Fitchburg apartment fire forces evacuations

State Journal staff — 2008-07-05T05:00:00Z

A 26 unit apartment building was mostly destroyed by a fire late Friday.Firefighters from Fitchburg and surrounding municipalities couldn't contain the blaze until an hour after they began fighting it, and the fire still wasn't completely out by 3 a.m. Saturday.The building at Fitchburg Spring Apartments, 3321 Leopold Way in Fitchburg, had half of its roof burned off, said Fitchburg Fire Department Lt. Bob Rittenhouse.No one was injured.

Attempt to make cathedral a landmark may be too late

By Matthew Defour608-252-6144 — 2008-07-03T05:00:00Z

A last-ditch effort to save the remains of the ruined St. Raphael Cathedral by making it a local landmark may have come too late with too little information. An application submitted June 4 by Brock Riebe, a "concerned (angry) citizen," according to the handwritten document, is incomplete, Madison preservation planner Kitty Rankin said. Riebe, a UW-Madison graduate who moved back to Madison on June 3 after living in New York and then ...

State medical programs, UW System, ordered to make more cuts

JASON STEIN608-252-6129 — 2008-07-03T05:00:00Z

A state health-care program for the poor — already projected to be $78 million in the red — will have to put up an additional $53.3 million to help the state solve its budget crisis. The University of Wisconsin System will also be hit with $25 million in additional spending cuts, with at least some affecting UW-Madison, a System spokesman said. The news came as state officials outlined Thursday how they would ...

Detective suspended 60 days; no pay

By Patricia Simms 608-252-6492 — 2008-07-04T05:00:00Z

A veteran Madison police detective was suspended for 60 days without pay for driving to work while drunk. Detective Jeff McPike, who has been assigned to the West District since Jan. 1, was disciplined for two incidents, one on Feb. 28 and another on March 13. According to a Madison Police Department statement, McPike was found to have reported for duty Feb. 28 while under the influence of alcohol and drove to work in his personal ...

Plea entered for man charged in shooting

By Matthew Defour608-252-6144 — 2008-07-04T05:00:00Z

A man charged with a shooting death last year on Madison 's West Side that sparked community concerns about public safety had a not guilty plea entered Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court. James P. Bohanan, 35, did not enter a plea in the July 28 slaying of Kevin K. Cobbins, of Waunakee, opting to "stand mute, " defense attorney Mark Frank told Judge Stuart Schwartz. At a preliminary hearing last month, a witness testified that ...

Defendant pleads no contest in Portage murder, abuse case

Portage Daily Register — 2008-07-03T05:00:00Z

PORTAGE — One of the people prosecutors had called a "ringleader" of a group of drifters accused of killing a woman and abusing her son accepted a plea deal Thursday. Candace Clark pleaded no contest to second-degree homicide and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She pleaded guilty to mayhem, child enticement, child abuse, causing mental harm to a child and false imprisonment. Four other charges were dropped in a ...

The trail that led to Adam Peterson

By PATRICIA SIMMS and MATTHEW DeFOUR — 2008-07-03T05:00:00Z

Madison police found the suspected killer of Joel Marino by putting together a puzzle: following up a tip in March, showing photo lineups to witnesses and finally matching DNA found at the crime scene. Adam Peterson, 20, charged with the stabbing at Marino's home at 714 West Shore Drive on Jan. 28, was identified by a man who had spotted him working at Capitol Centre Foods. The man believed Peterson fit the description ...

Madison consumers find creative ways to stretch budgets

ANITA CLARK608-252-6138 — 2008-07-03T05:00:00Z

When times are tough, some consumers turn to creative ways to turn their belongings into cash to stretch their budgets. From selling household items at garage sales to sifting through old jewelry to joining the "gray market" economy, people confronted by rising food and gasoline prices are finding ways to cope. "People are doing whatever they can to stay afloat," said Kersi Antia, an assistant professor of marketing at UW-Madison's School of Business.

Staskal to remain institutionalized

By George Hesselberg608-252-6140 — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

The address where the state will place a long-institutionalized man who killed his sister will be, for now, right where he 's at. Rock County Circuit Judge Michael Byron, who has presided over the controversial efforts to move Mark Staskal, on Wednesday approved a state plan to keep the 1984 killer at the Mendota Mental Health Institute. For now. Rock County Assistant District Attorney Raymond Jablonski said, following a hearing Wednesday afternoon, that Staskal "stays at ...

