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Ex-Nixon Aide John Dean To Speak On Watergate, Ethics During Madison Visit

October 2, 2013 - 1:00pm

John Dean, the former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon, will be Madison on Friday to deliver the University of Wisconsin Law School's 2013 Kastenmeier Lecture.

Dean's lecture is expected to draw on his days in Washington, D.C., as a young attorney -- having only been 31 when he was appointed -- to his ideas on the influence of power and ethics in government.

Dean served as counsel from July 1970 until April 1973 when Nixon fired him for refusing to complete a report on the Watergate cover-up. Soon after, Dean became the first White House official to accuse the president of direct involvement in...

In Madison, Health Insurance Website Glitches Foil In-Person Exchange Signups

October 2, 2013 - 6:00am

After Web glitches snarled traffic on the newly opened federal health care exchange website on Tuesday, healthcare.gov, local advocates said that they were unable to give in-person assistance to would-be enrollees.

Walker Considering Self-Insurance Plan For State Employees

October 2, 2013 - 8:33am

Gov. Scott Walker said the state is looking into creating a self-insured health benefits plan for state employees to avoid taxes and fees levied through the Affordable Care Act.

Wisconsin Sees Fewer Miles Driven Every Year Since 2004

October 2, 2013 - 8:17am

A newly-released study shows that Wisconsin residents have driven fewer miles in their cars for each of the last eight years. The public interest group WISPIRG has looked at federal data that shows the total miles traveled by Wisconsin residents in vehicles is down 3 percent compared to 2004. That's...

Horicon Marsh (Partly) Shut Down With Federal Government

October 2, 2013 - 7:56am

The Horicon National Wildlife Refuge finds itself partly open and partly closed as the federal government shutdown continues. Massive numbers of migrating waterfowl draw many people to Horicon this time of year. The northern two-thirds of the marsh — that operated by the federal government — is now closed. The...

UW-Madison Named No. 2 Party School, Magazine Says

October 1, 2013 - 3:30pm

Recently, Playboy Magazine named the University of Wisconsin-Madison the no. 2 party school in the country. It’s recognition that some said they see as worrisome.

While the adage “all publicity is good publicity” is well known, does a university want to be known for its “party” scene, which tends to go hand-in-hand with drinking?

Binge drinking on college campuses is a common trope in movies, but campus drinking -- both legal and underage -- can be linked to other college problems, like violence, mental illness and sexual assault, according to the Washington Post.

According to Dr. Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University...

Wisconsin Issues Its 200,000th Concealed Carry Permit

October 1, 2013 - 1:34pm

Wisconsin issued its 200,000th permit to carry a concealed gun yesterday, a month shy of the controversial program’s two-year anniversary. State Department of Justice officials aren't surprised at the interest in concealed carry permits, and say the biggest glitch right now is that the legislature lowered the permit fee in...

VA Hospitals Won't Be Affected By Government Shutdown

October 1, 2013 - 1:19pm

Despite a partial government shutdown , Veterans Affairs hospitals remain open across the country. It’s business as usual for the VA hospitals in Tomah, Madison, and Milwaukee. The VA’s outpatient clinics and Vet Centers will also stay open. Madison VA spokesman Tim Donovan says the hospitals are doing everything they...

Possible Changes to State Employee Health Benefits?

October 1, 2013 - 3:06pm

According to a Wisconsin State Journal story, there could be a change coming to health benefits for state workers in Wisconsin. A reporter breaks down what could be on the way.

Wisconsin's New Health Exchange Opens

October 1, 2013 - 12:09pm

Today is the first opportunity for those without insurance and those who buy their own coverage to shop on a new marketplace called an exchange. The health exchanges are supposed to be consumer friendly and spur competition among insurance companies. In Wisconsin, there are 13 private insurance carriers offering a...