Category: UW-Madison Related

Former Madison alderman Noel Radomski has announced he will challenge Mayor Dave Cieslewicz in the spring election.

In front of a group of friends and their children in a warehouse on the East Side, Noel Radomski announced his candidacy for Madison mayor this afternoon.

MILWAUKEE — Gov.-elect Scott Walker is renewing his call for state unions to pay more for their health care and pensions, saying it would help the state deal with a budget shortfall.

When it comes to collective brains, Madison is pretty smart.   The Wisconsin capital, which is home to the University of Wisconsin, comes in 8th place in a list of the ?brainiest cities? in America, according to Portfolio magazine.

In his appearance on Mike Gousha?s program “On The Issues,” Gov. Jim Doyle discussed how he plans to move forward with the labor contracts and why he cannot halt proceedings as Governor-elect Scott Walker has requested.

MADISON (WKOW) — A scholarship fund has been set up in Dylan Ellefson?s name at UW-Madison, where he was a student. Twenty-one-year-old Ellefson was hit by a car in October. Police say he had pulled over in the 1400 block of East Johnson Street in Madison because of car trouble when he was hit and killed.

The bare branches, not the cold November wind, are driving Michael Higgins out of the hidden urban encampment he?s called home since May. When the leaves fell, he realized that his four-tent compound was in danger of being spotted, so he?s been trying to scrape together enough money for a locker to stow his gear while he spends the winter in an emergency shelter until trees fill out again in spring.

Concealment is the key for Higgins and a few dozen others who live under tents or tarps strung up furtively in obscure corners of Madison?s busy landscape.

A local union plans to picket at the grand opening of the $205 million Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery (WID), because restaurants in the private part of the facility will not be using union workers. Local 171 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) will rally at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the new research facility in the 1300 block of University Avenue, according to a release from the local.

Los Angeles is a more religious city than Madison. No, really, it?s true; you can look it up.

As December arrives and the holiday season approaches, the subject of religion has somehow made its way into the latest edition of Men?s Health, a national magazine typically focused on women, sex, fitness, grooming, and well, more sex. In its latest list, “Holy Hometowns,” ranks the 100 most-to-least religious cities. Madison ranks 81st, one spot behind L.A. How could this be?

Two former hockey players at the University of Wisconsin-Stout have been ordered to stand trial in the death of a fellow student who was allegedly shoved off his bicycle.

Kevin Reilly had just pulled into the parking lot of a local retailer to take care of some holiday shopping three years ago when his cell phone rang. John Morgridge was on the line.

Governor-elect Scott Walker wrote to state lawmakers Monday asking that they halt proceedings with labor contracts two weeks after his similar request to Gov. Jim Doyle was thwarted.

What a difference five years makes. It seems like only yesterday that Madison?s Halloween celebration drew 100,000 revelers from the four corners of the nation to get drunk, pepper sprayed and arrested….The 35,000 who attended this year made the attendance consistent with past Freakfests. But the arrest tally is down: a paltry 44 compared to 61 last year and 181 in 2007. Not only were there fewer people than ever arrested, but they also were significantly less drunk.

….In a university town notorious for its alcohol overconsumption, no one’s saying that the drunken Halloween monster has been slayed. But (Madison Police Central District Capt. Mary) Schauf notes that “I am very pleased with the overall direction of this event.”

Legislative leaders are now getting a personal appeal from Gov.-elect Scott Walker not to go forward with a deal on state worker contracts.

MADISON, Wis. — Legislative leaders are now getting a personal appeal from Gov.-elect Scott Walker not to go forward with a deal on state worker contracts. Walker has sent a letter to all four legislative leaders, asking them to not go into special session to approve state contracts. In the letter, Walker said any deals reached now will limit the flexibility of state leaders to narrow budget deficits next year.

Over the past generation, a curious thing happened to Wisconsin?s public universities: They became a lot less public. Yes, the University of Wisconsin System still educates the vast majority of college students in the state; 179,000 were enrolled last year. But little by little, the share of the UW System budget that comes from tax dollars has declined. It?s the best argument we?ve seen for the creation of a new agreement between the state and its university system.

