The lead attorney, Greg Wiercioch, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, told her that during his 16 years on the case, he’d come to believe Wood hadn’t killed her daughter or anyone else. He pointed out that DNA testing of a bloodstain on one of the other victim’s clothes had matched a different, unknown male, who could have also killed Fulton’s daughter.
Category: UW-Madison Related
Wisconsin federal ag workers feeling whiplash after mass firings, apparent call-backs
Reynolds, who had been hired by the USDA in August, was one of two and a half administrative and support positions at the Soil Health Alliance for Research and Engagement in Madison. The alliance is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, UW-Madison, and the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute.
Voters sue after Madison failed to count their absentee ballots
The Madison city clerk’s office first informed the public on Dec. 26 about the unprocessed ballots from three wards near downtown and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. That disclosure was six weeks after a first batch of 68 ballots was found in a tabulator machine, sealed in an envelope inside a sealed courier bag.
Madison voters to sue over uncounted absentee ballots in 2024 presidential election
“Many of these uncounted votes belonged to University of Wisconsin students in downtown Madison. The students were voting in their very first presidential election and perhaps one of the most consequential elections of their lives,” Jeff Mandell, general counsel of Law Forward, said in a statement.
‘I was rejected from 16 colleges because I’m Asian and smart’
His high school grade point average (GPA) was an exceptional 4.42, much higher than the American average of 3.0, and he was one of only around 2,000 students to score 1590 or higher on the SAT, out of more than two million students who take the test every year.
Yet after sending off his applications, he was rejected by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell University, Georgia Tech, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, the University of Illinois, the University of Michigan, the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin.
‘Mickey 17’ and ‘Rule Breakers’ are among the new movies in Milwaukee theaters this week
New movies on streaming services: “Chaos: The Manson Murders”: Oscar-winning filmmaker and University of Wisconsin-Madison grad Errol Morris (“The Fog of War”) takes his own deep dive into alternate theories around the murders committed by Charles Manson and his followers. On Netflix March 7.
23 Dem AGs think they’ve cracked the code to fighting Trump
On February 10, 22 of the states sued over cuts to the National Institutes of Health. It was filed in Massachusetts, but is filled with details on which programs at the University of Wisconsin are being the most impacted.
“Making sure that information is being included and considered as part of these cases is what I see as sort of a key role for us and for other states,“ said Wisconsin’s Attorney General Josh Kaul.
Wisconsin’s Forgotten Olympian: The first Black Olympic medalist and the secret he kept
Poage was born in Missouri in 1880 but moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, as a child. He was a standout student and athlete in high school. Then he went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for college. He was the first African American on the team and the first to win a Big Ten championship. He graduated in 1904. Shortly after, he competed in the St. Louis Olympics, where he won two medals. He was also sponsored by the Milwaukee Athletic Club.
Bad Bunny’s new album leans on a UW-Madison prof’s research
Jorell A. Meléndez-Badillo promised his wife, child and therapist he’d leave his laptop at home.
But when Bad Bunny’s team DMed him on Christmas Eve while Meléndez-Badillo was on vacation in Europe, he had to take the call. The singer’s team wanted this University of Wisconsin-Madison historian and professor of Latin American and Caribbean history to contribute historical narratives to pair with his new album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” (translated to “I should have taken more pictures”).
Tony Evers on budget compromise, Trump and DOGE. Takeaways from the governor’s meeting with county leaders
Evers highlighted his “Year of the Kid” designation and said a focus needs to be on schools during the budget season. An ongoing battle over literacy funding from the last budget is yet to be squared away and he called for setting aside funds for youth mental health. Though funding for public schools, the University of Wisconsin and the state’s technical schools is large, it’s a necessary investment, especially because of the uncertainty at the federal level, he said.
Ohio State and Brown have the most Fulbright Scholars and students this year
- The top doctoral universities for Fulbright Scholars were:
- Ohio State University 14
- University of Florida 12
- Pennsylvania State University 12
- University of Wisconsin, Madison 12
Madison school to be named after education advocate Lori Mann Carey
Deer, who died nearly two years ago, was a member of the state’s Menominee Tribe. She taught classes in social work at UW-Madison and led the American Indian Studies program. Deer also headed the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Clinton administration.
