Question: Who or what triggers the decision to sound a tornado siren?
Answer: The National Weather Service is responsible for issuing forecasts, watches and warnings for a variety of weather and water hazards. A “warning” is issued when hazardous weather poses an immediate threat to life or property.
Kids from around the country will compete to build wind turbines at the UW-Madison campus.
Another iconic music group is making a stop in Wisconsin this year. The Smashing Pumpkins will perform at the Kohl Center on Sunday, Oct. 11, UW Athletics announced Monday.
The alt rock band, known for hits like “Tonight, Tonight” and “1979,” are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their third studio album, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.”
Hundreds of anglers took to south central Wisconsin lakes Saturday for the annual Casting for Kids tournament, raising money for children fighting cancer at the UW Carbone Cancer Center and American Family Children’s Hospital
It wasn’t pink plastic flamingos that filled Bascom Hill on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus Sunday morning. It was decoy turkeys.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the reintroduction of wild turkeys to Wisconsin, the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) planted 50 decoy turkeys at the base of Bascom Hill.
Gas prices have jumped nearly 78 cents a gallon in Madison over the past month, and experts say the increase is driving up grocery costs.
Regular gas is running at $4.57 per gallon on average in Madison, according to AAA.
At Jenifer Street Market on Madison’s east side, co-owner David McKenzie says prices continue to climb, particularly when it comes to produce.
To get around these days, Pat Richter has been using a cane, a concession to the toll on his 84-year-old hips and knees from playing football.
But he has taken it all in stride.
Even if that stride, in his words, has been reduced to “slow but sure” steps.
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and I met for a sendoff lunch this week as she departs the University of Wisconsin-Madison after nearly four years.
I asked her how it feels to be moving to a job — the presidency of Columbia University in New York City — once held by Dwight Eisenhower, a future U.S. president.
She smiled and said the story told at Columbia is that Eisenhower, who joined the university in 1948 as a World War II hero, left to run for president in 1952 because, well, the politics required to run the entire nation would be simpler than Columbia’s.
On Feb. 4, 1951, Max Otto delivered the inaugural sermon at the new Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Unitarian Meeting House. The UW-Madison philosophy professor and congregation member said that the striking building on Madison’s near west side, distinguished by a soaring glass and wood “prow,” “will truly be our own if our religious undertaking, ennobled by the beauty of its new home, has vitality and meaning enough to transcend the fame of the building in which it is housed.”
UW-Madison is taking another shot at building a new dorm to alleviate its campus housing crunch.
The Wisconsin Department of Administration, on behalf of the university, posted a request for proposals on Thursday, asking developers to submit plans for student housing with 1,500 to 2,000 beds and a 400-seat dining space.
College students might imagine many nightmare scenarios during finals week:
But what if these horrors weren’t yours alone? What if all students and their professors found themselves living a shared nightmare at the worst possible time?
UW Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin is leaving the university to serve as the 21st president of Columbia University.
She received a farewell party at the Memorial Union Terrace for her last week, including music by the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. She later posted a farewell letter saying serving has been one of the greatest privileges of her life.
Her last day on campus is May 15.
Thousands of students will graduate from colleges in Wisconsin this month, and while concerns about artificial intelligence loom, a college dean and a Madison college student said personality and durable skills are irreplaceable.
Alejandra Beal is a student studying radiography at Madison Area Technical College. She also works as a peer coordinator specialist for the college’s career and employment services department, helping students navigate resources, schedule appointments and approve jobs on Handshake.
Universities across the country have wound down their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in recent years, following criticism of the programs’ patterns of racial discrimination and compelled speech. In some cases, DEI roles were not removed but simply renamed and moved to other departments. In fact, a recent Inside Higher Ed survey found that 43 percent of universities have rebranded their DEI initiatives. The names change; the agenda remains the same.
A malfunctioning freezer at the UW-Madison Zoology building prompted a response from the fire department Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Madison fire, firefighters were dispatched to 1117 W. Johnson Street after 12:35 p.m. for a smoke odor on the third floor.
As more than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed drinking water, new research from the La Follette School of Public Affairs investigates the effects of early-life exposure to citywide water filtration on longevity in the early 20th-century.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin is saying goodbye.
She posted a farewell letter Wednesday, calling her time as chancellor one of the greatest privileges of her life.
Mnookin is leaving to become president of Columbia University in New York City.
Patients hospitalized with nonsevere COVID-19 infections who received empiric antibiotics targeting community-acquired pneumonia may not experience clinically meaningful improvement in outcomes and could have a slightly increased risk of clinical deterioration or in-hospital mortality.
Jon Pevehouse, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in international relations, discussed the Iranian war, its effects and what its outcome might look like in the United States in an interview with The Daily Cardinal.
The U.S. began bombing Iran in February 2026. The campaign, Operation Epic Fury, was intended to upheave Iranian leadership, destroy their military and end Iran’s nuclear program, according to President Donald Trump.
UW-Madison has officially launched a search for its next director of athletics.
Incoming Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots is leading the search process after outgoing Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin asked him to take charge, given her time as chancellor ends May 16.
