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Local News 05/31/2011 09:22 PM
05/31/2011 09:22 PM Local And Regional News
05/21/2012 01:21 AM Student loan debt awaits UW-Madison grads Students walking across the University of Wisconsin-Madison stage with diplomas in hand will face a debt load comparable to the cost of a new vehicle. The average student loan is now $25,000 for an undergraduate degree, and only one in three UW-Madison students graduates with no debt, said J. Michael Collins, faculty director at the university's Center for Financial Security. "There's no getting out of them," he said. "Student loans will follow you until you pay them off. It's not like other kinds of loans where you can declare foreclosure or bankruptcy." Collins said recent graduates who have jobs should stick to a budget that includes starting to pay off student loans. Those without a job should talk with their lenders about extending the payment period, he said. The weight of student loans, which have eclipsed credit cards as the largest source of Americans' debt, is forcing many people to delay major life decisions, Collins said. "Certainly we see delays in marriage, having kids, buying a house," he said. "Because you've got to make this student loan payment, that means there's other things you can be spending money on." At UW-Madison's commencement Sunday, some graduates who don't have debt said they considered themselves lucky. "I was actually incredibly fortunate, my parents have taken care of that," said John Paul Bertinet of Minnesota, who graduated with a communications degree but will join the National Guard in the fall. "I did get help through the National Guard tuition reimbursement, but I have to give almost all of the credit to my parents." Another graduate, Jennifer Wagner, said she would be back in Madison for medical school in the fall. "It's sort of sad that it's ending, but since I'll still be in Madison I'm not as sad because I'll still be here," said Wagner, who also graduated without outstanding student loans. "It sets you up and allows you to continue on without worries, but I know (graduating without debt) isn't possible for a lot of people."
05/21/2012 01:14 AM Hank Aaron addresses Marquette grads In Milwaukee, baseball legend hank Aaron addressed graduates at Marquette University Sunday morning. In his speech, Aaron encouraged graduates to follow their dreams. But he reminded them that it will take a lot of hard work to achieve those dreams. "The one thing I try to tell all these young kids is that there is absolutely no short cut to success," said Aaron. Aaron regaled with crowd with his memories of walking by Marquette University many times in 1954. He would pass the school, he said, as he walked to County Stadium during his rookie year as a Milwaukee Brave. On Sunday, he received an honorary doctorate from the school.
05/21/2012 12:57 AM Green Bay marathon halted due to heat A Wisconsin marathon has been halted because of heat. Green Bay police said the race was stopped about 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Lt. David Paral said there were cases of heat-related sickness, but he doesn't have information yet on how many. The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon started about 7 a.m. Race director Sean Ryan told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that about 8,000 people had registered for the event. The National Weather Service predicted a high of 82 degrees in Green Bay on Sunday. The newspaper reported the temperature was already 70 degrees with 63 percent humidity when the race started.
05/21/2012 12:52 AM Journal-Sentinel endorses Walker Both Gov. Walker and Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett have commented on the decision of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to endorse Scott Walker in June’s recall election. "They endorsed him last time," said Barrett. "I think they're slanted, clearly their editorial policies have gone to the right." "I don't think I've ever heard the Journal Sentinel called right leaning," said Gov. Walker. "I think it just reflects the mass majority across the state." Gov. Walker was in Fond du Lac for a campaign stop on Sunday. Meanwhile, Barrett will be in Madison on Wednesday with former Senator Russ Feingold joining him for an event at the Majestic Theater.
05/21/2012 12:43 AM Fitzgerald, Compas campaign with confidence Perhaps contrary to popular belief, next month’s recall election isn’t all about the rematch between Scott Walker and Tom Barrett. With nearly two decades in state politics, Senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald is facing a recall. But he says he’s not afraid of his challenger, or the breadth of her homegrown support. Besides the vote for governor, there are four other races for voters to decide on come June 5. Those races focus on state senators, including majority leader Scott Fitzgerald. Over the weekend, both Fitzgerald and his challenger in the 13th Senate district, Lori Compas, were campaigning for votes in Columbus. The issues they were talking about aren’t new to anyone paying attention: Jobs, the economy, and the promise of improving both. The rural district, which is made up of Dodge County as well as parts of Columbia, Dane, and Jefferson counties, has supported Scott Fitzgerald for the last 17 years. So a victory for Lori Compas on June 5 would be quite an upset. But in Columbus, Scott Fitzgerald wasn’t talking about Compas as much as he was talking about his record and how tired he thinks people are of seeing him in the news. "There's a lot of people that's fed up, I think, with the idea of recalls," said Fitzgerald. Having been re-elected to the state Senate in 2010, Fitzgerald is now campaigning to finish out that four-year term. But he's not running from his record. "As majority leader, and as active as I was in making sure Act 10 was passed, and that ultimately the full budget was passed, I take full ownership for everything that we did," said Fitzgerald. Public workers, according to Fitzgerald, were insulated from the economic downturn. And then just took a hit in their take home pay in a different way. "They had their neighbors paying their health insurance, they weren't paying for it," said Fitzgerald. Looking forward, Fitzgerald sees Wisconsin facing another tough biennial budget. When asked where the next round of budget cuts could come from, Fitzgerald sounds less sure. "I'd love to hear what Lori Compas, my opponent, or Tom Barrett is going to answer with that is because my answer is now going to be look at where we are on both sales tax, income tax, and corporate tax collections and we'll figure that out, we'll figure that out at a later date." But Fitzgerald’s opponent, Lori Compas, doesn't have that answer either. She’s focusing on setting priorities. "They thought that if they gave tax breaks to corporations, they would come here and set up jobs, but the systems they set up had no accountability, so those jobs have really not materialized," said Compas. The Democrat, a small businesswoman herself, believes locally-run companies deserve a hand. "Really look at businesses that are already here, and try to figure out how we can sustain those businesses, steer tax incentives toward them, and really make them aware of programs that can help them out," said Compas. Compas has never before mounted a bid for public office. So what will be her role in the Senate if elected? She admits that there will be a learning curve. "I like to point out that Scott Fitzgerald had never held public office until he ran for this same seat," said Compas. Though grassroots support has grown up around her, Compas has heard the same complaints about the recall that her opponent has. "I’m telling them that this is why we have the right of recall protected in our constitution," said Compas. "It’s specifically for cases where people have betrayed the public trust and that's what we see with Scott Fitzgerald." Fitzgerald believes the income, sales, and corporate tax rates are all too high and have given Wisconsin a bad rap with business people. Meanwhile, Compas believes the state's citizens are hurting, and if anyone needs a break, it's them. Compas believes a win is possible. Fitzgerald is confident. The answers will come on June 5.
Local News 05/31/2011...
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