The Planski: Dave Mahoney's immigrant policy makes this 'Doughface County' Ben Manski on Friday 05/16/2008 1:15 pm, (6) Recommendations Under Mahoney, the Sheriff's Office has reported upwards of 400 immigrants to ICE, the latest incarnation of the former INS (where do the feds come up with these acronyms, anyway? Immigration and Customs Enforcement? Operation Iraqi Liberation? Brilliant!). That's a substantial increase from the record of the previous sheriff, Gary Hamblin, for whom cracking down on undocumented immigrants was not a priority. >More
UW-Madison Chancellor finalists meet the press Gary Sandefur, Biddy Martin, Tim Mulcahy, and Rebecca Blank: Priorities are similar but styles diverge Erica Pelzek on Friday 05/16/2008 1:03 pm As UW-Madison's academic year comes to a close, its future leadership is the focus of a Chancellor search that has been underway since February. The UW Board of Regents will pick a replacement for UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley, who is leaving in September, at its meeting early next month in Milwaukee. On consecutive days this week, the final four candidates -- out of more than 50 applicants -- took part in meet-and-greets at Memorial Union. >More
Madison CDA takes over troubled Lake Point development Isthmus story may have moved things along Bill Lueders on Friday 05/16/2008 12:36 pm The Madison Community Development Authority and the Milwaukee-based developer of a pivotal but floundering south-side Madison housing project have reached a deal wherein the CDA will take over. Percy Brown, city staff to the CDA, notified Lake Point Condo owners Friday morning that "we were informed [May 15] by the Rodmans that they are walking away from the project and handing the keys over to the Community Development Authority immediately. They are done. The CDA will be assuming management obligations. We will be getting back to you shortly with more details." >More
Wilmington on DVD: Ol' Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra, Indiana Jones, Youth Without Youth, and The Fire Within Mike Wilmington on Friday 05/16/2008 12:11 pm Frank Sinatra was, along with Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Ray Charles and Elvis Presley, our greatest pop singer: alternately romantic and cynical, tenderly sensitive and ring-a-ding-ding. But he could act up a storm at times too, and his dramatic prime came in the years including and following his Oscar-winning turn as Maggio in From Here to Eternity. >More
The Week[end]: May 16-18, 2008 on Friday 05/16/2008 11:00 am This is the last hurrah of spring in Madison, a blowout with more festivals and music than almost any other weekend of the year. The fun includes: Syttende Mai in Stoughton, Fitchburg Days, the final fiesta for Bike To Work Week, and the WORT Block Party; productions of The Nerd, Monty Python's Spamalot, and Pure Ballet; the Madison Poetry Slam Finals and Spin Cycle Improv; One-Two-Three-Go! At the Cypress Spray Park, T.L. Solien at MMoCA, and openings at two Paoli galleries; and live music featuring Bernie Taupin Night at the Wil-Mar Center, Blind Melon, The Von Bondies, Subtle, Tex Tubb & the Jokermen, The Junkers, The Moon Gypsies, Fareed Hague, and Asylum Street Spankers. >More
Madison Miscellany -- May 16, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Friday 05/16/2008 12:00 am The trial of three local peace activists, Brittany Zimmermann memories, Greta Van Susteren visits town, summer road construction season gears up, UW chancellor finalist Rebecca Blank, eating at Lucky 7, Nicaraguan coffee grower makes the Wisconsin java rounds, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Mad Rollin' Dolls wrap up season four and focus on future of derby in Madison Melissa Faliveno on Thursday 05/15/2008 11:07 am, (4) Recommendations As "senior year" for the Mad Rollin' Dolls came to a close last Saturday with the Quad Squad winning the championship, and as the fourth season of national-level play begins, it's clear that change is in the air. As a second-year skater, I've only seen a fraction of the growth that's occurred within both the league and the larger world of roller derby -- and even that small portion often seems monumental. >More