“Wisconsin Athletics plays a vital role in the life of our campus and our community; its success matters,” Wilcots said in a statement issued Tuesday.
A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has alarmed health officials worldwide, but Madison infectious disease specialists say the risk to Wisconsin residents is extremely low, as long as residents haven’t been exposed to a passenger of the cruise ship.
After nearly four years at the helm of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said she feels a bit like the thousands of students wearing caps and gowns who just graduated at Camp Randall Stadium.
A nuclear fusion company that got its start at UW-Madison is nearing the end of a nationwide search for the right place to advance the technology it hopes will power the future.
It didn’t have to look far.
After some promising successes using powerful magnets to shape plasmas, Realta Fusion is ready to build a prototype fusion device, which it will use to test whether the plasma inside will perform as expected at a commercial scale.
UW-Madison on Tuesday announced the launch of its search for a next director of athletics, with a search committee including the Indianapolis Colts’ general manager.
Outgoing Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin asked interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots to take the lead on the search process, given that her time as chancellor concludes on Saturday. The new athletics director is expected to begin their role this summer.
If there’s two things that Andrea “Andi” Bill likes, it’s problem solving and applying it to the human experience. It’s part of what led her to a career in Civil Engineering, but those same skills have also been invaluable in her second career as a trainer and owner of Sugar Creek Stables in Brooklyn, Wisconsin.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin reflected on her accomplishments leading the state’s flagship campus Monday while acknowledging what she calls a period of “significant challenge” during her four-year tenure.
Mnookin’s last day on campus is Friday.
In his article in The Atlantic, grimly titled, “America is sliding toward illiteracy,” Idrees Kahloon uses data largely from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, to reflect on the recent degradation of American education. Kahloon uses this data to test theories as to why K-12 test scores have plummeted since 2007 after a brief but substantive window of improvement.
Question: Are we ahead of schedule with the spring greening?
Answer: We all just lived through a historic April here in Madison, and broadly across the region.
In Madison and Milwaukee, April 2026 was the wettest April since record keeping began in 1869 and 1871, respectively. Madison received 7.26 inches of rain during the month, more than half of that amount coming on just three days (1.34 inches on April 2, 1.53 inches on April 14 and 0.98 inch on April 17).
The term “moonshot” most often reminds people of the Apollo space program that first landed astronauts on the moon in 1969 or April’s Artemis II mission, which was the first crewed flight beyond Earth’s orbit since 1972.
Devesh Ranjan, the new dean of UW-Madison’s College of Engineering, is hoping people will also associate “moonshots” with lofty research goals in the coming decade.
After four years leading UW-Madison, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s exit this week is like a graduation of sorts.
“Like many of our seniors, I feel like I am graduating after four years, and so I, too, know the enormous life-changing impact that a place like this can have,” Mnookin said during an interview Monday in Bascom Hall.
The University of Wisconsin system is moving forward with its search for a new system president as state lawmakers remain interested in why the opening exists.
The Board of Regents named UW-Superior Chancellor Renee Wachter the interim president while naming a presidential search committee that will be led by Regent Ashok Rai.
Signs of neurodegeneration in individuals with Down syndrome may start as early as birth, a critical stage of brain development, a new study shows. The research, from investigators at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides an atlas of early brain development in Down syndrome that could inform potential targeted treatments to address the developmental and degenerative aspects of the condition.
Thousands of graduates filled Camp Randall Stadium Saturday as the University of Wisconsin–Madison celebrated its Spring 2026 commencement ceremonies.
The university says nearly 10,000 students are expected to earn degrees this spring, including bachelor’s, master’s and law graduates honored during Saturday’s ceremony.
Madison non-profit hospice group Agrace will break ground on its dementia village in two weeks, the first of its kind in the country.
The village is modeled after The Hogeweyk Village in the Netherlands.
Right now in the United States — caring for those with cognitive decline means prioritizing safety.
UW Madison hosted its first commencement ceremony of the year for doctoral, MFA and medical students on May 8.
Honorary degree recipient and UW graduate Speaker Tia Nelson spoke about her work in conservation and environmental protection. “The most complex problems we face will take more than persistence. They will take people with the courage to try something new,” Nelson said.
Health experts say Wisconsinites should not panic over recent international hantavirus headlines, despite concerns the outbreak could mirror the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Nasia Safdar, a professor of Infectious Disease at UW Madison, said the situation with the hantavirus outbreak is exceedingly rare.
A major cyberattack knocked out Canvas, an online platform used by about 9,000 schools across the country, including universities in Wisconsin, Thursday afternoon.
Saturday marked a huge milestone for the graduating class of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Just under 9,000 Badgers earned their bachelor’s, law, and master’s degrees at Camp Randall, starting a new chapter in their professional lives.
For the first time in 40 years, UW-Madison is launching a new college.
The university has named Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau as the founding dean of the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, set to officially open on July 1.
As artificial intelligence continues to grow, so do its criticisms.
UW-Madison’s class of 2026 was left with a resounding message at its commencement ceremony at Camp Randall on Saturday: Find your purpose through times of uncertainty.
