The best beers to warm up those cold winter nights
+PAGE 2
TO SAVE OR SPLURGE?
Autumn style tips that will make your wallet and your inner model smile +LIFE&STYLE, page 5
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Complete campus coverage since 1892
l
dailycardinal.com
Professor helps release Watergate reports
Developers present plans for Judge Doyle Square By Kate Ray The Daily Cardinal
By Alex DiTullio The Daily Cardinal
After 35 years of being kept secret, a UW-Madison professor is helping bring to light documents and recordings related to former President Richard Nixon. The documents, which will be available online to the public Thursday, will include a transcript of Nixon’s grand jury testimony related to the Watergate investigation given in 1975. News outlets at the time reported the testimony included the notorious 18-and-a-half minute gap in a recorded conversation between Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman. Typically, grand jury testimony is kept private. However, U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth sided with Kutler in his decision to release the documents, saying they have “undisputed historical interest.” Kutler, a professor emeritus and Nixon administration expert, said his case met little resistance despite opposition by the Department of Justice, which worked to preserve the privacy of individuals mentioned in the testimony. According to Kutler, though, these arguments held little weight. “Almost everybody that could possibly have been involved with [the testimony] is ... dead,” Kutler said. “There was really no privacy issue.” Judge Lamberth agreed, dismissing arguments put forth by the DOJ, which decided not to appeal Lamberth’s decision. “Watergate’s significance in American history cannot be overstated,” Lamberth wrote in his decision. “The disclosure of President Nixon’s grand jury testimony would likely enhance the existing historical record, foster further scholarly discussion and improve the public’s understanding of a significant historical event.” Kutler said while he does not know the exact details of the transcript, he does not expect it will alter the current understanding of the Nixon era. He said the importance of the case is the precedent it
nixon page 3
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Mark Kauzlarich/the daily cardinal
A legislative panel removed a four-hour training requirement from Wisconsin’s law allowing concealed weapons Monday.
Panel removes training rule, critics object By Alison Bauter The Daily Cardinal
Lawmakers on Tuesday defended against critics who opposed a legislative panel’s decision to remove certain training requirements from recently passed legislation allowing licensed holders to carry concealed weapons. Act 35, which took effect Nov. 1, included a four-hour training requirement for a concealed carry permit, a rule implemented by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and the state’s Department of Justice.
“The elimination of those requirements does not bode very well for the safety of the people of Wisconsin.” Sam Gehler vice president UW-Madison Young Progressives
The Joint Administrative Rules Panel voted Monday to remove the rule, along with a requirement that program instructors complete eight hours of training before leading concealed carry courses. Jason Rostan, committee clerk for Joint Administrative Rules Panel Co-Chair Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, said the changes addressed the “failure” of some rules to meet the legis-
lation’s goal. Lawmakers did not specify a training period in the original bill, Rostan said, and the justice department’s inclusion of a fourhour requirement was contrary to their intent. According to Rostan, some individuals may need more than four hours of training and some may need less, but the individual and their instructor should determine the appropriate hourly requirement. “At the end, we are trying to create a situation that works best for the individual, works best for the instructors and still creates a safe environment for everybody in the state,” Rostan said. In a press release, the National Rifle Association “applauded” eliminating the training requirement, while some Wisconsin anti-violence and progressive groups derided the change. “The only saving grace [Act 35] had was the fact that there were these requirements,” UW-Madison Young Progressives Vice President Sam Gehler said. “The elimination of those requirements does not bode very well for the safety of the people of Wisconsin.” Gehler compared hurdles to receiving a driver’s license to the “less stringent requirements” now in place for permits to carry concealed weapons, “which are designed to kill people.”
Developers held a public meeting Tuesday on the opportunities a new open space will present for Judge Doyle Square once the current parking garage on Pinckney Street is bulldozed. Various development firms, including KimleyHorn and Associates, Potter Lawson and Urban Assets came together to present their ideas for the two blocks between Wilson and Doty Streets near the Capitol. “There needs to be something really exciting here, something different to really put this block on the map,” Founder of Urban Assets and Director of Public Involvement on the project Melissa Huggins said. Developers presented the idea for an all-purpose building with space for retail, restaurants and the possibility of a bicycle center on the ground floor with two nine-story towers for office and residential space. The bicycle center, one of the most unique assets of the building, would act as a community
space for cyclists in Madison. “This space would include 24/7 indoor bicycle parking, lockers, repair areas, bike wash stations and space for bike retail shops,” Program Consultant of Mobis Transportation Alternatives Andrew Wright said. Developers said they hope to replace the current Pinckney Street parking garage with a five-story underground parking structure beneath the lot of the current garage and partly under the adjacent Madison Municipal building. They also emphasized that these were preliminary ideas and stressed the need for public reaction and input on all aspects of the initial building plans. After the meeting, members of the development firms stood at interactive stations in the lobby and were available for questions and discussions with Madison residents. The results of public reaction and input, as well as the location for the next public meeting on Dec. 14, can be found on the City of Madison website under Judge Doyle Square.
Kyriaki chatzikyriakidou/the daily cardinal
Developers presented new plans for Judge Doyle Square, which could include restaurants, retail and a bike center.
Mayor ‘open’ to Overture compromise Mayor Paul Soglin addressed the city’s 2012 Operating Budget Tuesday, saying he is “open” to discussing a compromise for the current Overture Center budget. Madison’s Board of Estimates recommended Monday a $250 million operating budget to be considered by the Common Council on Nov. 15, with $1.35 million allotted toward the Overture Center budget. According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, Soglin is willing to compromise additional
funding for the Overture Center, somewhere between $50,000 and $500,000. According to Soglin, the allotted $1.35 million is an increase from the 2011 Overture funding of $1,297,473, though some have suggested funding should be $2 million, the amount promised by former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. “The structural agreement was reached last year before
budget page 3
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”