Thursday, February 9, 2023

‘The middle class built the country’

Biden boasts ‘blue-collar blueprint’ for U.S. economy in visit to Madison area

By Tyler Katzenberger STATE NEWS EDITOR

DEFOREST, Wis. — President Joe Biden praised labor unions and touted his economic agenda Wednesday in a speech to hundreds of workers at a labor training center near Madison.

Biden’s appearance at the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) in DeForest was his first public engagement since delivering his State of the Union address to a divided U.S. Congress Tuesday night, where he promised an economy built “from the bottom up and the middle out.”

The president reiterated his “blue-collar blueprint” to rebuild U.S. infrastructure with union jobs and promised to repair a “hollowed out” middle class in a 25-minute speech Wednesday.

“Wall Street did not build this country,” Biden said. “The middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class.”

Gov. Tony Evers, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, University of WisconsinMadison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and District 8 Ald. Juliana Bennett were in attendance as Biden touted Wisconsin infrastructure projects funded by legislation passed during his first two years in o ce.

Those projects include replacing a pair of freeway bridges over the Wisconsin River in Columbia County, port facility upgrades in Racine and Green Bay, and 46 electric buses purchased for Madison’s forthcoming East-West bus rapid transit line, which broke ground in December, according to the Cap Times.

“It’s all happening due to the president’s leadership and partnership,”

Rhodes-Conway told the crowd before Biden spoke.

Biden also said he plans to stimulate U.S. manufacturing by introducing requirements for federal construction projects to use American-made materials.

“My economic plan is about investing in people [and] places that have been forgotten,” Biden said. “Where is it written America can’t lead the world in manufacturing again?”

He referenced an employment report released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that found the U.S. added 517,000 jobs as the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, the lowest measure since 1969.

“The Biden economy is working,” the president said.

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate currently sits below the national average at 3.2% after the state added 60,000 jobs last year, according to the latest data from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

Madison’s unemployment rate is 1.6% — the lowest of any metro area in the nation, per BLS data.

Despite the positive jobs report, Wisconsin faces an impending worker shortage. The state is estimated to lose 130,000 residents of prime working age by 2030 as young people leave for states with warmer climates and lower income taxes, leaving employers without enough employees to replace retiring baby boomers.

Campus community members, politicians react Biden’s speech Wednesday earned largely positive remarks from several UW-Madison students in attendance. Freshman Whitman Bottari felt Biden’s focus on non-college career

options demonstrated a “deep respect” for trade workers in unions.

“College isn’t an option for so many Americans,” Bottari said.

UW-Madison College Democrats

Chair Maggie Keuler was glad Biden chose to visit Wisconsin first after the State of the Union.

“It was a really impactful way to show how his policies have had a real impact here,” she said.

Keuler said a standout moment from Wednesday was when Biden pulled out past comments against Social Security and Medicare from Republican lawmakers, including Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.

Biden accused some Republicans of wanting to let Social Security and Medicare “sunset” out of existence during Tuesday’s State of the Union, drawing boos from Republicans in Congress.

“They sure didn’t like me calling them on it,” Biden recounted Wednesday.

Biden shouted out Wisconsin manufacturers that received over $4 billion in federal funding since he took o ce, according to the White House, including Californiabased genetic medicine company Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals.

Missy Hughes, Secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, said she was “delighted” to hear President Biden recognize Arrowhead’s $220 million expansion into Verona. Arrowhead estimates the project will create over 200 new jobs, according to the Verona Press.

In response to Biden’s visit, Republican state party leaders said Biden did “nothing to improve his

standing with Wisconsin voters.”

“Wisconsin’s households and businesses have faced crushing inflation, decreasing real wages and increasing energy bills for months,”

WisGOP Chair Brian Schimming said in a statement Wednesday. “Trying to buy voters with his inflationary spending and Green New Deal agenda isn’t the answer to helping Wisconsin families.”

U.S. inflation steadily cooled from 9.1% to 6.5% during the second half of 2022, according to recent BLS data. However, the nation’s annual inflation rate remains more than three times higher than Federal Reserve recommendations, and gas prices remain over a dollar higher than when Biden first took o ce, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) retweeted a Schimming statement calling Biden’s speech a “traveling economic medicine show” that ignored inflation. Schimming referenced an Associated Press poll released Monday that found just 37% of Democratic respondents wanted Biden to seek a second term.

Biden delivers State of the Union to divided Congress

Biden’s visit comes a day after he delivered the annual State of the Union speech to lawmakers in U.S. Congress, which focused heavily on a ordability, police reform and foreign relations.

Foreshadowing his speech in DeForest, Biden promised to promote labor union rights and domestic manufacturing with an economic agenda that would continue reviving “once-thriving cities and towns” in middle America.

“Amid the economic upheaval of

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and

the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like they’re invisible,” Biden said. “That’s why we’re building an economy where no one is left behind.”

Amid privacy concerns over TikTok and other social media apps, Biden also asked Congress to pass legislation imposing stricter limits on personal data collected by tech companies.

“We must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit,” Biden said.

Gov. Tony Evers banned TikTok from state devices last month, citing security and privacy concerns. The ban includes devices owned by the University of Wisconsin System.

Other policies Biden introduced or supported yesterday include:

Raising the debt ceiling

Eliminating credit card “junk fees”

Capping insulin at $35 for all Americans

Banning non-compete agreements

Investigating fraud of COVID-19 relief funds

Banning assault weapons

Codifying Roe v. Wade

Passing the Equality Act

Biden will travel to Tampa, Florida on Thursday to speak about his plans for Medicare, Social Security and lowering healthcare costs.

News manager Hope Karnopp contributed to this report from Washington,D.C.

Editor’s note: This article was updated at 8:26 p.m. to accurately reflect attribution for a tweet from BrianSchimming.ThetweetwaspreviouslyattributedtoRobinVos.

by which alone the truth can be found.”

MK DENTON/THE DAILY CARDINAL

President Joe Biden spoke to a crowd of hundreds Wednesday at a labor union training center.

UW-Madison’s rock salt use is a balance of safety, environmental protection

By Beth Shoop STAFF WRITER

Property owners in Madison are required by a city ordinance to use minimal amounts of rock salt or melting agents and sweep up any excess left on the ground. However, the University of WisconsinMadison is not bound to the same rules and fines as the city.

Cities across the Midwest dealing with snow, ice and freezing temperatures have turned to rock salt to prevent potential dangers of sliding cars and slipping pedestrians. Rock salt is e ective in melting ice, but it adds a host of environmental dangers, especially to the lakes and waterways in Madison as explained in the Madison Salt Use Ordinance.

If salt use rules are not followed, property owners are subject to fines. The reasoning behind these rules is to keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians while simultaneously lowering the city’s salt use to mitigate the negative environmental impacts as well as public health concerns.

The university’s exemption from the Madison Salt Use Ordinance has led to accusations from Madison residents of the university “oversalting” pavement.

“UW-Madison collaborates with local cities and villages to keep roads on and around campus clear, and it can be di cult to tell who takes care of which area,” UW-Madison Marketing and Communications Director Lori Wilson said in a statement to The Daily Cardinal.

A recent slew of tweets showcased Madison streets covered in excess rock salt with the assumption that they have been treated by

UW-Madison. Wilson explained that some of the images in the tweets are not roads university faculty are responsible for, but rather other property owners.

“Some of the images featured in recent tweets are not treated by UW-Madison sta ,” Wilson said.

