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Category: State news

Preaching to the choir: Conservative media and friendly audiences are Walker PR linchpins

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Capital Times

A detailed analysis of the 4,400 entries in Walker?s calendar by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism paints a portrait of a public relations-minded governor who focuses his message on receptive, conservative audiences and who, as the effort to recall him has intensified, has spent a sharply decreasing amount of time on official state business. Katherine Cramer Walsh, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the center?s findings matched her own assessment of Walker?s strategy: ?To shore up his base, spend time with his supporters, and not necessarily build bridges, compromise or reach out to opponents.?

Biz Beat: Scott Walker poised to rebut poor federal jobs numbers

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Capital Times

The state Department of Revenue is out with a video presentation arguing that the federal estimates on Wisconsin job losses over the past year are wrong. The video features department economist John Koskinen saying the state economy is doing much better than the employment numbers from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest. Gov. Scott Walker on Monday said that ?brighter? job numbers are coming out later this week but did not offer more details.

….Meanwhile, a UW-Madison think tank is out with a report showing that Wisconsin would have gained nearly 50,000 jobs over the past 14 months if job creation had kept pace with the rest of the nation. Instead, Wisconsin is down 14,200 jobs since Walker took office in January 2011, leaving a 64,000 ?jobs hole,? according to an analysis by the left-leaning Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS).

Campus Connection: Many UW students will have to vote absentee in recall election

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Capital Times

UW-Madison students on both sides of the political aisle are making a push to inform classmates of a change in state law that has the potential to prove troublesome to those planning to vote in next month?s recall elections. Under the state?s voter ID law that was enacted last year, one has to establish residency at a given address for 28 days in order to vote from that location. So with UW-Madison?s final exams under way this week — while the showdown between Gov. Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is set for June 5 ?- students heading out of town for a different summer residence will not meet the 28-day requirement.

Feds deem state’s No Child Left Behind waiver request deficient

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Wisconsin State Journal

Wisconsin?s proposal for holding schools accountable is short on details and lacks ambitious goals to improve student achievement, according to a federal review. As a result, the state?s request for flexibility under the federal No Child Left Behind law could be at risk of being denied, said Doug Harris, a UW-Madison associate professor of education and public policy who is following the school accountability reform process.

….Gary Cook, a research scientist at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research who has reviewed past state applications for Education Department programs, said the most serious criticism was Wisconsin?s application lacked ?ambitious annual measurable? goals for improving student achievement.

Madison to host national Freedom of Information summit

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Wisconsin State Journal

Republican lawmakers pledged not to discuss secretly drawn legislative district maps. A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the Legislature?s exemption from its own open meetings law. Milwaukee police arrested two photojournalists on assignment. The request for a UW-Madison professor?s emails sparked a national debate. Open government advocates from across the country are gathering in Madison this weekend for the National Freedom of Information Council annual summit. Given the past year in Wisconsin politics, they won?t have to look far for hot-button issues to discuss.

Madison Politiscope: Wisconsin shows why Obama’s gay marriage move is unsurprising

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Capital Times

?I don?t think there?s any other issue where there?s as big a difference in opinion between those under 30 and those over 65,? says University of Wisconsin pollster Charles Franklin, currently a visiting professor at Marquette Law School. In fact, despite aggressively pushing their agenda in many other policy arenas, state Republicans made no attempt during this past legislative session to pass anti-gay legislation. The domestic partnership registry that Democrats created in 2009 was left in tact. However, Franklin points to a serious problem with championing an issue that resonates most with the youth: ?Even if you motivate younger voters, you?re motivating the segment of the electorate that has the lowest voter turnout,? he said.

Union South named 2012 ?Best in Show? among Wisconsin building projects

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One year after opening, Union South was named ?Best in Show? of 30 top Wisconsin building projects at an annual awards show for the state?s construction industry Wednesday. The Daily Reporter, a Wisconsin construction industry periodical, honored the 276,664-square-foot building for its design and multi-purpose spaces. It shares the award with Marquette University?s Engineering Hall. The honor also recognized Union South for student involvement in planning its design.

Task force grapples with UW System cuts

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Easy answers are hard to find for how the University of Wisconsin System can continue offering the same quality education at an affordable cost with less state support.But a task force advising the Legislature on flexibilities that could help make campuses more efficient wrestled with several key issues during an all-day hearing Wednesday in Madison, including the role tuition should play in supporting campuses and financial aid, and how the best and brightest faculty and administrators can be attracted and retained if salaries aren?t competitive.

