Cardinal Quiz: Find out if you’re a fall failure or an autumn all-star +PAGE TWO University of Wisconsin-Madison
Kinda like the Krusty Krab
How the rusty crayfish is taking over Vilas County
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+SCIENCE, page 4 Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Health care exchange starts first day with tech glitches, delays The Affordable Care Act’s federal exchanges, which launched in Wisconsin and 33 other states Tuesday, ran into a series of technological issues soon after the federal government simultaneously began its shutdown proceedings. The exchanges, which are aggregated into a federal online marketplace, healthcare.gov , allow citizens to access a list of health care coverage options standardized to make comparing costs and available subsidies easy. The available options are based on where a potential consumer lives. Health care consumers
who had previously signed up for the online marketplace attempted to start shopping Tuesday, but encountered technical difficulties from the excess traffic the site was forced to carry on the first day of the open enrollment. It was unclear whether the glitches were connected to the government shutdown, which also took place Tuesday. Accessibility issues generally improved as the day went on, according to multiple sources. President Barack Obama said in a speech Tuesday all the problems with the exchanges will be fixed soon.
City abstains from settling The Orpheum’s debts before November foreclosure sale By Irene Burski THE DAILY CARDINAL
Madison’s Common Council heard arguments Tuesday from two potential future owners of The Orpheum Theater, who are vying to settle the property’s debts, but council decided not to interfere with the traditional bidding process. Originally built in 1926, the Orpheum is a monument from a different time, and is a far cry from its former glory days.
“How blessed we are to have two really caring, committed, longtime Madisonian families wanting to ensure the heritage of Madison.” Mike Verveer District 4 alderman City Council
While the buying and selling of property is typically left to real estate agents, the landmark Orpheum Theater’s outstanding debts to the city, leftover from the previous owners, makes the changing of hands a Council issue. The prospective buyer must first cover the cost of these entailed judgments before purchasing the Orpheum. However, with two parties interested in buying, the out-
standing judgments become entwined in city revenues. Gus Paras, owner of the nationally renowned Comedy Club On State, as well as Larry and Fred of Frank Productions, known for running Freakfest the past six Halloweens, have each pledged to fully reimburse the city for the judgments, including interest, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4. In addition, both parties have agreed to fully restore the venue to its refurbished and rehabilitated historic standing. While the Franks have managed the Orpheum in the interim since its foreclosure, Paras was the first to offer to pay the judgments, and he secured the backing of Henry Doane, one of the previous co-titleholders of The Orpheum. While the Orpheum will come up for public auction Nov. 5, for the city, this judgment reimbursement process has no such end date in sight. “It could be six months from now, it could be six years from now until all this litigation is settled,” explained Deputy City Attorney Patricia Lauten. In terms of favoring the Frank family or the Paras family, Madison’s Common Council decided to “remain agnostic,” according to Verveer, and allow whichever party wins the Nov. 5 sheriff ’s auction to
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jAMES lANSER/the daily cardinal
Mayor Paul Soglin proposes increased public funding for The Overture Center for the Arts and the Downtown Safety Initiative in his executive 2014 city operating budget.
Mayor introduces 2014 city operating budget By Alex Bernell THE DAILY CARDINAL
Mayor Paul Soglin proposed his $275.2 million 2014 City of Madison operating budget Tuesday, which decreases funding for the Overture Center by $300,000 but increases funding for the Downtown Safety Initiative by $15,000, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4. Soglin’s proposed spending to the Overture Center is $1.45 million, which is significantly more than he proposed last year, but is still $300,000 less than the performing arts center received in the final 2013 bud-
get and that it requested for the 2014 fiscal year. “This is a tremendous improvement from how the Mayor has treated the Overture Center in the past,” Verveer said. Verveer claims he is encouraged by the new budget but still intends on amending it for the Overture Center to receive the full $1.75 million. Similar to Soglin’s proposed Overture Center spending, his proposed operating budget allocates $65,000 more than last year to the DSI, which is far less than the $100,000 the Madison Police Department desires. Verveer said the DSI is “by far the most
important thing on the budget, in terms of student safety.” The DSI enables cops to work overtime every weekend downtown, which greatly benefits the safety of people in the downtown Madison area, Verveer said. He added the plan is likely receiving more attention from Soglin than it did last year because of the May 2012 shooting in front of Segredo’s and Johnny O’s, and the attack on former Badgers running back Montee Ball. Although Verveer said he appreciates Soglin increasing DSI funding, he said he needs
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Investigation into university animal research finds no major violations By Sam Cusick THE DAILY CARDINAL
On campus
Lights out
Demolition began on Stadium Bar Tuesday to make way for a new private student development complex. + Photo by Will Chizek
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare released a summary report of its six-month long investigation into a University of Wisconsin-Madison experiment Monday that found no violations in the university’s use of cats in sound localization research. The investigation stemmed from allegations that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals leveled against UW-Madison in September 2012, claiming the university mistreated cats in its research, specifically through drilling holes into the cats’ skulls and intentionally deafening them. The allegations also led
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”