Cited: James Stein of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Study: 11M more should get statins
USA Today
Author: jplucas
Hearing Offers Insight into Education-Secretary Nominee’s Priorities for Higher Education
Chronicle of Higher Education
Arne Duncan, Barack Obama’s nominee to be secretary of education, pledged to work toward the president-electâ??s goals of increasing the maximum Pell Grant and simplifying the process of applying for student aid during his confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
â??I donâ??t know if youâ??ve looked at the Fafsa lately,â? Mr. Duncan said, referring to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, â??but you basically need a Ph.D. to figure that thing out.”
Detroit: Not a town of quitters (Detroit Free Press)
Detroit Free Press
Quoted: In a YouTube video posted by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Professor Stephen Carpenter, who specializes in ecosystems at the University of Wisconsin, said resilience explains how things can â??change and persist at the same time.â?
â??A resilient system could be able to withstand a shock without losing its basic functions,â? he said. â??A resilient system is able to transform to a different way of life when the current way of life is no longer feasible.â?
State gets poor grades for tobacco control (River Falls Journal)
Quoted: Dr. Michael Fiore of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Tobacco Research still spends much less than the suggested federal minimum on tobacco control programs â?? about $15 million a year.
Zimmermann Family, Fiance File Lawsuit Against County
WISC-TV 3
The family of slain University of Wisconsin-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann and her fiancé are suing Dane County.
According to court records, the Zimmermann family and Jordan Gonnering have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dane County.
Republicans soul searching
Wisconsin Radio Network
Quoted: Some deep questions are in order for the Republican Party following the bath it took at the polls in November, says UW-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin.
UW-Madison alum Carol Bartz to head Yahoo!
Wisconsin Technology Network
Chalk up another chief executive spot in a major corporation for graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Yahoo! has confirmed a report in the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch that said the embattled online services company has replaced controversial CEO Jerry Yang with Carol Bartz, who recently has been serving as executive chair of Autodesk.
Cheese value plunge
Wisconsin Radio Network
Quoted: Thom Kriegl of the UW Center for Dairy Profitability says the decrease in price is “a great concern” to Wisconsin dairy farmers. Kriegl says the price of cheese has been on downward trend since 2007 but significantly dropped the last several weeks.
Weather, old pipes said to cause water main break
Wisconsin State Journal
Cold weather and aging pipes were the likely causes of a water main break late Friday that halted or interrupted water service over the weekend for homes and businesses just south of the UW-Madison arboretum on Madison’s South Side, according to Madison Water Utility authorities.
WiCell receives two more stem-cell lines
Wisconsin State Journal
The National Stem Cell Bank, housed at the WiCell Research Institute in Madison, has received two more embryonic stem-cell lines, giving it all 21 lines approved for federal funding by the Bush administration.
The two new lines are from Cellartis, a biotechnology company in Sweden, WiCell announced Monday.
Minnesota, Wisconsin to seek savings by working together
Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will announce plans today to seek mutual savings to help solve each state’s massive budget shortfall.
“This has to do with finding efficiencies,” Doyle spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner said. “We’re all looking for good ways to save money.”
Web site allows Madison residents to monitor neighborhood crime
Wisconsin State Journal
A new online tool that allows members of the public to monitor crime in their neighborhoods is now available for Madison, though the information has some limitations.
Coyotes’ Turris tackles culture shock (Arizona Republic)
Arizona Republic
In just a year, Coyotes forward Kyle Turris went from living in a 15- by 10-foot dorm room with a roommate at the University of Wisconsin to having the responsibility of maintaining his own household.
Most young players face a similar immediate culture shock as they begin their NHL careers.
CU rises to No. 2 on Peace Corps list (Colorado Daily, Univ. of Colorado)
The University of Colorado this week leap-frogged over the University of Wisconsin-Madison to claim the No. 2 spot on the Peace Corps’ annual ranking of alumni volunteers.