Unity March for labor, progressives Wednesday night on State Street

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Capital Times

Labor and progressive leaders are planning a march on State Street Wednesday night in support of the Democratic candidate for governor, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett. The Unity March, organized by We Are Wisconsin, will begin with singing by the Solidarity Singers on the UW-Madison Library Mall at 6 p.m.

Observers say Barrett-Mitchell ticket gives Dems the best shot against Scott Walker

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Capital Times

Political observers say Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett?s Democratic gubernatorial primary win hands Mahlon Mitchell his best shot at ousting Republican Rebecca Kleefisch from the lieutenant governor?s office. “It seems to me a Barrett-Mitchell ticket is more balanced,” says UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. “They come from different parts of the state. One is from Milwaukee and one is from Dane County. And Barrett has sometimes disagreed with the unions on key issues, whereas Mitchell is a union representative. So they have both sides of the divide.”

….According to Charles Franklin, a UW-Madison political scientist who is currently a visiting professor at Marquette University Law School, lieutenant governor candidates and name recognition don’t typically go hand-in-hand. “I think it’s conceivable that people go into June knowing very little about the lieutenant governor’s part of the ballot,” he says. “But you have party as a guide, so that seems not to matter very much.”

Commentary: Wisconsin voter ID law is unfair to college students

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Oshkosh Northwestern

Among the sweeping changes made to Wisconsin?s political landscape over the last year was the choice to make voting more difficult under the guise of preventing voter fraud. The voter identification requirement of Act 23 has been widely debated and is now suspended by judicial order. The reason for this suspension is that the law was unfair to the 220,000 or so adult state residents without a driver?s license, who are disproportionately poor, elderly and minority. Receiving less attention was the alteration in our residency requirement, which changed from 10 days to 28 days.

Scott Walker is talking a lot less now about his pledge to create 250,000 new jobs

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Capital Times

Katherine Cramer Walsh, a UW-Madison political science professor, said Walker?s jobs pledge, and any retreat from it, ?certainly seems to be a point of vulnerability? for his campaign. ?The economy is the issue and it was a very blatant claim.? But Walsh isn?t sure how much it will matter, given that this jobs pledge may have fallen from public awareness and few voters ?have not made up their mind about Walker.?

Dem candidates set to clash in final debate

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Wisconsin State Journal

The four Democrats vying for a shot at unseating Republican Gov. Scott Walker in a recall election are set to clash in a debate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tom Barrett, Kathleen Falk, Kathleen Vinehout and Doug La Follette all are expected to appear at a Wisconsin Public Television debate Friday evening. The debate will mark final go-round between all four candidates ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

Capitol Report: Talking politics too incendiary for some Wisconsinites, poll finds

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Capital Times

A poll released Wednesday by the Marquette Law School offers a glimpse of just how divisive politics has become in the state. According to the poll, nearly one-third, or 29 percent of respondents, say they have stopped talking to someone about politics due to disagreements over the recall of the governor. There?s no baseline for that figure — pollster Charles Franklin says the question has never been asked before on a survey — but he argues the 29 percent figure is probably ?up from the norm.?

Keep collective bargaining at UW

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Daily Cardinal

A year ago, thousands of UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff marched to the Capitol to oppose Gov. Scott Walker?s radical attempts to destroy Wisconsin?s 50-year tradition of collective bargaining. Today, the Governor faces a recall, and a federal court has struck down some of the most onerous parts of Act 10. Yet UW-Madison may be on the verge of realizing the Governor?s anti-worker vision on campus.

Refocus on Wisconsin Idea to boost UW image within state

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Daily Cardinal

Katherine Walsh is an associate professor of political science at UW-Madison. Since 2007 she has gathered information about how the state perceives the university. Walsh?s research, published in her paper ?The Distance from Public Institutions of Higher Education,? has exposed a rift between Wisconsinites and the university and the university?s failure to live up to the high expectations of the Wisconsin idea. By taking an innovative approach to the problems Walsh has highlighted, Wisconsin could join the forefront of the national conversation on how to restructure higher education.

Police send Mifflin Street rules to other campuses

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Capital Times

Madison police are reaching out to college students across the upper Midwest with a heads-up about the tighter guidelines for Saturday?s Mifflin Street Block Party. Spokesman Joel DeSpain told Madison.com a dozen emails were sent on Monday to college campus newspapers.”We want our out-of-town visitors to know the protocol we are expecting this year,” DeSpain said. “We need to do things differently this year to make sure everybody stays safe.” A quick check Tuesday morning of campus newspapers receiving the email showed none had posted the information online.

