Monday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 91. Sunrise is 5:15 and sunset 8:36 for 15h 20m 12s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 78.6 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Police & Fire Commission meets at 6 PM.
On this day in 1673, Marquette & Joliet reach the Mississippi: “Here we are, then, on this so renowned river, all of whose peculiar features I have endeavored to note carefully.”
On this day in 1850, Vega becomes the first star (other than the Sun) to be photographed.
The number of Universities of Wisconsin campuses projected to have budget deficits heading into next school year is down from 2023. But one campus has already used all of its reserves as efforts to address budget shortfalls there have negatively impacted staff morale.
Six UW schools are projected to have deficits next school year, down from 10 last year, according to Board of Regents finance committee documents. The structural deficits at those schools range from nearly $9 million to more than $500,000.
The six campuses are UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Superior, UW-Parkside and UW-Whitewater.
UW-River Falls at $3.2 million, up from $2.0 million;
UW-Eau Claire at $1.6 million, down from $5.6 million;
UW-Superior at $1.5 million, up from $600,000;
UW-Parkside at $1.0 million, down from $5.3 million;
And UW-Whitewater at $509,174, down from the $5.9 million.
There’s good news for Whitewater: this is a significant reduction in the structural deficit for our local campus. UW-Whitewater is in a better position now than some other campuses, however uncomfortable deficit-reduction has been.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be cloudy with nighttime thunderstorms and a high of 82. Sunrise is 5:17 and sunset 8:29 for 15h 12m 31s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 4.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
A conservative University of Wisconsin regent who planned to remain on the board despite his term ending has resigned, clearing the way for his successor to join the board.
Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker appointed Bob Atwell to the UW Board of Regents for a term that ended May 1. Atwell emailed UW System leaders late last month about his plan to continue serving until he resigned or his successor was confirmed by the GOP-controlled state Senate. He noted his replacement hadn’t even been named and he hoped his extension would improve communication between the Legislature and the board.
The state Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that political appointees can remain in their posts until the Senate confirms their successor because the expiration of a term doesn’t in itself create a vacancy.
Evers on May 31 announced Timothy Nixon would take Atwell’s spot for a term ending in 2031. Nixon, who earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Green Bay and a law degree from UW-Madison, is a bankruptcy lawyer for Godfrey & Kahn.
Atwell resigned Monday, according to an email he sent to UW leaders and shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Atwell is claiming his actions were ‘misinterpreted,’ but it is Atwell who followed Vos’s lousy advice and declined to change course until he, Atwell, faced public criticism. The best way to avoid being ‘misinterpreted’ is to avoid counsel from men whose advice leads to ‘misinterpretation.’
Which men would those be? Men like this:
“Incredibly Safe!” By Lehnmat – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89016154
Monday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 80. Sunrise is 5:17 and sunset 8:28 for 15h 11m 28s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 10.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Equal Opportunities Commission meets at 5 PM, and the Police & Fire Commission meets at 6 PM.
On this day in 1965, NASA launches Gemini 4, a NASA crew’s first multi-day space mission. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk.
Gov. Tony Evers on Friday announced three appointments to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, including one to replace an appointee of Gov. Scott Walker who has said he won’t leave his position despite the expiration of his term.
In a news release announcing his appointments to the board, which contains 14 citizen members, Evers did not address Robert Atwell’s statement earlier this week that he would be remaining on the board, but said that the body is at a “critical juncture.”
“Our UW System is at a critical juncture after a decade-long war waged on higher education by Republican lawmakers in our state, the devastating results of which we are seeing firsthand as campuses close their doors, layoff staff, and cut programs,” Evers said. “The work of the UW Board of Regents is as important as ever, and I have full confidence that the three individuals I am appointing today are ready and prepared to face these challenges head-on, to do what is in the best interest for our students, faculty, and staff, and to ensure we have the fully funded, fully functioning UW System that Wisconsinites deserve and that meets the needs of our students, our workforce, and our local communities.”
On Monday, Atwell said in an email to UW System leaders that he wouldn’t be leaving. He’s able to remain on the board because of a legal precedent set by the state Supreme Court after a Walker appointee to the state Natural Resources Board refused to leave for over a year past the expiration of his term. The precedent states that so long as the state Senate, currently controlled by Republicans, does not confirm an appointee’s replacement, that person can remain in their post indefinitely. Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe has also used the ruling to remain in her post despite opposition from Republicans to her continued service in the role.
Evers appointed Tim Nixon, Jack Salzwedel, and Desmond Adongo to seven year terms.
Nixon, a commercial lawyer, was appointed to replace Atwell. He has received three degrees from UW schools.