“Purpose is not a perfect plan, it’s a compass,” UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said to a sea of black graduation caps and gowns in the stadium. “It helps you decide what deserves your time, what deserves your courage, and what you may need to walk away from.”
Being a student at any age is a challenge, but returning to college as an adult with a job, caretaking roles and other responsibilities requires a special kind of balancing act.
Leslie Wright knows this all too well. After an attempt at college in the 1990s, she left and later earned her associate degree. Wright entered the workforce but stepped away to raise children. Through volunteer work and as a school board member in Oregon, she saw a need for mental health support in schools. She overcame obstacles to go back to school, and she’ll finish her bachelor’s in psychology this summer.
Already had a run-in with a tick this year?
You’re not alone.
Emergency room visits for tick bites hit their highest known level in southern Wisconsin and have been up across the state in recent weeks, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, which began tracking tick-related ER visits in 2022.
Most of the country has seen a similar trend, but it’s been especially pronounced in the Midwest, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
The Office of the Independent Monitor, the agency responsible for independent oversight of the Madison Police Department, released a 31-page public memorandum lambasting the City attorney and Common Council members for obstructing the OIM’s independence April 21.
Wisconsin and Dane County are in bloom — and so is allergy season, which experts say is trending longer and becoming more severe for sufferers.
Tree pollen levels are high across Wisconsin this week, affecting many with seasonal allergies. While this spring’s pollen allergies may have arrived at a normal time, toward the end of March, trends in recent years point to earlier seasons that last longer, UW Health allergist Dr. Mark Moss said.
Some streets around Camp Randall will closed on Saturday due to the UW-Madison commencement ceremony.
Residents are asked to plan for extra time when traveling.
Starting at 6 a.m. the following streets will close to traffic and will reopen at 4 p.m. after commencement has finished:
North Breese Terrace, between Regent Street and University Avenue
Monroe Street, between Regent Street and North Randall Ave.
University of Wisconsin-Madison and the rest of the UW campuses are part of a nationwide outage of Canvas – an online platform used for assignments, grading and more – that is causing disruptions to final exams.
Testing for avian flu among Wisconsin dairy cows is being reduced, thanks to recent changes at both state and federal levels.
But one animal health expert worries that reduced support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture could leave continued surveillance of the highly-contagious virus on shaky ground.
Run Madtown’s Charity Chaser Runner beneficiary will be the Badger Challenge during a 5K race this month.
The Badger Challenge is a fundraising initiative supporting cancer research at UW-Madison.
A designated runner representing the Badger Challenge will start the Run Madtown Twilight 5K on May 23. Once the final participant crosses the start line, they will try to pass as many athletes as possible before reaching the finish line. For every 5K athlete passed, Run Madtown will donate $1 to the Badger Challenge.
A group of former University of Wisconsin officials and one lawmaker said better communication is key to building trust among Wisconsinites and overcoming disinvestment in the university as federal and state funding declines.
Questions about racially motivated voting restrictions gained new relevance last week when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a key component of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) in Louisiana v. Callais (2026). The decision effectively ended the protections of the VRA’s Section 2, which sought to ensure that voters of color had fair representation in elections. This ruling now opens the door to the potential elimination of majority-minority districts in numerous states.
More than half of college students use artificial intelligence daily or weekly for schoolwork, according to new data from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation.
The Class of 2026 is the first to have had AI chatbots available throughout their four years of college.
Madison will be buzzing this weekend with family members and supporters of UW-Madison students in town for their graduation ceremonies.
UW-Madison has commencement ceremonies on Friday at the Kohl Center and Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
The first dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence says the institution will be a vital non-industry leader shaping the future of AI.
Leaders in science, business, and government gathered in Madison on Tuesday to discuss the future of fusion energy.
The Fusion Summit at the Discovery Center brought together researchers, lawmakers, and more than one hundred companies exploring how Wisconsin could become a national hub for this emerging technology.
An ancient practice may hold significant benefits for your mental and physical well-being.
UW Health distinguished psychologist Dr. Shilagh Mirgain highlighted the benefits of therapeutic journaling.
Harm reduction tools like fentanyl and xylazine test strips have years of evidence behind their use, according to Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, a professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and an addiction medicine specialist.
What are the true limits of life, will we even recognize it when we see it? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the beginnings of life on Earth and what they might tell us about life everywhere else with astrobiologist and bacteriologist, Betül Kaçar.
The Madison school district unveiled its proposal for a new cell phone policy at a School Board meeting Monday, recommending an all-day ban for students in grades K-8 while allowing more leniency for high school students to use their phones during passing time and lunch periods.
At the meeting, some School Board members expressed trepidations about a full-day ban for K-8 students, while others questioned different aspects of the proposed policy.
Officials at the public flagship said in a recent court filing that the university may have to lay off up to 160 employees if it doesn’t get clarity on federal funding in the near future, The Cap Times reported.
At issue is an effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to impose conditions on financial disbursements. USDA has asked states to agree to conditions to continue receiving funding, including ensuring federal money won’t be used to “promote gender ideology” or diversity, equity and inclusion practices. In March, 21 states sued the USDA over the preconditions; though UW Madison is not a plaintiff, the state of Wisconsin is.