On Wisconsin: Green Bay pushing to become major sports mecca

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Wisconsin State Journal

ASHWAUBENON ? If Brad Toll and Ken Wachter get their way, the WIAA will have an easy decision to make in a few years. Toll, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Green Bay & the Lakeshore Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Wachter, who has the same title but with PMI Entertainment Group, are two of the leading players in the saga that over the past five months has pitted the state?s oldest community against its most political, caused debate and resulted in harsh criticism of the WIAA, UW-Madison Athletic Department and Madison city leaders.

On Politics: Professor with the crystal ball

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Wisconsin State Journal

Who could have predicted at this time last year that Wisconsin would experience the nation?s largest percentage decrease in employment over this 12-month period? Um … actually, UW-Madison economist Steven Deller could have. And did. Last March, Deller, a professor of applied economics, studied the ripple effects of Gov. Scott Walker?s budget-repair bill and two-year budget proposal.

Campus Connection: UW report says safety net kept state families from poverty

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Capital Times

Wisconsin is doing a good job of providing a safety net for the state?s most vulnerable people, according to the fourth annual Wisconsin Poverty Report released this week. The study, conducted by UW-Madison?s Institute for Research on Poverty, is designed to measure poverty rates more accurately than the official federal numbers that are compiled using only pretax cash income figures.

?There?s no doubt we?d all like to see more people working and less dependent on government to help them not be poor,? says Tim Smeeding, the lead investigator for the study and the director of the Institute for Research on Poverty. ?And if the economy recovers and employment picks up, that is what we?ll see. But for now we?re doing a real good job of holding the line at the bottom end and Wisconsinites should be very proud about these results. These programs work. Government works.?

WIAA boys basketball tournament back where it belongs

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Wisconsin State Journal

Wisconsin?s hoop dreams came halfway home Tuesday. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association agreed to keep the state boys high school basketball tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison where it belongs. It was a smart and exciting decision after months of doubt and testy exchanges between officials at the WIAA and UW-Madison, which traditionally hosts the state championships.

State poverty rate dropped from 2009 to 2010

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Wisconsin State Journal

Despite a recession that caused an economic slump in the state from 2009 to 2010, Wisconsin?s poverty rate actually dropped, according to a new UW-Madison study. A report released Wednesday by the Institute for Research on Poverty notes that Wisconsin?s poverty rate fell from 11.1 percent to 10.3 percent, a drop made possible by safety-net public benefits programs including food stamps, tax credits and subsidized child care.

State lab confirms salmonella in recalled tuna

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Wisconsin State Journal

Lab testing in Wisconsin has confirmed salmonella contamination in recalled yellowfin tuna and in a spicy tuna roll. The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at UW-Madison found salmonella in samples that matched the DNA fingerprint of the outbreak.

Frayed bonds: Report shows many feel disconnected from UW-Madison

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Capital Times

….This notion of a disconnect between Wisconsinites and the state’s flagship institution of higher education may surprise some within the campus community, but those sentiments are broad-based and very real, according to a study released last month by UW-Madison political scientist Kathy Cramer Walsh. The paper gives an eye-opening account of state residents’ “pervasive sense of distance from UW-Madison,” and reveals a “widespread sense that the state’s flagship university is inattentive to the concerns of members of the public at large.”

The release of Walsh’s report is especially timely today, as UW-Madison is in the midst of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Wisconsin Idea ? the principle that the teaching and research taking place at the university should be felt beyond the borders of campus. “That’s the big, sad story of the paper ? we are putting so much effort on campus into promoting the Wisconsin Idea and reviving it and aligning it with our work, and yet it’s kind of invisible to a lot of people in this state,” says Walsh.

Resch lands state girls hoops

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Green Bay Press Gazette

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association was in a sharing mood on Tuesday. The 11-person Board of Control unanimously approved the recommendations made by WIAA Executive Director Dave Anderson to move the girls state basketball tournament to the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon in 2013 and 2014, while keeping the boys state tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison through at least 2020.

