After nearly forty years of serving southern Wisconsin, UW Health’s MedFlight has expanded its services by creating a third satellite base in Janesville.
UW Health’s MedFlight opens Rock County satellite base
Spectrum News
Author: knutson4
Exploring parental leave at UW-Madison
WORT FM
As of July 1, 2024, UW-Madison has implemented a new policy granting eligible employees up to six weeks of paid parental leave. However, nurses, including those who assist in childbirth, still only receive two weeks. Jonathan explored the broader implications of these policies, emphasizing the need for better benefits across different professions. The segment underscored the ongoing efforts to achieve fair parental leave for all workers.
UW-River Falls chancellor announces retirement
Spectrum News
Maria Gallo, the chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, announced Thursday she will retire after three years in the role. Her last day as chancellor will be Sept. 6, 2024.
New broadband report, Butterfly decline, Disability pride
Wisconsin Public Radio
We talk with a member of the Governor’s broadband task force about hurdles to more people adopting the service. Then we discuss the tricky balance between managing pests and promoting pollinators. And a disabled UW student and advocate reflects on Disability Pride Month coming to a close.
Should Wisconsin hold a sandhill crane hunt? A committee will study that and more.
Wisconsin Public Radio
In Wisconsin, only 17 percent of 2,769 people surveyed last December support a hunting season on sandhill cranes. That’s according to a study led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and funded by the International Crane Foundation. The organization has said crop damage by cranes should be solved by other means, saying a hunt wouldn’t have any significant benefit for farmers.
How many manure spills is too many? St. Croix County residents scrutinize big farm’s new owner
Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin researchers are among a select few to document manure spill trends.
In 15 years, reported incidents statewide jumped from about 40 to roughly 200 annually, but Department of Natural Resources and University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension staff don’t believe their frequency actually increased.
Evers’ broadband task force says ‘internet for all’ requires affordability, digital literacy
Wisconsin Public Radio
In addition to the cost of a monthly internet subscription, other barriers exist for households that have the internet infrastructure but don’t connect. Task force member Gail Huycke said barriers include a lack of digital literacy, not knowing how to use the technology, poor reliability and fear.
Huycke is a professor of practice and broadband specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension. As part of the Connected Aging Communities initiative, she worked with seniors on using the internet and found people over age 65 are the most likely to be disconnected.
Celebrating Disability Pride Month in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Radio
Brelynn Bille of Waupun started using a wheelchair as a support for her disability during her sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. That’s when she really began to notice the accessibility obstacles on campus.
‘It’s just not true’: Why it’s time to stop calling Wisconsin a ‘Rust Belt’ state
Spectrum News
Though Rust Belt states can be mapped out, Simeon Alder, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it’s not all about geography.
“It’s a set of industries that happened to be concentrated around the Great Lakes,” Alder said.
Four UW-Madison Women’s Rowing alumnae competing in Olympics
Spectrum News
For the first time in over 30 years, four University of Wisconsin-Madison Women’s Rowing alumnae are competing in the Olympics.
Inside UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee’s responses to student encampments
WORT FM
Students at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee joined the tidal wave of pro-Palestinian protests this spring. The demonstrators on both campuses followed similar formulas, pitching tents and demanding that their schools divest from Israeli companies.
UW-Milwaukee police chief resigns through explosive letter critical of employer
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee police chief resigned Thursday in an explosive letter that lobbed multiple criticisms at his former employer.
More 3K-12 students in Wisconsin are going without routine vaccines to protect against measles, other diseases
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Every time the numbers drift a little bit further down, it does worry me,” said Dr. James Conway, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the medical director of UW Health’s immunization program. “That means there’s that many more kids that are vulnerable.”
Biden calls for ethics overhaul at SCOTUS. In Wisconsin, the rules are different.
Wisconsin Public Radio
Howard Schweber, who for years taught political science and law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told WPR that Wisconsin once had a reputation for having “mostly apolitical courts, but that fell apart in the 2000s.” He said he believes the politicization of state Supreme Court elections started in 2007 with the election of conservative Chief Justice Annette Ziegler.
“It really took the Democrats Wisconsin a long while to realize that these were not your father’s judicial elections anymore, and they have indeed become highly politicized,” Schweber said. “Because, just as with the Supreme Court, people realize that if you can capture the court, you can promote your ideology in a very effective way.”
Study shows insecticides linked to Wisconsin monarch butterfly decline
Wisconsin Public Radio
Karen Oberhauser, professor emeritus in entomology with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told “Wisconsin Today” this data on insecticides is “exciting” because it measures the impact humans have on monarchs and other species.