Carnival operators feeling pinch of high oil prices

By Gena Kittner608-252-6139 — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

STOUGHTON -- Exorbitant fuel costs are forcing some carnival operators to cut back operating hours and make other changes -- including starting this city 's fair a day later than planned. Diesel fuel, which powers generators that run everything from the Tilt-a-Whirl and concession stands to the air conditioning for carnival bunk houses, has gone from an average of $2.90 a gallon a year ago to an average of $4.76 a gallon today. At full capacity, ...

Police will crack down on illegal fireworks

Alex Morrell608-252-6120 — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

Fireworks may burn a hole in some Madison residents ' pockets this weekend. According to City of Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Wirth and Fire Marshall Ed Ruckriegel, teams of police and fire prevention officers will begin patrolling today in an effort to reduce illegal fireworks use. The cost of a citation starts at $424. Officers will patrol designated areas this weekend and issue citations for any illegal fireworks use. Only sparklers, snakes, snaps, caps and ...

Pets' final resting place not exactly final

Associated Press — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

Sex symbol Jayne Mansfield was looking for eternal rest for her Chihuahua Gallina when she buried her in a suburban Milwaukee pet cemetery in 1964. It turns out nothing lasts forever. Thistlerose Pet Cemetery and Crematory in Greendale is being sold after shutting down two years ago. Owner Eleanor Jolly outlived her sons, and none of her grandchildren wanted to take over the business. Jolly died in February at age 92. Her granddaughter, Yvonne Hanson, has been urging ...

Marino murder suspect "made admission" to police, defense attorney says

MATT DeFOUR and PATRICIA SIMMSWisconsin State Journal — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

Adam Peterson gave Madison police an incriminating statement when they contacted him at his mother's Minnesota home June 26, causing them to arrest him in the slaying of Joel Marino. Peterson's defense attorney, Dennis Burke, said Wednesday he doesn't know what Peterson told police. "I believe he made an admission that's not in the (criminal) complaint," Burke said. "He made an admission they considered to be incriminating." Burke said he considers Peterson ...

Don't fight fire; call 911 quickly

Karen Rivedal608-252-6106 — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

Any delay could be costly and deadly, the Madison Fire Department warned. The Madison Fire Department reminded residents to immediately dial 911 for fires after property managers at a Downtown building spent more than 20 minutes Wednesday unsuccessfully trying to put out a blaze themselves. A resident in the two-story apartment building at 511 W. Doty St. finally called 911 about the basement dryer fire at 12:26 p.m., the fire department said in a news release. By ...

FEMA to open centers to help flood victims

State Journal staff — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will open disaster recovery centers in three counties Monday to process requests for help from residents and business owners affected by record flooding last month. The centers will open at: 4318 Robertson Road, Madison (Dane County) New Life Assembly of God Church, 2416 N. Wright Road, Janesville (Rock County) UW-Extension, 864 Collins Road, Jefferson (Jefferson County). The centers will be open from 1 to 7 p.m. Monday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every ...

Man guilty in beating death

By Matt JohnsonCapital Newspapers — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

A Gays Mills man was found guilty in Vernon County Circuit Court this week of beating a Beloit man at a Readstown bar and causing his death in February. David A. Heisz, 26, pleaded no contest to second-degree reckless homicide for killing Kelly Kuykendall, 50, on Feb. 7. Judge Michael Rosborough found Heisz guilty after the no-contest plea and set sentencing for Sept. 29. Heisz is accused of pushing Kuykendall off a landing outside the front ...

Cyclist injured by hit-and-run driver

State Journal staff — 2008-07-03T05:00:00Z

A dark-colored pickup truck hit a Madison man, 59, riding his bicycle and fled early Wednesday, according to the Dane County Sheriff's Office. The bicyclist was riding southbound on Fitchrona Road and attempted to make a left turn when the pickup driver, who was traveling the same direction and may have been hauling lawn equipment in a flatbed trailer, made an illegal pass on the left and struck the bicyclist. The bicyclist suffered serious but nonlife ...