Madison Miscellany -- May 15, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Thursday 05/15/2008 12:00 am The Mark Staskal dilemna, Brittany Zimmermann's apartment is up for rent, PD's new policy priorities, UW chancellor finalist Timothy Mulcahy, Josh Ritter at the High Noon, Public Enemies and Johnny Depp wrap up in Columbus, Bo Ryan's "Soulja Boy" and the Macarena-zation of hip-hop, Wisco men's track heads to outdoor Big Tens and men's rowing to Eastern Sprints, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Collecting MadVideos -- A trailer for The Miss Firecracker Contest by Strollers Theatre Kristian Knutsen on Wednesday 05/14/2008 4:35 pm, (3) Recommendations It's been a whirlwind of a spring for Strollers Theatre, an energetic company based at the Bartell Theatre that is marking a half-century of stagecraft in Madison this year. Slated to go on hiatus following a leadership controversy late this winter, the company reconstituted itself in early March and turned its focus to staging its final production of the year, the contemporary comedy The Miss Firecracker Contest. >More
Monty Python meets Broadway in Spamalot at Overture Amelia Cook on Wednesday 05/14/2008 2:22 pm, (2) Recommendations You can't help but laugh at Spamalot. Even those of you whose Monty Python knowledge is a bit rusty will be moved by this touring musical comedy, which is, according to the playbill, "lovingly ripped off" from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Mimes doing the Macarena, bad French accents, fart jokes aplenty -- honestly, what's not to laugh about? >More
Madison and Dane County officials sued over Zimmermann 911 call secrecy Read the full text of the complaint filed on Tuesday Bill Lueders on Wednesday 05/14/2008 1:10 pm Hell hath no fury like journalists scorned. On Tuesday, four state media organizations filed a lawsuit over the refusal of public officials to release information regarding the 911 call made from the cell phone of UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann shortly before her murder on April 2. >More
Chris Farley remembered at the Wisconsin Historical Museum Kenneth Burns on Wednesday 05/14/2008 11:37 am, (8) Recommendations At the Wisconsin Historical Museum exhibit Chris Farley Remembered, a monitor shows a loop of highlights from the Madison native's Saturday Night Live stint. Included, naturally, is a sketch featuring Matt Foley, the hopeless motivational speaker who was Farley's best-known character. In the uproariously funny skit, Foley tells skeptical youths how to avoid a desperate future -- a future that in fact is Foley's desperate present, a sad life of homelessness. Avoid drugs, Foley loudly suggests, or "You're gonna be doin' a lotta doobie-rollin' when you're livin' in a van down by the river!" >More
Madison police called it an overdose, mother thinks it was murder Comp Time interviews Enid Haban-Megahed about the circumstances surrounding her son's 1998 death Nathan J. Comp on Wednesday 05/14/2008 10:41 am, (9) Recommendations Outrage over missteps in the murder investigations of Joel Marino and Brittany Zimmermann have shaken public confidence -- and re-opened the deep wounds Enid Haban-Megahed has lived with since her son Omar was found dead in his Monroe Street home in 1998. Authorities initially assumed that Omar, 28, died of a drug overdose, despite the insistence of friends and family that the intellectual property lawyer and avid bicyclist did not use drugs. >More
Madison Miscellany -- May 14, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Wednesday 05/14/2008 12:00 am New city zoning codes, UW chancellor finalist Biddy Martin, UW student Awais Khaleel declares Democratic superdelegate vote for Obama, Public Enemies with Johnny Depp shoots in Beaver Dam, a 100-mile food source map, gypsy moth spraying returns, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Blaska's Blog: Missing brain tissue David Blaska on Tuesday 05/13/2008 9:30 pm, (4) Comments I want to walk you through the most incredible example of seeing the exact same thing but coming to completely different conclusions. It illustrates what happens when you let the important hunk of brain tissue, the corpus callosum, wither away. >More
MadTracks -- 'Divided States of the Absurd' by Awesome Car Funmaker April Williamson on Tuesday 05/13/2008 3:42 pm, (6) Recommendations E for Everyone, the new studio album from Madison mainstay Awesome Car Funmaker, is pleasantly paradoxical. Who could have expected such a mature, cleanly produced album from a group of four goofy guys known for their raucous, over-the-top live show? The band skillfully delves into deeper territory, exploring relevant issues like war and morality without betraying their rocker roots. >More
