There may be tough times ahead for Wisconsin, as a projected revenue shortfall grows.
The latest report from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau puts Wisconsin’s budget hole at $652 million for the biennium, up from a projected $400 million shortfall last month.
Some thieves got caught in the act and two young women took action to protect themselves and get some stolen property back. North Frances Street fell victim to some burglars Saturday night. As they moved on to their next victims, chances are they didn’t know they would come up against a fight.
Stephanie Wexler and Melissa Smith were in their apartment bathroom Saturday night. “Just like doing our makeup and stuff we walked out of our bathroom and as we walking out two guys walked out of my roomates room,” explained Stephanie.
Human evolution has been gathering speed for the past 50,000 years, and today natural selection may be changing the human genome faster than ever according to John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin and author of the best paleoanthropology blog on the web (johnhawks.net/weblog). Hawks led a study that examined genetic variability around the world and found that adaptive mutations have been accumulating at an increasing pace as the world’s population grows. Hawks spoke with ARCHAEOLOGY’s Zach Zorich about race, breeding with Neanderthals, and Zach’s lousy education.
Quoted: Craig Werner, chairman of the Afro-American Studies department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Barry Burden, political science at UW-Madison.
Quoted: Dr. James Stein, of the division of cardiovascular medicine at University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Quoted: Meg Gaines, a lawyer and ovarian cancer survivor who runs the Center for Patient Partnerships, an advocacy resource at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Teamsters union and New Era Cap Co. have reached a deal at the company’s 118-worker Mobile distribution center, both sides confirmed, although they released no details.
New Era was also under fire from college students who push for better working conditions at plants making college-logo apparel. The University of Wisconsin-Madison cut off its license to the company, and other schools have moved in that direction.
In 2004, Chenelle Heren voted to re-elect Republican President Bush and even campaigned for him.
Now the 21-year-old UW-Madison junior from Eau Claire is supporting Democrat Barack Obama after hearing the Illinois senator tell a crowd of 17,000 at the Kohl Center that he would end political divisions and unite the country.
“I’m more conservative and Obama has definitely expanded my horizons,” Heren said. “He’s opened my eyes and ears to a lot of things. I believe what he says.”
To stay competitive in its search for a new chancellor, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is planning to sweeten the pot â?? by as much as 66 percent.
While a pay raise is overdue, that’s a big chunk of change at one time. But it’s also the top of the proposed pay range, the $370,000 to $425,000 that university officials are considering for a salary as they begin to recruit for a successor to John Wiley, who steps down in September.
MADISON, Wis. — A diver from National Geographic took a swim Tuesday in the frigid waters of Lake Mendota as his crew documented an underwater robot being field tested in the lake.
Researchers from NASA and the University of Illinois at Chicago are heading up the week-long test in which a submersible will dive underneath the ice to map the environment and sample microbial life.
Terrorists attack a nuclear reactor on a college campus. Alarms sound. Campus security officers respondâ??completely unarmed.
MADISON, Wis. — The Madison City Clerk’s office and office of the Dane County Clerk said more poll workers are needed throughout the area for Tuesday’s primary. The city clerk’s office said approximately 40 poll workers are needed for the downtown Madison and campus areas.
Some 20,000 people poured into the Kohl Center on Tuesday night as presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama brought his hypnotic campaign to Madison on the heels of sweeping victories in todayâ??s Potomac Primaries, adding to a series of wins that have given him a critical edge in the Democratic race for the White House.
NASA is making Madison home this week, hoping to test out a state-of-the-art explorer robot.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago are testing an underwater robot, called “endurance” this week beneath Madison’s Lake Mendota.
The tests will determine what changes need to be made before the bot heads to Antarctica, and ultimately to the ice-bound oceans of Jupiter’s moon, “Europa”.
Ludwig van Beethoven used the keyboard as his “personal laboratory, ” a place to experiment with the lyricism and power that fed his monumental works for orchestra.
Starting 7:30 tonight in Mills Hall, UW-Madison associate professor of piano Christopher Taylor begins a two-month, marathon performance of all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas. In a feat rarely achieved, Taylor — whose reputation as a brilliant performer reaches from some of New York ‘s premier concert halls to West Coast academia — will play the sonatas from memory in a 10-concert series.