Not exactly pennies from Heaven: quarter-sized hail hits area

Wisconsin State Journal — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

Hail the size of quarters hit parts of the state Wednesday morning, and a severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect until 4 p.m. for Dane County and surrounding areas, according to the National Weather Service.Some storms will be severe with large hail and damaging winds, the Weather Service said. Half inch-sized hail was reported three miles south southwest of Madison at around 10:40 a.m. and 1-inch-sized hail was reported near Johnson ...

Packers: Favre has 'itch' to play

JASON WILDE608-252-6176 — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

GREEN BAY — Brett Favre has the itch to play football again, but the Green Bay Packers apparently prefer for the legendary quarterback to scratch it elsewhere. An NFL source told the State Journal on Wednesday afternoon that Favre — or agent James "Bus" Cook on his behalf — contacted the Packers "within the past few weeks" about returning, and the conversation ended in him asking the ...

High court bars fraud lawsuits by home buyers

By Scott BauerAssociated Press — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

Home buyers who believe a seller has lied to them cannot sue for fraud to recover damages, a divided Wisconsin Supreme Court said Tuesday. The decision is bad news for homeowners and sellers and makes Wisconsin the only state in the country barring civil fraud cases in real estate transactions, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley said. She was one of three justices who broke with the four-member majority. The opinion opens the door for a home seller to ...

City Council votes to continue using ad wraps on buses

By Brittany Schoepp608-252-6120 — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

Despite passionate complaints that the ads cause claustrophobia and motion sickness, create problems for people with disabilities and are just plain ugly, fully wrapped advertisements around Metro Transit buses will continue, the City Council decided in an 11-7 vote Tuesday. Up to 20 of the city's buses can be wrapped with an ad, and an unlimited number of buses can sport partial wraps that leave some windows open. The ads have been ...

Officials: Tempe Drive is slipping

By Patricia Simms608-252-6492 — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

Tempe Drive, the Southwest Madison street on which Marcus T. Hamilton was killed Sunday night, is slipping and is ripe for criminal activity, neighborhood leaders say. Police figures show a 42 percent increase in calls for police in the past two years on Tempe Drive, with calls jumping from 31 from January through June 2006 to 44 in the first half of this year. The alderman for the 7th District, which includes Tempe Drive, says the ...

Demolition permit issued for St. Raphael

By Dean Mosiman608-252-6141 — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

The gold cross and soaring steeple are removed, and now the city has given permission to demolish the walls of fire-damaged St. Raphael Cathedral in Downtown Madison. City Neighborhood and Preservation Director George Hank on Tuesday issued the demolition permit. It was a controversial move because some residents and historic preservationists wanted to save the walls of the structure. The landmark church at 222 W. Main St., built in 1854, was destroyed by an arson fire ...

Man pleads not guilty to sex assault

By Matthew DeFour608-252-6144 — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman and robbing her near State Street last month pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the charges against him. Oscar H. Elliott, 33, appeared at a preliminary hearing before Dane County Circuit Judge John Markson, who rejected a motion to dismiss the case after hearing testimony from the victim. Elliott was charged with kidnapping, two counts of sexual assault, armed robbery and bail jumping. The 26-year-old victim, who is not ...

Rezoning approved for Allied Drive properties

State Journal staff — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

After years of effort, the Madison City Council on Tuesday approved the full rezoning for the redevelopment of city-owned properties in the heart of long-troubled Allied Drive, including a $7.5 million first phase with 48 low-income rental units. The first phase will feature an open courtyard at the corner of Allied Drive and Jenewein Road, two apartment buildings and townhouses. The city 's Community Development Authority, which is overseeing the housing project, intends to start demolition of existing ...

Prison explosion injures workers, inmate

State Journal staff — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

FITCHBURG — Two maintenance workers and an inmate at Oakhill Correctional Facility were injured Tuesday and prisoners from one building were evacuated after a natural gas explosion on the prison grounds. State Department of Corrections spokesman John Dipko said the explosion occurred in the boiler room of the main kitchen in a prison building that also has housing units. The explosion occurred about 8:45 a.m. as the two workers and the inmate were doing maintenance ...