The university’s goal is to balance the safety of students, professors and faculty with environmental e ects that come with rock salt, Wilson explained. It is UW-Madison’s responsibility to keep campus roads and sidewalks clear, which requires using a suf-

trained to use the minimum e ective amount of salt.”

Wilson further explained that the university uses a multitude of di erent melting agents depending on the type of weather and temperature. They do so to be more environmentally friendly and maintain their goal of never over-salting campus roads. Wilson did admit there are times when accidents occur and excess salt is released.

“During our last snow storm, a larger chunk of salt became wedged in a machine, resulting in excess salt on the pavement,” said Wilson.

Adam Sodersten strongly recommended this technique of sweeping up and reusing salt. Sodersten described the harm rock salt can cause to aquatic ecosystems, and in turn, the economy.

“All of our storm sewers lead to the lakes, so anything that happens on the land is going to find its way to the lakes,” said Sodersten. “When we over-salt there’s too many chlorides in the lake, it starts to a ect plant life. If certain plants aren’t able to thrive in the winter, then they’re not there for smaller fish that rely on those plants for food, then less people will come to Madison to fish and then it a ects our economy.”

Sodersten explained the best ways to treat icy walkways and roads is to use environmentally friendly melting agents such as sand, and when necessary, only a co ee cup worth of rock salt for an entire driveway.

Madison pretreats roads with brine solutions to decrease the amount of salt needed after large snow and ice storms, and refrains from using salt under certain temperatures, Sodersten added. These tactics are often utilized by the university, according to Wilson.

ficient amount of salt.

“Falls on ice can be extremely harmful to individuals,” Wilson said. “Applying proper amounts of road salt is a commonly utilized and e ective method for addressing these hazards and meeting our safety responsibilities. Sta are

“Once the operator realized this, he dislodged it. The next morning, he returned to the area with a sweeper/ vacuum machine and sucked up the excess salt that was then returned to our supply for later use.”

Clean Lakes Alliance Marketing and Communications Director

Sodersten praised UW-Madison for how it deals with snow and ice, keeping the importance of the environment in mind.

“The University of Wisconsin is an environmental leader in many ways,” said Sodersten. “I’m confident that the university will continue to look at best practices and will find a way to do what’s best for the environment.”

Black History Month at UW-Madison: Events, celebrations during the month of February

By Nadya Hayasi

The Black Cultural Center (BCC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison planned a month-long program to celebrate and commemorate Black History Month this February, entitled “Black Arts: Multiple Mediums, One Story.”

The BCC’s Black History Month Planning Committee (BHMPC) centered the theme on arts and culture, which advocates for the celebration of art Black people have created throughout the years, whether that be through performing art, painting or quilting, according to the event’s site. The program aims to bring together and appreciate the creativity across the African diaspora.

“We shoot to show our experiences as Black individuals not just on this campus, but in everyday life through multiple different forms of art and events,”

BHMPC Co-Chair Brooke Messaye said in an email statement to the Daily Cardinal. “Our

goal is to not only further educate Black students, but to educate the entirety of the campus and community population.”

“We are trying to amplify the contributions Black people have made to the arts and continue that legacy,” she stressed.

The BHMPC kicked o the month’s celebrations with a glow in the dark party titled “Glo Black to the 90’s” on Feb. 3 at the BCC Classroom in the Red Gym. Attendees dressed in ‘90s and early 2000s attire, and participated in creating a community art piece while learning more about the events coming up in February.

The BHMPC also collaborated with various student organizations and campus partners to host other events throughout the month with the goal of highlighting Black art and culture. These include “Fashion Week: Walk the Walk” with the Wisconsin Black Student Union, a dance, a spoken word and experimental contemporary performance titled Moonshine with the UW Dance Department, and a

screening of the short film “Wood Hood” with Outdoor UW.

Significant highlights of the month’s celebration include two speakers the BCC is bringing in: Tyler James Williams and Angelica Ross.

Williams, a 2023 Golden Globe winner and a star of several well-known TV shows including “Abbott Elementary” and “Everybody Hates Chris,” is this month’s keynote speaker. He will be speaking on Feb. 21 at Union South from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

“We are particularly excited for our keynote speaker Tyler James Williams,” said Aramide Adegoke, BHMPC’s publicity manager.

“This keynote speaker allows us to learn about their form of art and how they use it to express themselves creatively.”

The BHMPC is collaborating with the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center to bring Ross in as a speaker. Ross, a born and raised Wisconsinite, was a series regular on shows like “Pose” and “American Horror Story: 1984.”

She also founded TransTech, a company aimed at fostering tech skills primarily for trans people, and will be speaking on Feb. 28 at Memorial Union from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

“The planning committee hopes to provide a month of programming to celebrate Black history, culture and identity. As a result, we hope that Black students have a space where they can be proud of who they are and can explore the rich history of the African diaspora,” said Lauren Adams, BCC coordinator and BHMPC advisor.

“This is so important for many of our students who are often the only Black person in many of the spaces they enter on campus,” Adams noted. “Ultimately, we hope these events will be a space of community and belonging for the students we serve.”

Students can look at the full list of events for Black History Month on the o cial UW-Madison Student A airs website and follow the BCC’s social media page for updates on the month’s activities.

Soaring Madison house prices leave Madison residents scrambling

By Ian Wilder STAFF WRITER

Housing a ordability in Madison has become a significant concern for residents as the prices of homes continue to skyrocket, making it increasingly di cult for people to purchase property.

With median home prices reaching record highs in past years as wages fail to keep pace, many are being priced out of the housing market and forced to consider alternative options. Those looking to find housing in Madison face the daunting task of choosing between renting a home or apartment, or buying one, typically through a mortgage.

Renting is traditionally a smaller monthly payment, as opposed to buying a home and getting a mortgage. Over a long enough period, however, the value of a home appreciates enough that the net profit on the house makes the overall mortgage cheaper compared to renting in that same time.

Yet, the gap between mortgages and rent is changing in most parts of the nation, which could impact which option becomes the best value, The New York Times reports.

Wages struggle to keep up with housing costs

From January 2011 to January 2021, the median price of a home in Dane County rose from roughly $200,000 to $350,000, an increase of approximately 75%, according to a report from the Realtors Association of South Central Wisconsin.

In that same period, estimates from the Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis showed that median household wages in Madison grew from around $60,000 to approximately $78,000 — a 30% increase, which is a 45% less increase in

wages than home prices during that time frame.

A typical interest rate on a 30-year fixedrate mortgage in Wisconsin is currently 6.12%, according to Insider. This would make the average monthly cost of a median price $350,000 home in Madison about $2,100 a month, or $25,200 a year, which accounts for 32% of a household’s median yearly income.

The median price for renting a two-bedroom home or apartment in Madison in 2021 was close to $1,700, according to real estate listing service Zumper. Over 12 months, that comes to $20,400, which accounts for over 26% of a median household income in Madison.

The Department of Housing and Human Development considers households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing to be “cost-burdened” and finds those families may struggle to a ord other living costs.

Therefore on average, a household that rents spends 26% of their income on housing, while a household with a mortgage spend 32% of their respective income on housing costs. This places a significant amount of Madison’s population at risk of, or already, cost-burdened by housing costs.

Trying to find solutions to Madison’s housing problem

As of January 2023, there were only 14 homes for sale within city limits, according to Zillow.

“We are working to address historical and persistent inequities in housing while also facing growth pressures — and the displacement and a ordability challenges that come with them,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a 2021 blog post.

