State budget director Dave Schmiedicke said state revenue collections are off $3.5 billion from the projections made in June, a major factor in the $5.4 billion budget deficit now facing the state.
“It would have been a challenging budget based on the June numbers,” Schmiedicke said. The “rapid deterioration” in revenues over the past several months have the state staring at the biggest budget hole in its history, he said.
Madison, Wis. – A few days before he willingly stepped down as president and chief executive officer of the alternative energy company he helped to launch, Eric Apfelbach told a crowd of entrepreneurs they were probably a little bit crazy.
When lawmakers take up the budget next year, they’ll be dealing with the worst deficit in state history.
A report given to the Governor Thursday projects the state budget deficit at nearly $5.4 billion, up from around the $3 billion that was forecasted just a few months ago. The Governor says drops in consumer confidence and job losses have resulted in major losses in revenue for the state.
Given the current economic downturn, admissions officers at Wesleyan University thought there might be a decline in early-decision applications this year. But when the deadline passed last weekend, they found that the number had risen 40 percent.
Ronald passed away at home with his family on Monday, Nov. 17, 2008. Born in Blair but raised and educated in the state of Oregon, Ronald returned to Wisconsin in 1967 for a long career at UW-Madison as a professor of art education before retiring in 1995.
If there’s one thing the current financial crisis has made abundantly clear, it’s that “global economic independence” is no longer just a textbook term.
It’s a headline-generating reality — and not only in the international pages, but in the local business section as well. Wisconsin is home to multinational giants such as SC Johnson, Kohler Company, and Kikkoman Corporation. When they suffer an economic downturn, we all do.
Q. How do birds migrate?
A. The essential skills of bird migration are orientation — knowing north from south, and east from west — and navigation, having some sort of “map” to establish the location you’re aiming for, says Stanley Temple, emeritus professor of conservation at UW-Madison.
Madison police released a sketch Wednesday of a man suspected in the sexual assault of a University of Wisconsin-Madison student on Sunday.
Dane County and neighboring Iowa County remain among the healthiest counties in Wisconsin, according to an annual report released today by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Population Health Institute.
USA TODAY chose five sports, selected to give a mix along gender, revenue-generating and seasonal lines: football, baseball, softball and men’s and women’s basketball. USA TODAY reviewed media guides and school websites at 142 schools â?? the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) schools and 22 Division I schools with standout basketball teams over the past few years, based on USA TODAY coaches’ poll rankings. The result: a list of about 9,300 upperclass athletes on the team rosters during the 2007-08 school year.
Note: Story includes searchable graphic.
On Wednesday, Burke filed a series of proposed stipulations, the first of which admits that Adam Peterson, a former UW-Madison student, caused Marino’s death on Jan. 28. Marino, 31, was found stabbed to death in his home on West Shore Drive along Monona Bay.
Jim Lattis, a UW-Madison astronomer who keeps close track of light pollution issues, said it makes sense to extend the tradition of protection along the Lower Wisconsin to the skies.
Academic advisers for athletes face complex, pressure-filled jobs that have become more so in recent years as the NCAA eased rules on freshman eligibility while ratcheting up requirements for minimum progress toward a degree. The result is it is easier for an athlete to get into school â?? but harder to stay in.
Some athletes say they have pursued â?? or have been steered to â?? degree programs that helped keep them eligible for sports but didn’t prepare them for post-sports careers.
A USA TODAY study of the majors of juniors and seniors in five prominent sports at 142 of the NCAA’s top-level schools shows athletes at many institutions clustering in certain majors, in some cases at rates highly disproportionate to those of all students.
Students don’t know much about history, and colleges aren’t adding enough to their civic literacy, says a report out today.
The study from the non-profit Intercollegiate Studies Institute shows that less than half of college seniors knew that Yorktown was the battle that ended the American Revolution or that NATO was formed to resist Soviet expansion. Overall, freshmen averaged 50.4% on a wide-ranging civic literacy test; seniors averaged 54.2%, both failing scores if translated to grades.
MADISON, Wis. – Local governments across Wisconsin denied, ignored or did not properly fill three out of every 10 requests for basic public documents, according to an audit released Wednesday.
The audit was conducted by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. It involved 318 public records requests filed primarily by newspaper reporters in 65 counties in September and October.
Local governments across Wisconsin denied, ignored or did not properly fill three out of every 10 requests for basic public documents, according to an audit released Wednesday.
