Category: State news

UW-Whitewater faculty members are urging state lawmakers to rescind collective bargaining changes and reconsider a proposal to break-off UW-Madison from the UW System.

Meanwhile, UW-W Chancellor Richard Telfer said leaders across the UW System are signing a separate resolution asking Gov. Scott Walker and other legislators to consider an alternative to separating the flagship campus from the rest of the UW System.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne filed a civil complaint Wednesday alleging legislative leaders violated the state?s open meetings law last week when a special committee adopted a bill curbing collective bargaining for most public workers.

The Bradley Center Sports & Entertainment Corp. wanted to borrow $10 million to help maintain and renovate the aging facility.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison wanted to borrow $49.2 million for a new $76.8 million Athletic Department building that would also house parts of the College of Engineering and a sports medicine clinic run by the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.

In his capital budget, Gov. Scott Walker said no to the Bradley Center and yes to the University of Wisconsin. Both are state facilities.

University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Ken Ono, a highly regarded mathematician who is on a year?s leave at Emory University in Atlanta, says it is unlikely he will return to Madison because he is ?very worried about Wisconsin?s ability to maintain a national-level university.?

Steve Greve is concerned about the proposal to split the state?s flagship campus from the rest of the University of Wisconsin System.

Across Wisconsin, government and school district employees are weighing whether to continue working or get out of public sector employment in light of a new law limiting collective bargaining and employee benefits.

Limnologist Dick Lathrop might know more about Devil?s Lake than anybody else in the world.For nearly 20 years, Lathrop has headed efforts to improve water quality in Wisconsin?s best-known state park.

One unique project, which involves using a nearly mile-long pipeline to suck weed-boosting phosphorus from the lake bottom, has been followed by water researchers nationwide.

Senate Majority Scott Fitzgerald has told Senate Republicans that any votes taken by Senate Democrats in standing committee public hearings and executive sessions will not be counted or recorded.

“Please note that all 14 Democrat senators are still in contempt of the Senate,” Fitzgerald wrote in an email Monday afternoon that was posted on wispolitics.com. “Therefore, when taking roll call votes on amendments and bills during executive sessions, Senate Democrats? votes will not be reflected in the Records of Committee Proceedings or the Senate Journal.”

Gov. Scott Walker recommended approval of about $300 million in building projects for the University of Wisconsin System, but did not include a highly sought-after School of Nursing building for UW-Madison. He recommended that project, valued at $52.2 million ($34.8 in general fund supported borrowing and $17.4 million in gifts and grants) be deferred to the next biennium.

The UW Board of Regents is offering a new proposal designed to build on Governor Walker?s budget.

Gov. Scott Walker is proposing spending $1.1 billion on building projects in Wisconsin over the next two years, nearly 30 percent less than what was spent in the current two-year budget.

The numbers have mattered. The tens. The hundreds. The thousands. The hundreds of thousands.

Wisconsinites from every background, every religion, every political persuasion and every job have filled the Capitol Square for the past month. Their message has been clear and unequivocal. They oppose Scott Walker?s assault on working families. They oppose the lawless actions of legislative leaders who are more determined to advance the governor?s political agenda than to respect their colleagues or to serve the interests of the whole state.

Interim Chancellor Mike Lovell was called upon to take a stance against Gov. Scott Walker?s budget proposals Wednesday afternoon at the all-campus budget forum where campus officials fielded questions and concerns from upset faculty, students, graduate assistants, and community members.

The Governor is rescinding layoff notices for state workers. The order was sent to the Department of Administration and Office of State Employment Relations, following Thursday?s passage of the budget repair bill by the Legislature.

The Wisconsin chapter of the American Federation of Teachers will proceed with planned union elections on four University of Wisconsin campuses, despite the state?s adoption of a law this week denying collective-bargaining rights to the university system?s faculty and academic staff members and curtailing the bargaining rights and benefits of many other public employees.

In a move that shocked opponents and threw the Capitol into chaos, Senate Republicans pushed through a stripped-down version of the governor?s contentious budget repair bill Wednesday in an 18-1 vote.

“The rich have gotten much richer,” bellowed Jesse Jackson Jr. amid the rumble of cheering voices, horns and maracas. “Yeah!” roared back the crowd of at least 10,000 protesters who had gathered in Madison, Wis., Thursday morning.

St. Paul, Minn. ? Jason Lund worked for years at breakfast joint in Dinkytown before finally finding a career he loved: teaching.

For public workers in Wisconsin, there?s more bad news. Having lost the battle on collective bargaining, they may soon be asked to make more financial sacrifices.

Gov. Scott Walker signed his controversial budget repair bill into law early Friday, bringing to an end the month-long battle over collective bargaining that captured the nation?s attention and brought state government to a grinding halt. Walker signed the bill privately at about 9:30 a.m. His office has announced a 3 p.m. ceremonial bill signing, which will be open to the news media.

Reason has taken a holiday in Wisconsin politics. Civility along with it.In their place is a nastiness rarely seen in a state that long has believed in good government as a guiding principle.Republicans got what they wanted Thursday: a flawed and divisive bill that strips public employees of most of their ability to bargain collectively. Gov. Scott Walker?s party may now reap the whirlwind.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin defended the governor?s proposal to split the state?s flagship campus from the rest of the UW System during a tense Board of Regents meeting Thursday.

But ultimately, the regents voted, 16-1, to seek an amendment to Gov. Scott Walker?s proposed 2011-?13 budget to give all UW institutions the same management flexibilities proposed for UW-Madison, and to do it within the current regents governance structure, so they can better deal with budget cuts.

Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill Friday that repeals most collective bargaining by public employee unions. He signed the bill in the morning and will hold a ceremony and press conference later in the day to tout the signing.

Layoff notices to 1,500 state employees have been rescinded by Gov. Scott Walker because of the passage of his budget bill on Thursday. Walker also announced on Friday morning that he will sign the budget bill sometime on Friday, with the signing open to the media.

“The time and details of the bill signing are still to be announced,” said Wisconsin State Journal reporter Mary Spicuzza, after talking with Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie.

The University of Wisconsin System is floating a proposed amendment to Gov. Scott Walker?s budget that would keep UW-Madison in the System and give all 26 campuses flexibility on tuition, purchasing and human resources. Calling it the Wisconsin Idea Partnership, it?s a counter-proposal to the language in Walker?s budget that makes UW-Madison a public authority and splits it from the System. At a UW Board of Regents meeting Thursday, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin urged the Regents to not stand in UW-Madison?s way, saying there?s been “a certain amount of smug snottiness about Madison.”