In that blog post, Rhodes-Conway outlined a plan of adding 10,000 homes every five years to meet the “projected demand” of 70,000 new

Madison residents and 40,000 new households over the next two decades. RhodesConway also outlined the “Housing Forward” plan she claimed would utilize “every tool at the City’s disposal.”

Namely, the plan will aim to aid the development of a ordable housing, invest in homeownership for people of color, help prevent evictions and expand loan programs that allow individuals to a ord their homes, and facilitate shelters that will aim to move individuals into full-time housing.

However, not all of these measures are popular in the Madison community. For example, in January, community members disagreed about new zoning laws for specific historic neighborhoods, many of which are close to, or a part of, downtown Madison.

Members of the community shared similar frustrations when Madison’s Plan

Commission voted to approve development for 10-story õLiv Madison development on the 300 block of State Street. õLiv aims to be an a ordable housing option for students, having signed an agreement with the city to provide 10% of their beds at a discount for students with financial needs.

Construction on the õLiv is well underway, as developers removed the planned chunk of the block in 2022, with plans to open õLiv in 2024. The change to the renowned State Street district signals the possibility of similar future projects that the city will approve to address Madison’s housing crisis.

“It sets a dangerous precedent for the city,” Elisabeth McDonald, who, according to The Cap Times, had collected 469 signatures against the proposal, told the Plan Commission. “Once we alter the height for this building, it will allow further developers to ask the same of the city.”

UW-Madison forms West Campus District Plan

By Jasper Bernstein STAFF WRITER

The University of WisconsinMadison is aiming to finalize the West Campus District Plan by the summer of 2023. Seeking to expand the university’s reach westward, the West Campus District Plan was formed as the 127meter space did not attract many students and faculty.

Denoted in the 2015 Campus Master Plan, planning of the new space began in August 2022. The final plan is expected to be delivered to the Board of Regents.

“Shared interests, needs and concerns of campus and community members will be used to directly inform the final plan,” the West Campus District Planning Team said.

The land is an area of “untapped potential,” according to the plan’s homepage. Through careful planning, the team is looking to tap the potential of the region, giving the UW-Madison community a shared space to connect.

Planned additions to West Campus include schools, hospitals, federal agencies, utility infrastructure and athletic, outdoor and recreational spaces. All additions to campus bounded on east of Willow Creek are considered part of this district.

Noted within the plan are the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Along with the other additions, the team believes their plan will increase student opportunity in accordance with the university.

“Our hope is that expanded collaboration with industry and additional space for corporate and industry partnerships will provide unique and desirable internships, apprentice-

ships and employment opportunities with UW-Madison students,” the team explained. “The campus’ development aspirations are directly aligned with the Wisconsin Idea, which o ers important commitments to the livability and success of our community.”

Central to these opportunities are additions of federal agencies: the USDA’s Forest Products Laboratory and Cereal Crops Research Unit. Both these agencies are part of the plan and existing staples of the west campus area.

Healthcare is the largest recipient of this addition, with the University Hospital, Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital and American Family Children’s Hospital being main parts of the District Plan.

“The West Campus is home to some of the nation’s leading health systems,” the team noted. “Future development will support expansion needs for research teams across the campus.”

The team also explained that the increased focus on healthcare will create new opportunities and resources for students.

“The regional reputation of the trauma center and UW Health draws referrals from across Wisconsin and the Midwest. This creates a need for growth and capacity increases to serve patients,” the team said. “The new lab and academic spaces in the district will also enable growth in our research activities across campus and enable deeper collaboration with industry partners.”

The team is also looking for ways to explore the possibility of the area outside of current plans.

“There is a shared interest among district stakeholders for housing, lodging, food and beverage, retail, daycare, fitness

and recreation, parking and other amenities,” according to the plan’s homepage. “Carefully planned development of facilities and amenities can create a better ‘sense of place’ and an improved experience for those who live, work and study in the district.”

Development will start with the 2024 deconstruction of Biotron Laboratory and take place in phases over 15 years, the team explained. Located near Lakeshore Nature Preserve’s Willow Creek, sustainability will be a main focus in construction.

“The West Campus District Plan includes significant attention to the existing Master Plan, particularly around sustainability and its connection to the Willow Creek project,” said the team. “The planning process will also consider opportunities for innovative construction and materials used to have a smaller ecological footprint through-

out the development process.”

Transportation and parking will also be emphasized in the planning process.

“Parking and mobility are a critical focus of the planning and analysis process, especially as we look at options that may further densify the district,” the team noted. “We are working with a transportation consulting firm to ensure mobility, accessibility and parking are incorporated into all options.”

As the West Campus District Plan kicks o , the UW-Madison community is invited to contribute feedback regarding the project. The team will be hosting three open house events — two on Feb. 22 in the Health Sciences Learning Center Atrium at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., along with a third and final open house on Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. at Gordon Dining & Event Center’s Overture Room. There is also an online community feedback tool, available at https://www.vc.wisc.edu/westcampus/.

COURTESY OF MATT DONDERS VIA UNSPLASH

‘Is this seat taken?’: Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates get political

By Anna Kleiber STAFF WRITER

With retiring conservative Justice Patience Roggensack leaving the bench, control over the Wisconsin Supreme Court hangs in the balance as candidates race to fill the court’s empty seat.

Because the outcome of this race will determine the court’s ideological makeup, there is a lot at stake on both ends of the aisle. Critical decisions on hot-button issues from election laws to abortion rights could all be determined by the Wisconsin Supreme Court within the coming terms.

With a 4-3 conservative majority currently on the bench, Roggensack’s retirement opens the door for the majority to flip in favor of the liberal justices. The winner of the April 4 race will likely play a key role in how the court rules on these controversial topics in Wisconsin.

Changing court campaign strategies

Wisconsin Supreme Court races have historically been nonpartisan. Since justices serve independent of political party a liation, candidates are barred from making “pledges, promises, or commitments” regarding issues or cases that are likely to appear before them in court, per the judicial code.

However, that doesn’t completely bar candidates from expressing their political ideals

and preferences.

“To be ‘impartial’ does not mean to have no principled commitments,” University of Wisconsin-Madison Political Science professor Howard Schweber said in an email to The Daily Cardinal. “It means only to apply those commitments fairly to the case and parties before the judge.”

Unlike the 2020 and 2016 Wisconsin Supreme Court races where the presidential primary

according to Wisconsin Watch.

But Schweber thinks close rulings on controversial issues may be changing candidates’ voter turnout strategies.

“In general, candidates’ willingness, or eagerness, to stake out ideological positions likely results from the fact that judicial elections have become increasingly partisan so that appealing to one’s ‘base’ is an electoral strategy for judges just as much as it is for legislators,” he said. Court may decide on abortion rights

Arguably the largest issue looming in the court’s near future is an abortion rights lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul last June following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion.

alternative.

The lawsuit is currently pending in the Dane County Circuit Court, and it’s unclear if or when the lawsuit will reach the Wisconsin Supreme Court. But if the lawsuit reaches the court after a new justice takes the bench, whoever wins the April 4 election could be the deciding vote.

“After the Dobbs decision, the question of abortion rights depends on the states, both their legislatures and their courts’ interpretations of state constitutions,” Schweber said.

Schweber doesn’t expect a conservative majority court to expand abortion access.

“Ex-Justice Daniel Kelly has been particularly outspoken, describing abortion as equivalent to murder, but there is little question that if either of the conservative candidates is elected, abortion rights in Wisconsin will be extremely limited,” he said.

