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CITY NEWS

Madison police target demand side of heroin epidemic in upcoming program

By Gina Heeb | Feb. 13, 2017

In addressing the county’s swelling heroin epidemic, Madison police are looking to economics. Despite training and deploying a narcotics task force specifically designed to curb the number of drugs available in the city, Madison Police Department saw a 77 percent increase in overdose rates in 2016 from the previous year. One MPD officer has an idea behind why—local law enforcement has focused on just one side of the issue. “Our narcotics task force targets people supplying drugs into the city,” MPD Capt.

Medical professionals at Madison hospitals want people to seek help when they need it, even if they are under the legal drinking age.
CITY NEWS

Madison hospitals prioritize treatment over legalities in underage drinking cases

By Gina Heeb | Feb. 13, 2017

Matthew Klimesh—a registered nurse who has worked in the trauma unit of UW-Hospital since 2013—said during his short time in acute care, so far, he has already seen several lives put on the line because underagers who have had too much to drink are afraid to get medical treatment. “I’ve seen a lot of young people end up in liver failure, with permanent brain damage or even dead,” Klimesh said.

CITY NEWS

Spring primary: what’s on the ballot

By Gina Heeb | Feb. 9, 2017

For the very first time, Madison constituents are able to cast ballots early at locations all over the city—including on UW-Madison’s campus—for the spring municipal primary election taking place in under two weeks. Municipal elections allow voters to select judicial, educational and municipal officers, as well as non-partisan county officers. The Feb.

Around 300 people gathered in the Capitol during Walker’s budget address Wednesday to rally for Planned Parenthood funding at both the state and national level.
CITY NEWS

Hundreds rally for Planned Parenthood funding from state, nation

By Gina Heeb | Feb. 9, 2017

As state legislators sat down Wednesday in the Capitol to hear Gov. Scott Walker’s biennial budget address, “my body, my choice” and “fight back, stand up” chants broke out among roughly 300 people in pink shirts gathered under the rotunda to lobby for Planned Parenthood funding. Nicole Safar, a director at the rally’s organizing group—Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin—said the rally served as a joint message to both Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.

Madison Common Council passed unanimously on Tuesday a resolution reaffirming the city's stance on immigration enforcement and declaring several public buildings as "safe places" for the community.
CITY NEWS

Common Council unanimously passes immigration resolution

By Claire Lancaster | Feb. 7, 2017

Earning the applause of an overflowing city hall, Madison’s legislative body unanimously condemned President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting immigration in a proposal Tuesday. The resolution, which also reaffirms the city’s stance on immigration enforcement, has been a controversial topic among Common Council members because of a clause declaring the City-County Building and Madison Public Libraries as “safe places” for immigrants to seek refuge and council.

St. Mary’s Hospital failed to provide three different sexual assault victims in 2015 with information on or access to emergency contraceptives, according to a document obtained by the State Journal.
CITY NEWS

St. Mary’s Hospital cited for failure to provide emergency contraception access to rape victims

By Gina Heeb | Feb. 6, 2017

St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison is among 21 Wisconsin health centers fined in recent years for failing to comply with a state law requiring facilities to offer emergency contraceptives to rape victims. A state law put into effect in 2008 requires hospital staff to provide victims with information about emergency contraceptives, let them know the drugs are available within the facility and dispense them upon request.

Tobacco sales to minor are occurring at the highest rate in 10 years, according to a study released Thursday.
CITY NEWS

Tobacco sales to Madison minors hit 10-year high

By Claire Lancaster | Feb. 3, 2017

While national rates of smoking are steadily declining, a study released Thursday says the number of nicotine sales to minors in Madison is the highest since 2015. Almost one out of five Madison tobacco retailers willingly sold nicotine products to minors, according to the study, which was conducted by the Public Health Madison & Dane County and the Wisconsin Wins tobacco prevention program. Out of 208 tobacco retailers in Dane County given unannounced compliance checks by PHMDC, 19 percent of the establishments sold tobacco to underage volunteers who attempted to solicit illegal nicotine products, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, loose tobacco and electronic cigarettes.

