A coalition of groups led by UW Health calls this weekâ??s passage of tougher drunk driving measures a good first step. Lisa Maroney with the All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education coalition, or AWARE, says the drunk driving legislation is good â?? but does too little to deal with first offenders. â??Itâ??s an important first step,â? says Maroney. â??Is there more to be done? Yes.â?
Illegal immigrants could not receive grants through a state program to help good students afford college, according to new draft rules. The program would offer two-year grants to students who can show financial need, the rules written by the Office of the Wisconsin Covenant say. The rules still must pass a legislative review.
Student organizations at University of Wisconsin System schools that exercise government responsibilities must adhere to the stateâ??s open meetings and public records laws, according to an informal opinion from Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says student government groups on University of Wisconsin campuses are likely subject to the open meetings law. Van Hollen issued an informal opinion Thursday responding to an inquiry from a group of college reporters who wanted to know whether Wisconsinâ??s open records and meetings laws applied to UW System student government.
The Wisconsin Legislature approved a bill that would have changed the make-up of the University of Wisconsin Systemâ??s Board of Regents.It seemed like a good idea when the proposal was approved.
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says student government groups on University of Wisconsin campuses are likely subject to the open meetings law. Van Hollen issued an informal opinion Thursday responding to an inquiry from a group of college reporters who wanted to know whether Wisconsinâ??s open records and meetings laws applied to UW System student government.
The 18-member University of Wisconsin Board of Regents has 14 members appointed by the governor. Currently 10 of those 14 appointees are from Milwaukee and Dane counties. Thatâ??s not enough representation from the rest of the state.
It is tempting to characterize legislation to change the composition of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents as a solution looking for a problem. But that glib analysis does not do justice to a bill vetoed this week by Gov. Doyle.
Madison and Milwaukee are both ranked among the top 20 metro areas in the country for business, according to this yearâ??s study by MarketWatch.com.
That result flies in the face of critics who are constantly deriding the state over its reputation for not being kind to the private sector.
Because it is subject to less externally imposed fiscal discipline, government is an easier place to form small empires and duplicate services. So we owe Gov. Jim Doyle a word of thanks for his veto of a bill that would have revamped how regents are chosen for the University of Wisconsin System.
City councils, state legislatures and Congress all are comprised of people who represent particular areas. The system works well because those represented know where to turn when they have issues of concern. The representatives, of course, also deal with matters of general interest, but they are sworn to focus first on their constituents.
Beginning immediately, the swine flu vaccine will be available for the general population, the Department of Health Services announced Monday.
Gov. Jim Doyle announced Monday his veto of a bill that would change how the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents representatives would be selected, basing the process on seven geographical regions.
A bill with support from both parties that would have required some members of the University of Wisconsin Systemâ??s Board of Regents to come from particular geographic regions of the state was vetoed Monday by Gov. Jim Doyle.
Those pushing for passage of Senate Bill 223 had argued that all regions of the state should be represented on the Board of Regents.
Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a bill Monday that would have required members of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to come from different parts of the state.
Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a bill that would require members of the UW Board of Regents to come from all over the state. He said the Regents might begin to lobby for the campuses in their districts, rather than keeping the best interest of the entire University of Wisconsin System in mind.
Gov. Jim Doyle on Monday vetoed a bill that would have required geographic diversity among University of Wisconsin System regents, saying the change would undermine the systemâ??s governance. The bill, approved by lawmakers last month, would have carved the state into seven geographic districts and required governors to appoint at least one regent to the 18-member board from each starting in 2012. Supporters of the change complained Doyle had appointed too many regents from Madison and Milwaukee, which was unfair to campuses in other areas.
Governor Jim Doyle vetoes a bill (Senate Bill 223) that requires members of the UW Board of Regents to come from all geographical areas of the state. Michael Moscicke (moh-SIHK-ee), government relations director with United Council of UW Students, is very disappointed.
Former presidents of the Board of Regents called on Gov. Jim Doyle Thursday to veto legislation that would change the selection process of UW System regents.
Eight former presidents of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents are asking the governor to veto a bill that would require regional representation on the board. The past presidents told Gov. Jim Doyle in a letter this week the change could hamper the operations of the board and damage the quality of the system.
Most people stayed home from work on Wednesday during the blizzard, but the snow day had many state government workers wondering if they would be paid for the day.
State budgets are tight and getting tighter, but politicians in Wisconsin are determined to promote the Badger State in a slightly cheesy way: The state Assembly is considering a bill that would name the bacterium that converts milk into cheese as — ready for it? — the official state microbe.
Eight former presidents of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents are asking the governor to veto a bill that would require regional representation on the board.