Only the University of Washington provided more volunteers — in the large-school category, featuring institutions with more than 15,000 undergraduates — than CU’s Boulder campus, according to figures released Monday by the Peace Corps.
US Stem Cell Bank Has Acquired All 21 Lines
WISC-TV 3
The U.S. National Stem Cell Bank said it now has all 21 lines of embryonic stem cells approved for use in federally funded research.
The Madison-based bank said it recently received deposits of the last two cell lines from Cellartis AB, a biotechnology company based in Sweden.
Commuters change their plans to accomodate snowy weather
Janesville Gazette
The good news is, Janesville drivers won’t necessarily be dealing with the snowy weather every yearâ??or even the rest of this winter, a UW-Madison expert said.
Just because Janesville had a snowy December doesn’t mean it will have a snowy January and February, said professor Jonathan Martin, chairman of the atmospheric and oceanic sciences department.
“Last year’s winter was so unusual in the persistent nature of storm traffic going right over us,” Martin said. “You could never have expected that to happen.”
Investigation Continues In Peterson’s Death
WISC-TV 3
While feelings of shock still linger, an investigation is continuing into the apparent suicide this weekend of the man accused of killing Madison resident Joel Marino last year.
Adam Peterson, a former University of Wisconsin-Madison student and Minnesota native, apparently hanged himself. The Dodge Correctional Institution, which was holding Peterson, is investigating his death, including an apparent letter left by Peterson. Officials aren’t releasing any of the details surrounding that letter at this time, WISC-TV reported.
Peterson’s family surprised by circumstances of suicide
WKOW-TV 27
Convicted murderer Adam Peterson’s father told 27 News his son’s death happened just one day before Melvin Peterson’s first planned visit with his son in prison.
“I would have hugged him. I could have held his hand,” Melvin Peterson of St. Paul told 27 News.
State corrections officials said Peterson was discovered Saturday in his cell at Dodge correctional facility in Waupun, hanging by bed sheets from the top rail of his prison bunk.
Executive Q&A – Darren Kittleson: Real estate agent brought Keller Williams to city
Wisconsin State Journal
Darren Kittleson’s early career path seemed to be headed for the dairy industry. He grew up milking cows on a farm near Mount Horeb, studied agriculture at UW-Madison and served as state president of the Future Farmers of America.
Too many builders in city are ‘ignoring’ erosion rules
Wisconsin State Journal
Nelson said the city currently has issued erosion control permits for about 40 commercial construction sites across the city, including several on the UW-Madison campus. He said that while the state Department of Commerce is responsible for erosion control regulations on most of the campus, the city regulates campus building sites south of University Avenue and west of Park Street.
On Campus: Geothermal energy coming to University of Wisconsin-Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
Drilling began last week for a geothermal heating and cooling system for the future Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery â?? the first research facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to use the economical energy source.
Job No. 1 for Madison and Wisconsin in 2009: More jobs
Wisconsin State Journal
We have an incredible research university in UW-Madison that’s turning technology into successful businesses and high-paying jobs. We have a dynamic health industry and soaring farm exports. Our manufacturers are finding niche global markets in which to thrive.
The coming year needs to be a turning point for the economy. Above all else, the State Journal editorial board will advocate for smart economic policies that produce good jobs for hardworking people.
An ode to starlings, our most misunderstood bird
Toronto Star
Quoted: According to neurologist Lauren Riters of the University of Wisconsin, starlings have among the longest and most complex songs of any birds in North America. They continually incorporate new sounds into their vocal arrangements, often mimicking frogs, goats, cats and even other birds. The result is an admixture: warbles, creaks, squeaks, whistles, throaty chirrups, twitters and raspy trills.
While singing, the starling syrinx vibrates in two separate parts, which allow one bird to sing harmonizing duets with itself. “Starlings sing because it makes them feel good,” Riters explains.
UW think tank studying ‘Racine Promise’ for free college tuition (Racine Journal Times)
Racine Journal Times
The director of a University of Wisconsin think tank is analyzing education options for Racine, including free college tuition for students.