Federal layoffs in Madison hit dairy research, VA hospital
On Feb. 13, Arther opened an email from human resources telling her she was out of a job, alongside other workers still in their probationary period, which at the Dairy Forage Research Center is three years.
Milwaukee’s U.S. Attorney is out amid Trump’s effort to ‘clean house’ at Justice Department
A University of Wisconsin Law School graduate, Haanstad joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin as an assistant U.S. attorney in 2002.
Near East Side home of early Black leader in Madison is up for landmark status
The Buttses, who lived in the house at 633 E. Johnson St. between 1892 and 1907, used the residence to host Black students at UW-Madison and other Black newcomers to the city, where the Black population numbered about 19 households at the time.
Opinion | Madison Peace Corps alums work to counter Trump policies
Some background: The city of Madison, specifically the University of Wisconsin, is a long-established hotbed for Peace Corps recruitment. The campus produced more volunteers than any other American university in 2023, and Dane County has a huge concentration of returned Peace Corps volunteers, second only to Washington, D.C. among U.S. cities. Since the Peace Corps was founded 64 years ago, UW-Madison has produced 2,766 volunteers, second-most nationally.
10th year of 100,000 meters for pediatric brain cancer research
UW Madison’s rowing team hosted its tenth annual erg challenge on Thursday at the Porter Boathouse to raise money for pediatric brain cancer research. Teams raised funds by completing a 100,000-meter rowing relay in partnership with the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation.
Lab workers key to California’s bird flu response are poised to strike
Since last summer, senior managers have hired technicians, and scientists from the University of Wisconsin and Cornell University have completed rotations at the lab, Ontiveros said.
Previously abused dog ‘Poppy’ cleared for life-changing double surgery
“Right now she is extremely healthy in comparison to where she was before,” UW Veterinary Care Dr. Vanessa Bruneau said. Dr. Bruneau has been on Poppy’s case from the beginning. “We definitely had some moments where we weren’t sure if she was going to be there for us.”
Native Americans are underrepresented across the UW System. Educators are working to change that
Across the country, fewer students of all demographics are attending college — in the University of Wisconsin System only UW-Madison and UW-La Crosse did not experience drops in enrollment and end the 2023 fiscal year in a budget deficit. Declining enrollment, years of stagnant tuition and waning state funding has led to system-wide budget cuts and closures of two-year branch campuses.
Wisconsin bill would designate observance day in schools for civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips
Phillips was also a trailblazer in the world of law. She was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1951 and the first female judge in Milwaukee County.
2025 Milwaukee Film Festival will screen only at Oriental and Downer theaters
The first titles announced for the 2025 film festival include: “Separated,” University of Wisconsin-Madison alum and Oscar winner Errol Morris’ 2024 documentary examining the impact of the federal government’s family separation policies at the border in 2017 and 2018.
‘Every Brilliant Thing’ a spotlight moment for lovable nerd James Carrington
He earned his bachelor’s degree in theater with an acting specialty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A formative experience there was being one of the few undergrads cast in director Norma Saldivar’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
America is about to enter an apartment crunch
Apartment prices surged most this month in college towns like Syracuse, New York; New Haven, Connecticut; Lexington, Kentucky; Madison, Wisconsin; and Lincoln, Nebraska. Those towns, all of which were in the top 10 of year-over-year rent growth in August, are home to Syracuse University, Yale University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, respectively.
It’s not time to protest, it’s time to strike
Peter Rickman is the president of the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization now, but in 2011 he was a grad student and a member of the Teaching Assistants’ Association at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He remembers it was a Thursday when the governor “dropped the bomb”—which is what Walker himself called his bill dismantling unions. Rickman was in a meeting with other organizers at the time: “We all sort of looked around at one another and were like … this is our fight.” After all, teaching assistants were state employees, too.
The 16 best bourbons—according to bartenders
My favorite bourbon, J. Henry & Sons Patton Road Reserve, comes from a family-run distillery just outside my hometown in Madison, WI. Third-generation farmers, Joe and Liz started distilling bourbon in 2008 and use an heirloom red corn, developed at the University of Wisconsin in 1939.
What caused Wisconsin Public Radio’s 3½-hour disruption Tuesday?
Atechnical issue caused Wisconsin Public Radio to go off the air in the Madison area from about 5:30 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, network representatives said.