Candidates get unconventionally loud

believes in our freedom to make our own decisions when it comes to abortion” and that the “extremists want to ban abortion.”

Protasiewicz’s open and forthcoming approach regarding her opinions has not been accepted by all candidates.

Jim Dick, a spokesperson for Kelly, went as far as to accuse Protasiewicz of disregarding the law when it differs from her personal beliefs.

“Her promise to put her thumb on the scale of justice to achieve her preferred outcomes is o ensive to the very idea of a written constitution,” he told the Associated Press in January. “It breaks faith with the people of Wisconsin who insist that their justices apply the law, not their personal preferences.”

Yet, Wisconsin’s three largest anti-abortion groups have endorsed Kelly, the AP reports.

was on the same date as a presidential primary election, turnout for this particular election will likely depend on interest in this race and issues that could be on the court’s docket, according to PBS Wisconsin.

The court handed down a number of recent 4-3 decisions that banned absentee ballot drop boxes, limited Gov. Tony Evers’ pandemic response and approved new legislative district maps that all but ensure Republicans maintain control over the state Assembly and Senate for the next decade — even if they receive a minority of statewide votes,

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Wisconsin reverted to an 1849 law that bans all abortions except for those medically necessary to preserve a mother’s life.

Evers, a staunch opponent of Wisconsin’s anti-abortion law, called for its repeal throughout his reelection campaign for governor. Evers previously said he is unwilling to compromise and wants the 1849 ban abolished

With Republicans unlikely to overrule the ban in its entirety, Kaul’s legal challenge — which argues a 1985 Wisconsin law legalizing abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb invalidates the 1849 law — is Democrats’ next feasible

Amid those stakes, liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz has been outspoken about her stance on abortion. Both she and fellow liberal candidate Everett Mitchell cited the Dobbs decision as the U.S. Supreme Court’s worst ruling in the last 50 years, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Protasiewicz was the first of the four candidates in the race to run statewide ads, launching her first two as part of a $700,000 advertisement buy in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 21 primary election.

In an ad released on Jan. 26, Protasiewicz said, “I believe in a woman’s freedom to make her own decision on abortion. It’s time for a change.”

In a second ad released the same day, women talked about why they are voting for Protasiewicz, stating that “She

One of the organizations that endorsed Kelly, Pro-Life Wisconsin, states on its website that they can only support candidates “who demonstrate a commitment to protect preborn children — in all circumstances and at all stages of development — as full persons under the law.” The organization did not endorse Jennifer Dorow, the other conservative candidate.

Mitchell hasn’t been as outspoken about his stance on abortion rights during his campaign. But in a statement following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Michell referred to himself as an “ally” of abortion rights.

“I will always use my male privilege to stand with and to stand up for women’s reproductive rights,” Mitchell said. “We must turn our attention to the people of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Wisconsin Constitution to protect a woman’s reproductive choice.”

art exhibition ‘Protecting the Black Woman’ centers Black women’s experiences

By Nadya Hayasi STAFF WRITER

The Black Woman’s Affinity Group (BWAG) opened a new art exhibition titled “Protecting the Black Woman” at Madison College’s Truax Campus on Feb. 2, highlighting the experiences of Black women using different mediums.

The exhibit features primarily local Black woman artists and is intended to showcase the diverse experiences of Black women, according to a statement from the college.

BWAG President, and Madison College Intersectional Education and Outreach Coordinator Chevon Bowen said she was excited to share the pieces the artists created for the exhibition.

“We have a full gallery of beautiful, varied pieces of art celebrating our theme, and we’re so honored and humbled by this

experience,” Bowen said.

This is the second annual exhibit in the Dzigbodi Akyea series, the first being held in 2022 and titled “Honoring the Black Woman.” The series commemorates Akyea, an early member of the a nity group who committed to featuring Black art and artists during Black History Month. Her passing in September 2021 led to the creation of a scholarship and art show in her name to promote art from Black artists.

Alice Traore, one of the artists whose work is showcased, said that to her, the exhibition represents the care and support circles Black women create for themselves.

“I think that art speaks or expresses things that are really hard to say in words,” Traore said.

“When you go through the exhibit and you see how these artists have expressed bits and pieces of the lives of Black womanhood, it reminds people of the voices that get silenced,

the lived experiences that just get discounted and misrepresented.”

“And I think that the exhibit shows we’re here and our womanhood also needs protection,” Traore added.

Traore, who also works at the University of WisconsinMadison as an equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator for the Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring, describes herself as a self-taught watercolor artist. This is her second year contributing to the exhibition series, as she decided to come back and work with the Black Woman’s A nity Group because of the care shown to her by the community at Madison College.

“The beauty of this show is that the contributing artists are not only Black women, [but] there are some individuals who have Black women in their lives,” Traore said. “It’s paying respect to who we

are — not only to ourselves, but to other people.”

Another artist whose work was shown is Desere Mayo, a digital artist from Oregon, Wisconsin. Mayo said she was drawn to the idea of uplifting and supporting the community through her artwork, and coming together as sisters.

Mayo said she was captivated by the idea of supporting the community through her artwork and providing a support network for Black artists.

“You see our history, you see our past,” Mayo said. “I wanted to inspire children for the future. I want to be able to show that these pieces are people coming together to build a bridge that the next generation can walk on.”

Mayo said the exhibition shows the resilience of Black women and the importance of commemorating and celebrating them beyond Black History Month.

“I hope that [the exhibition] shows that we are not just here for one month out of the year, but we are here for the whole entire year — every year, every decade, every century,” Mayo said. “We’re not going anywhere and that people need to know that Black women belong here. We do matter.”

Traore said the exhibition highlights the necessity of creating a space for Black women at a time when many feel vulnerable.

“Who are we protected by?” Traore said. “Who will honor us? Who will listen to us?”

The exhibit is open to the public Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout Black History Month at Madison College.so people are really really hurt. I think it’s just overall made people wearier of interacting with anybody, especially white-led institutions that platform them.”

‘Who are we protected by?’: New

Wisconsin seeks more from familiar roster as 2023 season begins

By Justin Alpert SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Badgers “Fill the Bowl” Friday, split series against Huskies

By Maddie Sacks STAFF WRITER

The No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (218-1, 17-6-1 WCHA) took on the No. 14 St. Cloud State Huskies (16-15, 9-15), for the seventh ever “Fill the Bowl” game at the Kohl Center Friday.

The series brought the best out of both teams, ending with each side claiming a victory. After dropping the first game Friday, the Badgers came back and won the second.

Friday started with the Huskies winning the face-o . Each team maintained aggressive play throughout the majority of the period, yet Wisconsin led shots 6-1 near the halfway mark.

With 5:30 left in the period, the Badgers scored, but SCSU challenged the goal. Successful, the score remained 0-0 due to an o sides call. The unluckiness didn’t stop there for Wisconsin, as they were soon called for too many players on the ice. Shortly after, the Badgers were unable to ward o the penalty and let the Huskies score.

Forward Jenniina Nylund earned the goal for the Huskies, assisted by Ross and Taytum Geier. Nylund, e ectively using an unintentional Badger screen, made an impressive shot directly past Cami Kronish to end the period at 1-0 Huskies.

With the second underway, Wisconsin still led in shots on goal, but were having no luck getting anything past goalie JoJo Chobak. Regardless, the second period wasn’t too eventful, until the end. The Badgers had two big scoring opportunities but were unable to capitalize on either.