Insurance study puts Madison 31st in U.S. for safe drivers

By Anita Clark608-252-6138 — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

Madison ranks 31st in the country for safe drivers in an insurance study released Tuesday based on automobile collision claims in 2005 and 2006. Researchers with Allstate Insurance Co. analyzed its data on crashes that produced property damage claims. For the third year in a row, the company declared Sioux Falls, S.D., to have the safest drivers in America, saying they average 14.6 years between collisions. The national average is a collision every 10 years. Madison-area drivers ...

Corporate labeling increases on UW campus

DEBORAH ZIFF608-252-6234 — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

Walk down a hallway in Babcock Hall, and you'll notice laboratories named after Ore-Ida, H.J. Heinz Co. and Pillsbury. In Grainger Hall, a student could take a class in the Ford Motor Company Classroom or work on an assignment in the Cargill Computer Lab. In the mechanical engineering building, public meetings are held in the 3M auditorium. From the Halliburton Geoscience Visualization Center to the Kikkoman Lab of Microbial ...

Peterson bail set at $1 million in Marino slaying

By MATTHEW DeFOUR608-252-6144 — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

Adam Peterson, a Minnesota native who attended UW-Madison briefly and who checked into a Madison hospital's psychiatric ward for a week in March, appeared before court commissioner Todd Meurer wearing a suicide prevention smock. There were few words exchanged at the initial appearance between assistant district attorney Mike Verveer and Peterson's attorney, state public defender Dennis Burke, who accepted the bail terms. Verveer asked Meurer to ...

Child-care center violations online

Doug Erickson608-252-6149 — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

Parents can now search an online database of Wisconsin's 5,700 licensed child-care centers that lists how often each center has violated state laws or been fined in the prior two years. The state-sponsored Web tool, announced Monday by Gov. Jim Doyle, has long been urged by child-safety and consumer advocates as an important step in helping parents find high-quality child care. Still, the database does not offer any type of quality rating system, a fact ...

Set up an appointment

Wisconsin State Journal — 2008-07-04T05:00:00Z

To set up a local appointment time with the Mexican Consulate, contact Bridge Lake Point Neighborhood Center at 441-6991. ...

College readiness project launched

Karen Rivedal608-252-6106 — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

Madison School District leaders on Monday announced a partnership with Boys and Girls Club of Dane County aimed at doubling the number of minority and low-income students who will be ready to enter college after high school. District officials stressed that the new offering was not a remedial program or a free ride but instead was geared to help motivated students with average grades who have the desire to attend college but lack the practical skills ...

Marino suspect in county custody

State Journal staff, wire reports — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

Madison police remained tight-lipped Monday about what led them to arrest the college dropout now charged in the stabbing death of Joel Marino. A search warrant issued by a Washington County, Minn., judge last week that may provide more details has been sealed, Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said. Madison police sought the warrant last week in order to obtain a DNA sample from Adam Peterson, 20, a Minnesota native who ...

Tribe misses deadline to pay state $72 million

By Jason Stein608-252-6129 — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

The Ho-Chunk tribe missed an initial budget deadline Monday to pay an estimated $72 million in gambling money that state officials are counting on to help balance an already stressed state budget. It's now been more than two years since the tribe, locked in a legal battle with the state over its gambling compact, has made any of the disputed payments on its casino operations. The lingering dispute raises the ...

Self-serve salvage in Wisconsin

Wisconsin State Journal — 2008-07-03T05:00:00Z

Do-it-yourself salvage yards are scarce in Wisconsin, said Deanna Hart, president of Concerned Auto Recyclers of Wisconsin, a trade association with 88 salvage yard members. "It's a great concept, but insurance can be a bit of a hassle," said Hart, who operates Newville Auto Salvage in Edgerton with her husband, Mike. Many salvage yards don't allow anyone but employees in the yard unless they're escorted. Hart said do-it-yourself yards keep cars ...

City takes action against four South Side properties

By Dean Mosiman608-252-6141 — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

In a first, Madison is taking legal actions to stop alleged drug activity and problems at four South Side properties. Three buildings are in the fragile Burr Oaks neighborhood off West Badger Road and South Park Street, and the fourth is off Rimrock Road. "The city has become street smart," said Ald. Tim Bruer, 14th District, who represents the area and wants the court to appoint a receiver for the properties, vacate ...