The audit was conducted by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. It involved 318 public records requests filed primarily by newspaper reporters in 65 counties in September and October.
Quoted: Political scientist Kenneth Goldstein of the University of Wisconsin-Madison said the deep unpopularity of the current Republican president and the spiraling economic crisis caused the “extraordinary” GOP reversals.
The Madison Police Department on Wednesday released a sketch of a man they say sexually assaulted a 21-year-old woman while she was jogging on the city’s East Side on Sunday night.
The incident occurred at about 9 p.m. in the 2200 block of East Washington Avenue when the woman, a University of Wisconsin-Madison student, was apparently grabbed from behind by a man.
A statewide public records audit found that one in 10 requests for basic documents were denied or ignored by local governments.
Another two in 10 requests were fulfilled only after records custodians required the requesters to identify themselves or explain why they wanted the documents, in violation of state law.
The audit, conducted by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, of which I am president, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, involved 318 public records requests filed in 65 counties.
WAUSAU â?? Southeast Wisconsin is home to some of the state’s healthiest â?? and least healthy â?? people, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison study released today.
“RoboCop” and “I, Robot” may not be as far-fetched as you think, and IBM and five universities including Stanford are teaming up to prove it.
IBM is teamed with five colleges – Stanford, UC Merced, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell and Columbia – and for now they are all aiming to draw up plans for a chip that can imitate the actions of 1 million neurons.
Those driving downtown on University Avenue or Johnson Street have noticed little old University Square has undergone quite a makeover–from a humble one-story mini-mall–to a massive, 1.1 million-square-foot facility.
Despite some difficulties renting commercial space in the new University Square facility, developers say the trouble on Wall Street hasn’t made its way down University Avenue just yet.
In August, Madison development firm Executive Management, Inc., in partnership with UW–Madison and Steve Brown Apartments, completed construction on the massive 1.1 million-square-foot University Square facility. The building features a ten-story apartment tower, a nine-story office tower, a parking garage and two full floors of commercial retail space.
Citing concerns about student safety, Tennessee State University last week began blocking the gossip Web site JuicyCampus from its campus network, and appears to be the first public college or university to do so.
At least one private institution, Hampton University, has also blocked the site, where users anonymously post insulting messages about their peers.
Leaving home and going off to college used to be an exciting time in a teen’s life.
But more and more, students have to put aside that excitement to worry about the cost of attending college.
A few months ago, if you asked Kendra Bechtol where she was going to college she would’ve told you the University of Miami.
National Collegiate Athletic Association officials have taken pride in the rising rates at which Division I athletes are graduating, and they often credit the associationâ??s five-year-old academic eligibility rules as a driving factor. But the rules, which for the first time penalize college teams whose athletes do not make adequate progress toward a degree, were also widely seen as increasing the pressure on institutions and coaches to ensure that they do.
A new report ranks the health of Wisconsin counties.
The report from the UW Population Health Institute looked at the overall health of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Ozaukee County claimed the top spot, while Menominee County ranked last.
Dr. Patrick Remington says there are large gaps in quality statewide, with many communities continuously ranking near the bottom of the list. He says the report is intended to draw attention to the many disparities across the state.
Adam Peterson did not intend to kill Joel Marino, according to his defense attorney.
Marino was killed inside his Madison home in January. Peterson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree intentional homicide.
Assistant Public Defender Dennis Burke says Peterson admits he caused Marino’s death, but Burke says the killing was an impulse act. He will be pushing for a lesser charge. (Audio.)
With President-elect Barack Obama poised to lift the ban on federal funding of research on new embryonic stem-cell lines, UW-Madison and Dane County could strengthen their position as a leader in the pioneering research, officials say.
They warn, however, it will take new federal dollars in addition to a change in policy to have a strong impact here.
Bucky Badger wants YOU to help with snow removal.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is adopting new rules in order to improve upon snow and ice removal after last winter’s record snowfall of more than 100 inches. And some of the changes involve asking people to dig in with a shovel or take the bus on snowy days instead of driving.
Barack Obama’s transition team has announced the officials who will review personnel and policies at federal agencies for the new Administration, including dozens who will begin visits to examine the work of science agencies this week.
One is R. Alta Charo, a bioethicist at the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, whose support for research using human embryonic stem cells reflects Obama’s position on the controversial work.
James R. Nestingen passed away on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008, at the age of 80. Jim worked for the Department of Independent Studies at the University, editing correspondence courses for the University Extension with a particular interest in math and engineering subjects.