MADISON, Wis. — Speaking to a crowd of more than 17,000 in Madison Tuesday night, Barack Obama railed against the Iraq war and spoke sharply against the presumptive Republican nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Instead of focusing on his Democratic challenger, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama criticized McCain’s support for the Iraq war, tying his backing of that and other policies to the Bush administration.
Governor Doyle predicts the state is in for tough times in the near future, as his estimate of a state budget shortfall grows.
Last month administration officials said the budget will likely be short $400 million, but now the Governor says that number may be closer to $500 million.
If this record-setting winter has turned Madison other-worldly, that ‘s just fine with a group of scientists who were working on snowy Lake Mendota Tuesday.
The researchers, from NASA and from the University of Illinois-Chicago, are using the frigid waters of the lake this week to test an underwater robot — a robot slated to explore permanently ice-covered lakes in Antarctica later this year, and eventually to search for signs of life beneath the frozen lakes on the most famous of Jupiter ‘s moons, Europa.
Lake Mendota stands in for Antarctica and beyond, as an underwater robot dives into the Madison lake. ENDURANCE — the Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-Ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer — takes a series of test dives in the lake this week, with the types of conditions it will face when it deploys in October to a perpetually ice-covered lake in Antarctica. (Audio.)
One day seven or eight years ago in Bangkok, Joe Falcone began to feel an uncomfortable sensation of futility. The grandson of garment workers, he had been working in Asiaâ??s clothing factories for nearly a decade, making certain they complied with labor and environmental laws.
The idea was to assure American consumers their apparel and shoes were not made in sweatshops. But, as Mr. Falcone recalled in a recent interview, he had come to wonder if the laws were strong enough.
Quoted: Dawn Crim, a special assistant to the chancellor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, was one administrator persuaded by Mr. Falconeâ??s sales pitch.
â??Our chancellor has always said to find the best supplier who makes the best product in a fair way and give him a chance,â? said Ms. Crim, whose responsibilities include licensing. â??Weâ??re always on the lookout for a company that can operate in an ethical way.â?
Edward W. Arnold, age 77, passed away on Monday, Feb. 11, 2008, at HospiceCare. Edward received a degree in entomology from UW-Madison.
WASHINGTON â?? The risks of a terrorist attack on a nuclear reactor on a college campus, and the potential consequences, have been underestimated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Congressional auditors say in a report.
Noted: John and Tashia Morgridgeâ??$179 million, primarily to educational causes. Cisco Chairman John Morgridg met his wife, Tashia, while in high school in Wisconsin, and both attended the University of Wisconsin. They have long supported educational programs in their home state. This year, they made a founding gift of $175 million to establish the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars, which will provide grants for low-income graduates of Wisconsin public schools attending Wisconsin public post-secondary schools. The Morgridges also gave $4 million toward the building of a public pool facility in Milwaukee County.
Quoted: Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, said his state was one place where Clinton could interrupt Obama’s run.
Quoted: Kris Olds, a professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin.
Quoted: Sharon Dunwoody, a professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who has studied the behavior of reporters at AAAS meetings.
The stalemate between the Big Ten Network and major cable television companies has come to this: The University of Wisconsin is opening the Kohl Center in Madison on Wednesday for men’s basketball fans to watch the 15th-ranked Badgers play at No. 13 Indiana on the arena’s video screens.
There will be a band and $1 sodas, hotdogs and popcorn. Admission is free.
For fans of the Hoosiers, the situation is no different than when the network launched last August, with numerous fans being unable to watch the game on cable television. At least one IU trustee is losing patience.
Nearly 10 months after the Virginia Tech shootings prompted colleges nationwide to take steps to improve safety, campus leaders continue to struggle with how to prepare for unknown threats and determine when and how to inform their campuses of incidents.
That was the message delivered on Monday by the director of public safety at Princeton University and two university presidentsâ??including Charles W. Steger of Virginia Techâ??who spoke on a panel at the American Council on Education’s annual meeting here.
How’s this for a travel itinerary: First stop, Lake Mendota in Wisconsin. Then a little trip under a frozen Antarctic lake, and finally a blowout finish under the icy seas of the Jovian moon Europa.
That’s roughly the plan for the Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer (ENDURANCE) probe, a NASA-funded project designed to make 3D maps of underwater environments, take microbial samples and gather other data on difficult-to-reach depths.