State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, attempted Tuesday to sway Dane County officials in support of a new bill requiring “de-escalation” training for Wisconsin police.
CITY NEWS

State representative touts police ‘de-escalation’ training bill to county officials

By Gina Heeb | Jan. 31, 2017

A state lawmaker representing the downtown and campus area is seeking support from county officials on a bill aimed at reducing deadly force by Wisconsin police officers. The legislation would require teaching “de-escalation” tactics at police departments, through officer training mandates focused on defusing encounters on the street and reserving lethal force as a last-resort measure. State Rep.

Policy changes announced by MPD Chief Mike Koval on Monday reaffirm the department’s resistance to take part in federal immigration enforcement, except in cases of serious crimes related to public safety.
CITY NEWS

Madison police update immigration policy amid Trump turmoil

By Gina Heeb | Jan. 30, 2017

Following a wave of contentious executive orders signed in Washington late last week calling for strict immigration law at both the federal and local level, Madison Police Department Chief Michael Koval announced on Monday two policy changes to how officers will approach immigration enforcement. The changes, including a new standard operating procedure and an updated code of conduct, say MPD will only probe immigration status in cases of serious crimes directly related to public safety, rather than for deportation purposes under Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency. “It is my hope that these changes will further affirm our commitment to providing qualitative services to ALL of our residents while also providing some measure of comfort that MPD will not be engaging in/with ICE in matters that are only concentrated on deportation,” Koval said in a blog post announcing the policy changes. Under the new standard operating procedure, MPD will only cooperate with ICE in immigration-related investigation or detainment when an individual is engaged in, or reasonably suspected of, terrorism or espionage, participating in a criminal street gang, arrested for any violent felony or is a previously deported felon.

Madison police and officials won’t change immigration policies under a newly signed executive order threatening federal funding cuts to sanctuary cities, Mayor Paul Soglin said Thursday.
CITY NEWS

Soglin says Madison won’t fold to federal funding threats

By Gina Heeb | Jan. 26, 2017

Despite federal funding threats, city officials and law enforcement will not target individuals based on immigration status, according to Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. The move is in sync with a band of mayors across the country, who are vowing to denounce an executive order imposing immigration ultimatums on local governments signed by President Donald Trump yesterday.

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CITY NEWS

Madison Water Utility to continue conservation program

By Gina Heeb | Jan. 25, 2017

Residents of Madison could earn $100 by trading in an old toilet for a newer models through a city water conservation program continuing this year. The toilet rebate program allows Madison Water Utility customers to earn credit toward water bills when they replace old toilets—that use a high amount of water—with more efficient ones.

Two high-profile sexual assault cases at UW-Madison last year have put pressure on Common Council candidates Zach Wood and John Terry Jr., who would represent campus in the coming term, to focus on issues like installing more street cameras around the city to curb crime.
CITY NEWS

UW College Democrats endorse incumbent for city council seat

By Gina Heeb | Jan. 24, 2017

The alderman currently representing campus in Madison’s city council secured on an endorsement for reelection from Tuesday from College Democrats of UW-Madison. The student organization will support incumbent Ald. Zach Wood, District 8, in the race against challenger John Terry Jr. for the council’s heavily student-populated district seat, which constitutes a large portion of downtown Madison.

With estimates of attendees between 75,000 and 100,000, the March on Madison drew in 41 percent of the city’s population on Saturday.
CITY NEWS

Madison Women’s March turnout among top in country

By Gina Heeb | Jan. 24, 2017

A digital strategy company says the march in Madison on Saturday had the second-highest ratio of city population who participated. The digital strategy company, Reverbal Communications, released an analysis Monday comparing percentage of city population to turn up at the top-10 largest marches.

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