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Professor Randy Goldsmith on new technique to unlock a molecule’s “unprecedented detail”

WORT FM

UW-Madison scientists have developed a new technique for identifying and analyzing a single molecule.

The new development, published in the May edition of the journal Nature, is the most sensitive way of identifying single molecules yet. With a variety of applications in a wide variety of scientific fields, it offers a future of “new microscopic perspective of unprecedented detail.”

Vel R. Phillips Plaza is opening on downtown Milwaukee’s west side. Here’s what to know

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Born Velvalea Hortense Rodgers in Milwaukee in 1923, the influential public figure was ahead of her time.

She received a scholarship to attend Howard University, in Washington D.C., where she obtained her bachelor’s degree. Phillips continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin Law School and was the first African-American woman to graduate there. She and her husband then opened a Milwaukee law firm.

Don’t order ladybugs through the mail. Here’s how Wisconsin gardeners can attract helpful predators

Wisconsin State Farmer

With a population explosion going on in the flowerbeds, what is a gardener to do? UW-Madison entomologist PJ Liesch says gardeners have several options in combating the hungry horde.

“If the population of aphids is not harming the plants or competing with the monarchs, you can just tolerate them. However, if it’s getting out of hand, blast them off with a jet of water (which causes the aphid’s mouthpiece to break off and eventually starve), or you can squish them and wipe them off the plant,” he said.

What First Amendment lawsuit means for designated protest zones at RNC in Milwaukee

Wisconsin Public Radio

Howard Schweber, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, thinks the judge still has enough time to rule on this case, which he expects will be in favor of the city of Milwaukee.

Schweber spoke to WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” about the First Amendment arguments in the case and the lack of clearly defined legal guidelines on the issue.

New charter school looking to open in Waukesha County

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Charter schools can be run either by public school districts or independently. Independent charter schools can be authorized by the Milwaukee Common Council, the chancellor of any Universities of Wisconsin (UW System) institution, each technical college district board, the Waukesha County Executive, College of Menominee Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, and the UW Office of Educational Opportunity, according to the DPI.

A sex historian weighs in on former UW-La Crosse chancellor’s porn scandal

Wisconsin Public Radio

Sex historian and journalist Hallie Lieberman, who received her doctorate from UW-Madison, has been following the story closely. She worries if Gow is dismissed for sexual activities he pursued in his free time, it will set a dangerous precedent to fire professors for saying and doing things the public doesn’t like.

“When they go after porn and sex, it’s low-hanging fruit. What comes next?” she said. “Freedom of speech is for the speech we hate, it’s for the thought we hate.”

Ho-Chunk artist, Wisconsin native Harry Whitehorse honored with wood sculpture festival

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Decades earlier, Whitehorse began mentoring Gene Delcourt, then a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on his wood sculpting craft. He encouraged Delcourt, who is Abenaki and Filipino, to attend symposiums in Europe dedicated to the art form. Each time Delcourt returned from a symposium, he thought, “I’d really love to put one of these on.”

Wisconsin Supreme Court overturns OWI conviction of man who fell asleep at drive-thu

Wisconsin Public Radio

“It’s the idea that law enforcement kind of wears several hats,” said Rachel Burg,  a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “One is monitoring and investigating crime and preventing crime but also protecting people and property and doing welfare checks on folks. So the community caretaker exception allows law enforcement to to take action if they have a concern about the welfare of a person.”

Eradication of insect pests and invasive plants

Wisconsin Public Radio

UW-Madison entomologist PJ Liesch is back. We talk with him about what’s hampering  the spread of spongy moths in Wisconsin. We also talk about how climate change is aiding the spread of joro spiders to northern regions. Then, two WDNR invasive species specialists share success stories from across the state.

Live updates: Faculty hearing for Joe Gow begins Wednesday at UW-La Crosse

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Joe Gow was removed as University of Wisconsin-La Crosse chancellor for creating sex videos posted on porn websites. Should he also be fired from his faculty position?

That’s the question facing a group of Gow’s colleagues this week. They will hear Gow and the university administration make their case in a two-day public hearing that will closely resemble a trial with witnesses, cross-examinations and closing statements.

Fresh ideas, new perspective, plenty of kringle. Journal Sentinel newsroom interns arrive.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

One of the most compelling series of stories last summer concerned the evacuation of two apartment buildings contaminated by cancer-causing chemicals, and the discovery that some Milwaukee officials knew residents were living there – yet said nothing.

What made the work especially remarkable was that it was largely reported by two college interns, Yash Roy from Yale University and Sophia Vento from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

First Harry Whitehorse International Wood Sculpture Festival celebrates the art’s past and future

WORT FM

One of Delcourt and Levin’s main goals in creating the festival was to prevent Whitehorse’s work from being forgotten. Whitehorse, who was born in a wigwam in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, studied anatomy at UW–Madison, fine arts at the Arthur Colt School of Fine Arts in Madison and welding at a local technical college. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Whitehorse returned to Madison where he experimented with many different kinds of art, including metalwork and custom car design, before landing on wood carving in the 1980’s. He died in 2017 at age 90.

US Supreme Court ruling on abortion pills, The murky market for legal weed products, How pagans celebrate summer solstice

Wisconsin Public Radio

With a wave of new hemp-derived THC alternatives hitting the market in Wisconsin, we check in with a cannabis historian about what these products are and how they’re shaping policy discussions around marijuana in the state. Interview with Lucas Richert, professor in the School of Pharmacy at UW-Madison.

