Luisa de Vogel

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300 sexual assaults reported to UW-Madison this year, 3 percent investigated

Over 300 sexual assaults were reported to UW-Madison in 2017, according to data released Wednesday, and while the number was on par with last year, reports increased by just over 100 cases since 2015. University officials pointed to an increase in knowledge about the reporting process, not actual sexual assaults as the reason for last year’s jump.

State Street Taco Bell is lawyering up, sues City of Madison over liquor license

The franchiser of Taco Bell announced today a lawsuit against the City of Madison, for the unfair denial of a liquor license, furthering the months long battle over alcohol sales at the restaurants new Cantina on State Street. The restaurant chain is claiming that their liquor license was unfairly denied on the grounds that weeks after their denial, the city issued a license to a similar establishment, Chen’s Dumpling House, across the street. Originally, the city’s Common Council originally approved the license, but it was then vetoed by Mayor Soglin, and did not garner enough votes for a veto-override. “The City’s approval of the Chen’s application proves there is no evidence or rational basis for the finding that granting Bell’s License Application would undermine public safety,” the complaint stated. Soglin vetoed the original application on the grounds of “public safety.” “[Issuing a license to this location would have] enormous costs for the residents of Madison and our city government by contributing to the alcohol related problems, downtown, potentially including violence and raising the cost of policing,” Soglin stated, according to the complaint. The lawsuit claims that Soglin’s evidence of alcohol related crime all occured on University Avenue, and therefore the denial of Taco Bell’s license was “arbitrary and capricious.” According to the complaint, various Madison Alders were concerned that the denial of Taco Bell’s license was arbitrary. “I don’t know how we can call ourselves ‘policy makers’ and vote [to uphold] the veto with the Mayor, because we would be making a decision with the absence of a policy at the detriment of a business, regardless of it it’s a national chain or whatever,” Alder Phair said, according to the complaint. Taco Bell is asking the city of Madison for the approval of their liquor license and “recoverable costs” for the revenue the restaurant would have made had the original license been approved.

Multiple crimes reported near campus this weekend

Downtown Madison saw several crime incidents this past weekend, including a robbery in a Gilman Street apartment and a speeding ticket for the driver of a car that slid through the intersection of University Ave.

After 10 years, The Frequency is set to close its doors

After 10 years in Madison’s downtown area, local music venue The Frequency will be closing on June 30. When Darwin Sampson started concert venue, he hoped the venue could act as a stepping stone for small local bands and occasionally host touring acts as they passed through Madison on their way to larger cities. “That’s the whole concept of The Frequency, it’s just that next step for that band in the basement that has aspirations to maybe up their game a little bit,” Sampson said.

Sexual assault reported on near East side

The second reported sexual assault in two days allegedly occurred on Madison’s near East side Monday morning. An 18-year-old woman visiting Madison from New York alerted Madison police that she was assaulted on Ohio Street early Sunday morning.

As SSFC attempts to update internal policies, lengthy meetings require students to foot the bill

In a year where multiple groups have expressed frustration with the process to receive student funds, the Student Services Finance Committee is grappling with a survey showing half of all groups seeking money felt the board didn’t create a welcoming environment. As a result, SSFC has worked to increase transparency and change certain internal committee policies.

UW-Madison students participate in nationwide sustainability, art project

A group of UW-Madison students are participating in a nationwide project aimed at creating beautiful pieces of jewelry, using sustainable and ethical practices. The Radical Jewelry Makeover draws attention to the fact that jewelry is often sourced from sacred land and developing countries in ways that exploit both the land and the people living on it.

UW Sea Grant Institute announces 2.8 million in research funding

The UW-Madison Sea Grant Institute, which focuses on the preservation of the Great Lakes, announced Thursday a $2.8 million donation to fund research in the coming year. The institute awarded grants to 19 projects on eight different UW System campuses, as well as projects through the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, UW-Extension and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Almost 100 researchers, staff and students will be engaged in work funded by the institute, according to the program’s director of research Jennifer Hauxwell.

Madison charter school requests waiver of recruitment requirements

A Madison area charter school petitioned the Madison Metropolitan School Board Monday to allow the school to continue recruiting students through a dual-lottery process. Nuestro Mundo is a dual language immersion school, with a mission to educate both native English and Spanish speaking students in a community which fosters equity and inclusion.

2018 UW-Madison Distinguished Faculty Awards announced

Twelve UW-Madison faculty members will be honored this April with the university’s annual Distinguished Teaching Awards. Recipients of this historic award, which dates back to 1953, are chosen based on student nominations and contributions faculty have made to student learning in their departments. This years winners include associate professor of integrative biology, Ellen Damschen, botany professor Simon Gilroy and professor of Afro-American Studies Michael Thorton.

Sixteen-year-old climate change speaker Xiuhtezcatl Martinez spoke about engaging young people in environmental discussions at Union South Monday.