Woman dies from motorcycle crash injuries

Lee Newspapers — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

REEDSBURG -- A businesswoman severely injured two weeks ago in a motorcycle accident on a flood-damaged Juneau County road died Friday. Sandra Rae Marselle, 45, of Reedsburg, sustained head injuries in a June 15 accident and had been in a coma until her death at University Hospital, her husband, Rocco F. Marselle, said Sunday. Sandra operated the Riverwalk Pub in Wisconsin Dells, Rocco said. She loved to sing and dance and see her customers have a good ...

Complaint alleges Reynolds violating campaign finance law

MARK PITSCH608-252-6145 — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

A West Allis man has filed a complaint against a former state senator and his political organization for allegedly violating state campaign finance laws.Adam Holmes, a Democratic activist and training coordinator for a painters union, learned about former Republican senator Tom Reynolds' Clean Sweep Wisconsin group last Thursday after visiting its Web site, said Michael Maistelman, a Milwaukee lawyer who filed the complaint on Holmes' behalf.A State Journal story that also ...

Children's creativity shines at Camp Invention

By Pamela CotantFor the State Journal — 2008-06-29T05:00:00Z

STOUGHTON -- Old electronics and materials like plastic containers and cardboard tubes found new purpose in the hands of students attending Camp Invention at Sandhill School. The recent Camp Invention was a weeklong program that introduced children to science and math principles while mixing in arts and technology. The students, who are entering first through sixth grade, rotated among several sections where they made objects with items they brought to camp. For one section called Take Apart, students ...

Scientists explore stem cells, other strategies to improve success of transplants

DAVID WAHLBERG608-252-6125 — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

If stem cells could be reliably coaxed into islet cells, the insulin-producing cells found in pancreases, a limitless supply of the cells could free hundreds of thousands of diabetics from insulin shots. "We're not there yet but significant progress is being made," said Dr. Jon Odorico, an islet-cell transplant specialist at UW Hospital. "I'd like to say it's not as long as 10 years down the road." Stem cells are one of several strategies scientists are exploring ...

Two men sought in slaying on city's Southwest Side

By Patricia Simms608-252-6492 — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

Madison police are searching for two men in the Sunday night slaying of Marcus T. Hamilton, 30, in a duplex on Madison's Southwest Side. The Dane County coroner's office, which completed an autopsy Monday, said Hamilton died of a single gunshot wound but would not say where on his body Hamilton was shot. Police are seeking two black men in their 20s. One is 5 feet 10 inches and 140 pounds with ...

Firm named to finish condo project

By Dean Mosiman608-252-6141 — 2008-06-29T05:00:00Z

A Dane County judge has appointed a law firm to complete and sell a $4 million affordable condo project in an improving South Side neighborhood. The developer, Lake Point Madison LLC of Milwaukee, had failed to make payments on a $2 million loan from the city 's Community Development Authority and last month walked away from the near-finished, 50-unit project on the 1800 block of Lake Point Drive. Circuit Judge Sarah O 'Brien on Friday followed ...

Holocaust survivor, 'amazing woman'

By Judy Newman608-252-6156 — 2008-06-29T05:00:00Z

Wanda Lavendel Bincer survived the Holocaust by masquerading as a Catholic and at age 13 during World War II, she slogged through sewers, passing messages as part of the Polish underground. As an adult, when her daughter was murdered, Bincer, a psychiatrist, reacted by forming a Madison chapter of Parents of Murdered Children and served on the group 's national board. "She was an amazing woman, " said Bincer 's son, Brian Lavendel, who took his ...

Exhibit features graffiti from Vietnam era

By Anita Clark608-252-6138 — 2008-06-29T05:00:00Z

A traveling exhibition called "Marking Time: Voyage to Vietnam " opens Tuesday at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 W. Mifflin St., on Capitol Square. The exhibit features nearly 20 canvases from the crowded bunks of the General Nelson M. Walker, a transport ship that carried thousands of young American military men to Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. With time on their hands during the voyage of 18 to 21 days, troops spent a lot of their ...