UW-Madison School of Nursing project many years in the making

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Wisconsin State Journal

It is the little building project that could. For more than 10 years, the UW-Madison School of Nursing building has gone through a strange and twisting odyssey as politicians and officials flip-flopped about the fate of the project. It was placed at the top of priority lists, then taken off completely; it was slipped into a state budget in the middle of the night, then pulled out just as slyly. But finally, on Saturday, school officials and Gov. Scott Walker broke ground on the $52 million building.

Hugh Ambrose, son of author Stephen, to discuss ‘The Pacific’

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Wisconsin State Journal

Hugh Ambrose describes the seven-year production process for ?The Pacific? as ?a personal journey,? which he will relate in Madison on May 3 as keynote speaker for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation?s annual gala at the Monona Terrace and Convention Center.

John Hall, a graduate of Palmyra-Eagle High School and West Point who holds the military history chair at UW-Madison that was endowed by Stephen Ambrose shortly before his death, said both versions of ?The Pacific? do a good job of not sanitizing ?the theater of The Good War that starts to test and strain the word ?good?? due to the tactics of mutual annihilation.

Crime and Courts: While other state employees’ pay drops, Justice staffers get bonuses

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Capital Times

While state employees have seen their paychecks dwindle as they shell out more for health care and pension benefits, some Department of Justice employees were handed merit pay bonuses last month. WKOW-TV/Channel 27 reporter Tony Galli reported the bonuses on his blog last week after obtaining records showing $289,629 in payouts to 93 DOJ staffers. That?s an average of $3,114 each.

Vinehout: UW System funds, tuition costs priorities

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Badger Herald

Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, revealed her economic plan if elected to the governor?s seat Tuesday, which involves increasing funding to the University of Wisconsin System, a day after many contenders for the Democratic nomination promised to repeal tax cuts supported by Gov. Scott Walker. 

Bulls always a dangerous threat to farmers

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Wisconsin State Journal

It took mere seconds for a bull to kill Avoca farmer Alfred Albrecht….Unpredictable and lethally powerful, dairy and beef bulls have been killing farmers for centuries. Since 2000, bulls have killed at least 19 people in Wisconsin, according to a report by UW-Madison agriculture safety expert Cheryl Skjolaas. No other kind of animal has killed more than four people in the state during that span, the report said.

Critics rip plan to move state agency to Middleton

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Wisconsin State Journal

A proposal to relocate the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions to an office building in Middleton is being decried by state and local officials as a needless expense and contrary to a state policy that urges keeping agencies in central Madison. The DOA’s office space request stated a preference for three non-central locations: on Madison’s Far East Side near the American Center office complex; on the West Side near the University of Wisconsin Research Park; and a far west area that includes parts of Middleton.

State details plans for expanding Interstate 39-90

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Wisconsin State Journal

BELOIT ? Officials unveiled Thursday one of the most expensive highway projects in state history, but it is designed to do more than ease congestion. The $715 million reconstruction and expansion of a 45-mile stretch of Interstate 39-90 between Madison and the Illinois state line will aid state tourism and help create more economic development along the corridor, one of the busiest stretches of highway in the state, officials say.

Cited: A study by the Center for Freight & Infrastructure Research at UW-Madison that found the roadway is responsible for moving $650 million to $800 million worth of commerce each day.

State weighs advisory boards for UW schools

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Badger Herald

Following presentations on recommendations for increased flexibilities from University of Wisconsin System officials, members of the Special Task Force on UW Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities sparred over the creation of institutional governing boards to oversee UW institutions.

Capitol Report: Dem gubernatorial candidates face off in friendly territory

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Capital Times

The four Democratic candidates vying to take on Gov. Scott Walker in the June 5 recall election made their pitches for the job before a friendly crowd of local Democrats Wednesday night at the Concourse Hotel in Madison. Each expressed similar views on a host of issues, including support for clean, green job policies, a return to higher state funding for public schools, technical colleges and the University of Wisconsin System, and the restoration of collective bargaining for all state workers.

State’s hygiene lab tests pollutants from major historical sites

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Wisconsin State Journal

Most people are familiar with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene because of its routine but important work testing everything from well water for contaminants to blood samples for alcohol levels. But tucked away in various corners of the laboratory on Madison?s Far East Side are hints of a lesser-known and stranger science. Ice cores from the Greenland ice cap, for example. Scrapings from the walls of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Air samples from the refectory of Santa Maria Delle Grazie Church in Milan, Italy, home to Da Vinci?s “The Last Supper.” Though they may seem connected, these collections have ended up in Madison because of unique and sought-after research skills for which the state laboratory is internationally known.