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Author: knutson4

The politics and economics of the debt limit standoff

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Wisconsin Public Radio

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned lawmakers earlier this month that the federal government could default on its debt by June 1st. We examine the political options available for Republicans and Democrats, as well as the potential economic consequences of failing to increase the debt limit. Interview with Mark Copelovitch, a professor of political science and public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Wisconsin researchers develop first hearing test for Hmong community

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WUWM

About four years ago, Maichou Lor was living in New York completing a postdoctoral fellowship, when family members back home in Wisconsin kept telling her that her dad’s hearing was getting worse.

“He wasn’t responding to conversations even though he had a hearing aid,” said Lor, now an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I brought him in to see his doctor through the ENT clinic here at UW-Health.”

Weather station expansion seeks to aid Wisconsin farmers

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Noted: Thanks to more than $3 million in grant funding, the University of Wisconsin-Madison now plans to establish 90 sites to monitor weather and soil conditions throughout the state by fall of 2026. The state currently has 14 weather stations.

Chris Kucharik, a UW-Madison agronomy professor, is overseeing the university’s effort to build the new network. He recently joined Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Morning Show” to discuss how more weather and soil reports could be used and how researchers will decide where to build the new stations.

Most UW System campuses have budget deficits in the millions

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Wisconsin Public Radio

As lawmakers consider the next round of spending on higher education in Wisconsin, new data shows per-pupil taxpayer funding for state technical colleges is more than twice as high as it is for state universities. At the same time, the University of Wisconsin System says 10 of its 13 universities have structural deficits ranging from millions to tens of millions of dollars.

On campus, preparing for mass shootings is part of police training and student life

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Wisconsin Public Radio

It’s eerily quiet in the vacant Biotron Laboratory building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. It’s been closed for two years, but various pieces of office equipment are still scattered throughout offices and what were once state-of-the-art, climate-controlled research labs sealed with thick metal doors. That silence is about to be shattered by the UW Police Department’s annual Active Killer Training.

 

Former St. Cloud State standout Nick Oliver joins UW men’s hockey staff

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nick Oliver played in a Frozen Four and coached in one.

His next job will be to help the Wisconsin men’s hockey team get back to the college’s game showcase event.

Badgers coach Mike Hastings announced the hire of Oliver on Wednesday. He comes to UW after earning USHL coach of the year distinction this past season after leading the Fargo Force to the regular-season championship.

A special 175th birthday wish for Wisconsin from its longest serving governor

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: The University of Wisconsin, also founded in 1848, took on a higher calling in 1905 when President Charles Van Hise said he would “never be content until the beneficent influence of the university reaches every family in the state.” The UW has since served as a laboratory of social and scientific innovation helping people within and beyond our borders thanks to an idea, the Wisconsin Idea, formed in Wisconsin.

More Wisconsin communities are participating in Now Mow May. Does it actually work?

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: Do pollinators actually benefit from an unmowed lawn?

Sometimes. It depends on the lawn, say experts from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lawns with turfgrass don’t provide as many resources for pollinators compared with a yard containing an abundance of low growing flowering plants. Adding more flowering plants, shrubs and trees to your yard can increase benefits to pollinators.

Mississippi River lock-and-dam system is outdated and in disrepair. What if it fails?

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: If the upper Mississippi River had to shut down for one season because of lock and dam failures, the amount of agricultural goods displaced would equal between 367,000 and 489,000 loads by truck, according to a 2017 study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the Mid-America Freight Coalition. It could cost up to $283 million to move those loads by truck, and upwards of $300 million if road damage is taken into account, the report said. And those estimates — the most recent available — were from six years ago. Today, according to the Consumer Price Index, the cost likely would be above $350 million.

Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds Marsy’s law constitutional amendment for crime victims

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: “As long as (the ballot language) doesn’t say the opposite of what the amendment accomplishes, then it’s sufficient under this standard,” said Dustin Brown, an attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “This decision gives the Legislature very broad authority to present constitutional amendments to the people, and it very much limits the degree of oversight that courts can exercise over that process.”

Understanding immigration after Title 42

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Following the end of the pandemic-era Title 42 border policy, the number of migrants trying to enter the United States illegally have dropped by roughly half. We examine the new immigration policies and enforcement in Mexico and the United States and how that is affecting migration patterns. Interview with Erin Barbato, director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Survey: Value of Wisconsin farmland continues to climb in 2023

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Wisconsin Public Radio

A report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension found the average price of agricultural land sold in the state last year was $5,551 per acre. That’s 11 percent higher than in 2021 and nearly 24 percent higher than in 2020.

Heather Schlesser, the Extension agriculture educator who prepared the report, said the sustained increases trace back to the cash farmers received from federal COVID-19 assistance programs. She said at the same time, many farmers decided it was the right time to sell land.

“It’s all about give and take, supply and demand,” she said. “There’s not a lot of ag land out there. So if there’s more money out there and there’s less land, the farmers that are selling are going to want more for it. So I think that started driving it.”