The first opportunity came when SCSU was called for too many players on the ice with just under six minutes left, before being called for a hooking penalty. The Badgers put in e ort to score, but to no avail. The period ended with Wisconsin still down by one.

In the third period, St. Cloud State continued their stoppage of Badger shots. Chobak deserves a shoutout as she tallied an outstanding 39 saves. The Huskies took the 1-0 win on Friday, marking their first win against Wisconsin in eight years.

While the result was disappointing for the Badgers, fan support was no question. The “Fill the Bowl” night garnered a turnout of 14,430, the second-highest NCAA women’s hockey attendance mark at a single game ever, per the university.

Saturday’s game started out pretty similar to Friday’s — SCSU won

the face-o , then scored six minutes in. The goal was scored by forward Courtney Hall, who was able to slide the puck in for a goal as it came loose while a Badger and a Huskies player fought for it.

The similar start could have foreshadowed a similar game, however Wisconsin responded quickly. Five minutes later, Jesse Compher tied the game at one. Assisted by Caroline Harvey and Vivian Jungels, Compher shot the puck through heavy tra c and finished it o by sending it through the legs of SCSU’s goalie.

Harvey put the Badgers in the lead a little over a minute later. Assisted by Laila Edwards and Compher, Harvey rifled one past the goalie using impressive strength to score the much-needed goal. The score remained 2-1 Wisconsin at the end of the first.

The second period started o in the same fashion for the Badgers, as Edwards extended the lead to 3-1 four minutes into the period. Edwards received a behind the net pass from her sister, Chayla, and made a quick shot past the goalie’s right side.

Jane Gervais made two unbelievable saves with less than nine minutes to go in the period. The first save was shot by Nylund, who was wide open. The attempt had Gervais diving to the opposite side of the goal to stop the puck from scoring.

The second save was o a shot attempt by Avery Myers. Myers centered herself and was waiting for the pass, she received it and fired a shot, causing Gervais to dive back to stop the puck. The combination saves were incredible and encompassed the speed and agility it takes to be a goalie. The period ended with the score still at 3-1 Wisconsin.

In the beginning of the third period, each team exchanged a penalty, however nothing came of either. Then, with just over five minutes left, SCSU scored, making it 3-2. There was plenty of time to tie the game, but Wisconsin was able to defend the lead. The game ended 3-2 Wisconsin.

“I thought we came out and started at a pretty good pace, and unfortunately got behind one,” said coach Mark Johnson in a statement following Saturday’s game. “We came back, and Jesse Compher made an adjustment and played really well.”

Next week, the Badgers will take their final road trip of the regular season, to face the Minnesota Gophers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

It’s o cially softball season for Wisconsin, even if Madison’s recent weather suggests otherwise. Luckily, the Badgers will begin their 2023 campaign with four games — from Thursday through Saturday — on Mexico’s west coast in Puerto Vallarta.

Coming o an eighth-place finish in the Big Ten in 2022, the Badgers will field a familiar roster, albeit with some intriguing additions who could help improve upon their 12-11 conference record (30-21 overall).

The bats

With the exception of center fielder Ally Miklesh, Wisconsin returns all of its regulars from a season ago. That lineup ranked 13th in the conference with a .254 batting average and 10th with a .392 slugging percentage. The Badgers struck out 345 times, which led the Big Ten by a significant margin.

Drawing 184 walks (third in Big Ten) helped Wisconsin finish with a strong, .364 on-base percentage. High-walk, highstrikeout results, combined with middle-of-the-pack home run output (32), indicate an overly passive approach at the plate. With a presumably similar lineup, swinging more freely could be the key to more substantial o ensive production.

Designated hitter Kayla Konwent powers Wisconsin’s top-heavy lineup. Last season she slashed .355/.513/.638 with 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 32 RBI and 38 walks. Konwent, who often hit leado for the Badgers, ranked seventh in the Big Ten with her 1.151 OPS. She also now holds the Wisconsin program record with 33 career home runs.

The prolific season resulted in All-Big Ten First Team and All-Region First Team honors. In January, D1 Softball ranked Konwent the 92nd best player in

the country for 2023.

Wisconsin will also lean on senior infielder Fiona Girardot for o ense once again. Her .927 OPS was second on the team behind Konwent last year, as were her four home runs. Girardot earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors for her excellent 2022 season.

Between Miklesh and pinch runner Morgan Kummer, the Badgers lost 19 of their 45 stolen bases from a year ago. Replacing that production would be huge for the o ense, especially if Wisconsin makes the necessary adjustments to put more balls in play this year.

The arms

The 2022 Badgers followed a clear formula with their limited pitching sta — throw strikes, pitch to contact and keep the ball in the park. As a result, Wisconsin walked fewer batters (84) than anyone in the conference and allowed the secondfewest home runs (23).

At the same time, Wisconsin pitchers allowed a .270 opponents’ batting average and managed just a 15.5 percent strikeout rate — second-lowest in the Big Ten.

Maddie Schwartz has been Wisconsin’s ace for the last two seasons and returns for a final year in 2023. Last season she posted a 2.50 ERA and 130:53 K:BB in 213 innings.

The All-Big Ten Second Team right-hander shouldered a massive workload last year, appearing in 41 games (30 starts) and occasionally throwing close to 200 pitches per weekend. Schwartz typically bookended three-game weekends with starts and appeared in relief in the middle game.

Of the other two qualifying pitchers Wisconsin used last season — Tessa Magnanimo and Ava Justman — only Magnanimo returns. With a 3.35 ERA in 54.1

innings, Magnanimo was a very capable No. 2, but in tight situations, coach Yvette Healy was often quick to get Schwartz back in the circle.

Freshman pitcher Paytn Monticelli is one of the Badgers’ most intriguing newcomers in 2023. The Cedarburg native was named Gatorade Wisconsin Softball Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, among other honors. With a fastball that touches 70 mph and a track record of high strikeout totals, Monticelli could be a massive addition to a Badger pitching sta which both lacked depth and struggled to miss bats in 2022.

While Schwartz and Magnanimo were e ective last season, their fatigue showed down the stretch as Wisconsin lost each of its last six regularseason games. Contributions from Monticelli and fellow freshman Shelby Jacobson could lead to more consistency throughout the spring and help the Badgers fare better in the postseason.

Barring major regression from the returners, however, the pitching sta figures to be very strong in 2023. The o ense is undoubtedly a bigger concern — if Konwent, Girardot and Peyton Bannon don’t receive more help down the lineup, Badger pitchers will have dangerously little room for error.

The Badgers play a double-header Thursday versus California Baptist University and Brigham Young University. Then, they face Oregon on Friday afternoon and Ole Miss on Saturday evening. Extended trips to Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Texas and Michigan will follow, and Wisconsin won’t play its home opener at the Goodman Diamond until March 28.

Keep an eye on the Daily Cardinal and @cardinal_sports on Twitter for softball content throughout the season as well as coverage of hockey, basketball and other Wisconsin sports.

Wisconsin avenged their Friday night loss with a 3-2 Saturday victory

DILLON ARONOFF/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Coach Yvette Healy is preparing to enter her 13th season leading Wisconsin softball.

TAYLOR WOLFRAM/THE DAILY CARDINAL

life & style How to lose a guy in one episode:

Lessons learned from the season 27 premiere of "The Bachelor”

By Gracie Becker STAFF WRITER

On the first “Bachelor Monday” of 2023, Bachelor Nation watched as thirty women drooled and squabbled over “The Bachelor” season 27’s handsome new hunk, Zach Shallcross, a 26-year-old California native living in Austin, Texas and previous “The Bachelorette” contestant.