Ancient Lake Mendota canoes take another step for eventual display
Between now and when the canoes and fragments are removed from the tank, Thomsen, along with Sissel Schroeder, a professor of archaeology in the anthropology department at UW-Madison, will be evangelizing about the canoes. Two of their talks will be during Canoecopia at the Alliant Energy Center, one on March 7 and the other March 9.
What did some ag-related organizations spend on lobbying in 2023-2024?
The rest of the top ten lobbying spenders in 2024 are rounded out by the Wisconsin Property Taxpayers Association, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, ATC Management Inc. – a transmission lines company, the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance, according to the report. All of these organizations spent at least $350,000 lobbying state officials in 2024.
‘Bucky’s mom’ has been caring for UW-Madison’s beloved mascot for 25 years
Josette Jaucian has been “Bucky’s mom” — or on the occasion he misbehaves, “Bucky’s unofficial parole officer” — since 2000. She took over leading the Spirit Squad in that year, which consists of not only wrangling the multiple performers who bring the Bucky costume to life, but also overseeing the university’s dance team and cheerleaders, more than 60 students total.
Shortsighted DOGE USAID cuts hurt Wisconsin farmers, weaken national security
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a key partner for USAID’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab, helping train agricultural researchers around the world and research new seeds. In the past decade, Feed the Future has reduced hunger and poverty by 20 to 25 percent in targeted areas, with over 6 million producers newly using better agricultural practices in 2023 alone.
Of course, these innovations not only support communities abroad, but can also be put to use right in UW-Madison’s backyard to make farmers more resilient to increasing hazards such as heatwaves and extreme precipitation.
No one throws a righteous tantrum like Carrie Coon
She trained as an actor, getting her master of fine arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and spent years performing in regional theater, traveling back and forth between Chicago and cities in Wisconsin.
UW PEOPLE Program not impacted by national DEI policy changes
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Jan. 20 designed to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs beyond the federal government, and it alludes to potential legal action against private entities with DEI programs.
Bucky’s Pell Pathway gives students support for ‘their full financial needs.’ Recipients say it doesn’t go far enough
The program, Bucky’s Pell Pathway, gives Pell-grant eligible Wisconsin residents enrolled in on-campus programs grants, scholarships and work study “sufficient to meet their full financial needs,” according to UW-Madison.
How colleges can kick their addiction to consultants
American universities are spending far too much on consulting firms. Recent investigations reveal staggering numbers: $51 million at the University of Wisconsin, $4.7 million at the University of Florida, and similar seven- and eight-figure contracts across the nation.
Red-state universities push back against NIH funding cuts
On Monday, higher education groups joined an association of public universities with schools in states that supported Trump in last year’s election to file their own legal challenge that described $65 million in losses for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a 70 percent reduction in funding for the University of Florida.
Why the NIH cuts are so wrong
These up-front losses generate much greater future value of nonmonetary as well as monetary kinds. Look at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Harvard University, et al. in Table 22 above. The sector spent nearly $28 billion of its own money generously subsidizing sponsors’ research, including by subsidizing the federal government itself.
Iceboats can go 80 mph on Wisconsin’s frozen lakes
Sam Bartel, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Chinese studies, aims to help change that. He’s now director of racing and operations at the Lake Minnetonka Sailing School in suburban Minneapolis.
26 books that teach young kids about diversity, inclusion, and equality
Luckily, there’s still plenty of children’s literature that can aid in the process, though children’s literature itself has long suffered from a lack of diverse representation. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has tracked the number of children’s books by or about Black and Indigenous people and other people of color since 2018, and while the numbers have mostly increased, it remains much harder to find children’s books that are widely representative than it should be.
Fetch Super Bowl commercial 2025: Rewards app giveaway
Fetch was founded in 2013 by Schroll and Tyler Kennedy. It was inspired by an idea Schroll had as a University of Wisconsin undergrad.
‘Influencing culture’ at UW-Madison
After most recently working as the adult faith and evangelization coordinator for St. Christopher Parish in Verona and Paoli — part of Divine Mercy Pastorate — where she is also currently a parishioner, Swanke has accepted a position at the Lumen Center, an ecumenical think tank on the UW campus. The Lumen Center, an initiative of the Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation, has a mission to influence the university “at the level of ideas,” Swanke explained.
