Slake your bloodlust at a theater near you ARTS
l
PAGE 5
SPORTS
l
PAGE 8
BANKS CASHES IN
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Complete campus coverage since 1892
Janese Banks leads the lady Badgers to a roaring win over the Nittany Lions l
dailycardinal.com
Weekend, January 25-27, 2008
Vocal signals now at 13 UW, city intersections By Staci Taustine THE DAILY CARDINAL
Several major city intersections, some which are located in UW-Madison’s campus, are now equipped with traffic lights featuring a vocal signaling system. “University—walk sign is on to cross University,” says one such system at the intersection of University Avenue and Park Street. David Dryer, the city’s traffic engineer and parking manager, said the new vocal systems are all “accessible pedestrian signals.” “They are supposed to assist the visually impaired to find where the button [on the traffic light] is,” he said. “Once activated, it audibly tells them when it’s safe to begin crossing.” The University and Park signal is one of 13 similar vocal signaling systems installed throughout Madison between mid-December and earlier this month. “With our more modern intersections and cars, streets are a little quieter than they used to be,” Dryer said. “It’s more difficult for the visually impaired who depend upon hearing when the traffic is moving to differentiate when it’s okay for them to start crossing the street.” According to Dryer, local groups’ requests contributed to the development and implementation of the new lights. “All of the locations have been requested by a visually impaired person,” Brian Smith, a city traffic engineer, said. “We’re not just putting them up at all new locations, we’re putting them up on a case-bycase basis.” Cathy Trueba, director of UWvoice page 2
KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Newly installed accessible vocal pedestrian signals have caught the attention of students crossing Park and University.
AMANDA SALM/THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Associated Bank at 202 State St. was robbed early Thursday morning. The male suspect carrying a gun followed a bank employee into the bank from a nearby parking lot and ordered the clerks to wait before calling police, then fled the scene with money.
Armed robbery at State St. bank Police say suspect still at large, reward offered for information leading to arrest By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL
A State Street bank was robbed Thursday, and the armed suspect is still at large. A gun-wielding man followed an employee into the Associated Bank at 202 State St. early Thursday morning, took money and fled the scene, police said. According to a Madison Police report, the robber approached a clerk arriving at work in a parking lot adjacent to the bank. He entered the building with the employee, where
a second clerk was already working. The man ordered both clerks not to call the police while he robbed the bank. Once the robber fled the scene, the employees called the Madison Police Department. Police describe the perpetrator as a 5’6” to 5’9” male with an average build. He was last seen wearing a blue hooded coat and a mask. No one was hurt in the incident, and the suspect fled the bank before police arrived, according to Madison police spokesperson Joel DeSpain. DeSpain said detectives from
Madison and the FBI continue to investigate the incident. He noted the amount of money taken is known but is not being disclosed to the public. A reward of up to $10,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robber is being offered by the Wisconsin Bankers Association. “The WBA and its members not only want to help catch those responsible but also want to deliver the message that such actions against any financial institution will not be tolerated,” WBA president and CEO Kurt
Governor touts youth vote in ’08 By Erin Banco THE DAILY CARDINAL
Gov. Jim Doyle encouraged student participation in the upcoming presidential election Thursday at the UWMadison Students for Barack Obama organizational spring semester kickoff. More than 200 people attended to listen to Doyle, who expressed strong belief in the Obama campaign and stressed the importance of student involvement in the weeks leading up to “Super Tuesday” on Feb. 5. “It is so important that you get yourselves organized now—that you know exactly what you have to do, because when [the primary] starts happening, it’s going to happen so fast,” Doyle said. “You have to be ready to go.” doyle page 2
ISABEL ALVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL
A panel of city and university officials address overuse of alcohol.
Downtown alcohol abuse addressed in panel discussion By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL
Representatives from UWMadison and the city of Madison met with downtown residents to outline current and future plans to combat the city’s alcohol problems at a
Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. meeting Thursday night. “The consequences of overdrinking—including assault, robbery and property damage—are a continuing concern for downtown residents,” said Frederica Freyberg of Wisconsin
Bauer said in a statement. The WBA said the reward is being offered through the WBA Robbery Reward Fund, which provides funding for the apprehension of criminals. The highest reward offered by the WBA is $10,000, which the Associated Bank on State Street qualified for because of the nature of the robbery, according to a statement. “The safety of all financial institution employees and customers is our number one priority and this is the first step to ensuring that,” Bauer said. Public Television, who moderated the discussion. A panel of six speakers presented Madison’s recent efforts and future initiatives to curb the overuse of alcohol in the downtown area to meeting attendees. Dawn Crim, special assistant to Chancellor John Wiley for community relations, spoke on behalf of UW-Madison and noted that the University of Wisconsin Police Department leads the nation in citations given to underage drinkers. Crim said the university is trying to decrease these statistics by offering alcohol-free events at the Union during the weekend and informing parents of underage students if they are admitted to a detoxification center, a practice that began in 2005. Current alcohol policy coordinator Katherine Plominski spoke about her long list of plans to improve the city’s alcohol use in the upcoming year, including creating a policy for operator license denials and increasing late night transportation. meeting page 2
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”