The economic and education analysis is the first step toward creating the recently proposed Racine Promise program, which would provide free college tuition for all City of Racine high school graduates.
It would be funded by private and corporate dollars rather than city taxes, but the details on how it would run have not been established.
Noel Radomski, who is conducting the analysis of Racineâ??s economic trends and education options, said the Racine Promise could be feasible. But he said a lot needs to be done first.
Price cuts hurt Wisconsin dairy farmers
Appleton Post-Crescent
Quoted: “It is amazing,” said Brian Gould, an associate professor of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I think the economy has caught up.”
Downsized, but still in the game
Boston Globe
Quoted: “Downsizing is a shock to the system, and it leads employees to take a much closer look at what they have and what they may find elsewhere,” says Charlie Trevor, the University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor who led the study. Employees afraid to quit in this extremely tight labor market may jump ship later.
UW-Madison quietly scraps risky lab equipment (AP)
Dallas Morning News
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has quietly decided to stop manufacturing its signature aerosol chambers used for researching infectious disease, which were involved in a few dangerous lab accidents nationwide.
The College of Engineering is shutting down the business after an internal audit found it was poorly managed and carried the potential for huge liability costs in the event the chambers failed, exposing researchers to toxic agents.
University Leaders From Around the World Discuss Fund Raising in Troubled Times
Chronicle of Higher Education
The worldwide economic crisis is creating unprecedented challenges for fund raisers, but the new philanthropic landscape could also yield unexpected opportunities for higher-education institutions, university leaders from around the world were told at a three-day meeting here last week. The Global Conference on Fundraising and Grantmaking for Universities, held at New York University’s George H. Heyman Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, attracted top officials from universities in Asia, Canada, Europe, and South Africa.
Spokeswoman says Abortion Clinic is Still Only Pending
Wisconsin Public Radio
Anti-abortion activists are calling on the UW Health Clinic to cancel its plan to open an abortion clinic in downtown Madison. But a spokeswoman for UW Health says opposition to the clinic is premature because there’s been no final decision to actually open it.
About sixty protesters lined the sidewalk in front of the UW Clinic yesterday holding signs saying “Abortion is Not Health Care.” The leader of the vigil, Steve Karlen, says he hopes the large turn out will convince the doctors who plan to open the clinic to reconsider.
“Weâ??re asking the university not to take this facility, which is a beautiful medical facility that should be the pride and joy of Madison and the pride and joy of Wisconsin, weâ??re asking them not to turn it in to a place of death and a killing center.” (Third item.)
Spending It
New York Times
The graph of the stock marketâ??s downward zigzag, a sinking mountain range in silhouette, is a textbook illustration (for those who can still afford their own textbooks) of how quickly the comfy insularity of college life can vanish.
Forget â??Gossip Girlâ? or â??Family Guy.â? Financial concerns are the new topic on campus. â??Sometimes people will make it a joke, but because there are so many jokes, you know itâ??s really serious,â? says Kyia Bish, a Spelman College freshman from Queens who is concerned about her momâ??s job security at JPMorgan Chase.
Marino family reacts to Peterson suicide
WKOW-TV 27
Peterson’s suicide came as a bizarre surprise to Joel Marino’s parents.
“[It’s] hard to process a lot of this type of thing all at once, but as far as I’m concerned, he got just what he deserved,” said Lou Marino. “It never brings my son back, never will. We miss him.”
For months, Lou Marino said he’d been trying to get justice for his son by preparing arguments for Peterson’s February 26th sentencing. He says he wanted to make sure a judge did not grant Peterson early parole.
Authorities: Man Convicted In Marino Slaying Commits Suicide In Prison
WISC-TV 3
The former University of Wisconsin-Madison student convicted of killing Madison resident Joel Marino last year apparently committed suicide on Saturday night while serving a life sentence in the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, according to Dodge County authorities.
