Governor Doyle has broken ground on the bio-mass power plant project at UW-Madison. The move comes as the idea to get electricity from burning wood chips, corn stalks and switch grass remains controversial elsewhere.
Letter by Scott Wittmann, student, UW-Madison.
Marking the beginning of the end for coal power on the UW-Madison campus, Gov. Jim Doyle and other leaders broke ground Monday on a $250 million upgrade to the Charter Street Heating plant. The mostly coal-powered plant, which provides heating and cooling for UW-Madison, will be converted to run on natural gas and farm-grown fuels, known as biomass. It?s the most expensive single project in UW-Madison history. Doyle said that when it is completed in 2013, it will be one of the country?s leading biomass power plants.
The Appleton-based Boldt Company will partner with an international engineering firm on a $250 million state project converting a coal-fired heating plant into one using biomass for fuel.
Work is underway on a biomass power plant at UW Madison. Governor Jim Doyle says the $251 million dollar project to convert the Charter Street Plant on the UW Madison campus from burning coal to burning biomass can help lesson the state?s dependence on imported fuels.
MADISON, Wis. — With mid-term elections so close, experts are wondering if young people will have the same impact they did in 2008. Voter turnout for non-presidential elections are usually lowest among young people. But with a wide open governor?s race and a hotly-contested senate election, some feel that this year may be different.
John Korememos has been registering voters with the College Republicans and he thinks the student turnout may surprise people this year.
WHITEWATER, Wis. (WKOW) — Whitewater police arrested 132 people at a house party near University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. According to police, many of those arrested were students. Multiple residents face charges for allegedly providing alcohol to underage people, selling alcohol without a license and failing to prevent underage alcohol consumption.
Quoted: Barry C. Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin.
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett favors including embryonic stem cells in research and treatment, whereas candidate Scott Walker opposes it. What is all that about?
The two gubernatorial candidates in Wisconsin disagree over embryonic stem cell research. Thursday (10/21) Democrat Tom Barrett tried to make a point about the future of such research by talking to those afflicted with ailments it might someday cure.
The Democratic candidate in the race for governor continues to go after his Republican opponent?s views on stem cell research.
Tom Larson, a candidate for the state Assembly, says the University of Wisconsin system should make spending cuts like the rest of state government.?They are going to have to share the load with everyone else,? Larson said. Some of the costs now handled by the state will have to be shifted to students, Larson said, adding his own children worked their way through college. The state can probably make it easier for students to get loans so they can get the education they need, he says, and once they get that education, students should be assured they will be able to work.
Joel Waldinger saw the photographs that changed his life in an exhibit on the grounds of what had once been headquarters for the Nazi Gestapo in Berlin. It was 2006, and Waldinger, a Madison television journalist, was finishing up a journalism fellowship in Germany. On his last day before returning to the United States, Waldinger visited the exhibit, where he saw a series of three photos of a woman identified as Mildred Fish Harnack. They were accompanied by a short blurb about her life. It said she had been beheaded in a Berlin prison in 1943 ? the only American woman executed by the Nazis. And it said she was from Wisconsin, and had studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The candidates for governor have been talking a lot about the economy and health care, but Shamane Mills reports they haven?t been saying much about higher education this year. She has our latest report on issues in this year?s governor?s race. (Audio.)
The state filed an amicus brief Monday in the federal court case seeking to stop federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, Gov. Jim Doyle announced in a statement. The brief will seek to dissuade the court from hearing the case.
Dear Editor: Four years ago, students began signing a pledge to participate in the ?Wisconsin Covenant.? The agreement has enticed over 50,000 students to take college prep courses and maintain at least a B average. In return, the state of Wisconsin committed to reward these students with a place in the state university system and a financial aid package that would make college a realistic possibility.
Since the first group of future scholars has yet to graduate high school, this program has required very little funding. That will change, starting next year.Funding for the covenant is necessary for Wisconsin to uphold its end of this agreement.
David Newby, whose recent retirement as Wisconsin AFL-CIO president was recognized this weekend by hundreds of his friends and fans who attended events honoring him, was a throwback to the labor leaders of the early 20th century. He recognized that for working people to get a fair shake, they had to make the labor movement a genuine movement. To a greater extent than all but a handful of contemporary labor leaders, Newby put an emphasis — as a leader of the UW-Madison Teaching Assistants Association, the president of the old Madison Labor Council, and since 1994 the head of the state?s labor federation — not just on economic and political fights but on social and cultural initiatives.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
…According to the state?s economic recovery website ? www.recovery.wisconsin.gov ? Dane County has been awarded more than $352 million in Recovery Act funding, a figure that includes aid for school districts and local units of government.
Of that, $62 million is going for transportation improvements such as the Badger Interchange. Other local transportation projects using stimulus funds include the extension of taxiway B at the Dane County Regional Airport $3.69 million and reconstruction of University Avenue $3.6 million.