Sheriff to miss his jail target

Matthew Defour608-252-6144 — 2008-06-28T05:00:00Z

More than twice as many Dane County inmates are on electronic home monitoring than at the beginning of the year, though the Sheriff 's Office will fall short of its goal of putting bracelets on 200 inmates by July 1. Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said Friday he is still satisfied with the progress that has been made. "We 're going to put as many out on electronic monitoring as we can to ensure public safety, ...

Murder arrest called 'shocking'

State Journal staff — 2008-06-28T05:00:00Z

The shock over Adam Peterson 's arrest Thursday in the murder of Joel Marino was especially great among the people he grew up with in the Stillwater, Minn. area, who said they never thought he was capable of such violence. "My reaction was complete shock, and it was the same for everybody else I 've talked to, " said Dan Lamanna, who has known Peterson since Little League baseball days, graduated from high school with him ...

Bulletins played key role in arrest

By Matthew Defour608-252-6144 — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

Madison police would still be looking for suspects in the Joel Marino homicide if not for Officer Jean Papalia 's organizational skills. Papalia, a 22-year veteran and mental health liaison for the Central Police District, started compiling monthly bulletins last year that summarize police contacts with anyone exhibiting mental health problems or odd behavior. The bulletins led detectives to investigate Adam Peterson, who was arrested last week and charged in the Jan. 28 stabbing death of ...

Bulletins played key role in arrest

By Matthew Defour608-252-6144 — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

Wal-Mart already selling Wisconsin produce

Wisconsin State Journal — 2008-07-02T05:00:00Z

In Wisconsin, state-grown produce is already offered in Wal-Mart's stores and more will be arriving as crops ripen, spokeswoman Lisa Nelson said Wednesday.— Anita Clark Wisconsin-grown fruits and vegetables that Wal-Mart will sell include apples, sweet corn, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, pumpkins, squash, onions, potatoes, cabbage and cranberries, she said. Suppliers will include Sunrise Orchard of Gays Mills and Bushman's of Rosholt, Nelson said. "These ...

Economic slowdown hits some in area

By Judy Newman608-252-6156 — 2008-06-28T05:00:00Z

If you listen closely, you 'll hear them: Whispers of the dreaded "R " word -- recession -- are starting to flutter around the Madison area. Experts say many local businesses are facing problems and both consumers and companies are cutting back on their spending. "Are we in a recession? That 's a great question, " said Al Dassow, certified public accountant and partner with the Clifton Gunderson accounting firm in Middleton. "Politicians are saying no and ...

Driver cited in beach-closing crash

Wisconsin State Journal — 2008-06-28T05:00:00Z

The driver of a vehicle that crashed into a utility pole in Monona Friday, triggering a chain reaction that closed all Lake Monona beaches, was cited for failure to have control of his vehicle, according to a Monona Police Department report. The citation is a municipal offense. The driver, Matthew Wiswell, 20, of Monona, was traveling north on Bridge Road about 12:30 a.m. when his van went off the road and knocked over a utility pole, the ...

SOS: Getting her to mow her lawn is a continuing challenge

Chris Rickert — 2008-06-28T05:00:00Z

It 's become a springtime tradition in Madison 's Lake View Hill neighborhood: The grass at the brown, wood-sided house at 4413 Northview Drive starts growing ... and growing and growing. Once it 's well over 8 inches -- the highest allowed under city ordinance -- someone complains, and the city comes out and tells owner Susan Gould to cut it. Sometimes, after some arm-twisting, she does. "It 's been an annual thing for the last ...

Alderman: City should consider lower Lake Mendota

By Ron Seely608-252-6131 — 2008-06-28T05:00:00Z

With Madison lakes at near record-levels and the summertime buzz of boats silenced by a no-wake rule, a Madison alderman plans to introduce a resolution before the City Council on Tuesday that would ask the Department of Natural Resources to review lake levels and possibly approve permanently lowering the level of Lake Mendota. Proponents of dropping the lake level argue that more frequent floods will continue to pose threats to a number of locations, including ...