Geraldine Lucille Hinkel, age 95, died on Monday, Nov. 17, 2008. Geraldine spent most of her life in service to the University of Wisconsin, starting at the Dean of Women’s office. Later she spent several years in the economics department and then went on to become secretary to Dean Edwin Young, of the College of Letters and Science. From there she followed Dr. Young when he became chancellor of the Madison University Campus. She again followed him when he became president of the University of Wisconsin System, and then retired from that position.
Researchers at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison are working on finding a cure to the disease.
Dr. Mary Schroth is currently treating 60 children with spinal muscular atrophy at the hospital. She is also leading the research on drugs to help build strength and said that she thinks three drugs show great promise. Clinical trials on those medications are underway.
WASHINGTON â?? Sleep not only refreshes the body, it may also push the reset button on the brain, helping the brain stay flexible and ready to learn, new research shows.
Whether it is slow-wave sleep or rapid eye movement (REM), sleep changes the biochemistry of the brain, and the change is necessary to continue learning new things, suggests research presented November 18 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
Hundreds of genes behave differently when an animal is asleep rather than awake, says Chiara Cirelli of the University of Wisconsinâ??Madison. Cirelli and her colleagues are trying to settle a long-standing debate about why sleep is necessary. One theory is that sleep helps solidify memories by replaying information learned during the day. Another idea holds that sleep is for energy restoration.
Quoted: “Not knowing what is expected in the workplace is stressful,” said Joan Gillman, director of special industry programs at the School of Business at University of Wisconsin-Madison. “In my adult classes, when asked, most supervisors don’t really know what is expected or what they are being judged on.”
A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher is among those joining President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team.
University of Wisconsin Law School professor R. Alta Charo, a nationally prominent bioethicist, has served on a federal panel on embryonic stem cell research.
State Supreme Court Justice Patrick Crooks said tonight that public financing is only part of the solution to fixing what ails judicial elections in Wisconsin.
Crooks, who ran unopposed in 2006 for a second 10-year term on the stateâ??s high court, said among the reforms heâ??d like to see is a move of judicial elections from their traditional April date to the fall election to draw more public interest.
â??We should tie these races to those races where there is a larger turnout of voters,â? Crooks said, calling the 19 percent turnout for the Supreme Court election this April â??something we should all be ashamed of.â?
Crooks made his remarks at a discussion titled â??Justice, Money & Politicsâ? at the UW-Madison Law School. Crooks took part in a panel that included his fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, Wisconsin State Journal editorial page editor Scott Milfred, and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign executive director Mike McCabe.
Faculty retention is a hot topic at the university right now. Recruitment and retention was one of the main topics Chancellor Biddy Martin spoke about during her first public address to the university community, impressing upon us the significance of this topic. Two key components of recruitment and retention are benefits and salary.
Madison Repertory Theatre’s production of The Greeks, performed in partnership with the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Theatre and Drama, avoids the pitfall of trying to portray the epic scale of the Trojan Wars, choosing instead to focus on the terrible toll that those events inflicted on ordinary people. And, in that sense, the production is a success. By personalizing the crushing impact of the war the play reaches its audience in ways that mere bombast and bloodletting could not.
Jeff Rohrman, the University of Wisconsin menâ??s soccer head coach for the past seven seasons, has stepped down from his position, it was announced Tuesday.
â??I feel now is the time for me to move on to a new chapter in my professional life,â? Rohrman said. â??It has been a pleasure to work with the student-athletes here at Wisconsin and I wish them all the best as they continue their careers.â?
Generations Fertility Care is the name of UW Hospital’s new fertility clinic, which will open it’s doors in 2010 on the city’s far west side.
The announcement, made on Tuesday night, is a new page for a department that has suffered public embarrassment over physician feuding in recent years.
Of equal concern to police are robberies, crimes that have gotten a lot of attention around this city where so many people walk or bike to get around. It’s a common site on campus.
Lieutenant Eric Hollen with the UW-Madison Police Department says, “We have seen an increase in the surrounding area.”
Armed Robberies and strong armed robberies have happened 15 more times in Madison this year than they had at this time last year.
Hollen says, “At any time of day you really have to look at what the situation is.”
A member of the University Police Department for 17 years, Lieutenant Hollen often gets questions from students and concerned parents about how to stay safe.
Quoted: Michael Schatzberg, African Studies Professor at UW Madison, says its anarchy in the country.
