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Alcohol-tax increase reasonable, should go toward curbing drunk driving PAGE 4
University of Wisconsin-Madison
BADGERS BARELY TAME BENGALS 60-58 Behind 18 from Jason Bohannon, UW avoids upset at hands of Idaho State
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Illinois governor faces charges of corruption By Nico Savidge THE DAILY CARDINAL
LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
The first major snowfall of the year brought a university Snow Action Day, a city-declared snow emergency and a large student snowball fight near the Southeast residence halls.
Dorm residents launch 200-person snowball fight, UWPD called in By Melanie Teachout THE DAILY CARDINAL
As snow began falling heavily late Monday night, nearly 200 UW-Madison students from the Southeast residence halls initiated a snowball fight near Ogg Hall, catching the attention of passersby and university police. According to Paul Evans, director of University Housing, the fight occurred between midnight and 1:45 a.m. Katie Muratore, a UW-Madison freshman, witnessed the beginning of the fight from her window. “There were a lot of kids in the yard of Sellery who were throwing snowballs at each other, and there were a few in Ogg’s yard.” Muratore said. “They threw one across the street which is what I think started it.” The crowd of students caught the attention of onlookers and the UWPD received several calls concerning the students’ wellbeing. “One student was issued a citation
… based on his disruptive behavior, but nobody was injured,” UWPD Sgt. Jason Whitney said. According to police, faculty and students, there did not seem to be any serious violence in the snowball fight, but precautions were taken to ensure complete safety among students. “The officers just provided crowd control, keeping people out of the street to protect property and individuals in the area, making sure nobody got hurt,” Whitney said. Although the fight seemed harmless, preventing chaos was a priority. “You don’t want it to get out of hand where people get hurt. You also wouldn’t want them to take it inside—haul snow in and start having snowball fights inside.” Evans said. Monday’s snowball fight was not the last fight. Tuesday night at approximately 10:30 p.m. over 150 students from both Sellery and Ogg stormed Dayton Street and proceeded to throw snow balls and
large portions of ice at each other. UWPD officers arrived at the scene 20 minutes later and parked their cars in between the two crowds, but as of 11:30 p.m. no force of action was taken. The snowfall led to the university’s first Snow Action Day and the city’s first snow emergency of the season Tuesday. UW-Madison officials urged UW-Madison students and faculty to take precaution due to heavy daytime snowfall. Residents were also urged to use the Madison Metro bus system. Though Snow Action Days do not cancel classes, professors are asked to be flexible with students unable to travel safely to attend lecture. The city’s snow emergency will be in effect until at least 7 a.m. Thursday, which implements the alternate side parking rules. Drivers should park on the odd numbered side of the street Wednesday night to allow for efficient snow plowing on roads.
City commission votes against Madison Metro fare increase By Amy Rosenfeld THE DAILY CARDINAL
The city’s Transit and Parking Commission voted against raising Madison Metro bus fares from $1.50 to $2 at its meeting Tuesday, despite the 50-cent increase’s support from Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. Several city residents spoke prior to the decision, many in opposition to the price raise. Among these was Aaron Love, who said he would have difficulty paying for bus rides if the increase was implemented. “I heard that there was going to be a increase in price for the daily bus rides, I don’t really
make a lot of money so I kind of figured for myself if it comes to a $2 fee then I may think about waking up earlier to walk in the mornings to go to work,” Love said, adding he would be walking eight miles one way if faced with the increase. Steve Hartley, chief of staff for the Madison Metropolitan School District, noted that the Metro system is the primary way of transportation for students in both middle and high school. Hartley said 43 percent of the students in these schools qualify for free or reduced lunch, as well as bus passes supplied from the district. Hartley said the district pays
over $1 million per year currently for bus passes for its students, and said the fare increase could impact the cost greatly. To appease daily commuters, a plan to reduce the price of the monthly bus pass was introduced which would increase cash flow, and would not affect those who pay per ride. After several hours of debate, the committee decided against increasing the fare, which had originally been proposed by Cieslewicz. While many Madison Metro customers will be satisfied, the commission now faces possible service cuts as it currently faces a $682,000 deficit.
Federal agents arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff Tuesday on charges of corruption and bribery. According to a criminal complaint, Blagojevich attempted to use the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Obama for his personal gain, either by trading it for political favors, selling it or by taking the seat himself. Although Blagojevich was released from court, he could face years in prison if convicted. His attorney told reporters he has no plans to resign from office. The complaint also said Blagojevich tried to withhold “substantial state financial assistance … worth at least $100 million” from the Tribune Company unless it fired members of the Chicago Tribune staff that had written editorials critical of Blagojevich. Authorized federal wiretaps and recording devices in Blagojevich’s office picked up conversations between Blagojevich and other members of his staff in which they talked about potential favors and jobs he could receive in exchange for the Senate appointment. “It is not coming for free,” he said of the appointment, according to the complaint. “It’s got to be good stuff for the people of Illinois
and good for me.” Blagojevich said in another conversation, “If I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself.” According to Charles Franklin, a UW-Madison political science professor, the scandal could postpone the appointment. “Illinois is likely to have only a single senator for a good while,” he said. Blagojevich, a Democrat, is the second consecutive Illinois governor to be arrested. His predecessor, Republican Jim Ryan, is currently serving prison time BLAGOJEVICH for corruption. “Illinois is the equal opportunity bipartisan corruption state,” Franklin said. He said although Wisconsin has maintained a history relatively low on government corruption, residents would “be naïve to believe we can be immune to that.” A few cases of corruption have occurred in Wisconsin’s recent political history, but according to UWMadison political science professor Dennis Dresang, they differ from Illinois cases in that they focus on political gain, not personal profit.
Florida man dies of head injuries from weekend attack By Anna Bukowski THE DAILY CARDINAL
Eduardo Cademartori, the 27year-old Florida native and victim of a recent beating outside downtown Crave Restaurant and Lounge, died early Tuesday as a result of sustained head injuries. Police said the case will now become a homicide investigation and suspects will face more serious charges. According to Madison police, the altercation began at the Crave Restaurant and Lounge located at 201 W. Gorham St. Three suspects then left the tavern and confronted Cademartori nearby on the 300 block of East Johnson Street. They struck Cademartori in the head, and Madison police found him unconscious early Sunday morning. According to the coroner’s report, Cademartori was taken to Meriter Hospital with severe injuries to the head, and was listed under critical condition
until Tuesday morning when he was taken off life support. The DeLand-Deltona Beacon, Cademartori’s hometown newspaper, identified him as a wellknown racecar mechanic visiting Madison for training with his teammates. Two of the suspects, Madison residents Roynell Fuller, 19, and Ross Spang, 22, arrested on tentative charges of substantial battery, now face more serious charges. Spang is an employee at the Crave and reportedly argued with the victim at the tavern before following him up the street with Fuller and one other. Madison Police Department public information officer Joel DeSpain said police are waiting to talk to the final suspect. The man is still being considered a witness and it is “unknown whether there is probable cause to arrest him,” DeSpain said. homicide 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.”