Report: Child care in Wisconsin can be more expensive than attending college

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Spectrum News

Noted: Data from the Department of Children and Families’ 2022 Child Care Market Rate Survey showed that in Milwaukee County, the average annual child care cost for a 4-year-old is $12,142; for an infant, it’s $16,236.

Comparably, the annual tuition cost at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2022 to 2023 was $9,273.

UW Health expert gives advice on how to cope with a challenging Mother’s Day

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WKOW-TV 27

Shilagh Mirgain, a health psychologist for UW Health, says reframing how you view the day may help you still enjoy it and work through those hard feelings.

“Reframing the focus of this holiday can be an effective way to celebrate all the positive attributes of motherhood you may not have experienced yourself as a child or missed out on as an adult,” she said.

UW to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion statements for job applicants as Vos threatens funding cuts

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Wisconsin Public Radio

The University of Wisconsin will no longer require diversity, equity and inclusion statements from job applicants, UW System President Jay Rothman announced Thursday.

The move comes after Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has threatened to cut state funding to Wisconsin’s public universities. Specifically, Vos has criticized DEI programming at UW as an attempt to “indoctrinate” students with taxpayer dollars.

Over 30 million birds will land in Wisconsin beginning Friday; here’s what to know

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Bird expert and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Stanley Temple said most of the birds that will make Wisconsin home on Friday were in Missouri or Arkansas on Thursday afternoon.

“There are so many factors that go into predicting where they will land, like wind and route, but it’s very likely they will be in Wisconsin by Friday morning,” Temple said.

Buildings continue to rise in Milwaukee while its finances dry up. What explains a tale of 2 cities?

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The potential Milwaukee and Milwaukee County sales taxes that could be implemented under the Assembly bill would not be without consequences, said Andrew Reschovsky, professor emeritus of public affairs and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“You don’t pay attention if you have plenty of money,” he said of the increased prices that come with a sales tax. “But if you’re having trouble getting through the month, those extra pennies can make a big difference.”

Money available for nonprofits to address maternal and infant health disparities

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health has money to give away. Now it needs applicants.

The school is inviting nonprofit health organizations to apply for grants “to provide better care and address root causes of maternal and infant health disparities.” Awards will be made for a maximum of $1.15 million for up to two years. Applicants must propose working with community partners.

A better whey? Researcher wants to convert cheese byproduct into eco-friendly plastic

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Wisconsin Public Radio

John Lucey, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research, wants to turn whey into the chemicals used to make plastics, adhesives and other consumer products that are currently being derived from petroleum. Just like our reliance on oil and gas, Lucey said the chemical building blocks made in oil refineries are holding us back from a greener future.

“We’ve got to replace those too unless we want to keep using fossil fuels,” he said. “These basic chemistry kinds of things, the stuff you would have learned in organic chemistry like butanol — we want to make those kinds of compounds because they can feed into the existing industry.”

Four things to know about some of the most overlooked educators in Wisconsin: child care workers

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Appleton Post-Crescent

Family child care providers make an average of $7.46 an hour, while center-based teachers make an average of $12.99. Both make less than the average Wisconsinite with a high school diploma, according to research by Alejandra Ros Pilarz, an assistant professor at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She found poor wages and lack of career advancement opportunities are top reasons why 18% of family child care providers and 28% of ECE teachers plan to leave the field within a few years.

As COVID-19 emergency ends, changes will be far-reaching — and nearly invisible

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Wisconsin Examiner

“Certainly fewer people are dying than were dying in the beginning of the pandemic, but we’re still losing over 200 Americans a day,” says Prof. Tiffany Green, a health economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I hope the average person in Wisconsin doesn’t see the ending of the emergency declaration as the ending of the pandemic,” says Prof. Ajay Sethi, a UW-Madison epidemiologist.

The spring allergy season is upon us. What steps can you take?

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Dr. Mark Moss, an allergist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine is the station master of the university’s pollen counting site, which is part of a nationwide network of such stations. He’s been the station master for 13 years, and the university has pollen counts going back into the 1990s.

“Over the past two decades, there has been two clear changes: the beginning of the season in the spring starts earlier and the end of the season in the fall goes later,” Moss said.

Political rifts end friendships, spark safety fears in Wisconsin, but civics can be healed

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Guest column authored by Nathan Kalmoe, executive cirector of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, Michael W. Wagner, professor of Journalism and Mass Communication and faculty director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, and Dhavan Shah, Maier-Bascom professor and research director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, all of UW-Madison.

Scandals remind Wisconsin officials about educating athletes on NCAA gambling rules

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

University of Wisconsin athletic department officials were reminded recently of the importance of educating student-athletes on the risks of violating NCAA rules by gambling on sports.

Investigations are ongoing at Iowa and Iowa State. More than two dozen athletes across five sports at Iowa are being investigated and more than a dozen across three sports at Iowa State.

