UW-Madison campus veterinarian quits, faulting animal care
Richard "Jim" Brown recalls his first day on the job, in October 2005, as a veterinarian at the UW-Madison's Research Animal Resource Center (RARC). His first assignment, he says, involved working with...
View ArticleUW sociology student explores the power of prayer
A UW-Madison grad student is getting national attention for a paper suggesting that prayer, of all things, can help people get through tough times, like being abused by loved ones.
View ArticleUW-Madison's most used research animal is fish
Speaking of UW research, "Isthmus" made an interesting discovery when, in reporting on the resignation of a UW veterinarian ("Campus Vet Quits, Faulting Animal Care," 12/17/10), it obtained the...
View ArticleGet out of jail
Scott McDonell still has a copy of a press release issued in March 2003 by Gary Hamblin, then Dane County sheriff, decrying jail overcrowding. Though the county's costly new Public Safety Building had...
View ArticleScott Walker's new, (much) bigger ride
In campaigning to become Wisconsin's next governor, Scott Walker promised to usher in a new era of austerity in state government. But one of his first decisions suggests his determination to make the...
View ArticleCheap Shots 2010: What a letdown!
Here in Wisconsin, voters turned against Democrats, who proved, after years of complaining that they couldn't get anything done because they weren't in the majority, that they still couldn't get much...
View ArticleScott Walker's state-provided SUV cost more than $2,000 in first month
State taxpayers shelled out more than $2,000 in fees for the first month of a rental car used by Gov.-Elect Scott Walker. A receipt provided to "Isthmus" by the state Department of Transportation shows...
View ArticleWisconsin Gov. Elect Scott Walker names, defends his cabinet picks
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Gov.-Elect Walker gave new meaning to the term unflappable. Nearly every question asked whether he was "concerned" about this or that; his answer in every case...
View ArticleWisconsin Gov. Scott Walker takes oath, dubs state 'open for business'
Scott Walker's inauguration contained enough pomp and circumstance to draw a snide remark from one of the reporters in attendance ("Isn't he supposed to be the "frugal" one?") but it also marked the...
View ArticleDeath on tap?
The video maker known as madtimeinmadison admits via email that his latest offering is "kind of over the top and dramatic but my idea was to scare people...." It might just do that.
View ArticleA renter's double whammy
Jessica Nelson got two surprises this holiday season, both unwelcome. First, she was reportedly robbed of her rent money by an intruder who may have taken advantage of her landlord's failure to keep...
View ArticleWisconsin Capitol security costs dwarf damage costs
The Wisconsin Department of Administration today detailed the cost of alleged damage to the state Capitol sustained during weeks of protests over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-union agenda. It turns out...
View ArticleUnion asks judge to find Wisconsin DOA in contempt for limits on Capitol access
It's early morning on Monday, May 16, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard entrance to the Wisconsin state Capitol is manned by four armed officers. The same number guard the building's only other...
View ArticleWho wants to be a Wisconsin county prosecutor?
Assistant Dane County District Attorney Tim Kiefer is leaving his job next month to open his own criminal defense practice, in downtown Madison. Credit for this act of job creation goes to Gov. Scott...
View ArticleCritiques of the latest damage assessments at the Wisconsin Capitol
First it was $7.5 million. Then $347,000. Then, on May 13, the state Department of Administration's estimate for the cost of damage to the state Capitol caused by recent protests was downsized again,...
View ArticleBikes banned from Picnic Point
Bill Barker says "it's something we wish we didn't have to do." But efforts made over the last several years to get bicyclists to slow down, be more considerate, and avoid adjacent paths didn't seem to...
View ArticleLawyers clash over ethical standards: Steinmetz targets Winnig for bashing...
A former state Supreme Court justice has filed a complaint against Madison attorney Joel Bruce Winnig for comments he made while running for state Supreme Court. Donald Steinmetz, who served on the...
View ArticleMadison Fire Department bristles at locked Capitol doors
The Madison Fire Department, worried that locked exit doors at the state Capitol could pose a safety risk to the building's inhabitants, is pushing hard for changes to prevent a possible tragedy.
View ArticleMayor Sourpuss
On election night, April 5, I was covering Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg's non-victory party at the Edgewater Hotel. Around 10 p.m., the results of the Madison mayoral race flashed on a...
View ArticleMadison cops seek new law for deviants
Amy Bramlett says it's surprisingly common. Police gets calls about, or happen upon, people who are -- there's no graceful way to put this -- whacking off in public. "A lot of our resources are going...
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