Semifinalists vie for spot on the 2008 Madison National Poetry Slam team Twelve spoken word artists seek chance to compete at NPS Katya Szabados on Tuesday 05/13/2008 12:36 pm, (7) Recommendations Many of the city's top spoken word performers will compete for one of five spots on the Madison National Poetry Slam team on Friday at the Inn on the Park. This five-person team will go on to represent Madison and compete with more than 80 other teams that will converge in town for the 2008 National Poetry Slam in August. Dasha Kelly believes Wisconsin has a unique opportunity to help shape the spoken word landscape for the future. >More
Memories almost hold up at Tom's Red Pepper A better class of takeout on the west side of Madison Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 05/13/2008 11:17 am, (1) Comment, (6) Recommendations Madison has an enviable number of ethnic restaurants, and some good Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian dishes. But foodies have long been wailing about the lack of a good Chinese restaurant in town. The China Palace on North Sherman, seen by some to be a decent stab in the right direction, recently closed. Prior to that, many favored Temple Garden, which decamped for Lake Geneva some years ago. >More
Win tickets to Martin Short at Overture on Tuesday 05/13/2008 10:40 am The Isthmus Guest List is back with another round of free tickets to amazing concerts, shows and more fun events around Madison. This week's contests include tickets to: Blind Melon at the Majestic; Martin Short at Overture; an advance screening of The Foot Fist Way at Westgate; Sheryl Crow at the Alliant Energy Center, and more. >More
Madison Miscellany -- May 13, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Tuesday 05/13/2008 12:00 am Two-alarm fire guts the Sigma Phi Epsilon house on Langdon Street, UW chancellor finalist Gary Sandefur, New Monsoon at the Majestic, Public Enemies with Johnny Depp returns to Columbus, Luckenbooth Restaurant in Arena, Wisconsin track and rowing coaches give season-end press conferences, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Sex isn't too sexy in Broom Street Theater's Multiple O Bruce G. Bradley on Monday 05/12/2008 3:47 pm, (3) Recommendations The phrase "Sex is nice and pleasure is good for you" is repeated so many times during Broom Street Theater's production of Multiple O that it's hard to know if this is to reassure the performers or if it's to remind the audience how they're meant to feel. Either way, the mantra should be supplanted with the observation that "Sex is really kinda funny." >More
Fringe Foods: Durian from Asian Midway Foods Something is rotten in the state of Wisconsin Kyle Nabilcy on Monday 05/12/2008 1:39 pm, (13) Recommendations There is a food item out there in the world whose reputation precedes it almost as far as the sense of it. It has been written about, legislated against, and spoken of in hushed tones from Far East to Midwest. Even I, having set about to consume local oddities for the benefit of strangers...well, it harrows me with fear and wonder. It is durian. And it is here. >More
On the Agenda: Madison bus routes on the chopping block Vikki Kratz on Monday 05/12/2008 12:27 pm The Madison Transit & Parking commission will approve final changes to Madison Metro bus routes, to be implemented this August. Among the cuts: The last bus for Allied Drive would leave the Capitol Square at 10:15, not 10:45, thereby screwing anyone from the troubled neighborhood who has to work late downtown. >More
Mayor Dave's weekly whereabouts: Not quite Conan Jason Joyce on Monday 05/12/2008 12:22 pm Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, who has his own show, The Mayor's Report, on Madison City Channel 12, will appear with host Stu Levitan on Access: City Hall Wednesday night. In a thread on Forum, Levitan encourages people to phone the show to quiz Mayor Dave, live. The number is 261-9114 and the show runs from 7 - 8 pm. >More
The Week: May 12-15, 2008 on Monday 05/12/2008 10:09 am The city's spring rhythms shift irreparably into summer this week, a transitional period that will be accompanied by: the music of James McMurtry, a benefit for Utah Philips by local folkies, Enter the Haggis, Josh Ritter, and Con Vivo; productions of the new Madison Young Playwrights Festival, Monty Python's Spamalot, and The Miss Firecracker Contest; and, talks by Robert Enright, Debbie Rasmussen, Tom Farley, Jr., and Elizabeth Berg. >More