Adam C. Peterson, 20, apparently hanged himself and was found by his cellmate. Peterson was discovered hanging from an upper bunk bed railing shortly after 10 p.m. One end of a bed sheet was tired around his neck and the other tied to the railing of the bed, according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department.
Man Convicted in Murder of Joel Marino Dies in Prison
NBC-15
“Our purpose in life for a year was to get justice for Joel, and apparently that ended today as far as the total priority of what we do first and foremost,” Lou Marino said Sunday night.
The man convicted of killing a Madison man almost a year ago dies in prison. On Sunday, the victim’s father spoke about the man who took his son’s life.
The murder happened almost a year ago. Joel Marino was stabbed to death near his Madison home one afternoon.
DTV delay?
Wisconsin Radio Network
Quoted: Should the feds delay implementing digital TV? A UW researcher weighs in. UW Madison Professor Greg Vanderheiden is at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and he says while manufacturers and retailers are leery of a DTV delay.
Shielding the UW from budget cuts
Wisconsin Radio Network
A legislative leader says protecting the UW in these difficult financial times is a “must” for state lawmakers.
State Senate President Fred Risser (D-Madison) has long been a champion of the university, and says he needs to continue fighting with the state facing $5.4 billion in red ink.
The Madison Democrat says the budget can’t be balanced with deep cuts to the UW because it’s so important to the long term economic strength of the state. Risser says it’s at the UW that ideas will likely germinate to foster an economic rebound.
The Gaza War… on North American Campuses
Inside Higher Education
The military conflict thatâ??s likely to spark campus protests in the coming weeks doesnâ??t involve U.S. forces in Iraq or Afghanistan. Rather, Israeli attacks on Hamas forces in Gaza have stirred sleeping campuses, and rallies and petition drives may gain momentum as more colleges resume full operations. The efforts, involving students and professors, supporters of Palestinians and Israelis, raise sensitive issues about whether academics are too quick or too slow to question Israel, what methods are appropriate for expressing opposition to another governmentâ??s actions, and why Israelâ??s actions are more likely to generate protests than outrages committed by other countries.
How sweet it is: Sugar substitute rebiana OK’d (77 Square)
Quoted: “The thing that’s unique about it is it’s not synthesized,” says Susan Nitzke, a nutrition specialist with the University of Wisconsin Extension and a UW-Madison nutrition professor.
Authorities Release Redacted 911 Call By Zimmermann’s Fiance
WISC-TV 3
About one-quarter of the 911 call placed by Brittany Zimmermann’s fiance after he came home and found her killed last April was omitted by Madison police before being released to the media.
The heavily redacted call was released on Thursday under court order to WISC-TV and three other media outlets — the Wisconsin State Journal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee — that sued Dane County for release of a 911 call apparently made by Zimmermann herself before she was killed and related documents.
UW Vet School Wants More Graduates in Labs and Classrooms
Wisconsin Public Radio
The UW-Madison veterinary school is trying to increase the number of researchers and classroom teachers. Many vets are choosing private practice, creating concern that fewer people doing research could affect discoveries that help both animals and humans.
For some vet students, money is a factor in choosing which career path to follow. There are school loans to pay, $100,000 on average, and caring for the medical needs of animals is often more lucrative than working in a lab. Another obstacle for animal scientists is the smaller amount of government money available for research on pets compared to people.
In an effort to lure more vets to the lab and classroom, UW-Madison is connecting with students in various medical training programs all over the country. Lauren Trepanier is an associate professor at the Department of Veterinary Medicine. She says during a workshop this fall, they will mentor and guide students toward a career combining research with patient care. (Tenth item.)
Possible BA Program for Engineering on Table
Wisconsin Public Radio
The University of Wisconsin College System wants to expand a new program that offers students at two-year campuses a chance at bachelor degrees in engineering. The College’s Chancellor says it’s worth the money even as state leaders struggle with a massive budget deficit.
