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Hundreds to see bump in their share of subsidized rents
Fri., Jul 3, 2009 - 8:43PM

A majority of the Madison residents in a government program that helps them afford their rents are facing an immediate jump in the portion they pay because of an unexpected change in federal funding.

The increases, which vary widely but exceed 50 percent for some tenants, are triggering worry and panic among recipients and dire predictions among others.

“I simply don’t know what to do,” said Thelma Johnson, 61, a retired housekeeper who lives on Social Security and uses a wheelchair due to a bad knee. Her portion of her $835 monthly rent will go to $288 from $185 on Aug. 1, a 56 percent jump.

The increases affect people receiving Section 8 vouchers, a federal program that helps very-low-income families, the elderly and the disabled afford housing in the private market. Recipients usually pay about 30 percent of their income toward rent, with the government picking up the rest.

The money gets funneled through the city’s housing authority, which recently learned it would receive $9.5 million in Section 8 funding for 2009 instead of the $10.1 million it had counted on. The difference — $578,000 — is what’s causing the pain.

“Some people are angry, and I don’t blame them,” said Agustin Olvera,...

Sat., Jul 4, 2009 - 1:00AM
On Independence Day, soldiers put freedom in perspective

Since arriving home from Iraq two weeks ago in time for the birth of his second son, Sgt. Michael Lubinski has been in amateur photographer heaven. Today, he’ll...

Sat., Jul 4, 2009 - 12:59AM
UW System seeks another 5.5 percent tuition increase

Tuition would rise more than $600 at UW-Madison under a proposal released Friday to increase tuition at the four-year schools in the University of Wisconsin System.

Tuition would remain unchanged at the...

Sat., Jul 4, 2009 - 12:49AM
Sports grill and bar on tap for University Square

A 900-person, Badgers-themed sports restaurant and bar is proposed at the new University Square, a prospect that has some people worried about what could be the city’s largest such establishment in an already alcohol-dense Downtown.

“Everyone keeps on assuming we’re just going to be a gigantic bar, and we’re...

Sat., Jul 4, 2009 - 1:01AM
University of Wisconsin System proposes 5.5 percent tuition hike

UW-Madison students will see a tuition increase of $618 a year under rates proposed by UW System President Kevin Reilly this...

Fri., Jul 3, 2009 - 4:11PM

A Greyhound bus carrying 80 passengers left Interstate 39/90/94 at mile marker 135 on the northeast side of Madison and plowed though a fence Friday afternoon, snarling eastbound traffic on the Interstate, the Wisconsin State Patrol reported.

The State Patrol said the city of...

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Police, social workers, doctors and others are expected to protect the frail and vulnerable. But most elder abuse remains hidden -- unreported and undiscovered. Meanwhile, demographers predict a huge increase in the elderly population that will mean even more silent suffering.

The Wisconsin State Journal investigated the state's amusement ride inspection program after a teenager fell to her death in July from a thrill ride in Oshkosh.

A four-day special report. Since the early 1990s, Dane County Assistant District Attorney Paul Humphrey has been the target of claims that he misused the broad authority the law gives to prosecutors. The State Journal examined more than 2,000 pages of documents and interviewed judges, lawyers and other experts. The newspaper found documentation backing up accusations of withheld evidence, overzealous prosecutions and misleading statements made to judges.

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