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
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 •
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…
City, Free Markets, University
Whitewater Common Council Meeting for 9/2: Student Housing (Part 2)
by JOHN ADAMS •
On Neighborhood Associations. The Housing Task Force encouraged the creation of neighborhood associations. These associations will be well intentioned, but when they act on their own, they’ll risk overly intrusive actions toward their neighbors. When they seek action from the city, they find either too much or too little support. When they’re on their own,…
City, Free Markets, University
Whitewater Common Council Meeting for 9/2: Student Housing (Part 1)
by JOHN ADAMS •
In this post, I will consider the Common Council discussion on university housing, and off-campus student housing. It was the most heated portion of the meeting, but some of the quiet, scattered remarks during the conversation were no less telling. On Enforcement. Consider the situation of Atty. Terry Race, who lives near the university. …
City, Development, Economy, Free Markets, University
Student Housing in Whitewater: Our Mistaken and Repetitive Approach
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are two stories from yesterday’s Janesville Gazette that describe the pressures of student housing: Students Spread Out in Whitewater City, School Address Housing Concerns. The stories ably describe arguments that residents of Whitewater have have made against student housing for years with no change in demand. I certainly don’t believe that demand for student…
University
The Debate on a Lower Drinking Age
by JOHN ADAMS •
I am unsure if America would benefit if states could lower the drinking age to 18 without federal penalty, but I am sure the current restrictions are a failure. Recently, a group of college presidents from among 100 of America’s finest schools called for a debate on lowering the drinking age to 18. Note that…