Blaska's Blog: Time for a feeding frenzy David Blaska on Monday 05/12/2008 8:00 am, (1) Recommendation Against a backdrop of the degradation of our public spaces by chronic vagrancy, the murders of Joel Marino and Brittany Zimmermann -- in their homes! -- have taken the issue simultaneously to the ground zero of leftist downtown Madison and to the wider county government. People are getting a crash course in why Dane County government matters. They are also learning why the world's greatest park system and all the beautiful lakes and rain gardens are for naught if people don't feel safe. >More
Madison Miscellany -- May 12, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Monday 05/12/2008 12:00 am, (1) Recommendation Homicide suspect James Bohanan arrested in Chicago, the state of stem cell science in the city, Cars on State, soft shell crabs at Metcalfe's Sentry, Bike to Work Week, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Celebrating our Madison music scene at the 2008 MAMAs Party on, musicians and students! Rich Albertoni on Sunday 05/11/2008 1:05 pm, (6) Recommendations If you're a Madison music scene insider, and you've attended the MAMAs more than once, no one needed to explain host John Urban's opening joke Saturday night. "I have to keep the show rolling because I've got plans at midnight," said Urban. The annual Madison Area Music Awards show has never been known for its brevity. This year's gig began at 7:30 and was finished a little more than three hours later. But much of the crowd of more than 500 was energized right until the end. >More
The Madison Art Bikes Rally returns for Bike to Work Week Watch a video of the parade around the Capitol Square on Saturday Kristian Knutsen on Sunday 05/11/2008 11:12 am, (2) Recommendations "Get out of your car, and get onto your bike" was the primary refrain at this year's Madison Art Bikes Rally, which returned once again to the Dane County Farmers' Market on Saturday morning. Dozens of participants brought modified bicycles both simple and fantastical for a parade around Capitol Square, both to share their creations and to advocate the oppotunities of self-propelled transportation. >More
Madison Miscellany -- May 11, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Sunday 05/11/2008 12:00 am, (1) Recommendation A Med Flight from the UW hospital crashes and kills three, following up on the Mifflin Street Block Party arrests, The Kills at the Annex, Espresso Royale, the Quad Squad wins the Mad Rollin' Dolls 2008 finals, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Announcing the winners of the 2008 Madison Area Music Awards Isthmus Staff on Saturday 05/10/2008 11:06 pm, (2) Recommendations The fifth annual Madison Area Music Awards were held on Saturday night before an energetic crowd of local musicians and their fans at the Barrymore Theatre. Winners in more than 40 categories of artists, albums, and songs were named at the live show, which featured performances by Dear August, Stephanie Rearick, Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band, The Motorz, The Jessi Lynn Band, Profound with Lil' Braugh, and Pale Young Gentlemen with a string quartet composed of musicians from Madison schools. >More
Cars on State in Madison recalls glories of cheap gas View photos of fins, curves, chrome, and horsepower displayed on Saturday Kristian Knutsen on Saturday 05/10/2008 3:25 pm, (6) Recommendations Classic car fans in Madison have been lucky with not one but two auto displays on downtown streets over the last week. The Public Enemies production at the Capitol brought about a dozen period cars from the late '20s and early '30s to the Square on Monday, providing one of the most visible parts of the shoot for gawkers lining the sidewalks of Pinckney Street. The real deal came on the weekend, though, with the return of Cars on State Classic Car Show to a street not typically known for its autos. >More
Madison Miscellany -- May 10, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Saturday 05/10/2008 12:00 am, (1) Recommendation Responding to recent hate crimes, a comprehensive smoking ban for Monona, a response to The Kissers' farewell letter, The Cool Kids at Der Rathskeller, Bobby Bryan and The Original Downtown Players, Mother's Day brunch recommendations, Wisco men's tennis moves on in NCAAs, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
