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Author: Kelly Tyrrell

Stocco returning to Badgers

WKOW TV

Former Badgers quarterback John Stocco is returning to the university. He has been hired as Director of Development in the athletics department. According to a press release, Stocco will focus on “prospect identification, cultivation and solicitation of major gifts to fund student-athlete scholarships and capital projects.”

Monona’s SHINE medical co. approved for Janesville expansion

Channel3000.com

Noted: The founder of the company, Gregory Piefer, studied at UW-Madison. The company performed a national search for places to locate their new facility, but Pitas said keeping the local company in Wisconsin brings the company full circle.

“The idea that work that goes on at the university should help people throughout the state. So, this is a great example of technology coming out of the university and helping people in Janesville with great-paying jobs,” she said.

Also quoted: Richard Steeves, professor emeritus of human oncology.

New student-casted play to open discussion about race at UW

Badger Herald

A new theater production opened Thursday at University of Wisconsin, aiming to inspire conversations about race and diversity on campus.

“Smart People,” the latest work by Lydia Diamond, a Chicago-native playwright, centers around the life of four intellectuals in Harvard University and the racial issues they deal with on a daily basis, Grace Schneck, production stage manager, said.

Business, research interests likely stalled fetal tissue bill this session

Badger Herald

A controversial bill that would have banned the use and sale of aborted fetal tissue failed to make it through the Assembly this session, but one expert said he expects similar bills to be proposed in the future.

University of Wisconsin political science professor Barry Burden said the Legislature did not take up the bill likely because of overwhelming opposition from businesses and research organizations that were worried it would push jobs out of the state and shut down essential research.

Desbiens, Pankowski earn spots on Patty Kazmaier Top-10 list

NBC15

Wisconsin women’s hockey goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens and forward Annie Pankowski were named top-10 finalists for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the highest individual honor in women’s college hockey, USA Hockey announced Thursday.

It marks the first time that Desbiens and Pankowski earned spots on the top-10 list during their Wisconsin careers.

Much higher success rate this year for the flu vaccine

NBC15

Quoted: “70 to 80% of the time we get this correct, and every now and then there’s a miscalculation,” Dr. Jonathon Temte, UW Health, says

That’s because he says they are making the predictions 9 months before the flu season.

“Last year was one of those situations where the virus that emerged or started circulating was different than what was in the vaccine,” Dr. Temte says.

Universities working to tackle sexual assault on campus

WKOW TV

Sexual assault is a problem on college campuses nationwide, including UW Madison, and it’s sparking conversations across the country.

A survey from the Association of American Universities shows one of every four female students say they’ve been sexually assaulted. That same survey also showed more than three-quarters of women who reported being a victim said the offender had been drinking.

“We have a substantial problem at this campus and many campuses across the nation that we need to address,” said Carmen Hotvedt, with UW Madison’s End Violence on Campus.

UW posts head Men’s Basketball coach job

WKOW TV

The UW-Madison athletic department officially posted the position for a head men’s basketball coach.

The position lists applications are due by March 3, 2016 and the start date is March 8, 2016.

Greg Gard is currently the interim coach after Bo Ryan retired in December.

Laughter may not be medicine, but it sure does help

Madison Commons

Noted: Research “is accelerating right now,” said Dorothy Farrar-Edwards, chair of the department of kinesiology at University of Wisconson-Madison and core leader of outreach, recruitment and education at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, referencing recently passed legislation that will give $300 million to the National Institute of Health specifically for Alzheimer’s research in 2016.

Also quoted: Barbara Bowers, professor and associate dean for research in the school of nursing at UW, said “decades of research” have shown that “social engagement is actually one of the most important things you can do for quality of life and longevity.”

UW-Madison research team creates model to predict climate change

Daily Cardinal

A research team led by UW-Madison atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor Galen McKinley released new information regarding the capacity for oceans to absorb carbon dioxide emissions, according to a university news release. The researchers hope their model will more accurately address climate questions.

UW report says Wisconsin poverty level at 30-year high

Badger Herald

According to a recently published University of Wisconsin Applied Population Laboratory report, the state’s poverty level has worsened significantly in the last several years despite economic growth.

The lab’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data collected between 2005-09 and 2010-14 revealed poverty reached 13 percent — its highest level in 30 years — during the latter period, Malia Jones, assistant scientist at the Applied Population Laboratory, said.

UW talks about ‘moving forward’ in conversations about race, ethnicity

Badger Herald

University of Wisconsin administration and students tackled tough questions regarding race and diversity Wednesday in an effort to create a plan that could fuel changes to campus culture.

More than 400 people came together in an open discussion on diversity issues, possible solutions to incidents of hate and bias, increasing retention rates and cultural competency.

Campus Master Plan consultants update community on sustainability, commuter access

Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison students, faculty and community members gathered Wednesday at the Gordon Dining and Event Center to hear updates on the 2015 Campus Master Plan and ask questions of lead consultants.

