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Dirt trail leads to treenappers

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Two UW-Madison students are paying hefty fines of about $700 apiece, for stealing a 20 foot maple tree from a downtown street. Police spokesman Joel DeSpain says it appears some late night hijinks were involved. “They were up into the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, and at some point . . . someone had a brainstorm of going out and taking this maple tree,” says DeSpain. The tree was yanked out of the ground and brought into an apartment.

It didn’t take police very long to find the thieves. “We’re used to following blood trails, but this turned out to be a dirt trail we followed right back to the apartment,” says DeSpain. Officers found the door wide open, the occupants asleep, “and what we call a clue sitting in the living room.” The two young men did try to save the tree by replanting it at its original location.

AUDIO: WIBA‘s Robin Colbert (:50)

Dane County scores DOT grant for accident investigations

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MPDSquadOne Wisconsin County is getting some extra crash, to investigate and prosecute serious traffic crimes. Major Dan Lonsdorf with the Wisconsin State Patrol says, with new laws on uninsured motorists, tougher drunk driving penalties, and the ban on texting while driving, local law enforcement and prosecutors have a big increase in their workloads. That’s why the state Department of Transportation is providing Dane County with a 141 thousand dollar grant for critical traffic investigations and a prosecutor devoted solely to serious crashes. [Read more…]

Madison approves controversial hotel project

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After an all night meeting, Madison’s City Council has approved the $98 million Edgewater Hotel redevelopment project.

Members of the Madison City Council spent the meeting debating a proposed downtown hotel redevelopment, before taking a final vote on the Edgewater redevelopment at 7:40 this morning. The last vote was for $16 million in TIF funding for the historic hotel. [Read more…]

Dalai Lama looks to science to unite (AUDIO)

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Daiai Lama (Photo: Brian Moon)

Daiai Lama (Photo: Brian Moon)

The Dalai Lama made a stop in Madison this weekend encouraging positive mental qualities like empathy and compassion. While sporting a Badgers cap presented to him by a children’s choir, the religious leader recalled a memory of young children who he were not concerned with “secondary differences.”

[Read more…]

Standing up for pedestrians

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Crosswalk signal (IMAGE: WRN)

Crosswalk signal (IMAGE: WRN)

The best advice to pedestrians on the streets around Wisconsin’s state Capitol might best be summed up as “step lively.” Anecdotally at least, the downtown area has become notorious for drivers who routinely drive through crosswalks with little regard for the presence of pedestrians. That may soon change: Madison police have begun issuing tickets to motorists who fail to yield to foot traffic around the Capitol loop. [Read more…]

Madison depot site chosen (AUDIO)

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Gov. Jim Doyle flanked by Dane Co. Exec Kathleen Falk & Mayor Dave Cieslewicz (IMAGE: WRN)

Gov. Jim Doyle flanked by Dane Co. Exec Kathleen Falk & Mayor Dave Cieslewicz (IMAGE: WRN)

The Doyle Depot? Madison will have a new high speed rail station downtown, and if the city’s Mayor has his way, it will be named after Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle. Doyle made the announcement Thursday that a site in the heart of downtown Madison has been selected over three others, including Dane County Regional Airport. The governor said a High-Speed Rail Station Feasibility Assessment indicated that the site on the Lake Monona side of Madison’s isthmus had higher projected ridership with costs roughly the same as other locations. And he noted that the city is already planning new parking. “And there is no doubt that what people wanted is to come to downtown Madison” Doyle said. [Read more…]

Getting goosed in Madison

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Madison’s Mayor is weighing on a proposed goose kill. “We need to explore all the options, but safety is paramount,” says Mayor Dave Cieslewicz about plans to kill up to 100 Canada Geese at Madison’s Warner Park. He emphasizes that the big birds are a potential hazard to planes at the nearby Dane County Regional Airport. [Read more…]

Chomsky on Obama, talk radio and tea party

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Noam

Noam Chomsky (Photo: WORT)

In a lifetime that spans the Great Depression and the Vietnam War, Noam Chomsky, 81, says he’s never seen such a climate of distrust in the US. Chomsky claims this distrust is giving rise to the tea party movement which he says is based on real concerns of unemployment and manufacturing jobs vanishing.  In calling the tea party movement the “most organized” of all protesting groups he says important question to ask is, “Why are these justly angry people being mobilized by the extreme right?” [Read more…]