherd the work on its way toward publishing history.Allen Fitchen lived that dream, beginning in 1974 when Norman Maclean walked into Fitchenâ??s office at the University of Chicago Press and handed him the manuscript that would become the legendary “A River Runs Through It.” Fitchen, who later retired as director of the University of Wisconsin Press, died in Madison on Christmas Day at the age of 73.
Banner day at MSU the best UW hoops game of the decade
Madison.com
The best Badgers basketball game of the decade was played on March 2, 2004, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Wisconsin 68, Michigan State 64, overtime. You might remember it as “the banner game.”
U.S. women’s hockey again falls to Canada
Madison.com
Once more, Canada came out on top against the U.S. women’s hockey team, running its unbeaten streak in the fall series to five games. But American coach Mark Johnson said he came away encouraged despite a 2-1 loss Wednesday in the teams’ penultimate meeting prior to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Badgers have guarded optimism entering Big Ten play
Madison.com
Bo Ryan isnâ??t making any statements about just how much stronger or improved seniors Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon and sophomore Jordan Taylor might be heading into the Big Ten Conference season because he knows the Badgersâ?? upcoming opponents are stronger and more improved, too.
‘Green’ parking privileges anger UW-Fox Valley students
Wisconsin State Journal
Some students at UW-Fox Valley in Menasha are objecting to a new policy that gives preferential parking to those who drive fuel-efficient cars, arguing that it favors the wealthy.
Baggot: Sadly, itâ??s time to say goodbye to Showdown (Wisconsin State Journal)
The final episode of UWâ??s annual holiday tournament wonâ??t be â??M*A*S*Hâ? or â??Seinfeld.â? But it will close out an unforgettable, if under-appreciated, production.
Pavelski, Suter, Rafalski and Kessel named to U.S. Olympic hockey team
Madison.com
Ryan Suter will carry on the family tradition by skating for the United States menâ??s hockey team at the upcoming Vancouver Olympics. The Madison native and former University of Wisconsin defenseman was one of four players with area ties named to the 23-man roster on Friday, joining ex-Badgers Brian Rafalski and Joe Pavelski as well as Madison native Phil Kessel.
Schultz: UW men’s basketball All-Decade team
Madison.com
The five players who comprise my University of Wisconsin men’s basketball All-Decade team best define the rebirth of a program that enjoyed unparalleled success from 2000-2009.
Badgers need to reboot essential functions
Madison.com
After a three-week layoff, the UW men’s hockey team needs to restart its engines quickly to regain its early-season form.
Mulhern: My highlights of the decade
Madison.com
Among Mulhern’s highlights: The scandal involving the Shoe Box in Black Earth, a thriving shoe store that became synonymous with UW sports in the early part of the decade after a Wisconsin State Journal investigation revealed that Badgers athletes were receiving impermissible benefits from the store.
Karnosky: My highlights of the decade
Madison.com
My most memorable moments revolve around Badgers athletics. Three games in particular â?? one from each of the big-time sports on campus â?? stand out from the 2000s.
Oates: My highlights of the decade
Madison.com
At its very best, sport provides us with magical moments â?? plays, games or even seasons where something truly unexpected happens or where everything comes together for an athlete or a group of athletes. Over the last decade, three such games stand out for me, including Barry Alvarezâ??s final game as football coach at UW.
Oates: Bowl win, 10-3 mark raise bar
Madison.com
The Badgers’ postseason victory capped an impressive turnaround season, but it also means the team will have to find motivation by means other than a search for redemption that defined this year’s outfit.
After an off year, a notable turnaround (Wisconsin State Journal)
A year ago at this time, Bret Bielema was getting skewered by critics, and his status as University of Wisconsin football coach was regarded as shaky. But an embarrassing 42-13 loss to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl in December 2008 fueled an impressive turnaround, and Bielemaâ??s current status is much more secure.
Five sure to be tested in ’10
Wisconsin State Journal
Mark Johnson, Team USA womenâ??s hockey coach, is going for gold, again, on the ice at the Olympics. Heâ??s on leave from coaching at UW to see if he can guide Team USA past Canada at the Winter Olympics and to its first gold medal since 1998.
Women’s hockey: Past, present ready to collide with eye on future
Madison.com
The Badger women’s hockey team will host Team USA â?? the outfit bound for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver next month â?? in an exhibition game Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.
Stepan, U.S. reach World Junior Hockey title game
Madison.com
Derek Stepan made yet another key play at the IIHF World Junior Championships, and this one helped vault the United States into the championship game. The University of Wisconsin skater fed Jerry Dâ??Amigo on a two-on-one break for a shorthanded score in the third period.
