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What happened over break? Police name final Montee Ball attacker Madison police identified 27-year-old Karlis Griffin Jan. 9 as the fourth and final suspect involved in the Aug. 1 attack on Badgers running back Montee Ball. Police originally suspected five men of attacking Ball on the 500 block of University Avenue as he was walking home from State Street Brats around 2 a.m., but police then narrowed the list to four suspects by using video surveillance footage, according to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain. Ball suffered a concussion
as a result of the attack and missed the first week of 2012-’13 preseason football practice. University of WisconsinMadison students Deonte Wilson and Wendell Venerable, 21, and Robert Wilks, 22, are also suspects in the incident. Wilson pleaded guilty Jan. 18 to disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer, according to Wisconsin Court Records. Additionally, Wilks and Venerable pleaded guilty in December to substantial battery and intended bodily harm for the attack.
Federal court upholds controversial collective bargaining restrictions A federal appeals court upheld the controversial Act 10 legislation, which limited public workers’ ability to collectively bargain, in a split decision Jan. 18, inciting a mix of validation and disappointment for Wisconsin state legislators. The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said the legislation should be “upheld in its entirety,” reversing an earlier decision by a Madison judge, who declared portions of Act 10 allowing for withholding union dues and mandating yearly union voting for recertification unconstitutional.
Democratic legislators said the ruling would undo progress legislators had made on reinstating collective bargaining rights. However, Republicans saw the ruling as a validation of their efforts in passing the legislation. According to Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, the ruling was a sign Republicans had been correct. “Today’s decision by the Seventh Circuit confirms what I have stated from the beginning.” Van Hollen said in a statement. “Act 10 is constitutional.”
Walker outlines goals in State of State Gov. Scott Walker gave the State of the State address Jan. 15, telling Wisconsinites the state has moved forward and outlining jobs, education and mining as priorities for Wisconsin. Walker cited a lower unemployment rate than when he took office two years ago as well as structural reforms that balanced state and local budgets as evidence of progress. “What we did was think more about the next generation
than we did about the next election, and it worked,” Walker said during the address. However, in a Democratic response after the speech, Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said Walker’s speech was “high on theatrics, but low on substance.” In particular, Larson criticized Walker’s emphasis on job creation, saying it has been the governor’s top priority for two years without results.
photo courtesy of hansen campaign
Resnick, Hansen campaign for District 8 Council seat By Melissa Howison The Daily Cardinal
The April 2 election for Madison’s District 8 Common Council seat will be a contest between incumbent alder Scott Resnick and Christian Hansen, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse alum who is on a local Cooperative Board. The District 8 alder represents the district which encompasses most of campus, including university residence halls and off-campus housing. Resnick, endorsed by 18 of the 19 current alders, said a second term would allow him the opportunity to build on the improvements he made during the last two years on Common Council. He said he is especially proud of the campus safety projects, such as new city lighting he was able to push through city Council despite opposition. “Coming into next year, we’re going to have simi-
asm from page 2 what Gardner called a “learning semester.” The committee will work to create official bylaws and structure, as well as spearheading its own campaigns. In a preliminary committee meeting last fall, members discussed campaign options including a plastic water bottle ban and efforts to increase awareness of recycling and composting on campus. According to Gardner, much of ASM’s focus this spring will be on lobbying Gov. Scott Walker and other
assembly from page 2
shoaib altaf/the daily cardinal
Gov. Scott Walker explains his focuses for the new year in his State of the State address, including his goals for jobs and mining.
grey satterfield/the daily cardinal
Madison Community Cooperative Board member Christian Hansen will run against incumbent alder Scott Resnick for the District 8 seat, which includes much of the UW-Madison campus.
sided with Democrats against the bill because of environmental concerns. The introduction caused an outcry from Democrats who noted the new bill lacked any Democratic proposals to improve last year’s bill, sugges-
lar conversations, and I feel like I’m the best applicant for those issues,” Resnick said. Although new to Madison city government, Hansen said his current position as an elected representative on the board at the Madison Community Cooperative makes him a strong candidate for the job. “To me it’s all about inclusion and sustained community engagement because I feel very strongly that the answers to our district issues come from those who live there, and I will be personally attending meetings to address their needs,” Hansen said. Despite Hansen’s accusations that the required signatures Resnick collected were illegitimate, Resnick will appear on the ballot after the city clerk’s office overruled the challenge. Resnick said his platform focuses on three goals: increasing campus safety,
empowering students by encouraging them to serve in city leadership positions and improving housing practices such as holding landlords accountable, and strengthening the housing committee. “When I entered Council we had almost no students serving on any city committees,” Resnick said. “We’re getting close to having a dozen students on city committees including two that are in leadership roles.” If elected, Hansen said he plans to prioritize creating affordable housing for students and homeless people by bringing the cooperative living model to the city, increasing bus access and broadening the range of voices in community discussions. “I find quite often that students are not taken seriously and we need to make sure that happens on the city level,” Hansen said.
state legislators as the next state budget is prepared. Students from the ASM Legislative Affairs Committee have already presented student budget priorities, which include capping tuition and restoring state financial support for higher education. Gardner said these efforts are especially important following the large cuts given to the University of Wisconsin System in the previous state budget. “We want to make sure that this year we’re speaking out before action is taken so the governor and legislature
know that we’re 42,000 strong and we value quality, affordable education on campus,” Gardner said. ASM will also be a resource for student input on the chancellor search and drafting of a new campus Diversity Plan, according to Gardner, both of which will be completed in the spring semester. Additionally, Gardner said ASM will work on its Campus Safety and Mental Health Campaigns by continuing to build relationships with other groups, including city officials and University Health Services.
tions developed after state Sen. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, held bipartisan committee discussions earlier last year. While both Tiffany and Suder said the bill is a starting point and that their “doors are wide open,” Democrats still have their doubts. A Friday announcement that the only
hearing on the bill will be held in Madison, far from the area the bill would most affect, has only caused more complaints from northern Democrats. Cullen plans to introduce his own Democratic version of a mining bill Tuesday, which will likely lead to discussions for the rest of the week.