“A lot of people come up to me and say, they’re just not seeing as many monarch butterflies as they have in the past,” she said. “(This study) is really our ability to dig into the data and think about the changing practices in agriculture.”
UW-Madison sociology professor explains what research about immigration and crime shows
Wisconsin Public Radio
When opposing politicians discuss immigration and crime, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Michael T. Light said they often “talk past one another.”
UW-Milwaukee suspends student groups after antisemitic social media post
Wisconsin Public Radio
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee announced Wednesday five student organizations have been temporarily suspended after posting antisemitic language on social media accounts.
UW-Milwaukee temporarily suspends pro-Palestinian groups for ‘intimidating’ post
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee temporarily suspended five pro-Palestinian student groups for a social media message the local Jewish community called intimidating and threatening.
UW-Madison scientists part of new study showing steepness of battle against climate change
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Gregory Nemet, professor of public affairs at UW-Madison, and Morgan Edwards, associate professor of climate policy at the school, are two of the lead authors on the 222-page report. Titled “The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal,” it is the second in a series of annual reports and shows how steep the battle against climate change is.
If your family earns less than $75,000, tuition may be covered at Ripon College
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Among public universities, UW-Madison covers tuition for students whose families earn $65,000 or less. The program launched in 2018 and is funded through a mix of private money and institutional resources, not taxpayer money.
‘Absolutely livid’: How pressure from donors, community escalated during campus protests
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone thought he’d be exhaling.
But the day after reaching a deal with student protesters, the campus crisis that consumed Mone in early May wasn’t over. In fact, it was intensifying.
MLB commissioner emeritus Bud Selig celebrates his 90th birthday
WTMJ
While a sophomore at UW-Madison, Selig traveled down the road back to his hometown to ensure he was in-person to see the debut of Milwaukee’s first MLB squad, a 10-inning thriller ending with a Billy Bruton home run and a 3-2 Milwaukee Braves win over St. Louis.
“I teach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as Marquette Law School and Arizona State University. And then at night, I still find myself in front of a television set watching every game of baseball I can. It really has been a remarkable journey.”
State task force recommends using AI technology in classrooms, support for businesses
Wisconsin Public Radio
Somesh Jha, a computer science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison researching artificial intelligence, said the rapid development of AI is expected to lead to more efficiencies in the workplace. But he said it could also lead to job losses in some industries, as well as lead to the creation of new jobs.
He praised the task force for taking on “questions, like, ‘okay, what are we doing now that can be done much more efficiently using AI? And what new positions which we might need, given that new capability?’”
UW pauses Title IX changes amid legal challenge to federal sex discrimination rules
Wisconsin Public Radio
The Universities of Wisconsin is suspending work on required changes to campus Title IX sex discrimination rules after a federal judge in Kansas blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from expanding the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity.
Walk-off victory gives USA women’s rugby, UW alum Alev Kelter first Olympic medal in USA history
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin alumna Alev Kelter and her USA teammates pulled off an incredible upset Tuesday at the Paris Olympics in women’s rugby sevens, a buzzer-beating victory over favored Australia to land the bronze medal and net the first American medal ever in rugby.
Milwaukee Common Council members raise red flag about for-profit colleges
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Be aware of slick ads and false promises made by for-profit colleges in Milwaukee.
That’s the message members of the Milwaukee Common Council sent Monday in a joint statement about colleges that they said try to guarantee a quick degree or employment, in industries like health care.
Indigenous ingredients for meals, snacks, even ice cream? This Menominee chef is showing it can be done
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A 2018 study published by University of Wisconsin and Dartmouth professors found tribal forests, such as the Menominee in northern Wisconsin, maintained their diversity of native plants beneath tree canopies much better than non-tribal forests.
Vel Phillips, trailblazing Black leader, honored with sculpture on Capitol Square
WORT FM
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds gathered outside the Capitol for a historic moment: the unveiling of a sculpture honoring a Black woman. The first of its kind on state Capitol grounds. The woman is Vel Phillips, a Milwaukee native whose decades-long career as a community leader, judge and politician paved the way for countless others.
7th Congressional District candidate Elsa Duranceau wants to codify right to privacy
Wisconsin Public Radio
Duranceau was born and raised in Merrill, Wisconsin, where she graduated Merrill High School and still lives. She served in the U.S. Air Force National Guard from 2011 to 2018 and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 2016 and also attended other UW campuses.
Dairy shows remain ‘status quo’ at Wisconsin State Fair despite additional hurdles of avian flu
Wisconsin Public Radio
County fairs around the state have already gone through the additional testing requirements for avian flu this summer. The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has received nearly 400 samples every week since June, according to director Keith Poulsen.