State lawmakers are considering legislation designed to help businesses grow and add new jobs. The proposed Wisconsin CORE Jobs Act would expand tax credits for the stateâ??s angel investor program, foster stronger ties between UW researchers and the private sector, and provide several other incentive programs for businesses looking to expand.
A bill passed by the state Legislature that changes how UW System Board of Regents representatives are selected prompted two legislators to send a letter to Gov. Jim Doyle urging him to veto the bill.
Christopher L. Wiesmueller is in a class of his own, so to speak. Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara B. Crabb decertified the attorneyâ??s class action challenging the stateâ??s diploma privilege. Wiesmueller is now left to pursue the case on behalf of his wife Corrine. Both are graduates of Oklahoma City University Law School, though Wiesmueller has since passed the bar exam in Wisconsin.
Around Madison, Wis., snow and wind are part of winterâ??s backdrop, like frosty breath and ice fishing; students rarely expect a seasonal reprieve. But the storm that whipped through the upper Midwest on Wednesday was no ordinary blizzard.
For the first time in nearly 45 years, officials at the University of Wisconsin-Madison canceled all Wednesday classes â?? the night before â?? and directed all non-essential employees to stay home, affecting about 15,000 faculty and staff. By morning, roads were impassible, conditions dangerous.
Wisconsin is continuing to dig out after a powerful winter storm dumped as much as 18 inches of snow in some areas.
For snow-shovel-weary residents, itâ??s not good news on the bad weather front, because the worst could be still to come.
With the potential for 14 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour, Cheryl Pederson made plans to stay home from work Wednesday.”Next week, Iâ??ll work an extra day,” said Pederson, a nurse consultant for the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative.
Gov. Jim Doyle ordered almost all state and university offices closed today because of the fearsome blizzard.”Wisconsinâ??s emergency workers are working hard to keep people safe,” Doyle said in a statement. “State offices are closed for business to ensure we are keeping people off the roads and allowing emergency response crews to do their jobs.”
Due to the impending blizzard and wintry weather conditions forecasted for late Tuesday and Wednesday, the city of Madison declared a snow emergency Tuesday evening, and UW-Madison cancelled all classes for Wednseday.
The Madison Metropolitan School District, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Madison Area Technical College have all canceled classes for Wednesday due to the winter storm.
A spokesman said that University of Wisconsin campuses in Milwaukee and Superior will remain open Wednesday despite Gov. Jim Doyleâ??s order shutting down state government.
Auditors are making several recommendations to limit legal liability and improve the safety of children who attend sports, music and other camps on University of Wisconsin campuses.
Gov. Jim Doyle has closed state offices and all University of Wisconsin campuses on Wednesday due to the snowstorm.
Forty years ago, I conducted the first comprehensive study of Wisconsin hunters for a masters of science degree from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A popularized version was published by the Department of Natural Resources. I have been a keen observer of hunting regulations and hunter success ever since. [An opinion column by Lowell Klessig.]
Proposed legislation would take some power away from Wisconsinâ??s university system, and could make it more difficult for campuses to expand. Right now the UW system has the power of eminent domain, which allows them to buy private property at a fair price if itâ??s going to be used for the public good.
A majority of Wisconsin residents responding to a recent poll say they disapprove of the job being done by Gov. Jim Doyle. That is the first time in Doyleâ??s seven years in office that a majority of those participating in the University of Wisconsin Survey Centerâ??s Badger Poll had that negative of a reaction to Doyle.
You may know Wisconsinâ??s state animal (the badger), the state bird (the robin), or even the state dance (the polka). Now Wisconsin lawmakers want to name an official state microbe. Itâ??s called Lactococcus Lactis, and itâ??s the microbe that turns milk into cheese. Supporters presented Assembly Bill 556 Thursday to the Committee on State Affairs and Homeland Security.
A new poll shows that Wisconsin residents are more satisfied with the way things are going in the state than they were in the spring.The University of Wisconsin Survey Center poll released on Wednesday also shows that nine out of 10 Wisconsinites believe the state is in bad economic times. However, 51 percent say they are generally satisfied with the way things are going in the state. Thatâ??s 9 percentage points more than in the spring.
A judge will not step aside from a case that challenges a Wisconsin rule allowing in-state law school graduates to become lawyers without taking the bar exam.
A state lawmaker wants changes in how the UW System uses its powers of eminent domain. The UW Board of Regents would be required to take plans to seize private property before the Legislatureâ??s finance committee, under legislation from State Representative Amy Vruwink (D-Milladore). The JFC would then have to hold a public hearing on the proposal and the UW could advance with an eminent domain action only after three-quarters of the 16 member panel approves the plan.