The rest of the money is divided among the UW System and other government or nongovernmental agencies.
The University of Wisconsin System is coming under fire from the state?s largest association of telecommunications providers for planning to use millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds to expand high-capacity broadband Internet services in communities across Wisconsin.
Quoted: UW-Madison professor Barry Orton
A new report says state and federal governments have collectively lost billions of dollars on college students who drop-out before their sophomore year.
The state of Wisconsin filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to join an amicus brief in the case that will determine the state of stem cell research nationwide, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Tuesday.
The state of Wisconsin filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to join an amicus brief in the case that will determine the state of stem cell research nationwide, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Tuesday.
Dear Editor: Scott and I have known Tom Barrett a long time, which is why I?m even more disappointed that he continues to lie to you about my husband.
Tom Barrett is using the Jim Doyle playbook by exploiting the plight of those afflicted with diabetes and other diseases in TV ads, falsely telling you that Scott is ?against hope? and that he would ?ban stem cell research.?
The state of Wisconsin wants to file a friend-of-the-court brief to uphold federal funding for stem cell researchers. Gov. Jim Doyle announced today that the state filed a motion to join an amicus brief in Sherley v. Sebelius, a case challenging the National Institutes of Health?s embryonic stem cell research guidelines. At a news conference last month, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin said as many as two dozen UW-Madison stem cell researchers face disruptions in their research.
The Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, refused to say Tuesday whether he favors a ban on embryonic stem cell research — even though he previously told an anti-abortion group he does. Embryonic stem cell research was pioneered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and millions of dollars is spent on it each year in the state. During a Tuesday campaign stop in Madison, Walker said he would direct state money to stem cell research that doesn?t use cells obtained from embryos.
The Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, refused to say Tuesday whether he favors a ban on embryonic stem cell research ? even though he previously told an anti-abortion group he does.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker will not say whether he would ban embryonic stem cell research, as Democratic candidate Tom Barrett claims.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker is refusing to say whether he would seek a ban on embryonic stem cell research as his Democratic opponent Tom Barrett alleges.
Bedbugs – two words that together prompt nightmares – are stalking more sleepers in hotels, apartments and homes in Wisconsin, reflecting a national uptick over the past year, according to local officials and exterminators.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker said Tuesday if elected governor he would shift funding from embryonic stem cell research to adult stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Republican candidate for governor is avoiding questions on whether he?d pursue a ban on embryonic stem cell research.
Quoted: Linda Reivitz, health policy lecturer emerita at the UW-Madison?s School of Nursing.
Noted: Democrat Tom Barrett went after Republican Scott Walker on the issue of stem cells. ?Scott Walker?s continued phony claim that embryonic stem cell research doesn?t matter, or that the same breakthroughs and discoveries can be achieved with adult stem cells,? Barrett said.
If special-interest groups were given paintball guns and asked to mark their spending habits for the upcoming midterm elections on a giant map, Wisconsin, like the rest of the country, would bleed red.
Quoted: Ken Goldstein, UW-Madison professor of political science
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor.
MADISON, Wis. — The city of Whitewater and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater violated federal rules when awarding a construction contract at the Whitewater University Technology Park.
The problem revolved around a $2.9 million contract awarded to Janesville-based J.P. Cullen & Sons. Cullen was in charge of reviewing the bids and recommended itself for the main construction contract. It?s also construction manager.
Quoted: Ken Goldstein is a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
MADISON, Wis. — Authorities have identified the three people killed in crash with a man suspected of drunken driving on Interstate 39/90 near Madison on Thursday.
The victims were identified as Marcus S. Johnson, 19, of Milwaukee, Elysia M. Rapp, 20, of Racine, and Wilfredo Ugarte, 23, of Puerto Rico. Two of the victims were identified as University of Minnesota students.
University of Minnesota spokesman Daniel Wolter said the two students were with the university’s Spirit Squad, a cheerleading squad. Wolter said the group was driving from the Twin Cities to Milwaukee when the crash happened.
A state website operating since 2007 is supposed to be informing citizens how state government spends some of their taxpayer dollars by disclosing information on state contracts worth $10,000 or more. But that is not happening. And for a state that strives to be a leader in government transparency, this is not a pretty story.
Congratulations UW-Madison! The news that the state?s flagship campus now spends $1 billion on research, which is derived from various sources, including grants from the federal government, private fundraising and state aid, means UW is once again spending more money than the state?s entire budget for the Department of Corrections.
MADISON (WKOW)– Three University of Minnesota students are dead following a crash that happened early Thursday morning on Interstate 39 near Madison.
….University spokesman Ryan Maus tells the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that two of the students were cheerleaders with the university?s Spirit Squad. Maus says the students were driving home from the Twin Cities to Milwaukee when the crash happened.