Trump’s federal aid freeze could hurt Head Start, health centers, more
Baldwin toured the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy Monday morning to learn about opioid treatment efforts — programs that could be halted by the president’s funding freeze.
“The work being done here will save lives,” Baldwin said, “and that’s why I’m sending a loud and clear message that the president cannot cut off funding for vital programs like these.”
Madison company running national Super Bowl ad with $1.2 million giveaway
Schroll, 31, got the idea for Fetch as a 20-year-old studying business at UW-Madison.
Morgan Wallen concert expected to bring economic boost to Madison businesses
Destination Madison is expecting to see a big economic impact on the city this summer as country artist Morgan Wallen will perform for two nights at Camp Randall on his upcoming summer tour.
UW-Madison paleontologist seeks to rewrite history, tradition
UW-Madison geology museum scientist Dave Lovelace’s 21st birthday was a bit unconventional.
UW-Madison DEI chancellor removed over concerns about financial mismanagement
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion has been removed from his position after an internal review found “concerns about financial operations and fiscal judgements,” according to the school.
UW-Madison removes chief diversity officer after financial review sparks concerns
The University of Wisconsin-Madison removed its chief diversity officer from his position after an internal financial review sparked concerns, university leaders announced Wednesday.
UW-Madison demotes DEI chief after internal review of department finances
UW-Madison has demoted its director of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement after an internal review of the department’s finances, sought by Republican legislators, uncovered unspecified problems.
UW-Madison announces leadership change in its diversity division
Dr. LaVar Charleston, who has led the division for the past three years, will leave his role as vice chancellor and return to his backup appointment as a clinical professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in the School of Education.
UW removes chief diversity officer
Current DDEEA staff will report to Isbell on a temporary basis and day-to-day operations will be overseen by a four-person leadership cabinet, according to the email. Fiscal authority for the division has been moved to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration.
UW removes chief diversity officer
Dr. LaVar Charleston removed from role for ‘concern about financial operations, fiscal judgments in division,’ will return to backup position as professor.
UW-Madison removes chief diversity officer, citing financial concerns
The University of Wisconsin-Madison removed Dr. LaVar Charleston from his position as chief diversity officer due to “concern” about Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement “financial operations and fiscal judgment.”
Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul joins lawsuit challenging Trump’s order on birthright citizenship
On Trump’s proposal for mass deportations, Evers pointed to an April 2023 survey by UW-Madison’s School for Workers that found more than 10,000 undocumented immigrant workers in the state perform an estimated 70% of the labor at Wisconsin’s dairy farms. The researchers behind the survey said, without those workers, “the whole dairy industry would collapse overnight.”
These were the most popular pet names at UW’s vet clinic last year
Give a bark for Bella and a lick for Luna, which also deserves a tail wag for cross-species appeal.
Pet monkey jumps through drive-thru window and attacks Starbucks worker, AL cops say
Aotus monkeys, a genus of nocturnal monkeys, are native to Central and South America, according to the University of Wisconsin’s National Primate Research Center.
“I could see my house on fire”: UW Madison alumni impacted by California wildfires
Several wildfires continue to burn in California, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate and leaving thousands without homes, including two UW-Madison graduates.
Acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch had long ties to Madison, exhibited here
He was also a prolific painter, musician and print artist who came to Madison every summer starting in the late 1990s and developed a long-term collaboration with UW-Madison’s Tandem Press, then-director Paula Panczenko recalled in 2022.
Number of WPR listeners, PBS Wisconsin viewers shrinking
“We are watching all of those things very closely to ensure that we’re meeting Wisconsinites where they want to consume public media,” said Jordan Siegler, interim executive director of the Division of Public Media at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which along with the Educational Communications Board oversees PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio.
An ice castle rises in Wisconsin’s North Woods
“I put it together and then we talk about it. It’s not like we have an architect,” said Anderson, who shared the design with his classmates in an MBA program he’s in at UW-Madison. “The comradery we have in our leadership corps really helps in our construction process. But our volunteer firefighters are really what makes this happen.”
These Wisconsin specialty license plates were the most popular in 2024
Anyone can show their love for the Wisconsin Badgers with this plate — it’s not just available to alumni. While the UW-Madison plate is the most popular, you can choose a plate logo for any of the other UW System campuses.
The annual donation associated with the plate is $20, less than the typical $25. Proceeds support scholarship programs at the selected campus.