A contrarian proposal for Bike to Work Week 2008 in Madison It's time for a Drive to Work Day David Medaris on Friday 05/09/2008 12:00 pm, (2) Recommendations I should preface this contrarian proposal by affirming my support for Bike to Work Week, which begins today, Friday, May 9, and continues through next Friday, May 16 here in Madison. As someone who commutes to work by bicycle whenever the weather and other circumstances allow, I'm all for encouraging more people to do so. It's fun. It's healthy. It's relaxing. It's inexpensive. It's pretty darn green. The city's network of bike routes also makes it pretty darn easy and safe to bike to work. Depending on your route, it can also be quite scenic. >More
Wilmington on DVD: One of the greatest silent symphonies La Roue, I'm Not There, and the films of Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin Mike Wilmington on Friday 05/09/2008 11:12 am, (2) Recommendations Abel Gance, maker of the spectacular 1927 French epic Napoleon, was one of the great symphonic masters of the silent movie, and La Roue is one of his greatest symphonies. The story of La Roue (The Wheel) is, in many ways, pure silent-movie melodama, but done with such grace, style and deep feeling that it sweeps you up and thrills you, just as the silent melodramas of Gance's friend and admirer D.W. Griffith still do. >More
The Week[end]: May 9-11, 2008 on Friday 05/09/2008 10:06 am, (1) Recommendation Get ready to run around, because it's one of those weekends in Madison when everything is happening all at once. Let's see... the big ones to remember the kickoff of Bike To Work Week, the opening of the Chris Farley Remembered exhibit at the Wisconsin Historical Museum and the Circus Celebration at the Chazen, along with the return of Cars on State, the Mad Rollin’ Dolls 2008 finals, and the fifth annual MAMAs. Also on tap are: productions of Mulan, Jr. and Lucia di Lammermoor; more Walking with Dinosaurs; and live music by Margot & the Nuclear So & So's, The Avett Brothers, 8889, Todd Carey and Alexa Wilkinson and Jonathan Clay, Scream Club, The Kills, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir, and New Monsoon with Run Side Down. >More
Blaska's Blog: Will the County Board please grow up David Blaska on Friday 05/09/2008 8:31 am, (2) Recommendations I don’t blame the Wisconsin State Journal for suspending coverage of the largest unit of local government until this spring, when I got it to write about releasing jail inmates on ankle bracelets. County government did not take itself very seriously. >More
Madison Miscellany -- May 9, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Friday 05/09/2008 12:00 am, (2) Recommendations The MPD speaks on the Joel Marino homicide investigation, concerns of the Zimmermann 911 call continue, WARF and the CDA, Jim White at the Orpheum Stage Door, The Blind Boys of Alabama the old civic center, an interview with distance runner Joe Kurian, UW men's tennis preps for NCAAs, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Redacted report reveals nothing new on Brittany Zimmermann's 911 call Read the redacted report from Dane County Public Safety Communications Jason Shepard on Thursday 05/08/2008 9:08 pm, (1) Comment, (6) Recommendations A heavily redacted copy of a 40-page report into the alleged mishandling of a 911 call for help from murder victim Brittany Zimmermann sheds little, if any, new light on a number of important questions. The report was released on Thursday night, minutes after the end of a joint committee of the Dane County Board in which embattled 911 Center director Joe Norwick answered questions from county supervisors about 911 center policies. >More
Dane County Board spins wheels on Zimmermann 911 call controversy Bill Lueders on Thursday 05/08/2008 9:04 pm, (1) Comment, (1) Recommendation Scott McDonell began the meeting by stating that the matters under review could lead to litigation and anything said "can be used in court." It was the public-hearing equivalent of a Miranda warning. That was not the only admonition: McDonell, the Dane County Board chair, also explained that all questions would have to be screened and some could not be answered. >More
Attending the trial of peace activists Joy First, Janet Parker and Bonnie Block charged with trespassing during a February protest at Hilldale ACLU of Wis. Mad.