Federal research funding cuts of 5-10%, or more, look likely for the next two years, says a former federal science official and science publisher. “The consequences would be severe,” says Science magazine executive publisher Alan Leshner, in an editorial. “The science and engineering community must mobilize now to stave off these funding cuts, which could be decided very soon.”

A newspaper report says at least four of 10 older, unsolved murder cases being investigated by the Dane County Sheriff?s Office, the Madison Police Department and the University of Wisconsin Police Department have been compromised by the mishandling of evidence.

Leaders of the University of Wisconsin campuses and the system president released an open letter Tuesday calling for civility after several violent incidents on campuses this fall, including a student?s death.

Wisconsin could have more immediate fiscal troubles than it?s facing with a $3.3 billion deficit in the next biennial budget.

Noted: Sheriff?s officials also found that key evidence in another case, the 1968 murder of Christine Rothschild, had simply been lost.

Already reeling from a projected deficit in its next budget starting in July, the state faces an even more immediate challenge – rising costs in several programs that could set up a shortfall for the current year ending in June, budget documents show.That possible shortfall was not included in budget estimates released Friday but could easily top $100 million without action from either outgoing Gov. Jim Doyle or Governor-elect Scott Walker after he takes office January.

The UW-Extension and UW Colleges may receive a new chancellor after the UW Board of Regents announced their recommendation Friday.

The next chancellor of UW Colleges and Extension likely will be Raymond Cross, president of Morrisville State College in New York. University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly and a special committee of the UW Board of Regents recommended Cross for the job Friday. If approved by the full Board of Regents on Dec. 10, he would begin in February.

Federal prosecutors have dismissed charges against a prominent Madison pharmacist accused of importing and selling fake Viagra and other drugs.

MADISON, Wis. — A new audit said that losses in the state of Wisconsin?s investments in 2008 will affect retired government workers for years.

The Legislative Audit Bureau report released on Friday shows that $23.6 billion in investments were lost in 2008 but $13.5 billion was gained in 2009. The total value of the state?s pension funds was $72.8 billion at the end of 2009, down from $87.8 billion in 2007.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and UW-Madison graduate Anthony Shadid will speak about ethics and journalism in a lecture on campus in December. Shadid, foreign correspondent for the New York Times, will deliver his lecture “The Truths We Tell: Reporting on Faith, War and the Fate of Iraq” at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, in the alumni lounge of the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Odyssey Project Director Professor Emily Auerbach believes that higher education should be open to all those eager to learn and willing to work, not just to a privileged few.

Giving, fundraising, and investment returns for the UW System campuses are faring okay, as the economy keeps trying to climb out of the recession. Kimera Way, executive director of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation, recalls the tumble her organization took a couple of years ago, when its endowment value fell 19-percent, resulting in a $10-million drop.

As for the UW Foundation in Madison, the outlook is mixed. CEO Mike Knetter says to date ? through the end of October ? his organization has raised about $125-million, which is a flat match for last year?s efforts at this time.

A pair of Republican state senators expressed concerns Wednesday about the timing of a University of Wisconsin-Madison plan to build a $27.7 million ice arena that would serve as a practice facility for the school?s men?s and women?s hockey teams.

A fund has been set up at UW-Whitewater for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals responsible for the recent hate crimes on campus.

University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez will ask for a $2 increase for tickets to men?s hockey games at a finance committee meeting of the Athletic Board on Tuesday, as well as increases to funding for preferred seating and parking programs for Camp Randall and the Kohl Center.

The increase to UW men?s hockey ticket prices would be the first since 2005, Alvarez said in a letter to season ticket-holders and Badger Fund contributors in several sports.

Nearly four weeks after President Barack Obama?s campaign rally on Ohio State?s Oval, the university is paying the price for hosting the event ? literally.The Democratic National Committee paid for many of the rally expenses, but OSU was left to pick up a tab of nearly $80,000.

While it?s far from a hard and fast rule, during the past few decades overseas companies have more often than not done the most thorough job of archiving American music, at least in part due to more relaxed copyright laws. A longtime leader in carefully compiled sets has been Bear Family in Germany, one of the pioneers of multi-disc sets dedicated to single artists or labels in rock and country music.