Can stay and should stay aren’t the same concepts; a well-ordered system is one in which should trumps can.
Sunday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 77. Sunrise is 5:17 and sunset 8:28 for 15h 10m 23s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 19.6 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1966, Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world.
Readers will recall Fred Prehn, the dentist-cranberry farmer who refused to leave his seat on the state’s Natural Resouces Board at the expiration of his term. Although the Wisconsin Supreme Court, then with a conservative majority, found his actions lawful, Prehn later left that board, in the way that even the most stubborn ticks dislodge themselves after they’ve gourged long enough. SeeTiny Fred Prehn, Fred Prehn, the Most Self-Aware Man in All History, and Frederick Prehn finally resigns from Natural Resources Board.
Then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, appointed Robert Atwell to the Board of Regents in May 2017. His seven-year term ends this month.
Atwell sent an email to Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, regents President Karen Walsh and regents Executive Director Megan Wasley on Monday saying he won’t step down until he chooses to resign or the state Senate confirms a successor.
The state Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that political appointees don’t have to leave their posts until the Senate confirms their successor. Atwell said in his email that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos reminded him that he could remain in his position on the regents.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has yet to announce Atwell’s successor.
“I knew Bob Atwell as a person of high personal integrity,” Evers told The Associated Press on Saturday. “Something has changed.”
Quite a menagerie the WISGOP has: Atwell comports himself as a parasitic arachnid and Vos as a weasel. Admirers, it seems, in their own disordered but surprising fashion, of the animal kingdom.
Parachutists jumped from World War II-era planes into now peaceful Normandy to kick off a week of ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Soldiers from across the United States, Britain, Canada and other Allied nations waded ashore through hails of fire on five beaches on June 6, 1944. French officials, grateful Normandy survivors and other admirers are saying “merci” but also goodbye to the fast-dwindling number of D-Day veterans still alive. (AP video by Nicolas Garriga/Production by Jeffrey Schaeffer)
Thursday in Whitewater will be rainy with a high of 38. Sunrise is 7:24 and sunset 4:28 for 9h 03m 39s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 97.5% of its visible disk illuminated.
The Universities of Wisconsin Regents unanimously voted yesterday evening to fire UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow over Gow’s appearance with his wife, Carmen Wilson, in several pornography videos. The story, understandably, has attracted national attention. Never a dull moment in the Badger State.
Gow, 63, and his wife, Carmen Wilson, appear in videos on several porn websites using “Sexy Happy Couple” as the account name, a moniker also used on at least two social media accounts.
The couple also published two books under pseudonyms detailing their experiences in the adult film industry. Both books and the social media accounts feature photos clearly showing Gow and Wilson.
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The couple’s account on X, formerly Twitter, hinted at their hobby: “The Passionate plant-powered couple cooking, conversing, and shooting with top adult video stars. Visit our LoyalFans and OnlyFans sites for fully explicit scenes!”
Gow and Wilson have six videos on OnlyFans that feature adult film stars, according to descriptions of the videos. They also appear on at least two other porn websites, PornHub and XHamster. Some videos have more than 200,000 views. All videos were posted in the last two months.
Liam Beran of the Daily Cardinal offers more detail:
The couple has posted nine videos on their Youtube channel Sexy Healthy Couple — described as “a plant-powered couple [making] delicious vegan food with top adult stars,” per a channel description — with the first posted on Dec. 9, 2023, as first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The videos feature Gow and Wilson making recipes alongside adult film entertainers and small segments of suggestive material.
The channel’s Twitter account advertises “fully explicit scenes” on their OnlyFans account.
In one video, Gow shows a book entitled “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship,” which he says he wrote with Wilson. The book is listed under pen names Geri and Jay Hart, which are described on Amazon as “pen names of a married woman and man who serve in executive positions at two well-known organizations in the U.S.”
“Not our real names, because we’re still forced to kinda lay low on that, but someday,” Gow said in the Dec. 13 video.
Properly speaking, if Gow wanted to describe ongoing concealment in the present, he would use lie low, not lay low (past tense). Lay low would correctly describe prior concealment, but then again Gow might have been using lay low as wordplay to describe the particulars of his lifestyle. Perhaps chancellors in La Crosse are crafty that way.
The Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman stated after Gow’s dismissal that
“Upon my recommendation, the UW Board of Regents today terminated Dr. Joe Gow from his position as chancellor of UW-La Crosse effective immediately. In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm. His actions were abhorrent.