UW-Madison sociologist’s new book says women fill gaps in US social programs

Wisconsin Public Radio

University of Wisconsin-Madison sociologist Jessica Calarco believes her profession is an act of “un-gaslighting people.” She said she wants to help others see the challenges they face in their lives as products of large social structures and forces. In particular, she said she wants women to let go of guilt they might feel when they face struggles because of the unfair burden of social structures place on women.

In her new book, “Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net,” Calarco said women are often tasked with more of the unpaid or underpaid care work that keeps the economy moving.

Artist Harry Whitehorse honored with new wood sculpture festival in Monona

Wisconsin Life

After the war, Harry Whitehorse returned to Wisconsin to pursue a career as an artist. He went to the Arthur Colt School of Fine Arts in Madison to study oil painting and studied human and animal anatomy at University of Wisconsin. He also got his degree in welding and metal fabrication at Madison Area Technical College to become an auto mechanic.

Best student checking accounts

WalletHub

“When looking for a new checking account, students should take their time to identify accounts specifically tailored to their needs – frequently these are promoted on college campuses in the fall,” says Anita Mukherjee, an associate professor in Risk and Insurance Department at the Wisconsin School of Business. “Many banks offer student-specific checking accounts that come with perks such as no monthly fees, lower minimum balance requirements, and free online banking.”

For our children’s mental health: Ban cell phones in Ripon schools (editorial)

Ripon Press

Answering the political science professor’s query was Dr. Jenny Higgins, director of UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“How do you feel, right now, being here in person?” Higgins asked the audience in the Great Hall of Harwood Memorial Union. 

“I see some nods,” Higgins said. “Now think about trying to communicate that with somebody on your phone or even on Zoom.” 

Wisconsin prisons lag in treating substance use disorders

PBS Wisconsin

“At the time of reentry, we know that rates of returning to use – to substance use – are very high. That in combination with someone having no really no tolerance puts them at super high risk for having an overdose if they return to use,” explained Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, an addiction medicine physician and professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She treats patients with substance use disorders at UW Health’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Clinic.

Robert Plant surprises Madison record store with a visit

Wisconsin Public Radio

After about 20 minutes, Plant approached Manley again. He wanted to know what was playing over the store’s speakers. It was the 2023 LP “The Window” from Chicago indie group Ratboys.

Manley told WPR it was exciting to introduce a newer band — who had recently played on the nearby UW-Madison student union terrace — to “the biggest rockstar in the world.”

Worried about losing Medicaid access in Wisconsin? Here’s what to know

Wisconsin Public Radio

Some people face disenrollment despite still qualifying for Medicaid. So before looking for new coverage, first check on whether you still qualify for Medicaid, said Adam VanSpankeren, navigator program manager for Covering Wisconsin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension program that helps people enroll in publicly funded health care.

New Wisconsin Public Radio station honors late Executive Director Gene Purcell

Current

Wisconsin Public Radio is launching a new music station with call letters honoring Gene Purcell, Wisconsin Public Media’s late executive director.

WEPP, which will start broadcasting Thursday on 90.7 FM in Rice Lake, Wis., gets its call letters from Purcell’s given name, Eugene Patrick Purcell. He died due to injuries from a traffic crash in 2021 after more than a decade at the helm of the organizations behind Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin.

‘Army of hope:’ UW Health opens walk-in clinic specializing in opioid use disorder

Wisconsin Public Radio

The clinic opened in January and specializes in opioid use disorder. It offers walk-in appointments and free services to people with or without insurance. Patients can get prescription medication for opioid use disorder and medical treatment like basic wound care, family planning or hepatitis C treatment.

As apparel makers move work from China to Central America, jobs could dent migration crisis

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The garment industry has long been criticized for low wages and harsh working conditions. As recently as 2010, the University of Wisconsin-Madison ended a licensing agreement with Nike over a wage dispute in Honduras. Pressure from UW-Madison and other universities resulted in Nike making changes that included a $1.54 million contribution to a workers’ relief fund.

Why Illinois’ governor is counting on Wisconsin to maintain a ‘blue wall’ in the Midwest

Spectrum News

“Wisconsin is going to be a hugely important element of what I think will be the bringing of the next generation of forward thinking and important technology to the United States,” Pritzker explained of the partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and institutions in Illinois. “Quantum technology, if the Chinese win at this, will mean that the United States will become a second-tier power, but if we win, and I think we will, it will be the Midwest that carries the day.”

Wisconsin’s system to block ineligible voters misses some on felony probation

Wisconsin Watch

Ion Meyn, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, said voter disenfranchisement laws typically affect people of color disproportionately.

“If you take a map of where Black people live, in terms of concentration … and then you map over that rates of incarceration, it maps out exactly,” he said. “And then if you put that same map and put in … the highest disenfranchisement rates — exact same place.”

Could a revamped AmFam Championship lure Tiger Woods back to Wisconsin?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

University Ridge Golf Course was a fine host for the AmFam Championship from 2016-24, but the University of Wisconsin’s home course was never meant for the volume of spectators it attracted. And it surely wouldn’t be able to hold hundreds of thousands that would no doubt make the pilgrimage from around the Midwest to see the greatest golfer of all time return to where he turned pro.

What to know about Milwaukee’s Hillside neighborhood

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The community commitment in Hillside gave rise to Vel R. Phillips, a Hillside resident who has been described by many as a trailblazer, a culture shifter and a woman who made history again and again. Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin law school, the first woman — and first African-American — elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, the first woman judge in Milwaukee County and the first Black person elected to statewide office, as secretary of state.