Dozens filled the Chemistry Building Friday to hear U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., speak about the status of science and research in Congress, and the upcoming changes she anticipates when the next congressional session starts in January.

After a string of hate crimes, students and area residents held a rally for peace on Saturday in hopes of bringing change to the Whitewater community.

UW Whitewater students are standing up against hate. Saturday, students held an equality march near the campus. There have now been at least three alleged hate crimes on campus in the past few months.

UW-Whitewater officials say two hate crime style incidents this week are highly unusual for the campus. Campus police are investigating an incident that occurred Monday overnight, in which three African-American students had their car tires slashed and ?KKK? spray painted on their vehicles.

Police are investigating more hate crimes at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater _ this time involving vandalism to the cars of three black students. The university says someone slashes the tires of the cars and spray-painted “KKK” on the doors and hoods. The incidents happened between 11 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Three cars owned by black students at UW-Whitewater were vandalized this week, in what university officials are describing as the third hate crime incident on campus this semester. The owners of the vehicles notified police that their tires were slashed and “KKK” was written in spray paint on the doors and hoods. The cars were parked in residence hall lots and the incidents happened between 11 p.m. on Monday and 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

“I love it. I really love it here.” For Natasha Love, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is a perfect fit. It?s close enough to home but far enough way.Love says, “It?s a good place I would recommend anybody to come here.”

The UW System has offered classes online for years. But finding them wasn?t always easy. Now that information?s consolidated at a new website, eCampus. Officials hope it will help increase the number of degree holders in Wisconsin.

It?s called eCampus. The University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly says it?s part of a strategic effort to increase the number of degree holders in the state by 30% by the year 2025.

Police are investigating more hate crimes at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater — this time involving vandalism to the cars of three black students.

Having taught a large, distance-education human development course for 13 years (initially sent out via television, in the pre-Internet days), I?ve found that this format is convenient and wildly popular among highly motivated, busy students trying to fit everything into a tight schedule.

In 1885, the University of Wisconsin College of Agriculture began distance education for the state?s farmers, through what became known as the Farmers? Institutes. By 1907, the Extension Division had been created to increase educational opportunities to people across the state.

Wednesday, the UW System announced the launch of eCampus, a new website intended to act as a central portal for all online degree programs offered across 26 two- and four-year campuses.

Andy Manley, who died Tuesday in a house explosion in Sun Prairie, graduated from UW-Madison and was interested in becoming a teacher.

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer has informed the campus community in a letter that a potential hate crime involving a UW-Whitewater student has been reported.

It?s been a while since a Canadian won a medal in the men?s race at the New York City Marathon.

On the day that one champion retired and another champion could not quite repeat, a new champion won the first marathon he ever ran.

A massive effort to collect food and money for the needy is underway at the University of Wisconsin. It?s all part of NBC 15?s ?Share Your Holidays” campaign. The University of Wisconsin is doing it?s part to help those less fortunate this holiday season.

During her third trip to Beijing, University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin hosted a video conference for those back at UW Friday, emphasizing the responsibility UW has in building international relationships and the large role video conferences play in maintaining them.

Though she?s some 7,000 miles away in China, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin still managed to show up on campus to lead a class Friday.

UW-Madison faculty and students assembled at the Bascom Hill Telepresence Classroom in the Education building to unveil a video-conferencing device new to the university Friday.

If the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum were just a pretty place to take a walk, its new interactive map wouldn?t need much more than crisscrossing trails, grey blobs for parking lots and symbols marking the restrooms.

Don?t leave items unattended on UW campus. That?s the message from UW-Madison police who say there has been an increase of thefts.

An underground utility relocation project for UW-Madison will shut down the 1100 block of Spring Street through Wednesday. The Madison Traffic Engineering and Parking Divisions announced on Monday that through traffic will be barred Monday through Wednesday but local vehicle access will be maintained.

Bicyclists riding without lights after dark Wednesday night got a pleasant surprise when stopped by Madison police: lights instead of tickets. Instead of $76.20 citations for not having proper lighting, the bicyclists received $35 worth of front and rear lights, along with a good talking-to about safety.

….Several officers from the central police district, as well as community police team officers, stationed themselves on bike paths Wednesday night, including the popular path behind the Kohl Center, stopping bikers without lights.