Poulsen said they could accommodate more tests, but there hasn’t been the demand.
In Focus with Stephen Kantrowitz: Keeping history present
PBS Wisconsin
Murv Seymour talks with Stephen Kantrowitz at the Wisconsin Historical Society about his writing on Black and Indigenous struggles, the politics of racism and the importance of learning about history.
How the Ice Age made the St. Croix River Valley; how recent rain and heat are setting records
Wisconsin Public Radio
The Weather Guys, Steve Ackerman and Jon Martin, are back to put into context just how hot and wet this summer has been in Wisconsin. They’ll also explain why more severe weather events are becoming the new normal.
A Wisconsin city brought No-Mow May to the US. Now, the city is changing its approach.
Wisconsin Public Radio
Lawns that consist solely of turfgrass provide little-to-no resources for pollinators, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison extension division of horticulture. Also, letting lawns grow for the month of May and then mowing more than one third of the height is stressful to the turfgrass.
Wisconsin Badger, 2-time Olympian Phoebe Bacon says happy swimmers are fast swimmers
Wisconsin Public Radio
Phoebe Bacon has been swimming since she was 2 years old, spending summer days at the pool with her family.
Now, the 21-year-old is heading to her second Olympics to compete in the women’s 200m backstroke.
Will Pauling shares one of his goals and four other things we learned from UW football media day
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Fall camp begins Tuesday morning at UW-Pletteville, but before the Badgers left town they held their local media day at the McClain Center where UW coach Luke Fickell, defensive coordinator Mike Tressel and offensive coordinator Phil Longo and a host of players met with reporters.
Wisconsin family sends fourth rower to the Olympics
Wisconsin Public Radio
Cindy Rusher was a member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison women’s varsity eight national championship crew in 1986. She credits her coach Sue Ela for encouraging her and teammates to try out for the women’s national team. That led to Rusher competing in two Olympic games.
Benjamin Lindsay sworn in as Ozaukee County district attorney
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Lindsay resides in Cedarburg with his family and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin Law School. Prior to his legal career, he worked in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel from 2006 to 2008.
‘We’re making history’: Statue of Vel Phillips unveiled on Capitol square in Madison
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A new sculpture on the Wisconsin State Capitol grounds was unveiled Saturday afternoon, honoring Vel Phillips, a trailblazer for civil rights in Wisconsin, and the state’s first Black Secretary of State.
University of Wisconsin alumna goes viral for impressive stiff-arm during Olympic rugby
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Alev Kelter and Team USA rugby are not easily slowed down. Ask Brazil’s Thalia Costa.
The University of Wisconsin alumna Kelter got some viral attention for her Sunday stiff-arm in her Team USA Olympic rugby match against Brazil, part of a 24-5 victory for the United States.
Wisconsin athletes to watch in 2024 Olympics in Paris
Wisconsin Public Radio
As the opening ceremony kicks off the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris Friday, plenty of athletes with Wisconsin ties will take the world stage to compete for gold.
Milwaukee Bucks launch free weight-loss program to combat obesity and prevent chronic diseases like diabetes
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
About two in five Wisconsin adults are obese, according to findings by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Obesity rates are even higher in some pockets of the state, including in parts of Milwaukee’s north side where more than half of adults have obesity, according to the UW-Madison research.
Wisconsin athletes have had some unforgettable moments at the Summer Olympics
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
As the 2024 Olympics get started in Paris, many Wisconsinites will get their chance to shine on the international stage. Will any come away with medals, like Kenny Bednarek’s silver or Molly Seidel’s bronze in 2021? Perhaps it will mark the second straight Olympics with a Wisconsin-connected athlete winning gold in men’s basketball after Bucks players Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday turned the feat in 2021, mere weeks after winning the NBA crown.
US Rep. Mark Pocan on Democratic nomination, The future of the Universities of Wisconsin, The taste of the Wisconsin State Fair
Wisconsin Public Radio
A legislative study group has been formed to discuss the future of the Universities of Wisconsin. We talk to two committee members, a state senator and a UW-Green Bay professor, about what’s at stake for higher education in Wisconsin.
New Berlin weather station filling in the gaps to keep you safe from severe weather
TMJ-4
There is a limited number of weather reporting stations in Wisconsin, leaving some areas like New Berlin in data gaps.
A new weather station network run by University of Wisconsin-Madison is hoping to change that. It is called WiscoNet and New Berlin just got one of the newest weather stations.
Ecologies of love: Writer Heather Swan on new book, ‘Where the Grass Still Sings’
Wisconsin Public Radio
Kinship with the more-than-human world is both the philosophy and the feeling that guides Swan’s work today as an award-winning eco-poet and creative non-fiction writer, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she teaches environmental literature.
