A few weeks ago, Whitewater police cited one-hundred thirty-two underage drinkers at a house party in Whitewater. Thereafter, Whitewater’s police chief acknowledged that information about the party came from ‘undercover students,’ an acknowledgment that’s just foolish and tone-deaf. (Yes, Coan’s actually quoted calling them ‘undercover students,’ by the way.) I wrote about Coan’s remarks, in…
University
City, Government Spending, School District, Taxes/Taxation, University
Calls for Public Spending in a Small Town
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are, I think, two principal ways that a government spending proposal in a small town succeeds. (There are more than two ways, but here I’m simply considering principal ways.) The first way is how all spending proposals should be considered — on the merits. Is it necessary to tax for a public purpose, and…
Freedom of Speech, University
Tonight on Stossel: Campus Speech Codes
by JOHN ADAMS •
If you’ve not seen Stossel, the eponymous program of libertarian John Stossel on the Fox Business Channel, you’re missing a great program. Stossel’s program airs on the Fox Business Channel (rather than Fox News) on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. central time. On tonight’s episode, Stossel considers the
University
Wisconsin State Journal: Dogs Sharpen Sniffing Skills at UW-Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a story about dogs learning to improve their tracking skills, and possibly do lifesaving work, after completing a training course at our local campus: This week, [Ed] Presnall, of Walworth, is on the UW-Whitewater campus teaching dogs and their handlers how to find Alzheimer’s victims and other people who may wander away from home.…
University
Astonishing: Oil Spill’s Damage Far Greater than Once Thought – CBS News
by JOHN ADAMS •
Hard to believe, yet it’s probable, that the Gulf of Mexico spill may be worse than prior estimates suggest: New numbers showing the amount of oil gushing from a well in the Gulf of Mexico may be double what was previously thought means the crude is likely to travel farther away, threatening more birds, fish…
University
Webby Awards: GameZombie TV Wins Big
by JOHN ADAMS •
I mentioned the Webby Awards recently, honoring the best websites in categories receiving honors from judges or popular vote. The Webby Awards are the largest awards of their kind, and GameZombie TV of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has won big: The student-produced Web series GameZombie TV at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has won two top…
City, University
Whitewater’s College Campus During the Depression
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are happy coincidences in life, and I received one yesterday. I’ve written about the campus in the last few days. Yesterday, a post card arrived that someone sent of our college campus in Whitewater, with a picture of the school during the Depression. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s campus appears on part of the card…
City, Development, University
Update: How Long Does It Take a Whitewater, Wisconsin Bureaucrat to Screw in a Traffic Light?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Update to the update: I’m getting reader suggestions for limiting traffic from the university side of this intersection via signage or a permanent end to travel as an alternative to junking the gateway. As you can see below, I’d forget about the gateway before I’d delay a pedestrian solution. I’m not concerned about that proposal…
University
Poll: Comments on FREE WHITEWATER
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve been writing for nearly three years now, and I receive a good bit of email, from places near and (sometimes) surprisingly far. Every so often, I have thought about adding moderated comments to this website, for some posts. Moderated, because this website is a private publication, and a private publisher need not accept every…
Laws/Regulations, University
On Binge Drinking and UW-Stout’s Failing Prohibition
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve written before about regulation of drink specials in Whitewater, and there’s a video from Reason.tv that considers UW-Stout’s efforts to regulate excessive drinking. The University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Chancellor, Charles Sorenson, has made regulating drinking a top priority, and he’s won acclaim for his efforts. A closer look shows that regulation has simply driven the…
University
Wisconsin State Journal — Executive Q&A: Toppers Pizza founder Scott Gittrich on pie appeal
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, University
Snowball Throwing…There’s a Regulation Against That
by JOHN ADAMS •
On our local college campus, as about a foot of snow fell in town, there was a snowball fight. Regrettably, a few windows were broken. Snowballs, baseballs, and footballs sometimes break windows. Accidental damage is unfortunate; deliberate vandalism is wrong. A regulation against snowball throwing, on the theory that someone might get hurt, or property…
City, Press, University
Real Risks in a Real Town
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a view – almost a wish – that in a small town, life will prove less regulated, and the only regulations the community issues are the most important, truly concerning health and safety. Sometimes, after paying for another permit, or sitting in a traffic jam caused by another urban plan gone awry, someone in…
University
Disingenuous and Trivial Complaints from the Freedom from Religion Foundation
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Recently, our local college campus, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, passed along information about a prayer vigil to honor a senior, Amy Krueger, who was killed at Fort Hood, Texas. The Freedom from Religion Foundation, based, I think, in nearby Madison, objected to the email, on the contention that the email supposedly should have read ‘memorial…