Madison
Controversial plans to test tasers on drugged pigs have been blocked, for now.
According to WKOW-27 News, the Campus Animal Care Committee told professor John Webster Thursday that the use of cocaine would not comply with university guidelines.
\It won't happen,"" said chairman Eric Sandren.
UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley said approved research protocol has limits which must be honored. Webster may seek to amend the protocol to permit cocaine testing in the future.
Madison
Gov. Jim Doyle will allocate $1.1 million of the 2005-'07 budget to the implementation of programs designed to increase the number of Wisconsin residents with four-year college degrees, according to a press release.
Because the number of college graduates in Wisconsin falls below the national average, the Committee on Baccalaureate Expansion issued recommendations in December to increase retention and encourage working adults to complete their degrees.
COBE's proposals unite the UW System and the Wisconsin Technical College system to ""connect adult workers to convenient, new degree opportunities to earn a four-year college diploma,"" according to Doyle.
Madison
Smokers in Wisconsin will be forced to pay $1 more for a pack of cigarettes if a bill introduced Thursday is passed.
The bipartisan legislation seeks to generate between $250 and $300 million annually, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. A portion of the funds would be used to fund programs to help smokers quit, while the majority of the income would be used to offset the $70 million Medicaid deficit.
Opponents of the legislation believe the increase will result in more spending while failing to address the more pressing concern of reforming Medicaid.
Madison
Lake Mendota may soon be cleaner, thanks to recently-announced funding available for preventing pollution caused by urban stormwater runoff. The $49,000 of funding is destined for a cost-sharing program to improve antiquated storm drain outlets.
These outlets allow untreated storm water and litter to freely enter the lake water. According to the Lake Mendota Priority Watershed Project, each year 89 tons of sediment and 363 pounds of phosphorus, which is destructive to ecosystems, find their way into the lake. The county will match funding for municipalities bordering Lakes Mendota, Monona and Wingra.