After long effort, Capitol will have its first statue honoring a Black leader, Vel Phillips
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
After years of effort, Saturday will mark history for Wisconsin as the first statue commemorating a Black leader will be unveiled on the Capitol grounds in Madison.
Phillips holds significance in Wisconsin as a trailblazing Black woman who had a lasting impact on the state’s legal and political history.
4 women from UW-Madison’s rowing team will compete for gold at Paris Olympics
Wisconsin Public Radio
The old joke about rowing, Lauren O’Connor said, is that it’s the only sport to have roots as a form of corporal punishment.
“You could go to prison, or you could row on the boats that were taking people across the ocean and doing this really, really hard labor,” she said.
O’Connor, who is from the village of Belleville — population 2,591 — is one of four women from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who will be competing in rowing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Thousands of Wisconsin high schools students will be directly admitted to UW schools for 2025
Wisconsin Public Radio
Universities of Wisconsin schools will soon be offering admission to tens of thousands of Wisconsin high school seniors without receiving applications.
Legislative committee on future of UW draws skepticism, hope
Wisconsin Public Radio
The state Legislature has formed a study committee to discuss possible reforms and restructuring of the Universities of Wisconsin.
Smith: National Wild Turkey Federation gathers in Wisconsin to celebrate species’ restoration
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin turkey reintroduction was a partnership of the DNR and NWTF. Tom Yuill, a University of Wisconsin professor and wildlife disease expert, provided health testing of the birds.
Even if they didn’t apply, some Wisconsin students to get admission offers from UW schools
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Incoming high school seniors, check your inboxes: You may have just gotten into college without even applying.
Ten of the state’s public universities will send acceptance letters starting next week through a new “direct admissions” program. Eligible students at participating schools will be automatically admitted to universities based on their grades and coursework at the end of their junior year, essentially bypassing the traditional application process.
Foam on Wisconsin water bodies may contain high levels of ‘forever chemicals’
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Christine Remucal, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW-Madison, graduate student Sarah Balgooyen and other researchers looked at foam and surface water samples collected between 2020 and 2023, from areas across the state.
Inspired by Doritos as a child, a UW-Madison scientist cracked the secret of no-melt ice cream
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
As a graduate student at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wicks created ice cream that doesn’t melt even after four hours at room temperature. While her concoction isn’t ready for consumption, her work could change the way we eat, store, and transport the beloved dairy treat.
People in assisted living are getting sicker. Wisconsin isn’t ready to keep them safe.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Barbara Bowers, a long-term care researcher and professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing, said she is “astounded” by the medical complexity of the people in assisted living today.
“They look a lot like, 10 years ago, the people in nursing homes,” she said.
What really happens when you donate to charity at checkout? You asked, we answered
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“I just always wondered: Does the money really get where they’re telling me it’s going?” Grimm asked Public Investigator. “Do they get a tax break?”
The short answer is yes and no.
Yes, the money customers donate at the cash register does go to the appropriate organization or cause, said Ross Milton, assistant professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and tax expert.
“Assuming that they are following the law,” Milton added. And no, businesses can’t receive a tax break for donations raised by customers, Milton said. If the donations aren’t made with the business’s money, it can’t collect the tax benefits, Milton explained.
Tribal partnership with UW-Madison combines ag research with Indigenous food knowledge
Wisconsin Public Radio
A partnership led by the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition and the University of Wisconsin-Madison received $10 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems program earlier this summer.
Badger football games get beer as UW-Madison plans alcohol sales throughout Camp Randall
Wisconsin Public Radio
Football fans at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will soon be allowed to buy alcohol throughout the stadium.
What to know about Kamala Harris, coconut trees and ‘Brat Summer’
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It used to be that mainstream news media would develop narratives about who candidates were, and those narratives shaped attitudes about the candidates. But social media has upended that model, according to Michael Wagner, a professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“We have two candidates who use social media well, but in different ways: Trump uses it to get attention. Harris uses it to shape attitudes,” Wagner said.
Climate change needs action. UW survey shows even Republicans want that.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Co-authored by Morgan Edwards, an assistant professor with the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. She also leads the Climate Action Lab and holds an affiliation with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Zachary Thomas is a graduate student in UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and member of the Climate Action Lab.
Wisconsin to begin selling alcohol at Camp Randall Stadium at start of 2024 season
Sports Illustrated
Wisconsin Athletics announced on Monday that, for the first time ever, they plan on selling beer, wine, and pre-packaged alcoholic products like hard seltzers in the general seating areas at Camp Randall Stadium and the UW Field House this fall.