Watch 8889 play "It Takes All Kinds" at the band's CD release show last week at the High Noon Aaron Veenstra
"Improvements for badly deteriorated segments of State Highway 151 (East Washington Avenue) and State Highway 113 (Pennsylvania and Packers Avenues, and Northport Drive) are being moved up to 2008" City of Madison
"Two major tournaments at Nielsen Tennis Stadium highlight the 2008-09 Wisconsin women's tennis schedule as the Badgers will host both the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in February and the 2009 Big Ten Championships in late April" UW Ath. Dept.
"The City of Madison's Forestry Section in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has developed an EAB program of ongoing education, early detection, response and management plan" City of Madison
The East Gorham Street Reconstruction Project begins Monday, May 19 with road closures and two-way traffic on a portion of Johnson Street City of Madison
"Fresh off a second-place finish at the 2008 Big Ten Rowing Championships, the Wisconsin women's rowing team looks to get even faster on the water and earn an NCAA bid at this weekend's 2008 NCAA Central/South Regiona" UW Ath. Dept.
"The fourth-ranked Wisconsin women's lightweight varsity eight is in an unfamiliar role at the 2008 Eastern Sprints -- they are underdogs" UW Ath. Dept.
Watch a clip of Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard shooting a scene in Beaver Dam on Tuesday "Erin"
"I am not exactly sure why, but Greta van Susteren is in Madison right now" Steven Lawrence
Looking forward to a debate between Wisconsin District 3 Rep. Ron Kind and Libertarian challenger Kevin Barrett Jesse Russell @ Dane101
"As the UW-Madison community grows more globally interconnected each year, tragedies such as the devastating earthquake that struck southwest China this week are felt here on a more deeply personal level" John D. Wiley @ UW Comm.
View more photos of the burned out remains of the Sigma Phi Epsilon house on Langdon Street Steven Lawrence
"Now that the Great Lakes Compact has whistled through the Wisconsin legislature, what's next on the agenda?" Jim Rowen
The Chris Farley Show by Tom Farley, Jr. and Tanner Colby "sort of feels like E! True Hollywood Story with a purpose" Brennan Nardi @ Mad. Mag.
"Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is romantic, edgy and hopeful" MADreads
Wisconsin men's hoops coach Bo Ryan and his execution of the "Soulja Boy" is a sign of the demise of hip-hop Paul Kix @ Salon
Catching up with Felicia Alima, Profound, and DJ Fusion at the MAMAsThe Madison Times
"The armed forces, the war at home, and the history of Truax Field: The East Side History Club is collecting memories and preserving local history" Nadine Goff
Student bicyclist seriously injured in car collision in University Heights neighborhood early Thursday afternoon MPD
"Adding a record fifth consecutive Big Ten Conference Outdoor Championship is just what the University of Wisconsin men's track and field team is looking to achieve this weekend" UW Ath. Dept.
The Josh Ritter show at the High Noon "has entered the books amongst my all time favorites for the venue" Jim Halberg
"Josh Ritter truly is a rockstar... and a folksinger, and he proved both equally at the High Noon Saloon" John Statz @ Dane101
"Josh Ritter has a better time on stage (or at least appears to) that 89% of the bands I've seen this year" in a show on Thursday at the High Noon Saloon Ryan Matteson @ MoB
Watch 8889 cover "Lovesong" by Snake River Conspiracy at its CD release show last Friday at the High Noon Aaron Veenstra
Officer saves man who was hanging himself inside a north side residence early Thursday morning MPD
Seeking suspect in early Thursday morning in Buckeye Lot off State Street MPD
"Madison police officers were called to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on Langdon Street for a report of a burglar inside the residence" on Wednesday evening MPD
"The Wisconsin men's rowing team, led by its third-ranked varsity eight, competes for a league title this Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester" at the Eastern Sprints UW Ath. Dept.