Taking torture to a comedic extreme
Wisconsin State Journal
Mentioned: Prof. Alfred McCoy, a torture expert from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Budget cuts hit Madison schools hard in ’09, but visit from president is high note
Capital Times
University of Wisconsin-Madison experts helped create the first new strategic plan for the Madison School District since the early 1990s.
Farmers hope ‘grown in Wisconsin’ sells in China
Madison.com
Quoted: Peter Carstensen, a University of Wisconsin-Madison law professor who specializes in agricultural marketing issues.
Wis. Legislature to focus on economy again in 2010
Madison.com
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor.
UW students praise WI health insurance expansion
WKOW-TV 27
UW Oshkosh grad student Janelle Drews pays for her own health insurance, but says she canâ??t afford to get sick.”Iâ??m paying for graduate school myself, that and health insurance is getting really expensive,” Drews said.
UW-Madison Student Killed In Milwaukee Crash
WISC-TV 3
Milwaukee police said a suspected drunken driver who was fleeing from police struck and killed a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student Thursday.Police said the incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. Thursday near Sherman Boulevard and Center Street in Milwaukee.
Victim of fatal crash identified
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A passenger killed when the car she was riding in was struck by an SUVÂ fleeing Milwaukee police early Thursday has been identified as Shanica Adkins, 21, according to a Milwaukee County Medical Examinerâ??s report.
Feds Find Problems With UW-Madison’s Animal Research
WISC-TV 3
A rare joint federal investigation of the University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s animal research program found multiple federal animal welfare violations, which could potentially compromise the programâ??s funding.
Doyle decision was â??09 bombshell
Wisconsin Radio Network
Thereâ??s little doubt Governor Jim Doyleâ??s decision to not seek a third term was the top state political story of 2009. It blind-sided most Wisconsin political observers, including UW political scientist Charles Franklin.
Gov race worth watching in â??09
Wisconsin Radio Network
Quoted: â??Itâ??s interesting because of the personal stories of that, as well as for the way it shapes the political story that will run throughout 2010,â? says UW political scientist Charles Franklin of the Democratsâ?? race for governor, which generated headlines as early as August.
Guidance Counselor: Going Viral
New York Times
The tiny, rectangular rooms with twin beds separated by only a few feet. The buffet-style dining halls. The communal bathrooms, whose patrons sometimes pad around carelessly in bare feet. There are few living arrangements, doctors say with a shudder, that are more fraught with contamination possibilities than the college dorm. â??I would call them a public health challenge, to say the least,â? says Dr. Margaret Spear, the director of university health services at Penn State, where roughly two-thirds of the students live in dorms.
You Can Go Back Again
New York Times
Six years ago, as a senior at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Meg Goodwin was motivated in her job search by social anxiety as much as anything else. Her friends had positions lined up, so she wanted one, too. She went to the career counseling center and signed up for interviews for 10 different jobs, none of which she particularly wanted.
Obituary: Marlene M. Vlachina
Madison.com
Marlene M. Vlachina, age 66, of Madison, passed away on Saturday, December 26, 2009. For 41 years, Marlene was employed with UW-Madison. She retired on March 1, 2006, as an administrative assistant.
Obituary: Marjorie Wolfenden Zupanc
Madison.com
Marjorie Zupanc (née Wolfenden) passed away on Thursday, December 24, 2009. After serving in World War II, Marjorie was head nurse for Dr. William S. Middleton, Dean of the Medical School, at the University of Wisconsin.
Obituary: Donald E. Schmid
Madison.com
Donald E. “Don” Schmid, age 68, passed away, unexpectedly, on Saturday, December 26, 2009. Don worked for the University Farms in Arlington.
Gery Worlfel: Is Clay going into the NFL draft?
Racine Journal Times
The University of Wisconsin football team, ranked 24th, will play its final game of the season tonight against 14th-ranked Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl at Orlando, Fla. Could it also be the final game as a Badger for standout running back Johnny Clay?
Reflecting On A Decade Of Stem Cell Research (Morning Edition)
National Public Radio
Some say they hold the potential for medical miracles. Others claim they are a moral abomination. Either way, human embryonic stem cells captured headlines during the past decade in a way few areas of scientific research have before.
UW women’s basketball: Upset win shows different mindset this season
Madison.com
Lisa Stone jokingly said she still carries the reminder of Rae Lin Dâ??Alieâ??s excitement from the University of Wisconsinâ??s upset of Michigan State in last seasonâ??s Big Ten Tournament.
Former UW-Madison student charged with possessing child pornography
Wisconsin State Journal
A former UW-Madison student who was convicted in 2004 of jamming police radios during Madisonâ??s Halloween celebration was charged Monday with possessing and creating child pornography.