Shallcross is a family-oriented, hardworking and successful tech executive, making him quite popular among the ladies at Bachelor Mansion, as well as Bachelor-fans watching him on the screen. With his striking good looks, kindness and charisma, Shallcross won over the hearts of contestants as soon as they stepped out of the limos, jump-starting the competition

for his love and a ection. Many ladies succeeded in leaving Shallcross wanting more, while others did not. Here’s what led to some of the first eliminations.

Interfering with nature

The first elimination occurred prematurely when contestant Madison Johnson approached Shallcross about her insecurities, having “forced things” earlier in the night. Johnson made bold moves that turned into rookie mistakes during the cocktail party, including “stealing” Shallcross for a second conversation, forcing an awkward kiss and interrupting his conversation with host Jesse Palmer.

If there’s anything Bachelor Nation

has learned over the years, it is that the women who interrupt cocktail party conversations always leave broken hearted. This repetitive validation-seeking conveys desperation, neediness and selfishness to the guy, and immediately drives him away. Playing hard-to-get is much more advisable. Bachelor Nation has also seen its fair share of forced kisses, which always demonstrate a lack of respect for the Bachelor’s wants, as well as a lack of ability to read the room. Not everyone likes surprises.

Shallcross sent Johnson o by saying, “I never want to lie” and “my heart wasn’t feeling it” because he “never wants to force that,” reinforcing that Johnson’s “forced” actions are what led to her elimination. It is always important to remember, especially in the dating world, that good things come to those who wait.

Bachelor-fans know, first impressions are everything. So when women like Holland and Lekha come in hot with aggressive introductions, likely no one watching is surprised when they don’t get the chance to stick around. Holland introduces herself to Shallcross and then promptly references a date he went on with previous Bachelorette Rachel, after which she says, “I think the reason it didn’t work out is because you were in the wrong, Holland.” Lekha makes an introduction by licking Shallcross’ ear and claiming it as hers.

While these women most certainly made a lasting impression on Shallcross, they did not exemplify what he wants longterm. The jokes demonstrate immaturity and spark questions about whether or not they are on the show for the right reason — to find a husband. When courting a long-term significant other, class is key. According to Shallcross, it is essential to ease into the relationship and learn more about each other before jumping into suggestive and possessive banter.

The remaining eliminated ladies simply did not capture enough of Shallcross’ attention for him to let them stay. Their first impressions were subpar and so were their conversations with him, and some of these ladies did not even get a chance to have conversations with Shallcross.

Risky first impressions

Additional eliminations transpired during the o cial rose ceremony as Cara, Holland, Lekha, Olivia L., Olivia M., Becca, Sonia, Vanessa and Viktoria were sent home. Though these women’s interactions with Shallcross o ered less drama, lessons can still be learned from their actions, which exemplified precisely what not to do.

These under-the-radar ladies’ failures show that sometimes too much timidity is mistaken as indi erence. Confidence, outgoingness and self-assuredness can all be vital to luring in a significant other. Clearly not to the point of interruption and force, but enough to not be left alone on the couches all night drinking champagne having never gotten the chance to speak to a potential future husband.

Though tensions are already high in the season premiere of “The Bachelor,” season trailers allude to much more drama, tears and goodbyes — and many other lessons to be learned. The “don’ts” taken from the first episode serve as great reminders to those in search of a partner — stay humble and confident, and let everything play out naturally.

Tips for walking to class in the Wisconsin winter

By Lalitha Viswanathan STAFF WRITER

As a freshman from New Jersey, adjusting to the Wisconsin winter weather has been a slow process. The sidewalks are covered with ice, some of the walkways are still snowed over and the wind coming off the lakes does not help the situation at all. After being here for a little over a week since coming back from winter break, I have picked up a few tips, both from myself and my Midwestern friends.

1. Do not walk with your hands in your pockets

This is so important. There are unexpected ice patches and slippery slopes, and you need your hands to break your fall if it does happen. I know your hands are cold, but please, wear some gloves and keep your hands outside of your coat pockets. It is dangerous if you fall backwards and do not have anything to break your fall.

2. Take short steps

The worst thing you can do is fall because your legs are not stabilized on the ice. This is a great measure to take to lessen your chances of falling backwards. It will also keep your center of gravity at the core of your body, making it easier for you to walk safely and without wobbling. Additionally, if you walk with shorter steps, you should keep your head slightly forward to avoid hitting it if you fall.

3. Layer up

From being the kid who was annoyed with my mom for making me wear a coat, I’m telling you right here, right now: wear an extra layer. Not only will you be miserable if you are freezing cold, you will likely get sick. The most important parts of your body to really bundle up are your extremities (earlobes, nose, fingers and toes) because they are dangerously susceptible to frostbite.

4. Plan your schedule in advance

As college students, we are sometimes constantly in a rush to go places, whether it is another class, lunch with a friend or professors’ office hours. Give yourself an ample amount of time to move around campus, either by bus or by foot. When you are rushing from one place to another, there is a higher chance you will slip — especially if you are not paying attention to your surroundings.

5. Invest in quality winter gear

While we often see luxury name brands around the University of WisconsinMadison campus, so many other outdoor apparel brands sell amazing and affordable winter wear that can ensure your safety. Your boots should have rubber soles with a lot of grooves in them to create more friction with the ground

Although I am inexperienced when it comes to heavy snow storms, these tips are important to follow to prevent injuries. Wisconsin winters are absolutely no joke, and taking extra measures to increase your safety is so important.

Groundhog Phil says we still have six weeks left of winter, so stay safe out there!

“If there’s anything Bachelor Nation has learned over the years, it is that the women who interrupt cocktail party conversations always leave broken hearted.”

opinion A fan’s eulogy to fan journalism

By Graham Brown OPINION EDITOR

On Scottrade Center’s concrete doormat, just a slapshot away from the churning Mississippi River in St. Louis, a chapped-eared vendor calls into the crystalized January night: “Programs for tonight’s game! Programs!”

“It’s Almost Always Never Easy,” the paper declared atop its cover page, like it was waiting for toughguy B.J. Crombeen or another forgotten, mediocre old Blue to slap the slogan in prayer on his way down the tunnel. The bottom contained a warning to any first-time fan expecting something normal. “Caution!” it announced in bold. “St. Louis Game Time contains extreme sarcasm and less-than-gentle language. But it is a hockey paper, so you should just fucking get over it.”

And that, at age seven, is how I learned the F-word.

Throughout my entire childhood, they meticulously tracked every hockey statistic you could think of and far more that you couldn’t. They spun their biased and beautiful analysis into sexual innuendos, profane rants and anything else to distract from the losing unfolding on the ice. As of last Halloween, they’re gone forever.

St. Louis Game Time magazine deserved better.

Their first issue, published six months after my family moved to the area, carried the subtle headline “Satan Has a Hockey Team” on a night the demonic Detroit Red Wings routed the St. Louis Blues 4-1. Detroit finished that 2005-06 season with the best record in the National Hockey League. The Blues ended the year on the other end of that spectrum and received the number one draft pick for their sorrows. That golden ticket was spent on defenseman Erik Johnson, letting North Dakota’s phenom center Jonathan Toews fall to our other rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, and … well, that one still hurts a bit too much to talk about.