“As a tenured faculty member, Dr. Gow will be placed on paid administrative leave as he transitions into his faculty role at UW-La Crosse. However, I have filed a complaint this evening with interim Chancellor Betsy Morgan regarding Dr. Gow’s status as a tenured faculty member, asking that such status be reviewed. In addition, an outside law firm has been engaged to undertake a fulsome investigation of the matter. We anticipate the complaint will be considered in the normal course as dictated by Wis. Admin. Code Ch. 4.”
While one can understand that Gow’s behavior is embarrassing to the Regents, Rothman’s use of abhorrent (lit., inspiring disgust and loathing; repugnant) seems a bit much for a public university system that has over many years tolerated far worse than anything Gow has done. (All Gow’s actions were, after all, apparently weird-but-consensual.)
Gow, himself, has few regrets, as Kelly Meyerhofer reports:
He wishes he hadn’t self-censored that part of his life for so long, fearing his secret would lead to his being shunned by the higher education community.
After years of hearing UW leaders profess the importance of free speech, Gow decided to test that commitment. He felt the timing was apt, with months left in his chancellorship and plans to return next fall as a faculty member.
“I felt a little bit more open about ‘let’s raise these free speech issues and see how the board responds,’ and now we know,” he said.
Friday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 55. Sunrise is 7:13 and sunset 4:20 for 9h 07m 29s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 19.8% of its visible disk illuminated.
Starting next year, high school students could be accepted into University of Wisconsin schools without even applying.
The Universities of Wisconsin is rolling out its direct admissions initiative to boost enrollment across its campuses. UW system administrators hope to reach first-generation college students and other potential students who might not have considered attending a four-year school.
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Participating high schools and participating UW campuses will enter student grade point average data and campus admission requirements into two large student information systems used by many public school districts in Wisconsin, Infinite Campus or Skyward Schools. From there, students will receive admission letters to the campuses where they are matched for fall 2025.
Rothman said most UW campuses have similar GPA requirements. He said GPA is being looked at because it is a good predictor of future college performance.
“We can start to have a conversation about what a university journey will look like, financial aid and what that process is, and really take some burden off of high school counselors,” Rothman said.
Hess reports that other states have had success with a direct-admissions approach:
Idaho adopted the nation’s first direct admissions system, proactively admitting all high school graduates to a set of public institutions in 2015. Idaho’s program raised first-time undergraduate enrollments by just over 8 percent and in-state student enrollment by almost 12 percent by the 2017-18 school year, according to an article by Research in Higher Education.
The state of New York created a direct admissions program this year for more than 125,000 graduating high school seniors. In fall 2024, Georgia will roll out a direct admissions program similar to Wisconsin’s.
It’s a good idea — schools will send out offers of acceptance based on academic performance in participating high schools but students need not accept an offer. The program removes a burdensome application process many might have experienced. Less in this case is more.
Good morning. Wednesday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 57. Sunrise is 7:04 and sunset 6:18 PM for 11h 14m 13s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 9.2% of its visible disk illuminated. The Whitewater Common Council and the Whitewater Unified School Board meet at 6 PM. …
Good morning. Friday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 77. Sunrise is 6:35 AM and sunset 7:04 PM for 12h 28m 54s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 0.3% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1835, the HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, reaches the Galapagos Islands. The…
Good morning. Sunday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 78. Sunrise is 5:17 AM and sunset 8:37 PM for 15h 19m 37s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 42.1% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1950, the Korean War begins when North Korea invades South…
Good morning. Monday in Whitewater will be increasingly sunny with a high of 84. Sunrise is 5:16 AM and sunset 8:36 PM for 15h 20m 21s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 1.7% of its visible disk illuminated. Whitewater’s Library Board meets at 6:30 PM. On this day in 1865, two years…
Good morning. Sunday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 79. Sunrise is 5:20 AM and sunset 8:23 PM for 15h 02m 57s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 58.9% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1987, an 18-year-old West German pilot, Mathias Rust, evades Soviet air…
Good morning. Friday in Whitewater will see intermittent clouds with a high of 57. Sunrise is 6:03 AM and sunset 7:43 PM for 13h 42m 01s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 2.1% of its visible disk illuminated. This day in 753 BC is the traditional date on which Romulus founds Rome. Rich…
Good morning. Friday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 30. Sunrise is 7:19 AM and sunset 4:52 PM for 9h 33m 49s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 2.9% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1942, at the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior…
Good morning. Monday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 24. Sunrise is 7:21 AM and sunset 4:23 PM for 9h 01m 44s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 19.5% of its visible disk illuminated. The Whitewater School Board goes into closed session shortly after 6 PM, to resume open session…