While the Master Plan is not definite, its concepts will ensure the entire campus remains aesthetically united and easily accessible for commuters over the next 10 years, according to members of the planning committee.

“Moving Forward” event fosters campus conversation on race

Daily Cardinal

Approximately 400 students, faculty and staff members took part in the “Moving Forward: Conversations on Racial and Ethnic Diversity” event Wednesday at Gordon Dining and Event Center.

Participants joined the conversation at different themed tables, including “Building Cultural Competency, Awareness and Capacity;” “Hate and Bias Incidents and Conflicts with Free Speech;” and “Admission and Recruitment of Underrepresented Groups.”

Ferrell earns Big Ten Conference Player of the Week honors

NBC15

Brooke Ferrell earned her second Big Ten Conference Player of the Week honor after earning co-medalist honors at the Westbrook Spring [Golf] Invitational Feb. 21-22 in Peoria, Ariz. The Big Ten Conference office today announced the shared honor with Michigan State’s Sarah Burnham.

Six Badgers earn spots on Team USA for IIHF World Championship

NBC15

The United States’ roster for the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship has a Wisconsin flair as six Badgers, one current and five former, make up more than one fourth of the 23-player roster that was announced Wednesday by USA Hockey.

UW sophomore Annie Pankowski will join former players Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker, Jessie Vetter and Alex Rigsby in defending the gold medal won by Team USA last year.

UWPD investigates string of thefts and burglaries

NBC15

The UW-Madison Police Department said they are investigating a string of thefts and burglaries that happened in and around UW Hospital and Clinics.

According to a release from UW-Madison Police Department, it happened on Monday around the hospital on Highland Avenue.

Badgers share special bond with their “hydration specialist”

WKOW TV

At the Kohl Center is where Gregory Orwin reports to work.

“My job is the hydration specialist. I’ve been working here for nine years and I’m definitely enjoying it,” Orwin said.

At practice and at games, Gregory can be seen behind the Badger men’s basketball team’s bench, keeping the Wisconsin players fueled.

UW Health slashes salad bar prices; sales soar

WKOW TV

At the beginning of 2016, UW Health cut the price of its cafeteria salad bar almost in half, from $8.00 a pound to $4.99 a pound. In just the first month of the price cut, the hospital reports it sold 5,000 more salads than it had in other months.

Entrepreneur creates marketplace for rare digital art

Madison365

A computer science major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working towards a degree in computer science, QuHarrison Terry recently quit school to pursue his dream. He’s finding out real quick that being a full-time entrepreneur is an exhilarating – yet intimidating – life decision. His company is supported by Gener8tor.

State Supreme Court candidates to debate at UW-Madison

AP (via Channel3000.com)

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Rebecca Bradley and JoAnne Kloppenburg are set to meet in a debate next month on the University of Wisconsin campus. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports it will sponsor the March 18 debate along with Wisconsin Public Television and Wisconsin Public Radio. The debate is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Wisconsin Public Television’s studio on the UW-Madison campus.

Leon Varjian honored in Madison

WKOW TV

The Madison city council honored a man Tuesday whose humor was so remarkable that a 1992 book on college pranks dedicated an entire chapter to him.
Members passed a resolution declaring February 23 Leon Varjian Day.

UW-Madison to raise minimum wage for student employees

AP (via WKOW)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is raising the minimum wage for student employees and the pay rate for graduate assistants.

The school said in a news release Tuesday that the student hourly minimum wage is set to go up from $7.25 to $9 on Sept. 1. Graduate assistants will get a 2 percent pay increase July 1.

UW South Madison Partnership celebrates one year

WKOW TV

A milestone was reached for a UW-Madison outreach efforts.

Tuesday, the UW South Madison partnership celebrated its 1 year anniversary.

The partnership is a space in the Villager Mall on Park Street that connects the university with people who live on Madison’s south side.

The Wisconsin Idea: Alive, but how well?

Madison Magazine

Noted: Kathy Cramer, director of the UW–Madison’s Morgridge Center for Public Service, says the university’s historic role helping policy makers solve state problems has shrunk due to suspicion on both ends of State Street. However, she says, some initiatives continue, including student internships and leadership programs, and embedding graduate students from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research in state legislators’ offices.

12 on Tuesday: Trent Jackson

Madison365

As a basketball player for the University of Wisconsin in the late 1980s, Trent Jackson was in on the beginning of the transformation from Big Ten doormat to Final Four contender. Following a basketball career in Europe, he served as CEO of the Boys and Girls Club and later founded the ROUGH Foundation and ROUGH Sportswear to help athletes and other youth through their journeys, no matter how rough. (Jackson is senior director of development at the UW Foundation.)

Thefts, burglaries reported around UW Hospital

Channel3000.com

University of Wisconsin police are investigating a string of thefts and burglaries around UW Hospital and Clinics. Police said that, in most cases, the thief got access to valuables because of an unlocked door or vehicle. The thefts happened Monday.