They are why I love the Blues. My father, a New York sports fan determined to support the underdog, bought season tickets the next year and brought his family to hundreds of games over the next decade and a half. He purchased Game Time on the street corner every night and I let their nihilistically romantic writers mold my perception and in many ways, teach me how to lose.

Brad Lee and Sean Gallagher registered the online blog with SB Nation — a website flourishing because of talented journalism and entrepreneurial creativity that, by 2008, was a home for more than 270 similar fan-run sites and 8 million viewers a month. Like the Blues of this era, SB Nation stockpiled young talent, guided by the belief that this influx could challenge the status quo.

son after season, and one year it all worked out for you; it worked out for all of us.

That’s why I care so much. Because they cared.

Fan journalism is a profession inherently intertwined with team success; you can’t sell programs if no one goes to the games to buy them. But, Game Time broke that trend and caught on with fans sprinkled around the arena during the grim rebuilding era thanks to their unique writing style and cathartic flair.

Often injured and always underwhelming stars like captain Eric Brewer endured their full frustration (“The guy next to me booed Eric Brewer during introductions. I told him, ‘Why stop there? Go down to the hospital and boo other patients in rehab too’”). Other easy targets were high stadium prices (“Why did the beer vendor call me his economic stimulus package?”) and the goofy blue bear Louie, who vainly tried to engage the losing fanbase (“They gave the big blue rat mascot a drum. But not pants”). And, of course, every St. Louisan’s archvillain: Stan Kroenke (“Fuck you, Stan Kroenke”).

In 2006, Game Time founders

And, like the Blues, they were wrong. In 2011, SB Nation was absorbed by Vox Media, the same year St. Louis shipped former golden boy Erik Johnson west to Colorado and tacitly conceded the rebuild era a failure. Four years later, NBCUniversal purchased a $200 million stake in Vox; the Blues sent fan-favorite sniper and American hero TJ Oshie to the nation’s capital, and Johnson’s one-time defensive partner and fellow first round pick Ian Cole to Pittsburgh. While rivals in Chicago and Detroit claimed four of the past seven Stanley Cups, the 2015 St. Louis Blues, marred by quick postseason exits, were looking to restructure their budget and start over. In January 2023, Vox Media did the same.

Money was tight after the pandemic and Game Time site manager Laura Astorian tells me they began cutting blogs’ pay while expecting the same content. She said she kept writing out of an obligation to her readers, but the stress of this side job and her whimsical employer became too much to handle. In a post this Halloween she said goodnight, and turned the lights out on Game Time and my childhood chapter of Blues hockey for good.

“It wasn’t particularly hard to see the writing on the wall,” she said in an email.

Three months later, Vox terminated seven percent of their sta , including almost every SB Nation hockey writer.

Here’s to you, St. Louis Game Time magazine. You never pulled your punches or your love from the team that broke your heart sea-

I could only find one edition in my childhood bedroom over winter break, only one that survived numerous spring cleanouts and a thorough pandemic reshu ing. The last program from that magical 2019 ride where a symphony came together on the ice and everything I knew about being a Blues fan collapsed in the stands. Its headline sprawls across the front page: “Champions!”

That spring, the team with 42 playo appearances and exactly zero Stanley Cups to show for them suddenly transformed into the Red Wings and Blackhawks of my adolescence. They won the big game and didn’t allow backbreaking thirdperiod goals. But when the Blues lost game six of the Finals and their chance to clinch the hardest trophy to win on home ice, I was crushed — having to go back to Boston for a winner-take-all game seven seemed like a death sentence. It wasn’t. We controlled the game from puck drop and took Lord Stanley’s Cup 4-1 — the same beatdown “Satan’s hockey team” delivered to us on Game Time’s opening night. The Blues weren’t planning to choke, they were just doing it the old way after all. It’s almost always never easy.

Reading the articles from that championship program, the emotion seeping out of the pages is what’s usually reserved for a wedding day or for holding your first-born infant.

“There is no going back to normal anymore,” Je Jones wrote.

Longtime Editor Sean Gallagher described how his heart raced the moment he grazed the trophy at the parade down Market Street.

“[The] whole damn thing felt real,” he said. “The Cup was real, and I touched it. The Blues had summited and were standing on top of the mountain, probably shotgunning beers, looking down at the rest of the hockey world spread out below … The Cup means everything.”

Men in suits who care only about decimal points and lines on graphs decided Game Time and similar fan blogs across the league were not worth investing in.

I found other places to go for Blues coverage but have never stumbled through a publication that strummed all the chords of fandom quite like Game Time. When “Drunk Girl,” “Donut King” and all the regular contributors came together on dark winter nights in dark losing seasons to sew this vibrant tapestry of romantic optimism (“Is it weird I know this much about 18-year-old Swedish boys?”) and comic criticism (“Holy shit, I thought Brad Boyes was a healthy scratch. Has he been here all night?”), they made me laugh and they made me committed and thanks to Vox Media, that’s an experience future Blues fans will not have.

After Stan Kroenke and the Rams’ middle school breakup with the city of St. Louis, Game Time writers frequently reflected on what good ownership looks like. They didn’t have to look far beyond Scottrade Center’s largest box.

Tom Stillman stood up for St. Louis sports when Kroenke fled for sunny Southern California. In 2016, while the Blues were struggling and the town reeling, he recommitted himself to the area.

“I guess I don’t understand wanting to be anywhere else,” he said at the time. He embraced the city, and we embraced him. He even showed up for Game Time’s birthday party one year.

So, I guess, a toast to you as well, Mr. Stillman. You deserved that 2019 ring as much as anyone because you won the right way; you realized that winning means nothing without bringing along the loyal fans who spent their hard-earned dollars on tickets and who stuck with you through the bad and the bad. You saw that no whole is bigger than its component parts. Especially when those parts define you.

By Alex Clark STAFF WRITER

Noma, a three Michelin-star restaurant that many consider the best in the world, will end its dinner service after the winter of 2024. The restaurant plans to transform into a laboratory dedicated to food innovation and an online store, Noma Projects, opening only sporadically for dining.

In the 20 years since Noma opened, head chef René Redzepi reinvented Danish cuisine, and his influence touched all corners of the fine dining world.

Co-founders Redzepi and Claus Meyer pioneered New Nordic Cuisine, which emphasizes the need for purity, simplicity and freshness as well as the use of local, seasonal foods. Noma became known for this sustainable attitude, cooking with ingredients like reindeer and foraged bee pollen.

Despite their philosophy, Redzepi told the New York Times that the fine dining model is unsustainable — “financially and emotionally, as an employer and as a human being, it just doesn’t work,” he said.

As the restaurant prepares for its

remaining seasons, many question the future of fine dining. If Noma cannot make it sustainable, then who can?

Noma’s announcement highlights some of the problems in fine dining restaurants, but it does not signal their end. These restaurants have been unsustainable since long before Noma opened its doors. They survive on the extreme passion of their chefs — a passion that will remain long after Noma closes its doors.

I spent a week living with one of these impassioned individuals a few years ago. I visited a friend in Colorado and met his roommate Johnny who was preparing for a summer at Noma.

Over the week I was there, Johnny and I only talked a handful of times; he was busy working long days at a nearby restaurant. When he did have free time, we would look at Michelinstarred meals, make tostadas or discuss fermentation techniques.

Johnny’s life revolved around cooking, and he could not have been happier.

Johnny worked as a stagiaire, or stage, which is the fine dining equivalent of an intern. They work long hours, often doing menial work and

making little money, if any. Working as a stage is a challenging but crucial step for many aspiring chefs. For them, the experience of working at a world-renowned restaurant is worth the commitment.