Democrat Tom Barrett has outspent his GOP opponent Scott Walker by 2-to-1 on TV in the race for governor since the Sept. 14 primary, but outside groups have outspent both candidates, effectively leveling the playing field, according to a study of campaign advertising this fall.
The study also finds that ? no great surprise ? the ads have been unrelentingly negative.
?In a negative year nationally and regionally, Wisconsin is leading the way,? said Ken Goldstein, political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is tracking ads in races for governor in six Midwestern states.
U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold rallied student voters on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus Wednesday and led them to register and vote.
Not far from the sprawling storage area of the Wisconsin Historical Society is the society?s film vault, which lies under the grass and steps leading the society?s front door. Here, row after row of microfilm and negatives are stored as part of the collaboration between the society and the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research at UW-Madison.
Deep in a basement on the UW-Madison campus lies the story of our entire state: The cheesehead hat signed last year by President Barack Obama on his visit to Wright Middle School in Madison. The 1 millionth aluminum wheel cover cast at the Reynolds Metal Co. in Beloit in 1996 and signed by the employees. A wild rice threshing machine used on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation. They?re among the 98,000 historical objects and thousands more archaeological artifacts found in the storage of the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Thousands of dollars in federal funding will help researchers further sustainability efforts of Wisconsin?s cranberry growers, industry leaders said. State officials announced Wednesday the allocation of $107,700 in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants for three University of Wisconsin-Madison research projects.
Senator Russ Feingold made a pitch for support from students on the UW Madison campus Wednesday.
Where have all the candidates gone? According to a report published Tuesday by Politico, many candidates are doing just about anything to avoid spending too much time in the public eye during the weeks leading up to the election.” The article, titled “Year of the missing candidate,” includes a shout-out to Wisconsin?s Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Ron Johnson, saying Johnson?s campaign has refused to share his daily schedule with the press As for U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, his staff members have said they notify reporters once public appearances are scheduled. For example, he?ll be at UW-Madison?s Library Mall on Wednesday afternoon to encourage early voting.
Graduates of the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School won?t be forced to sit for the state bar examination anytime soon.
On streets teeming with students dressed in the ?Badger red?? colors of the University of Wisconsin, friendly cries of ?Hey Russ!?? followed one of the school?s prominent graduates, US Senator Russ Feingold.
Yet the Democratic senator everybody seems to know is in a desperate fight this fall against a challenger whom, until recently, few had ever heard of. Also quotes UW-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin.
President Barack Obama is now in possession of a No. 44 Badgers basketball jersey. That was one of the gifts that UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin gave our 44th president when he visited campus last week, the first sitting president to come to the university in 60 years. Martin was Obama?s official greeter, she explained in an e-mail, before he spoke to a raucous crowd of 17,000 on Library Mall in an attempt to energize Democrats for the midterm elections. She welcomed the president in Memorial Library, along with UW-Madison stem cell pioneer James Thomson, UW System President Kevin Reilly, and the chair of student government, Brandon Williams.
Graduates of Wisconsin?s two law schools still won?t have to take the bar exam to practice in the Badger state. Wisconsin Supreme Court justices on Monday decided to keep Wisconsin?s so-called diploma privilege intact. Critics argue the practice is discriminatory but supporters say University of Wisconsin and Marquette University law grads are prepared well to practice here.
Graduates of Wisconsin?s two law schools still won?t have to take the bar exam to practice in the Badger state. Wisconsin Supreme Court justices on Monday decided to keep Wisconsin?s so-called diploma privilege in tact.
Every two years, the state of Wisconsin comes out with its 10-year predictions on job growth. The report is designed to guide young people into new careers, let business owners know what employment trends are coming and help educators adjust their training programs. But the timing of the just-released “2008 to 2018 Jobs Outlook” could not have been worse.
Quoted: Kari Dickinson of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS)
Despite a heartfelt request to extend Wisconsin?s diploma privilege to graduates of out-of-state law schools, the Supreme Court appears poised to deny a petition filed by more than 70 attorneys.
The nation?s political spotlight was shining on Wisconsin this week. Don?t believe us? Just ask the approximately 26,500 people (including 17,200 packed into Library Mall plus the overflow crowd) who gathered to hear President Barack Obama fire up Madtown. The president chose UW-Madison for the first of a series of rallies aimed at re-inspiring his supporters and getting them out to vote for Democrats in the Nov. 2 election.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor.
The world?s rivers, crucial sources of fresh water and important habitats for plants and animals, are in crisis and more threatened than ever by pollutants and development, according to an ambitious study led by a UW-Madison zoologist. Peter B. McIntyre, a senior author of the new study, said it is shocking to see how many problems remain despite so many years of effort. McIntyre, a professor of zoology at UW-Madison?s Center for Limnology, said rivers in this country would be much worse were it not for the Clean Water Act, passed in the 1970s.