"Wisconsin Basecamp offers wilderness experience for new students" UW Comm.
UW alumnus Mary Nolan to host Chic & Easy cooking show on the Food Network UW Comm.
"After all, sure Brittany Zimmermann's death is tragic, but the real tragedy would be if one of Madison's biggest slumlord management companies went a year without squeezing every conceivable cent out of the UW's student population" Dustin Christopher
"The University of Wisconsin women's golf team released its Fall 2008 schedule today" UW Ath. Dept.
"Friendships are created, phone numbers and email address are swapped" at the meet and greets held with talent after the Public Enemies shoots around Wisconsin Rod Melotte
The Emergency Response Team was used early Thurdsay morning in the executing of warrants to search two south side addresses for drugs and stolen goods MPD
"A mentally ill person who killed his sister 23 years ago has been ordered by a court to be released to a neighborhood I represent and it's right between two parks and a school" Brenda Konkel
View photos of James McMurtry and The Dedringers playing on Monday at the High Noon Saloon "Cheese"
"Universal Studios spent a considerable amount of money on services and supplies in the city of Columbus" for the Public Enemies production Nancy Osterhaus
"I give Johnny Depp a key to the city after filming was completed early Wednesday morning" in Columbus on Public Enemies Nancy Osterhaus
Progressive Dane will concentrate current efforts on the issues of immigration and deportation, homelessness, economic development, and Madison Metro services PD
"Two things have happened recently in the media that has my 'public right to know' side of me conflicted with my 'individual right to privacy' and seem ethically improper if not illegal" Brenda Konkel
Timothy Mulcahy makes his pitch to students to become the next chancellor of UW-Madison Jason Smathers @ BH
Beer Here -- Kirby's Supper Club from the Great Dane and Capital Brewery Robin Shepard on Wednesday 05/07/2008 1:27 pm, (7) Recommendations The south-central Wisconsin brewing scene is truly unique -- where else would one brewery offer to host another local brewery's brewmaster? Capital Brewery's Kirby Nelson, famous or perhaps infamous for his distinctive personality and gray pony tail, teamed up with Rob LoBreglio of the Great Dane Pub and Brewery to make a special beer. Earlier this week the result of their collaboration debuted on the taps at the Great Dane in downtown Madison. >MoreGeorge Motz brings Hamburger America to Madison Hamburger man comes to munch at Dotty's Linda Falkenstein on Wednesday 05/07/2008 10:28 am, (4) Recommendations George Motz frequently punctuates his enthusiasm for hamburgers with a bubbling laugh. Motz is a director of photography and documentary filmmaker whose Hamburger America was shown on the Sundance Channel in 2005. He's now spun his cross-nation ramblings into a guidebook, also called Hamburger America, and subtitled A State-by-State Guide to 100 Great Burger Joints. I guarantee that a few moments paging through this book will have burger lovers doing two things. >More
MadTracks -- 'All We Are' by 8889 April Williamson on Thursday 05/08/2008 10:43 am, (10) Recommendations Pop rockers 8889 have been working for a few years on their new album Zoology, the follow-up to their well-received 2005 debut release My Music Plan. If the five men behind the band have spent a long time in the studio, it's because they now have a growing reputation to uphold: "Dandelions" from that first album won the 2006 Madison Area Music Award for Best Pop Song. >MoreThe Kissers bid farewell to Madison An open letter from Ken Fitzsimmons Ken Fitzsimmons on Wednesday 05/07/2008 6:32 pm, (2) Comments, (10) Recommendations We decided to play our last show on June 7, 2008 at the High Noon (appropriate of course since it is the new incarnation of O'Cayz). Coincidentally this show will almost exactly mark the ten-year anniversary of our weekly gig at O'Cayz. >More