Fiore case shows questions about bias will grow as corporate giving grows

DEBORAH ZIFF608-252-6234 — 2008-07-01T05:00:00Z

As corporate giving grows, so too will questions of scientific or academic bias. In one recent example, at least one critic alleges that Dr. Michael Fiore, who holds the GlaxoSmithKline tobacco research and intervention chair in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, should have recused himself from a recent panel. GlaxoSmithKline makes products to help people quit smoking, such as Nicorette gum. The 2008 panel, which Fiore chaired, was charged with creating federal guidelines recommending how ...

Kittredge endearing, teaches life lessons

By Tom Alesia608-252-6122 — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

Reviews for "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl " have been mostly positive: Roger Ebert -- "I was waiting for some kind of banal product placement, I suppose, and here is a movie that is just about perfect for its target audience, and more than that. It has a great look, engaging performances, real substance ... " Los Angeles Times -- " Kittredge ' personalizes the Great Depression in terms simple enough for young audiences by showing how ...

Partnership modeled after programs in Milwaukee, California

Wisconsin State Journal — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

The new partnership between the Madison School District and Boys and Girls Club of Dane County is modeled after two successful programs developed elsewhere: AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, which began in California, and Sponsor-A-Scholar, a community-based program that began in Milwaukee. AVID is currently used in more than 3,000 schools nationwide and boasts 98 percent high school graduation rates, with 95 percent going on to college, officials said. Currently, just 26 percent ...

New agency will regulate child-care providers

Wisconsin State Journal — 2008-06-30T05:00:00Z

Until now, state programs to regulate child-care providers and provide child-care subsidies for families have been run by different agencies.— Jason Stein That will change as the state takes more than 30 services currently done by other departments and forms a new cabinet-level agency, said Reggie Bicha, secretary of the Department of Children and Families, launched Monday. Bicha said he hopes the big restructuring will better deliver services to ...

madison.com rss 2.0

Book to highlight 20 significant state homes

Ordinance changes would push solar, wind power

Jewish school to open in Madison

Business will be brisk when Mexican consulate comes to town

Fitchburg apartment fire forces evacuations

Attempt to make cathedral a landmark may be too late

State medical programs, UW System, ordered to make more cuts

Detective suspended 60 days; no pay

Plea entered for man charged in shooting

Defendant pleads no contest in Portage murder, abuse case

The trail that led to Adam Peterson

Madison consumers find creative ways to stretch budgets

Staskal to remain institutionalized

Carnival operators feeling pinch of high oil prices

Police will crack down on illegal fireworks

Pets' final resting place not exactly final

Marino murder suspect "made admission" to police, defense attorney says

Don't fight fire; call 911 quickly

FEMA to open centers to help flood victims

Man guilty in beating death

Cyclist injured by hit-and-run driver

Not exactly pennies from Heaven: quarter-sized hail hits area

Packers: Favre has 'itch' to play

High court bars fraud lawsuits by home buyers

City Council votes to continue using ad wraps on buses

Officials: Tempe Drive is slipping

Demolition permit issued for St. Raphael

Man pleads not guilty to sex assault

Rezoning approved for Allied Drive properties

Prison explosion injures workers, inmate

Insurance study puts Madison 31st in U.S. for safe drivers

Corporate labeling increases on UW campus

Peterson bail set at $1 million in Marino slaying

Child-care center violations online

Set up an appointment

College readiness project launched

Marino suspect in county custody

Tribe misses deadline to pay state $72 million

Self-serve salvage in Wisconsin

City takes action against four South Side properties

Woman dies from motorcycle crash injuries

Complaint alleges Reynolds violating campaign finance law

Children's creativity shines at Camp Invention

Scientists explore stem cells, other strategies to improve success of transplants

Two men sought in slaying on city's Southwest Side

Firm named to finish condo project

Holocaust survivor, 'amazing woman'

Exhibit features graffiti from Vietnam era

Sheriff to miss his jail target

Murder arrest called 'shocking'

Bulletins played key role in arrest

Bulletins played key role in arrest

Wal-Mart already selling Wisconsin produce

Economic slowdown hits some in area

Driver cited in beach-closing crash

SOS: Getting her to mow her lawn is a continuing challenge

Alderman: City should consider lower Lake Mendota

Fiore case shows questions about bias will grow as corporate giving grows

Kittredge endearing, teaches life lessons

Partnership modeled after programs in Milwaukee, California

New agency will regulate child-care providers