Coming into next week’s primary – Senators Clinton and Obama are neck and neck when it comes to delegate votes.
And they will certainly be fighting for every one of Wisconsin’s 92 democratic delegates, including the badger state’s 18 super delegates.
One of those super delegates is UW-Madison senior Awais Khaleel, 23, and it’s possible his vote at this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Denver could be critical.
MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Jim Doyle said that presidential contender Barack Obama’s rally on Tuesday at the Kohl Center will be talked about for years.
Obama, a U.S. senator for Illinois, is planning to appear at the 17,000-seat arena for a major rally before Wisconsin’s presidential primary next week. The event is open to the public, and organizers are expecting a packed house.
MADISON — Both Democratic candidates for president are targeting young voters in Wisconsin, with Chelsea Clinton making stops on college campuses Monday and Barack Obama planning a rally Tuesday at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s daughter made stops at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and near Marquette University before heading to UW-Madison to speak to an overflow crowd of hundreds of students at the union. She planned additional visits at university campuses in Eau Claire and La Crosse on Tuesday.
The atmosphere was anything but electric at the UW Memorial Union today, where for more than 90 minutes potential two-time First Daughter Chelsea Clinton exercised near-androidal command of Hillary Clinton’s policy details as she fielded questions from a largely female audience. Chelsea, who in December refused to answer a question posed by a nine-year-old reporter, has made a sudden about face, riding onto college campuses nationwide over the last few weeks trying to corral the elusive youth vote.
MADISON, Wis. — Interstate 90 moved along like clockwork on Monday.
Since Wednesday, three separate incidents have led to massive traffic delays.
On Sunday, authorities shut a seven-mile section of the interstate down for several hours.
The UW Systemâ??s President has unveiled the so-called â??Growth Agendaâ? — which aims to improve the statewide campus network, and stimulate Wisconsinâ??s economy. As Brian Bull reports, part of the emphasis is on increasing the number of graduates from UW schools. (Audio.)
Think that we humans are a fait accompli, a done deal that hasn’t changed over the eons?
Think again.
Evidence is accumulating that the species is still evolving, and doing so at an unprecedented rate. A major new study led by UW-Madison anthropologist John Hawks says that in the past 5,000 years, natural selection â?? gene mutations that spread because they’re beneficial â?? has occurred 100 times faster than at any other period in human history.
The UW Board of Regents on Friday fired a UW-Parkside professor who failed to show up to teach last semester.
A popular Intel computer chip that is at the heart of millions of computers infringes on patented technology invented at UW-Madison, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation claims in a lawsuit against the microprocessor giant.
Snow-packed highways or not, Sarah McShane and three fellow students from central Illinois ‘ Millikin University piled into a car this week and headed to Memorial Union with hopes of singing and dancing their ways to a summer job.
“It ‘s a good experience. I love auditioning, ” said McShane, 18, one of about 60 people from across the Midwest who participated in workshops Friday in preparation for today ‘s Wisconsin Theatre Auditions and Technical Interviews, a wide-ranging talent search for summer theater jobs and beyond.
Madison and Marcus Corp. are discussing a much-desired Downtown hotel — perhaps the largest in the city — to serve Monona Terrace and other needs.
Marcus, which opened the 14-story, 236-room Hilton Madison at 9 E. Wilson St. adjacent to Monona Terrace in early 2001, has first option to build across the street on a parking lot behind the landmark Madison Municipal Building or the adjacent Government East parking ramp site.
In the modern, knowledge-based economy, UW-Madison ‘s leadership in research, innovation and education is a valuable state asset.
To maintain and enhance that asset, the state needs to put top-quality leaders in charge. To attract that kind of leadership in a competitive market, the university should pay what is needed, within reason.
At UW-Madison, Bethany Brewster was an All-American six times in cross country and indoor and outdoor track, and won 11 Big Ten Conference championships. She graduated in 2003.
Engineers at UW-Madison and colleagues at Bell Laboratories have used nanostructures to create a material that can repel almost any liquid.
Nanostructures are extremely small structures, with physical dimensions smaller than 100 nanometers. A nanometer is a metric unit of length equal to one-billionth of a meter.
Far fewer lungs were taken from organ donors at UW Hospital and transplanted into patients in 2006 than at most transplant centers, recent data show.