Quoted: Kidney stones in kids are one the rise, for the past 5 to 7 years, according to a pediatrician. Bruce Slaughenhoupt, UW Assistant Professor of Urology, says in the past decade the average age of children they’ve seen develop the condition is 10-years-old.
At a time when the nationâ??s economy is ailing and credit is drying up, Troy Carter thought he had found an affordable way to earn a four-year college degree: Stitch together an education at a community college and a state university.
But like millions of other students who are flocking to community colleges and public universities, he finds them struggling with financial problems of their own.
Tuesday night at the Overture Center, stem cell supporters celebrated a decade’s worth of bio-science breakthroughs. They’re not only talking about what they’ve done in the past — but what they hope to do in the future.
Ten years after his discovery, UW professor James Thomson recalled the infancy of stem cells and how they can transform themselves in the human body.
Hard hit by budget cuts, the California State University system is planning to cut its enrollment by 10,000 students for the 2009-10 academic year, unless state lawmakers provide more money.
â??We canâ??t continue to admit more and more students without receiving adequate funding,â? Chancellor Charles B. Reed said Monday.
A prominent University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher has been named to President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team.
R. Alta Charo, a bioethicist who has served on a federal panel on embryonic stem-cell research and on President Clinton’s National Bioethics Advisory Commission, will review health policy for Obama.
The University of Wisconsin is marking Global Entrepreneurship Week this week.
Eager to encourage public service and give debt-burdened graduates more options, several colleges and universities are trying new initiatives.
This fall, for instance, eight 2008 Princeton University graduates are the first group to begin two-year, federal jobs as a pre-condition for pursuing a free Princeton master’s degree. Harvard Law School said earlier this year it will, starting in 2010, waive one year’s $41,500 tuition for third-year students who commit to work five years in government or non-profit fields. Tufts became the nation’s first university this year to offer loan repayment assistance to all its graduates, not just those from a particular professional school.
At least one person on campus has done OK as the economy has declined: public university presidents’ salaries climbed 7.6% last year. Fifteen presidents of public research universities took home at least $700,000 in 2007-2008, up from eight in last year’s survey, and nearly one-third now earn over $500,000, according to the annual Chronicle of Higher Education survey out Monday.
Everett D. Rockhill, age 78, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. Everett had been employed by UW-Madison.
Say what? You’re going to take Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s word on where the best places for you to go to school are?
I had vaguely heard that the Shanghai university made an annual list of the best research university’s in the world but didn’t pay it much heed. After all, those kinds of lists often strike me as arbitrary.
I got up this morning still thinking about the matter. After Googling the list, I quickly found that places like the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of Minnesota proudly note that they are fairly high on Jiao Tong’s list.
University of Wisconsin wide receiver Kyle Jefferson was set to be released from the hospital on Sunday.
He sustained a concussion in the Badgers’ 35-32 victory over the University of Minnesota on Saturday.
Jefferson was taken off the field in an ambulance after a big hit left him motionless for several minutes in the second quarter.
The Washburn University Bookstore is allowing students to trade out the old for the new.
Following the settlement of the copyright lawsuit between Washburn and the University of Wisconsin, Kay Farley, bookstore director, began brainstorming ways to introduce the newly branded WU merchandise to students.
“The new logo came out so suddenly that we had to find a way to get it out to the students,” said Farley.
Online holiday shopping is in full swing, according to the associate dean at the University of Wisconsin Business School.
Deborah Mitchell, associate dean of enterprise MBA programs, said this season’s tight economic times are driving retailers to ramp up their online deals earlier. Other experts said it’s a way to get consumers into the shopping mood, although the success of the season is still up in the air, WISC-TV reported.
Noted: Dr. Michael Fiore has heard them. He runs the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin. Cigarettes distributed during World War II, he said, spawned a generation of smokers, with six of every 10 US men identified as tobacco users in the 1950s.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Wausau, Wis., company have come up with a 37-inch, bullet and bomb-proof Humvee tire based on a polymeric web so cool looking there’s no need for hub caps.
Resilient Technologies and Wisconsin-Madison’s Polymer Engineering Center are creating a “non-pneumatic tire” (no air required) that will support the weight of add-on armor, survive an IED attack, and still make a 50 mph getaway. It’s basically a round honeycomb wrapped with a thick, black tread.
Quoted: Dr. Nancy Sweitzer is a clinician-scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose research focuses on the physiology of heart failure. Sweitzer recently took a break from seeing patients — including those from Dubuque — to attend the association conference.