Raw milk has real risks, few benefits
Wisconsin Radio Network
Why drink raw milk? Proposed legislation would allow on farm sales of the unpasteurized product, but a University of Wisconsin expert says the risks of drinking it outweigh the benefits. Scott Rankin, an associate professor of food science, says that while he drank raw milk as a child in Californiaâ??s dairy country, he doesnâ??t recommend it.
Insight Bowl: U band’s in, but Maturi didn’t make the cut
Star Tribune
If the athletic director canâ??t even score a ride on the team plane to a bowl game, you know things are tight.
Wireless Boom May End Free TV
WISC-TV 3
Quoted: The latest smart phones have applications for just about everything, but every single download uses up a valuable resource. According to Barry Orton, professor of telecommunications at the University of Wisconsin, the broadcast spectrum is filling up one download at a time and he said that reality requires a change.
Obituary: Richard A. Herschleb
Madison.com
Richard A. Herschleb, age 79, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, December 23, 2009. Dick began his career at the UW-Madison Arlington Agricultural Research Station, in 1961, while still maintaining his family farm. With great pride, he retired as farm supervisor in 1993.
Obituary: Robert Gordon Heideman
Madison.com
As the result of a sudden illness, Robert Gordon Heideman, age 86, died peacefully at HospiceCare on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009. Before becoming director of education placement and career services in the School of Education at the UW-Madison (1967), he was a teaching assistant in biology and zoology as well as in guidance.
Obituary: Troy A. Strommen
Madison.com
Troy A. Strommen, age 34, passed away on Wednesday, December 23, 2009. He was employed by the University of Wisconsin Police Department.
Obituary: Sherlock B. Larson
Madison.com
Sherlock B. Larson, age 79, passed away peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009. Sherlock was a longtime employee of the University of Wisconsin working in the security department.
Obituary: Heinz Juergen Kepper
Madison.com
Heinz Juergen Kepper, age 70, of Madison, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009. Heinz worked at the State Laboratory of Hygiene as a microbiologist in the Virology Department until his retirement in 1995.
Obituary: Soren Bisgaard
Madison.com
Soren Bisgaard died in Boston on Dec. 14, 2009. At the University of Wisconsin he worked in a variety of roles and units related to industrial engineering, quality control, and productivity improvement before becoming a Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, and Director of the Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement.
Obituary: Allen Nelson Fitchen
Madison.com
Allen Nelson Fitchen, director of The University of Wisconsin Press from 1982 to 1998, died on Friday, December 25, 2009.
Badgers Land In Sunny Florida
WISC-TV 3
The University of Wisconsin football team arrived in Orlando on Wednesday. The Badgers left Madison to start on-site preparations before playing Miami on Tuesday in the Champs Sports Bowl.
As ye give, so your health shall receive (NJ.com)
Quoted: Dr. Adam Rindfleisch with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health said he often suggests people with fibromyalgia and depression get involved with a volunteer activity.
Disabilities in Old, Young Studied in Developing Nations (VOA News)
Voice of America
A new study says the leading cause of disability in older people in low and middle income countries is dementia. The researchers disagree with the World Health Organization which says blindness and other vision problems are the leading cause.
Eugene van Tamelen, pioneering Stanford chemist, dies at 84
Los Angeles Times
Noted: He graduated from Hope in 1947 and received his doctorate from Harvard in 1950. He joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin and stayed until he went to Stanford in 1962, spending the rest of his career there.
As Global Temperatures Rise, So Too Do Health Risks (PBS NewsHour)
Quoted: Dr. Jonathan Patz, University of Wisconsin: Many of our communities combine storm water with sewage, simply because itâ??s too expensive to separate these systems.
For volleyball’s Dolgner, it’s all about family (Fond du Lac Reporter)
Fond Du Lac Reporter
Although she finished her Badger volleyball career with plenty of accomplishments and accolades to reflect upon, itâ??s more about family for Brittney Dolgner.
Morris native takes part in ROTC challenge (Morris, Minn. Daily Herald)
Morris native and University of Wisconsin-Madison student Megan Norton recently participated in the third annual Army ROTC Ranger Challenge at Fort McCoy, Wis.
Your Christmas tree is a real survivor
Racine Journal Times
Noted: Grubs attack a treeâ??s roots, said Chris Williamson. He is an associate professor of entomology for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Extension, and heâ??s also Lieschâ??s supervisor. An older tree, with a more extensive root system, can tolerate losing some roots to grubs, he said. Young trees, those about 18 inches tall, canâ??t.