State lawmakers proposed solutions to the state’s housing crisis. Here’s what to know

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

These changes would cut back on delays and roadblocks that drive up prices, said Kurt Paulsen, professor of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Housing dies a death of a thousand cuts because every change, every delay, just adds costs,” Paulsen said.

Why athletes are doing their own storytelling in place of traditional media

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Chris Borland is launching his own athlete storytelling company, ByUs Media. He and his co-founder, Olivia Hancock, join us to share why they started the platform and what they’re hoping to accomplish. Then, a sports media professor joins us to explore what we gain and what when miss out on when athletes tell their own stories, instead of relying on traditional media.

Wisconsin led the nation in youth turnout in the November midterms

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Noted: Political organizers in Wisconsin say the numbers indicate that young people will participate if given the tools and information to do so. In a state where many races are decided by razor-thin margins, this population sees its voice as able to make a difference, said Ali Beneker, 19, who chairs the University of Wisconsin-Madison chapter of College Republicans.

“When we have 10 statewide elections in the last 22 years that were decided by less than 30,000 votes, and then you look at the UW-Madison campus, and we have around 50,000 people, that’s a huge impact that college students can have on Wisconsin elections,” she said. “I think that students are starting to realize the power we have.”

UW-Madison student racist rant video goes viral, expert weighs in on what makes hate speech protected or punishable

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CBS 58

Howard Schweber, political professor at the university, said legally, there’s not much action the school can take.

“This is not a matter of the university choosing not to take disciplinary action – they simply cannot, without running afoul with the First Amendment,” said Schweber.

Wisconsin has seen several hospital mergers in the last year. How could they affect patients?

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Ashley Swanson, associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said hospital mergers — on average — increase prices, while having a negligible effect on patient care.

“It seems like they primarily increase prices when the merging hospitals are located close to one another,” she said. “But there is some relatively new evidence suggesting that cross-market mergers can sometimes increase prices as well.”

‘We put so much blood, sweat and literal tears into this place’: Derek and T.J. Watt have Pewaukee jerseys retired

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On a beautiful Friday night there was a gaggle of young kids tossing around a football behind the stands at Feuerstein Field. This being at Pewaukee High School, most of the youngsters were clad in jerseys of the Watt brothers: a Derek fan in an old No. 34 San Diego Chargers jersey tried to wrestle the pigskin away from a ball-carrier sporting T.J.’s No. 90 in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ black and yellow. There were several No. 99s looking on, representing J.J.’s time both at the University of Wisconsin and the Houston Texans.

Candidate Derrick Van Orden said earmarks would ‘open the door to corruption.’ In Congress, he’s seeking $73 million

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: Pocan’s $24 million also covered 15 projects, including $3 million for a Dane County water filtration upgrade, $2 million to expand a Green County YMCA, and $3 million to build a new food pantry in Madison. It also includes a $2 million request for the University of Wisconsin-Madison to aid in PFAS contamination research.

Wisconsin ‘prime working age’ labor force participation among best in the nation

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Wisconsin Public Radio

The rate at which Wisconsin’s “prime working age” adults are either working or looking for work is among the best in the country, according to a recent report from the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

“It speaks a lot to our work ethic,” said Matt Kures, the report’s author and a community economic development specialist for UW-Extension. “Traditionally, we have had high participation rates and I think that’s just kind of ingrained in us.”

According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average cost of infant care in Wisconsin is $12,567 annually, or $1,047 per month. Laura Dresser, associate director of the COWS economic think tank at UW-Madison, said women in the workforce feel the effects of that most.

“Moms tend to carry the burden of care disproportionately in families,” she said. “The years before the kid goes to school … are really expensive years to work.“

Wisconsin football player Kamo’i Latu and former high school teammate settle civil suit in 2018 assault case

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kamo’i Latu was a significant contributor in his first season at Wisconsin, starting 12 games and finishing fifth on the team in tackles. The rising senior safety from Honolulu is expected to play a key role in UW’s defense in 2023 under new head coach Luke Fickell.

It’s unclear, however, whether his involvement in a civil suit stemming from a sexual assault case in 2018 will in any way affect his status at UW.

This Green Bay business wants to help commercialize an innovative way to recycle plastic

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Green Bay Press-Gazette

Noted: Green Bay is poised to become the home of the first commercial STRAP plant, which would take these kinds of plastics and make them into materials that can be used again.

This is done through a process called STRAP — which stands for solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation — developed from early work done by undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Now, George Huber, a professor in chemical and biological engineering at UW-Madison, is leading a team at the Center for Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics, or CUWP, working to take STRAP from the lab to a commercial setting.

The center is funded by a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and is made up of people from UW-Madison and five other universities, a national laboratory and more than 20 industrial partners.

Amid state budget debate and enrollment declines, campuses face uncertain futures

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Wisconsin Public Radio

As Wisconsin lawmakers weigh their funding goals for higher education, two campuses are winding down due to declining enrollment and financial woes. We hear from Washington County officials aiming to save a struggling two-year college. Then, an education reporter brings us the latest news in Wisconsin higher education.