Despite the continued presence of singing protestors occupying the Capitol without a permit, citations handed out by the Capitol Police Department took a dive in the month of November.After a busy September and October, Capitol Police handed out only three citations in November, according to the most recent data collected… Read more »

Madison officials and community leaders are calling the new ban on panhandling a success nearly two months after taking effect. The ban, approved by the City Council in mid-September, specifically targets State Street and the Capitol Square area. According to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain, the ban has been… Read more »

State Superintendent Tony Evers revealed his 2013-15 budget proposal Monday, which calls for an increase in school aid and property tax relief all over Wisconsin, with $30 million in mind for the Madison Metropolitan School District.According to a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction statement, categorical aid came to $653.9 million… Read more »

Around 10:45 p.m., the patrons and staff of a Madison gay bar put everything on pause and raised a toast to the results of the 2012 election.“Here’s to four more years moving forward,” Plan B Co-Owner Rico Sabatini said over a microphone as martini glasses of champagne were raised all… Read more »

With only 20 hours until polls opened in Wisconsin for Election Day, President Barack Obama took to the stage near the foot of the Capitol Monday, the first stop of a last-minute blitz to swing battleground states in his direction. According to the Madison Police Department, 20,000 onlookers packed the… Read more »

FITCHBURG — The youngest of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s sons stopped by a Fitchburg campaign office Thursday to talk up his father with Election Day approaching.Craig Romney, the third of former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney’s sons to visit the area since September, shared personal stories about his father and… Read more »

For months, candidates seeking office all across the country have pounded the table about how they plan to fix the economy, do or do without the Affordable Care Act, erase the deficit and so on. With only days until Election Day, the major themes of Election 2012 are clearly defined.… Read more »

Mayor Paul Soglin moved forward Tuesday with efforts to develop a vacant lot northeast of the Capitol by appointing community leaders to a committee set on getting a project off the ground.The lot, located on the 800 block of East Washington Avenue next to Breese Stevens Field, is a full… Read more »

Madison’s annual Halloween festival alone is enough to make city officials and local law enforcement batten down the hatches.Throw in a University of Wisconsin football game and Homecoming festivities, and things could get interesting.As such, planning officials for Freakfest held a press conference Tuesday, laying out the city’s plans to… Read more »

A daytime homeless shelter initially proposed to open near Dane County Regional Airport is now also being considered for a location closer to downtown, according to members of the county’s Board of Supervisors. One month ago, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi detailed plans for the county to collaborate with Porchlight, Inc.,… Read more »

The Madison Police Department announced it will add three officers to its special repeat offenders prevention program in February after receiving a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.With funds awarded from the Community Oriented Policing Services, MPD’s Special Investigations Unit plans to add two additional detectives and one… Read more »

Dane County officials have secured additional tentative collective bargaining agreements with the Service Employee International Union and several other unions. The agreements are similar to those the county reached with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees last week, a county statement said. According to Dane County Director… Read more »

With a window of opportunity still open, Dane County officials took significant steps toward securing a new collective bargaining agreement with its employees Thursday. Hours after county officials reached a tentative agreement with representatives of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Dane County Board of Supervisors… Read more »

In the wake of a Dane County judge’s decision to strike down Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial budget repair law, a Madison teachers’ union is jumping at the chance to engage in collective bargaining talks, while the state is acting fast to put the law back into effect.Madison Teachers Inc., the… Read more »

A Wisconsin judge repealed the state law that essentially ended collective bargaining rights for most public employees.In a 27-page ruling, Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas handed down the decision Friday, arguing the law proposed by Gov. Scott Walker is in violation of both the Wisconsin and U.S. constitutions as… Read more »

City officials are considering the use of discontinued parking meters as a means to prevent panhandling from occurring and ultimately ban it completely in downtown Madison.With the proposal, city officials say they hope to allow citizens to donate money to those who need it if they wish, according to Katie… Read more »

 West Nile virus is believed to have reached humans in Dane County, affecting as many as three people, one health official said. Amanda Kita-Yarbro, communicable disease epidemiologist for Madison and Dane County Public Health, said Friday there was one “probable” case and two “suspected” cases.  The department had only received… Read more »

LANGDON STREETRobbery In separate incidents, two 20-year-old University of Wisconsin students became victims of muggings on Langdon Street early Saturday morning, according to Madison Police reports. MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said authorities believe the two robberies were connected because of the time between them, their proximity and the descriptions of the… Read more »

A University of Wisconsin student active in the university’s popular First Wave program died Thursday after being pulled from Lake Mendota by rescue divers.  The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as John “Vietnam” Nguyen, 19, of Chicago. UW Police, along with the Madison Police Department and Madison… Read more »

The Madison Police Department arrested three suspects allegedly involved in the Aug. 1 attack on Wisconsin running back Montee Ball last Tuesday. An MPD report identifies Wendell Venerable, Deonte Wilson and Robert Wilks — all 21 years old and students at the University of Wisconsin — as being taken into… Read more »

Rescue divers pulled out a University of Wisconsin student from Lake Mendota Thursday morning, who was later taken to a hospital where he died.The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as John “Vietnam” Nguyen, 19, of Chicago.UW Police, along with the Madison Police Department and Madison Fire Department,… Read more »

The Madison Police Department arrested three suspects allegedly involved in the Aug. 1 attack on Wisconsin running back Montee Ball Tuesday, according to an MPD report. The report identifies Wendell J. Venerable, Deonte J. Wilson and Robert A. Wilks – all 21 and students at University of Wisconsin – as… Read more »

LAKE MENDOTA DRIVE Fraud An 84-year-old Madison woman became the target of an attempted phone scam on July 10, according to a Madison Police Department report. The report said over the course of two phone calls, one caller pretended to be the grandson of the victim’s neighbor, saying he was… Read more »