That means patients in Wisconsin and other states who could have received lung transplants didn ‘t, doctors elsewhere say.
John L. Schrag died on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008. John was a professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Wisconsin for 33 years.
Lorelyn Lavonne Roat, age 29 of Rio, died on Friday, Feb. 8, 2008. Lorelyn was a CNA at UW-Hospital in Madison in the ER room.
MADISON, Wis. — Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton is scheduled to make four stops in Wisconsin this week on behalf of her mother.
Chelsea Clinton is the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and current presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.
News 3 has learned that Chelsea Clinton plans to visit Milwaukee and Madison on Monday. She will speak in the East Ballroom in the UW Milwaukee Union at 10:30 a.m. In Madison, she’ll speak in the main lounge of Memorial Union on the UW campus at 3:15 p.m.
MADISON, Wis. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is coming to Madison next week to host a rally.
The U.S. senator from Illinois will make his first Wisconsin campaign stop of the year on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.
Obama’s campaign officials said that the senator will make his case to the state’s voters that he’s the man to stand up for hardworking families and to build a strong middle class, WISC-TV reported.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s research arm has sued computer chip maker Intel claiming the company violated the university’s patents in making the popular Core 2 Duo processor.
The federal lawsuit, filed Tuesday, alleges technology used in the processor to increase its speed and efficiency was created by researchers at the university and Intel should have obtained a licensing agreement to use it.
Ben Berg rattles off the schools he has applied to in rapid-fire succession.
There are East Coast liberal arts schools Vassar, Swarthmore and Bowdoin. There are bigger Eastern schools — Boston University, American, Cornell and George Washington. The Midwest is represented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Carleton and the University of Chicago. The University of California, Berkeley and Santa Cruz, make up the West Coast options for the 17-year-old Edina High School senior.
Quoted: James Baughman, director of the journalism program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said given the paper’s distinctive voice it should have success attracting readers on the Internet.
Quoted: James Baughman, a media historian and director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism.
Quoted: Joel Rogers, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School and the director of the Center for State Innovation, which describes itself as a progressive public-policy research institute.
MADISON, Wis. â?? A University of Wisconsin-Parkside professor, fired this week after not showing up to teach last semester, had informed the school months earlier he planned to stay away until the school resolved its discriminatory environment, his lawyer said.
In a federal lawsuit filed in July, Ogbonnaya Oko Elechi claimed that university officials discriminated against him because of his race and Nigerian descent.
MADISON â?? A University of Wisconsin research biologist is taking a new look at Wisconsin’s black bear population, and results of his work are likely to impact bear management in the state.
“There are more bear now than there probably has been in 20 years,” said Tim VanDeelen, assistant professor of wildlife ecology, who is overseeing a two-year study that is in its final year.
Two years ago, both of Dana Nelson’s golden retrievers were diagnosed with cancer a day apart. She took them to the University of Wisconsin veterinary school in Madison for radiation and chemo, making the two-hour drive from her home in St. Charles more than 20 times. At home she made them meals of raw meat, steamed vegetables and vitamins.
Physicians and biologists speak of “systems biology” and engineers of “systems engineering.” The idea is integration. If you manipulate a patient’s potassium level, you had better worry about the impact on other organs and bodily functions. If you want a more powerful heater in your car, you should think about the whole electrical system.
In higher education, the term obfuscates as much as it enlightens. There are many different types of college and university systems in our country â?? sometimes even within the same state.
In the earliest voting states, students were playing a major role in shaping the direction of the 2008 presidential campaign, turning out in record numbers. On Super Tuesday last week, when voters in 24 states cast their ballots, young voters â?? often seen as an elusive and fickle demographic for candidates to capture â?? demonstrated that their influence this election year may not be going away.
In the articles on these pages, The Chronicle provides a snapshot of the student vote and how it played out on campuses in four key states â?? California, Georgia, Missouri, and New York â?? last week.
MADISON, Wis. — An underwater robot will take a swim in the frigid waters of Lake Mendota on Monday as a part of a research experiment that could serve as a dry run for future planetary exploration.
Researchers from NASA and the University of Illinois at Chicago are heading up the week-long test in which a submersible will dive underneath the ice to map the environment and sample microbial life, according to a University of Wisconsin Madison news releas
