Madison opens no library before its time
Awhile back, unforeseen delays resulted in the new Sequoya Branch Library not being ready to open when the old one had to close, so the neighborhood lacked a library for a month. "The whole damn city...
View ArticleMadison declares war on bottled water
On Monday, April 26, the city of Madison is sponsoring a free screening of the documentary "Tapped", a broadside attack on "the scourge of bottled water" and the industry that sustains it. Wisconsin...
View ArticleGet ready for the World Naked Bike Ride in Madison
Move over, Bike to Work Week. Planning is under way for a mass naked bike ride in Madison on Saturday, June 19, as part of a worldwide movement, World Naked Bike Ride. The goal, according to the...
View ArticleMadison media vary widely in checks on online comments
One day last week, the "Wisconsin State Journal" published an article about how some eligible families are not receiving welfare-to-work benefits, due to snafus in the system. It quickly drew a spate...
View ArticleWhat the public is saying about Chazen Museum's goats sculpture
The most surprising thing about public reaction to artist Beth Cavener Stichter's sculpture "A Rush of Blood to the Head," now on display at the UW-Madison's Chazen Museum of Art, is how little public...
View ArticleMonkeys suffered and died at UW-Madison
Clearly, something significant happened for the UW-Madison to revoke the animal-use privileges of researcher Michele Basso last year. But what, exactly?
View ArticlePolicing the Madison police, the untold story
Lt. Linda Kosovac thought something must have gone wrong. On Friday, April 16, the Madison Police Department's head of Professional Standards and Internal Affairs sent an email to area media regarding...
View ArticleDid UW-Madison campus Hillel 'freak out'?
Steve Horn admits he was drawn to bringing in a Palestinian speaker to a campus-based celebration of Israel in part because he "didn't want to be part of propaganda." Horn, a UW-Madison junior majoring...
View ArticlePilot questions Warner Park goose-kill rationale
Jens Luebow has a unique perspective on the Madison Park Commission's decision to approve the killing of dozens of geese at Warner Park. He's a veterinarian and a self-described "animal...
View ArticleUW's nuclear terror risk now even lower
In the aftermath of 9/11, UW-Madison officials hastened to assert that a campus-based nuclear reactor used for research and teaching posed little danger to the public or national security.
View ArticleUW nuclear reactor: not to worry
Joan Knoebel calls it "the kind of thing you'd think was speculative -- before Sept. 11." Now she worries that her fears could become reality: "I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't say anything and...
View ArticleAdjudicate this! Wacky lawyer stories
The Dane County Bar Association recently asked its members to nominate "strange-but-true stories" to share at its annual Bench Bar Brawl, held April 22 at the Elk's Club. To spur recollections, it...
View ArticleUW Memorial Library 'red-flagged' felon
Wayne Murphy says he's gone to UW's Memorial Library at least 10 times a year since 2001, doing research for his writing. "I looked for book publishers, writing workshops, tips from successful...
View ArticleGoing vegan for God
The good folks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) are always looking for converts. And so when the Virginia-based animal rights group saw that the Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton...
View ArticleCity of Madison to socialists: Pay for free speech
Chris Dols is not happy with how things are turning out. For years his group, the UW-based International Socialist Organization, sold its "Socialist Worker" newspaper on State Street and elsewhere. Now...
View ArticleEdgewater fatigue be damned: Monday's meeting will be televised
Clark, the station manager of Madison City Channel, says the mayor's office had nothing to do with his initial decision not to cover Monday night's informational meeting for Common Council members on...
View ArticleEdgewater process: Hurry up and wait?
The quest to secure the necessary city approvals for the Edgewater Hotel expansion, set to culminate in a marathon Common Council meeting Tuesday night, has been driven by an almost palpable sense of...
View ArticleMadison cops bust drivers for violating pedestrians' crosswalk rights
A remarkable thing happened around 5 p.m. this Monday at the intersection of Webster and Main Streets, on the outer ring of the Capitol Square. Three lanes of heavy traffic uncharacteristically slowed...
View ArticleDane County threatens little old lady
Some people call Sally Franz "The Puppet Lady" because of the marionette shows she staged for years. Others call her "Aunt Sally." And everyone agrees she's a character. But Franz, an 82-year-old town...
View ArticleUnexpected windfalls for Dane County residents
In last Thursday's "Wisconsin State Journal", the state Treasurer's Office ran a huge list of Dane County residents who have unclaimed property valued at $50 or more. (An affiliated website gives...
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