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regentsâ?? ability to condemn and acquire properties for state use under eminent domain could be restricted by a recently proposed bill.
The Wisconsin Legislature is pushing an economic growth package with some strong provisions worthy of support. This includes expanded tax credits for investors in early-stage companies and more support for commercializing university research at campuses beyond just UW-Madison.
A new poll shows that Wisconsin residents are nearly evenly divided over national health care reform. The poll released Tuesday done by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center shows that 46 percent of respondents oppose the changes being developed in Washington, D.C., based on what theyâ??ve heard or read. Forty-four percent support the changes.
A new bill would require the UW Board of Regents to get approval from the state Legislature before condemning private property for university use. The proposed legislation follows a lawsuit from the owners of Brothers Bar and Grill, who sued the Regents in October in an effort to stop the university from condemning the Madison location of their bar.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison telecommunications professor Barry Orton.
A state board is expected to consider whether to award $1.7 million in damages to a contractor embroiled in a dispute over a University of Wisconsin-Madison residence hall project.
The University of Wisconsin Survey Center will post Badger Poll results in each of the next three days on a range of interesting topics. The polls will be released at 10 a.m.
Thousands of people all over the state wake up every morning with Jim Fleming.
Fleming chooses the soundtrack as they start their day: Mozart, Haydn, Boccherini, Gershwin. His voice, cadenced and comforting, introduces each symphony and concerto. But after Thursday, Dec. 3, Wisconsinites will have a new morning companion. Fleming, after nearly 41 consecutive years at Wisconsin Public Radio, is retiring.
Since the summer, 211 state workers have been given notice that they are at risk of being laid off — a number that will rise in the coming months, state officials said.
“We are headed toward some layoffs in state government. How far and how deep theyâ??ll go, I really canâ??t predict,” said Jennifer Donnelly, director of the Office of State Employment Relations. “That number is going to continue to rise.”
….Numbers for the UW System could not be obtained because of the Thanksgiving holiday and furlough day.
Members of the Wisconsin Legislature are weighing the merits of two bills aimed at clarifying the extent to which parents can legally deny, because of their religious beliefs and practices, conventional medical treatment to their sick or injured children.
As the debate over these measures unfolds, lawmakers should not allow the self-serving and dubious claims of a single, small church to shape laws meant to safeguard the health and welfare of our children. That happened once before in Wisconsin, and the results were a public policy debacle. [A column by Shawn Peters, who teaches on UW-Madison’s School of Education]
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor Ken Goldstein, who’s done polling on the governor’s race.
Since the summer, 211 state workers have been given notice that they are at risk of being laid off — a number that will rise in the coming months, state officials said. The cuts are not nearly as excruciating as many of the layoffs seen at private employers around Wisconsin. After accounting for positions added under the two-year budget that began July 1, state agencies excluding the University of Wisconsin System saw their work force shrink — but only by a slight 105 jobs, from 30,368 in July to 30,263 at the end of October. Numbers for the UW System could not be obtained because of the Thanksgiving holiday and furlough day.
A well-known University of Wisconsin-Madison residence hall is long gone, but a multimillion dollar dispute over its demolition, which culminated when a falling concrete block crushed a car, lives on. Dore & Associates of Bay City, Mich. is asking the state for $1.7 million in damages for losses stemming from its work tearing down Ogg Hall, a campus fixture that had housed generations of students. The state caused expensive delays in its work and then unfairly fired Dore from the job, the company claims.
The UW Systemâ??s use of eminent domain to acquire a downtown Madison building is prompting a legislative call for more oversight of the process. But the bill that would create that oversight focuses only on the UW System and its use of eminent domain, or condemnation.
After closing on Thursday for Thanksgiving, the University of Wisconsin-Madison also will be shut down Friday as a state-mandated furlough day for most of the schoolâ??s employees. This unpaid day off is one of eight required of state workers in each of the next two years of the 2009-11 budget cycle. Each year, four of those off days for UW-Madison employees are designated as campus-wide furlough days. Workers have much more leeway in deciding when to take the other four days off.
A well-known University of Wisconsin-Madison residence hall is long gone, but a multimillion dollar dispute over its demolition, which culminated when a falling concrete block crushed a car, lives on.
Dore & Associates of Bay City, Mich., is asking the state for $1.7 million in damages for losses stemming from its work tearing down Ogg Hall, a campus fixture that had housed generations of students. The state caused expensive delays in its work and then unfairly fired Dore from the job, the company claims.
The state spent 3 percent less on contractual services in the fiscal year that ended on June 30, according to a report submitted to the state Legislature’s budget committee by the Department of Administration. Contracting by the University of Wisconsin System was down 3 percent.