Even with stage help, many restaurants close due to financial pressures. Before Noma, elBulli was the most influential restaurant in the world. Its co-owners were losing half a million Euros per year before it closed in 2010. Months before Noma announced its plans, Amass, another leader in sustainability, closed after filing for bankruptcy.

After Noma made its announcement, I called Johnny to ask him about his experience there (he had some time while his braised chicken was in the oven). He told me the job was demanding and fast-paced. When he showed drive, he was given more freedom in choosing his work. He learned what it looked like to run a kitchen of three Michelin-star caliber.

Most young cooks have a similar experience working in high-end restaurants. Weeks are stressful, days are long and pay is low. Your fellow cooks

and servers become your friends and family. Sacrifices come with working in the most prestigious kitchens; the world’s best restaurants need the world’s best cooks.

For people like Johnny, this is the only life they can imagine. They will do whatever it takes to cook at the highest level. Creating and operating an acclaimed restaurant is worth much more than any money it loses.

Some are unwilling to make the sacrifices required to work in this class of restaurant. They will leave the fine dining industry to start an upscale casual restaurant that provides good food at a lower price and allows them more time outside the kitchen.

If the future Noma is successful,

other restaurants will probably create their own food laboratories. These laboratories will be great opportunities for cooks who want to innovate without the sacrifices of working in fine dining.

However, for people like Johnny, Noma’s reinvention only means finding a new restaurant for stage work. Their future stays with the unsustainable fine dining restaurants, cooking and serving the best food in the world.

Alex Clark is a junior studying neurobiology and economics. Do you think fine dining has a future? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com

When fine dining isn’t feasible, what happens to the cooks?

GRAHAM BROWN/THE DAILY CARDINAL

“re:mancipation” and its reclamation of the Black American voice

even strips itself of any ceremony. The title “re:mancipation” feels at once punctual and stifled — uncapitalized and splintered by a colon — as if ruminating on the horrifying quietude of American violence, the unacknowledged holocaust of Black Americans through centuries of imperialism and genocide.

But “[re:mancipation’s]” title also suggests introspection, the “re:” urging our response to this collective amnesia. In the opening ceremony for the exhibition on Feb. 4, Biggers implored a crowd of attendees to consider the gallery and its surrounding dialogue a “blueprint for the nation,” an impetus to reckon “with problematic works as opposed to just pushing them away or trying to bury the past.”

By Kai W. Li ARTS EDITOR

The “re:mancipation” project, unveiled recently to public viewing on Feb. 6 in the Chazen Museum of Art, resounds immediately like a reclamation — its morphology suggests something redone or revised. And indeed, the exhibition anchors the flawed and disingenuous historical fixture as both its spatial and thematic center: the marbled sculpture of a supposedly freed slave kneeling at Lincoln’s feet.

The exhibition is a collaborative project between the Chazen

Museum of Art, artist Sanford Biggers and MASK Consortium, a coalition of artistic and cultural institutions working in digital preservation of art and artifacts. “Emancipation Group” (1873), the ostensive sculpture by Thomas Ball, has been in the Chazen Museum of Art collection since 1976, displayed without “contextualization or opportunity for visitors to respond,” the exhibition statement explained.

Ball originally designed and sculpted the statue to commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation shortly after

President Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 — Lincoln’s left hand here is raised like an invocation, his distantly-gazing figure looming over a crouching nude slave as the other hand grasps the scroll of his Emancipation Proclamation.

What began as a curatorial inquiry into Ball’s sculpture has, over the span of two years, bloomed into a larger artistic response to the image’s implications of systematic violence and institutional racism.

“[re:mancipation’s]” critique frames the statue’s composition as a larger metonym for racial

subjugation in America. The “emancipation” commemorated in Ball’s original image is purely symbolic, cast ceremoniously in bronze or sculpted in marble as a patronizing visual artifact of white virtue, stripping away Black American agency through the deprivation of voice. The statue’s supposedly heroic and celebratory spirit lives in the fixture of a disturbing contrast: a standing white man and a crouching Black freedman, between whom not a glance is exchanged nor any kind of acknowledgment.

The exhibition’s very name

It’s in this respect that “re:mancipation” seems especially significant — Chazen’s undertaking of highlighting the marginal voice through direct response reflects at least an institutional effort to restore agency and historical truth. The exhibition revisits and confronts the narratives of white superiority housed within its museum’s own walls through direct engagement with problematic art, an alternative that tries to grasp against the roots of social tensions rather than simply ignoring them.

“We have to address and we have to dialogue [about these monuments],” Biggers said. “Otherwise we will just keep repeating and repeating [the past].”

“re:mancipation” will remain open until June 25, 2023.

Pop-folk artist Adam Melchor loves Madison

By Athena Kafkas STAFF WRITER

On a frigid Wednesday evening, Madison, Wisconsin residents trickled into the Majestic Theatre on King Street. Some were expecting a show, and some awaited a spiritual journey. Lamps were strewn about the stage, some casting a warm glow onto the floor.

The show opened with “I’m Afraid I Love You,” a pop/folk ballad which debuted in the 2022 album “Here Goes Nothing!” The rendition was bass-heavy with impressive high notes hidden within the bridge and chorus.

“We’ll just start o with this” — a curly-haired musician held his hands in a “W” to the crowd before humbly introducing himself as Adam Melchor, a singer from New Jersey. The crowd erupted with a cheer that put Melchor’s previous audiences to shame.

“You guys are one of my favorite places to play,” Melchor said into the microphone in a flattering transition to his next song.

The posit seems to be true, and well evidenced by his previous performances at the High Noon Saloon in 2021 and The Sylvee in 2022. The artist recently opened for Noah Kahan

in a tour that boosted his popularity tremendously; some show-goers even claimed they had purchased tickets for Melchor’s show following his opening performance at The Sylvee.

The folk artist released a 10-track second album in October 2022, which was coincidentally one year after his first show in Madison. Embarking on a headline tour this past week, Melchor and his band plan to travel across the United States before their final performance on March 17 in Portland.

Melchor is known for his quickwitted personality, spectacular high notes and tendency to over-share on stage. In addition, his musical style has remained true since the release of his first EP “The Archer” in 2017. Alongside easygoing melodies, the artist breaks hearts and inspires them. He weaves stories about the moments nestled between memories, ones we find as lines in a diary and nowhere else. His shows are known for their poetic transitions between songs, and this night was no di erent.

“This next song is about shedding a beautiful tear, it’s called ‘Cry,’” the artist said before plucking his signature white guitar — a huge Gretsch White Falcon, complete with an engraving of the bird on its

gold pickguard. He’s been performing with it for years and displayed his comfort with it while playing through the setlist. The show consisted of 15 songs — a mix from his two albums and two singles played over an enthusiastic encore. Thanks to the University of Wisconsin Women’s Hockey Team,

“I Choose You” was tacked onto the setlist somewhere in the middle. The artist announced that following his skating lesson with them the previous day, the team requested he play the highly elusive live rendition of the song.

Melchor’s performance at the Majestic Theatre displayed his

LOUISE GILBERTSON/THE DAILY CARDINAL

growth as a musician. Melchor’s shows are entertaining, heartfelt and funny, all credit to his charisma on stage. The size of the venues Melchor plays seems to increase exponentially, and as his fanbase grows to match, one can only hope he doesn’t lose his adorable backroom performance style.

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