The College System currently offers bachelor degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering at four two-year campuses throughout the state. UW Colleges and Extension Chancellor David Wilson says almost all the students who’ve graduated so far have gone on to get engineering jobs close to home.
“And they are making a very decent salary, much more than they were making in those previous positions,â? he says. â??And they are returning to that region and to the state of Wisconsin, an incredible return on the investment that this state has made in producing them.” (Fourth item.)
Baggot: Is Alvarez worth $750,000 a year? (Badger Beat)
Capital Times
It’s a question we ask ourselves at least once every day of our adult lives.
It’s posed, one way or another, after a restaurant meal or concert, after the driveway is plowed, after a sporting event or vacation, after you visit your financial planner.
Was it worth it?
Wisconsin Badgers football: Hill leaves for NFL, Graham stays (Badger Beat)
Capital Times
The ball is in John Clay’s hands now.
Saying “the time is right for me to take the next step in my career,” University of Wisconsin junior running back P.J. Hill announced Thursday that he will make himself eligible for the NFL draft and won’t return for his senior season.
Badgers junior tight end Garrett Graham, who like Hill filed paperwork with the NFL to find out his projected draft status, announced he is returning.
“We are excited for both players,” UW coach Bret Bielema said in a news release. “I know that Garrett is looking forward to completing his time at UW and improving for his senior season and we are thrilled to have him returnin
The promise, revisited (Toledo Free Press)
Noted: I recently interviewed one of the foremost researchers of these â??Promiseâ? programs. Noel Radomski, a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, contacted me after I first wrote about Kalamazooâ??s plan. Radomski is helping determine the best way to spend a $175 million gift from the former Chairman of Cisco Systems to provide scholarships for Wisconsinâ??s public high school graduates. Radomski is also working with the mayor of Racine, Wis., to implement a program similar to the Kalamazoo Promise.
Radomski favors statewide programs although he takes care to applaud locally based programs like Kalamazooâ??s. He points to Indianaâ??s two-decade-old 21st Century Scholars Program. Central to the Hoosier State plan is a requirement that students take challenging courses.
If you’ve got the money, there’s deals to be had
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Consumers need to be careful not to overreact to bad economic news, said University of Wisconsin-Madison Business School Dean Mike Knetter. If people have money and needs, they should not shy from spending.
Local Group Helps Free Milwaukee Man From Prison
WISC-TV 3
A Milwaukee man has been released from prison after more than a decade after DNA evidence and a local organization helped free him from a slaying he didn’t commit.
Chaunte Ott was released Thursday after the Wisconsin Innocence Project based in Madison found evidence to set him free after he was wrongly convicted in a Milwaukee slaying dating back 13 years.
The best alternative medicine for children
CNN.com
Noted: But then a family friend suggested they contact Dr. Adam Rindfleisch, a University of Wisconsin family doctor who specializes in integrating traditional Western medicine with alternative medicine.
Rindfleisch suggested probiotics — “friendly” bacteria that he says have been shown to help babies and children with diarrhea. While probiotics didn’t cure Luke, Kruse-Field said, they seem to have helped.
Neanderthals done in by competition (Discovery Magazine)
MSNBC.com
Quoted: “It is clear from this paper that the ecology that supported a big population of Neanderthals 40,000 years ago would have supported a big population of Neanderthals 30,000 years ago,” said John Hawkes, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. “This is not an issue of climate.”
Newbery Medal weathering stiff challenges
Scripps Howard News Service
Quoted: The limited representation of minorities in Newbery-winning books is an even thornier issue. Kathleen Horning, director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that the number of children’s books about minorities has remained around 10 percent since 1992.
Ask the Weather Guys: How are icicles formed?
Wisconsin State Journal
Q: Why are icicles shaped like long skinny carrots?
A: The icicle shape is determined by heat diffusion and conduction.
You may notice that more icicles form on the sunny south-facing side of your home than on the shaded north-facing side.
Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on WHA Radio (970 AM) the last Monday of each month at 11:45 a.m
Colleges See Slowest Growth in State Aid in 5 Years
Chronicle of Higher Education
State-tax support for higher education increased by less than 1 percent in the 2008-9 budget year, to $78.5-billion, according to an annual report released today by the Center for the Study of Education Policy, at Illinois State University. This was the first time in five years that state aid for higher education grew more slowly than it had the year before.
What’s more, many states are considering midyear budget cuts that would reduce money for colleges this year, even as legislators begin to draft budgets for next year. Over all, states could face budget gaps that total as much as $200-billion in the current fiscal year and the next one, the National Governors Association said in December.
Group Rallies Against UW’s Plan To Perform Abortions
WISC-TV 3
Protesters came out Thursday morning to voice their opposition against the University of Wisconsin and Meriter Hospital after they announced plans this week to perform late-term abortions.
The rally, organized by Madison’s Vigil For Life, gathered protesters in front of the Madison Surgery Center. The protesters’ goal was to convince UW officials not to go through with these plans, which were made public on Tuesday.
UW abortion plan draws protest
Wisconsin Radio Network
Dozens braved bitter cold temperatures to protest the location of a potential abortion clinic jointly run by UW Health, UW Medical Foundation and Meriter Hospital. The clinic would perform second trimester abortions. There currently are no clinics in the Madison area that offer the later term procedure, something that UW Health claims is an essential public health service. Protestor Peg Gibson, who’s had an abortion, doesn’t agree.
The States Pull Back
Inside Higher Education
Ask anyone who works at a public college or university about the impact of state support (or lack thereof), and they have stories to tell: of raises lost, of furloughs, of programs being eliminated and of positions frozen.
Hereâ??s a new measure of how bad it is: The researchers who produce the definitive annual study of state appropriations for higher education are being forced today to release data they know understate (in some cases significantly) the extent of the cuts.
Kids reveal a lot about themselves online
USA Today
A new study shows that more than half of teenagers mention drugs, alcohol, sex or violence on their MySpace pages. Yet getting teens to clean up their pages is easier than many might assume, researchers say.
Young people also could be rejected by college or business recruiters who see coarse language or photos on their profiles, says the study’s lead author, Megan Moreno, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Getting the most bang for your college buck
USA Today
As college admission deadlines wind down and families submit financial aid applications for next fall, freshmen in 2009 will be the first to start college clearly in the throes of the recession.
Financial doors can open for college applicants that plan ahead
USA Today
Ripple effects of a dour economy are making this college application season as nerve-wracking for some admissions officers as it is for applicants. But for savvy families, there may be new opportunities.
Best Value Colleges for 2009 and how they were chosen
USA Today
The Princeton Reviews 100 “Best Value Colleges” list for 2009 is based on data compiled and analyzed by The Princeton Review, the education services and test-prep company known for its annual college listings.
UW Physicians Tout New Organ Transporter
WISC-TV 3
University of Wisconsin doctors are using new technology to help more patients who need kidney transplants get the life-saving organ they need.
The LifePort Kidney Transporter keeps the organ constantly pumped with oxygen and blood with a cold solution — even during transportation. Unlike traditional coolers, the transporter will ensure more kidneys will be available and that the organs will arrive at the recipient in better condition.
Metropolis: Snooze-o-Gram? (Fort Worth Weekly)
Quoted: In the opinion of several media antitrust experts, the current joint distribution deal and sharing of editorial content doesnâ??t quite cross the line. But further consolidation might. â??It does raise some concerns,â? said University of Wisconsin law professor Shubha Ghosh, an expert on media antitrust cases. â??But you would have to prove who is harmed in this process. The readers probably are not, under the strict definition of the law. But if they start combining ad rates, competing media or those that buy the ads might have a case.â?
Preparing for a Chlorine Gas Disaster (HealthDay News)
Washington Post
Quoted: “This is one of the largest community exposures to chlorine gas since World War I,” study lead author David Van Sickle, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the University of Wisconsin, said in a news release issued by The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, which published the report in its January issue.