BAR THROWS ITS HAT BACK INTO RING Madhatters returns to Madison bar scene after three-year hiatus FOOD
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Let’s talk ‘Tupac:’ Milwaukee rapper/film director to deliver documentary critique of hip-hop culture to Memorial Union audience. ARTS
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Weekend, September 19-21, 2008
Freakfest 2008 to feature major headlining act By Jack Zeller THE DAILY CARDINAL
At this year’s Freakfest Halloween celebration, Madison residents can expect a bigger headlining entertainment act, lower public cost and possibly a higher ticket price. For the third year running, Freakfest will be the product of a joint agreement between the City of Madison and Frank Promotions, the local promotion company that staged the event in 2006 and 2007. Although most things about this year’s Freakfest will remain the same, city officials say there will be one big difference—the headliner. “Frank Productions promised us this year that there will be a major headline act that people actually have heard of and can get excited about,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.
Though Frank Promotions has not informed the city of what the act is, the company has guaranteed it is a group that most Madison students would know, according to Verveer. The caliber of the potential headline does not come without a price tag, however, as officials hinted at a hike in ticket price. Joel Plant, aide to Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, said there might be a slight increase in the cost to enter the closed part of State Street during Freakfest. “With the bigger name act … there may be a slight, slight increase,” he said. “But the goal is to keep this as cheap as possible.” Verveer said he would not support a price increase unless the promised freakfest page 2
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Source: www.bigtenpoll.org MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Big Ten Battleground Poll reveals narrowing election in Midwest By Megan Orear THE DAILY CARDINAL
Results from the first ever Big Ten Battleground Poll revealed Thursday just how close the presidential race is in the eight states with Big Ten schools. The poll, conducted by UWMadison professors of political science Charles Franklin and Ken Goldstein, is a rare regional poll conducted on 600 individuals from each of the Big Ten states. In a 90-minute show on the Big Ten Network, Franklin, Goldstein and other scholars from the Big Ten universities gave a run-down of each state’s results. Democratic presidential can-
didate Barack Obama has a less than 1-point lead of 45.2 to 43.3 over Republican presidential candidate John McCain in Wisconsin and holds a 16-point lead in Illinois, which is his only sure-win, according to the poll. Results show Obama also has a narrow lead in Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio, while McCain is winning by a close margin in Indiana. The two are virtually tied in Iowa and Pennsylvania. All seven are toss-up states. According to a statement, the poll has a margin of error of three percentage points. In early summer Obama had a double-digit lead over McCain in
Wisconsin, but that lead has turned into a tossup, according to Franklin. “It’s going to be a tricky thing to see if [Obama] can mobilize enough [youth] to make a substantial difference.” Charles Franklin professor UW-Madison
“When we looked at the election across the states, there’s a considerable narrowing of the poll page 2
County approves domestic partner benefits LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Admiral John Nathman and Sarah Sewell, top policy advisors for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, spoke at Grainger Hall Thursday about foreign policy. In a town hall-style discussion, they answered students’ questions and discussed the importance of the issue to students. For the full story, go to www.dailycardinal.com.
UW professor discovers way to transform plant sugars to energy-efficient gasoline By Ashley Davis THE DAILY CARDINAL
A UW-Madison engineering professor has developed a way of turning plant sugars into alternative fuels. This week’s online version of the journal Science published UW-Madison chemical and biological engineering professor James Dumesic’s paper on his research. Edward Kunkes, co-author and research assistant in the UW-Madison chemical engineering department,
said that the lack of oil, the diminishing petroleum resources, and the political talk of green energy initiated interest in alternative fuels for researchers. “We decided that we needed a more direct way to get gasoline,” Kunkes said. Dumesic and his team initially used platinum-based catalysts to convert sugars and alcohols into energy page 2
Same-sex, unmarried couples granted equal insurance coverage By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Dane County Board of Supervisors voted Thursday to approve an ordinance creating a domestic partnership registry and requiring contractors who do business with the county to provide equal benefits for domestic partners. Under the new ordinance, effective Dec. 1 of this year, samesex and other unmarried couples in Dane County can receive insurance rights for their partner. In order to register for a domestic partnership, citizens must be committed relationship for at least 90 days, live in the same residence and take responsibility for each other’s welfare. Additionally, companies who
contract with the county to provide services are required to grant domestic partners the same insurance benefits offered to married employees. District 27 Supervisor Kyle Richmond said these contractors involve a wide range of companies working for the county. “We mean anybody from those who provide services for the developmentally disabled to someone who might be doing repaving [of ] a county road,” Richmond said. Richmond said similar ordinances exist in Minneapolis and San Francisco and Dane County is the first county municipality in Wisconsin to extend domestic partner benefits to contracting companies. Richmond said the additional finances needed to cover partner benefits would be small—about a 1 percent increase in cost to employers. The majority of debate about the ordinance came from labor organization representatives who
pointed out that many contracts extend to other areas of the state outside of Dane County. Scott Vaughn, executive director of the Building and Construction Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin, suggested collective bargaining be utilized to combat the “one-size-fitsall” requirement of all contractors to offer the benefits if additional business is conducted outside of Dane County. Supervisors, however, rejected a proposed amendment allowing the negotiations. The domestic partner benefits ordinance received support from a majority of the board, garnering the sponsorship of 25 out of 37 supervisors. County Board chair Scott McDonell said the ordinance goes beyond the financial benefits of a relationship and reflects on Dane County’s principles. “This isn’t about health insurance,” McDonell said. “This is about treating our citizens equally and fairly.”
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”