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THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIV, Issue 12

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

www.badgerherald.com

City will allow taxis to cruise State Street Cabs limited to pickups and drop-offs on 500 block during late-night hours Camille Albert City Hall Editor Madison’s City Council voted to pass an ordinance allowing cabs to pick up passengers on the 500

block of State Street from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. after hours of discussion Tuesday evening. The proposal had been a point of contention between members of the City Council and Mayor Paul Soglin, who proposed prohibiting taxis from cruising State Street this summer. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said taxicabs have been “cruising” on

State Street for several years looking for fares and have been able to do so since the 1970s. Under the newly-passed ordinance, cabs will continue to be able to both pick up and drop off individuals on the otherwise traffic-free pedestrian mall. Resnick said when federal funding was granted to build State Street, only delivery trucks, buses, fire and police

vehicles were allowed to roam freely on the street. He added taxicabs were only permitted on the street if they were dropping someone off or picking someone up. He said this new proposal will benefit the safety of students because cab companies often call in reported incidents downtown late at night. “I believe that this is actually a safety concern

Autumn Eastwooding UW undergraduate Gina Sledow is one of few students who bear the cold and wind to study on Union Terrace as Madison temperatures begin to dip into the 50s. Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

for students,” Resnick said. “I am all for having eyes on the street, and cabs play a big role, so I very much encourage them being allowed on the thoroughfare.” But Mayor Paul Soglin said the use of State Street has changed significantly over time; it has become more attractive and has demanded more uses. He said if State Street is being considered “so dangerous,”

City Council may want to consider redesigning Library Mall. Soglin also said it is important to look at the space in its totality, which is what he said makes State Street special. “What I found so disturbing is that drunks are ‘driving’ State Street,” Soglin said. “Alcoholrelated safety issues are the

CABS, page 5

Panhandling eliminated Ordinance bans asking for money on State Street, within 25 feet of any ATM Camille Albert City Hall Editor City officials passed an ordinance to completely ban panhandling from the downtown area at the City Council meeting Tuesday evening. The ordinance, targeted specifically at State Street, banned panhandling within 25 feet of ATMs, sidewalk cafés, intersections, alcohol establishments and the downtown business district. Last week, the city announced a proposal to place discontinued parking meters on State Street to serve as donation receptacles in the absence of panhandlers. Assistant City Attorney Marci Paulsen said the city has looked at where the

panhandling occurred and wanted to tailor the ordinance to the most restrictive needs. “The courts held that panhandling is a First Amendment right, but several courts said you can’t ban it everywhere; you have to look at what narrowly meets the governmental needs,” Paulsen said. Paulsen said panhandling is defined as asking for an immediate request from another person and does not include those that hold signs or put out items such as a guitar case. Madison police neighborhood officer Jeff Pharo said the issue of panhandling is not always an issue of homelessness. He said about 18 active

PANHANDLING, page 5

Attorney General requests stay for bargaining decision Elliot Hughes Deputy News Editor In the wake of a Dane County judge’s decision to strike down Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial budget repair law, a Madison teachers’ union is jumping at the chance to engage in collective bargaining talks, while the

state is acting fast to put the law back into effect. Madison Teachers Inc., the plaintiff in the case that overturned the law, filed a request Tuesday to begin negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement that would become effective July 1, 2013, the day after the current deal expires.

However, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed a motion to stay the decision of Judge Juan Colás Tuesday. Colás’ decision, released Friday, stated that the bill violated the United States and Wisconsin Constitutions. Should the stay be granted, Walker’s bill would remain valid over

the course of the appeals process, thus preventing MTI or any other public unions in the state from negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. The bill was passed into law in 2011 and essentially eliminated collective bargaining rights for most public employees. The law provoked massive

demonstrations at the state Capitol and a gubernatorial recall election, which Walker easily won. According to a Department of Justice statement, Van Hollen’s motion argues the decision will likely be overturned on appeal, and the stay is required to avoid confusion among local governments.

“It makes no sense to force a return to a broken system before the appellate process is completed,” Van Hollen said in the statement. Nevertheless, MTI Executive Director John Matthews wishes to engage in talks with the Madison

STAY, page 4

PETA faithful hold on-campus protest Participants brandish graphic photographs in wake of cat scandal Brienne Schaefer Herald Contributor Demonstrators supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals displayed graphic photographs portraying a cat used in experiments to protest the University of Wisconsin’s alleged acts of animal cruelty Tuesday. The group, carrying signs reading “UW: End Cruel Cat Experiments,” gathered at Library Mall yesterday afternoon as PETA worked to raise awareness about its allegations against the university. The protest’s main objective was to spread the message to UW

students and the rest of the public by providing provocative pictures of cats that were forced to participate in UW research studies, according to Jeremy Beckham, research project manager for PETA’s Laboratory Investigation Department. Beckham said PETA filed a lawsuit against the university after receiving information about a three-year cat study UW participated in and kept secret from the public. PETA also obtained several gruesome pictures of a cat involved in the study that Beckham said UW did not want to release. “Taxpayers need to be fully aware where their money is going,” Beckham said. “Three million dollars of tax money has been used to fund these cruel projects.”

PETA, page 5

Courtesy of PETA