On the Agenda: Let the Madison city budget battle begin! Vikki Kratz on Monday 05/05/2008 1:31 pm, (1) Recommendation Newly elected Common Council president Tim Bruer calls a meeting to discuss the upcoming (probably dismal) 2008-2009 budget. If you can't make it, don't worry. This is only the beginning of the lengthy budget process, which won't end until the council holds several, dusk-to-dawn meetings in the fall. >MoreBrittany Zimmermann remembered at Mifflin Street Block Party Crowds and arrests down from last year at end-of-semester festival Erica Pelzek on Sunday 05/04/2008 11:20 am, (3) Recommendations As Madison recovers from its latest shock, the murder of University of Wisconsin-Madison junior Brittany Zimmermann, students, locals and out-of-towners were tentatively festive at this year's Mifflin Street Block Party on Saturday. Joviality and cooperation, among drunkenness, colored the fortieth annual gathering that originally intended to protest the Vietnam War. Fewer than 10,000 people attended this year's party, according to Madison Police Department Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain -- down from 2007. >More
Blaska's Blog: Calling all chickens David Blaska on Monday 05/05/2008 9:16 am, (1) Recommendation County Executive Kathleen Falk is now playing the blame game, suggesting that if only she had more taxes on cell and landline telephone users this might never have happened. But she always seems to have money to purchase more conservation acreage. >MoreBlaska's Blog: Banned on Gorham David Blaska on Saturday 05/03/2008 9:39 am, (22) Comments This is a most amazing thing! You absolutely must, gotta, have to see this. It is Brenda Konkel pushed to the limit. It is what Progressive Dane looks like when it is cornered and squeezed. >More
Madison Art Bikes Rally 2008: The bicycle as creative medium Saturday's ride around the Capitol to showcase fanciful ingenuity David Medaris on Thursday 05/08/2008 3:06 pm, (7) Recommendations Last weekend's Madison Art Bikes open house provided an opportunity to admire some of the bicycles that will be part of this coming Saturday's art bike rally around the Capitol. Scheduled to start at 11 a.m. from the Madison Children's Museum, the annual event promises to once again be quite a spectacle of creative imagination. >MoreJonny Hunter previews 4th Biannual Midwest Bike Polo Champeenships in Madison Teams to compete in 'Thunderdome' at Reynolds Park on Saturday Kristian Knutsen on Friday 05/02/2008 12:10 pm, (5) Recommendations When a trio of mad bike polo players -- Jonny Hunter, Ben Hunter, and Kev Walsh -- made their way to Washington, D.C. last weekend to compete in the East Coast Polo Invitational, the last thing they expected was to get caught up in the hullabaloo surrounding this year's White House Press Correspondents' Association dinner. That's exactly where they found themselves, though, as they approached their accommodations at the Washington Hilton Hotel, and wound up in the midst of an armada of limos and SUVs, security personnel, and attendees like noted Beltway journo Pamela Anderson. >More
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CRIME
Redacted report reveals nothing new on Brittany Zimmermann's 911 call Read the redacted report from Dane County Public Safety Communications Jason Shepard on Thursday 05/08/2008 9:08 pm, (1) Comment, (6) Recommendations A heavily redacted copy of a 40-page report into the alleged mishandling of a 911 call for help from murder victim Brittany Zimmermann sheds little, if any, new light on a number of important questions. The report was released on Thursday night, minutes after the end of a joint committee of the Dane County Board in which embattled 911 Center director Joe Norwick answered questions from county supervisors about 911 center policies. >MoreDane County Board spins wheels on Zimmermann 911 call controversy Bill Lueders on Thursday 05/08/2008 9:04 pm, (1) Comment, (1) Recommendation Scott McDonell began the meeting by stating that the matters under review could lead to litigation and anything said "can be used in court." It was the public-hearing equivalent of a Miranda warning. That was not the only admonition: McDonell, the Dane County Board chair, also explained that all questions would have to be screened and some could not be answered. >More