UW-Madison to increase wages for students

Channel3000.com

The University of Wisconsin is increasing hourly wages for students on campus from $7.25 to $9 an hour effective Sept. 1, according to a release from the campus. The university will also increase graduate student pay 2 percent starting July 1.

UW holds town hall meeting in light of anti-semitism

Channel3000.com

The University of Wisconsin held a meeting on antisemitism, Tuesday. It was in response to an incident January when a student posted pictures of Adolf Hitler and swastikas to a Jewish student’s door at Sellery Hall. The student targeted in the incident said it was an “insensitive prank gone wrong” between floor mates. But the students and staff at the meeting, held at Gordon Commons, feel that it was anything but a joke.
“We are still reeling from this,” said Dean of Students, Lori Berquam, said at the start of the meeting.

Leonhard returns to Wisconsin, named Badgers defensive backs coach

WKOW TV

The Wisconsin football program has turned to one of its own to complete its coaching staff for the 2016 season.

Head coach Paul Chryst on Saturday announced the addition of Jim Leonhard as the Badgers’ defensive backs coach. Few could be considered more knowledgeable on the ins and outs of the position than Leonhard, a 2015 inductee to the UW Athletic Hall of Fame who was one of the most successful players to ever patrol the UW secondary.

Dane County police chiefs agree to use-of-force recommendations

Channel3000.com

Noted: The Special Community/Police Task Force was formed after the incidents in Ferguson, Missouri by the NAACP, United Way, law enforcement and Leaders of Color Collaboration. It was co-chaired by University of Wisconsin Police Chief Sue Riseling, Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church Pastor Everett Mitchell, and Urban League of Greater Madison President and CEO Ruben Anthony. The 12 task force members met 15 times and held listening sessions in the community.

Study shows high school athletes at greater risk to lower body injury

Channel3000.com

The first comprehensive study of lower extremity body injuries in high school athletes shows those who specialize in one sport are at a much higher risk of injury.

Quoted: “We found overall slightly less than 40 percent specialized in a sport, meaning they really concentrated on that one sport. They may play in multiple sports, but concentrated on one,” says Tim McGuine, senior scientist at UW School of Medicine and Public Health and author of the study’s findings.

Badgers hire Jim Leonhard as DB coach

Channel3000.com

Former Badger football star Jim Leonhard is Wisconsin’s new defensive backs coach. Head coach Paul Chryst announced Saturday that Leonhard, a 2015 inductee into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame, would join the Badgers’ coaching staff.

Critics: State’s plan to save bees provides little protection from pesticides

Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (via Channel3000.com)

Quoted: Claudio Gratton, professor of entomology, who worked on the pollinator proposal for the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Paul Mitchell, associate professor and co-director of the UW-Extension’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program; Russell Groves, an insect ecologist and vegetable crop specialist at the UW-Madison Department of Entomology.

Assembly to take up dementia bills

AP (via WKOW)

The state Assembly is set to approve a package of legislation designed to help people cope with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

The 10-bill package includes proposals to spend $50,000 for virtual dementia tours, in which participants wear goggles to simulate dementia effects, and give the University of Wisconsin-Madison an additional $50,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

Family: DNA match in Zimmermann homicide more than year old

WKOW TV

The mother of former UW-Madison student and 2008 homicide victim Brittany Zimmermann tells 27 News a DNA match in Zimmermann’s case was made in 2014.

Jean Zimmermann tells 27 News she was also informed of the match by authorities in 2014, and knows the name of the person associated with the DNA, but is not divulging the name at this time.

The existence of the DNA match in the high-profile killing of the 21- year old university student in a campus-area apartment was first reported on WIBA’s The Vicki McKenna show last week.

UW student disciplined for taping swastikas to dorm room door

Channel3000.com

A student has been disciplined by the University of Wisconsin Division of Student Life after he taped swastikas and a picture of Adolf Hitler to the door of a student in Sellery Hall Jan. 26, according to the University of Wisconsin. The university plans to send a communication to all students about the incident Thursday afternoon.

The victim involved posted a statement on Facebook, calling the incident an “insensitive joke/prank gone wrong.”

Wal-Mart Earnings Preview: What to Know About WMT Stock

US News & World Report

Noted: To gauge which way the stock will tilt, it pays to think like an everyday consumer making the shopping list. “The upcoming quarter is going to be very interesting as investors will get a glimpse into how the company’s sales results were impacted by the holiday season, some huge winter storms and lower gas prices over the last two months,” says Brian Hellmer, director of the Hawk Center for Applied Security Analysis at the Wisconsin School of Business.

The Ultimate Guide To Saying No To Things You Don’t Want To Do

Fast Company

Noted: Another way to decline your boss’s request is to say no to right now and suggest a different timeframe, says David A. Ward, communications lecturer at the Wisconsin School of Business. “For example, ‘There’s no give in my schedule for the rest of this month, but things ease up for me in March, and I’d be glad to get involved then if you still need some help on this.’”