The 1960’s in the United States was an era in American history that was unbridled by existing societal norms. 1950’s conservatism was masked by a new light that comprised bright colors and war protesting by teenage baby boomers. Everything was changing. Hair grew while clothing shrank. Women turned from long dresses to miniskirts and hot pants, and men experimented with patterns and color in their suits as the 60’s culture unfurled.
But while business men maintained their professional appearance and followed all the rules, one man donned his alabaster jacket and contributed to all of the commotion. Tom Wolfe not only shook things up with his signature white suits, but the young journalist expelled the static template that was journalism before the 1960s.
Along with Truman Capote and Norman Mailer, among others, Wolfe fashioned a new way to delve into the time period in a way that, as he states it, gave “people news they didn’t know was news.”1 By focusing on less prevalent subjects in his articles and writing in less formal structures, Wolfe’s “new journalism” technique captured 1960’s culture in the United States in a realism that other reporting could not.
Wolfe wrote in a decade that was thwarted with the Vietnam War, where history and new culture were unfolding rapidly. Starting with the Bay of Pigs invasion and the construction of the Berlin Wall, then surging through Vietnam, the 1960’s fostered globalization and the press was hot on the wire to report it. With television, journalists were able to bring home a new view of the war, and the press filled the public with such fodder that sparked the cultural revolution of the decade.
But while the press was focusing on the war, Wolfe was focusing on social status in a book called “The Pump House Gang.”2 First published in 1968, “The Pump House Gang” was written in a time that was fleshed out with ideas of war and change. Wolfe, however, chose to instead focus on a variety of lifestyles in that era. Wolfe starts off by introducing a group of surfers from California, the title characters, and moves on to visit Carol Doda, the exotic dancer, Larry Lynch, a participant in the noonday underground scene, and Hugh Hefner, the business mogul behind Playboy clubs and the magazine.
These subjects, along with the other that Wolfe chooses to detail, encompass much of what was going on in the 60’s. Yet, Wolfe does not go on about the specific events that they were involved in as a journalist in this time period would. Instead, he goes to great lengths to describe his subjects and their personalities, detailing every movement and sound. When writing a story on a subject, Wolfe says he can spend anywhere from two hours to four trips with someone to get all essential information.3 He then uses his experience and information to create something that is completely different than any other person would have written.
The crucial element to Wolfe’s “New Journalism” is the subjectivity that emerges from the excessive information gathered by spending time with a subject. While some journalists value objectivity in writing, Wolfe says he values subjectivity because it “enables the writer to get inside the subjective reality—not his own, but of the characters he’s writing about.”4 Wolfe doesn’t use the details of his research to answer the “who, what, when, where and why” of a particular event like a typical journalist in the 1960’s. He spends time with the subject to get into their brains to attack the event from a perspective, a technique that was, and still can be, controversial in non-fiction.
Controversial journalism was not unique in the ‘60’s. Along with this new style of creative nonfiction came advocacy journalism and precision journalism.5 Advocacy journalism was a style that responded to the social turmoil of the decade.6 Advocacy journalists’ main goal was to inform the public about such things as lynching, mobs, and assassinations, but they did so by formally declaring a bias for or against certain issues. While advocacy journalists were successful informants to the public, they only presented one side of the story.
Precision journalists of the time, like advocacy journalists, sought to inform the public but did so by delving deep into the investigation of an issue. They were often more objective than other journalists of the time because they surveyed, interviewed, researched and probed into all sides of the story.7 With such tactics, however, precision journalists did not dive into the perspective of one specific subject as Wolfe did. They presented all fact while resisting emotion. By avoiding the true perspective inside the story, precision journalists lacked the roundedness that new journalism provided.
New journalism, on the other hand, strained the raw emotion from advocacy journalism and added the pure fact from precision journalism. While new journalists strove to create a story that was completely factual, they aimed at a report that read like a novel.8 To do so, they used techniques, such as using dialogue instead of quotations to “give insight into the motivations behind actions instead of simple descriptions of them.”9 Wolfe called these writing styles “techniques of realism.”10 (Critic 65).
Along with writing with his subject’s perspective, Tom Wolfe also strayed from typical journalism of the 1960’s by illustrating his writing with local tongue. To use dialogue instead of quotations, Wolfe tossed in hyphens and exclamation points to make speech more realistic. Techniques like onomatopoeia and inappropriate punctuation were also used to add to the realism. All of the words Wolfe quoted were actually spoken, but they were pieced together to aid in the narration of the piece. Wolfe spelled the words just as they sounded, throwing in capitalizations, ellipses and italics to emphasize certain points. Reading his writing becomes an experience, as if the reader were there with the subject.
The differences between journalism styles during the 1960’s become apparent when two articles on the same subject, one by Wolfe and one by another journalist of that time, are compared. Specifically, an article on Hugh Hefner published in the New York Times in 1964 and the chapter titled “King of the Status Dropouts” in Wolfe’s “The Pump House Gang” illustrate the different realities portrayed by Wolfe and other writers.
In “The Pump House Gang,” Wolfe dedicates an entire chapter to Hugh Hefner. The journalist describes the genius behind the Playboy empire as a recluse, starting off the chapter titled “King of the Status Dropouts” by explaining that Hefner “Doesn’t go out, doesn’t see the light of day, doesn’t put his hide out in God’s own unconditioned Chicago air for months on end; years.”11 He continues by composing and illustration of Hefner as 150 pounds, like the “tender-tympany green heart of an artichoke.” Within the first paragraph, Wolfe also rambles off nearly twenty adjectives that describe of the room in which Hefner sits upon meeting the journalist. The list not only describes the room, but it also reflects the loneliness of the business mogul.
The list of words is beyond the journalistic style of other writers in the 1960’s such as Peter Bart, who also wrote an expose on Hefner, published in The New York Times in 1964. Bart’s article focuses entirely on Hefner, but it uses a different style from Wolfe. Bart, like Wolfe, uses the first paragraph to describe Hefner’s physical appearance, calling him “a gaunt and rather somber young man of 37 who in the last 10 years has built an imposing if unorthodox empire.”12 Both paragraphs focus on the same subject, yet Bart’s does so with one complete sentence, avoiding journalistic faux paus of that time.
Wolfe, on the other hand, uses exclamation points and sentence fragments all in the first paragraph of his chapter. He flowers his text with similes and active description that create the obscure realism in Wolfe’s writing. When describing the way that Hefner moves, Wolfe uses the word “heeewack,” but Bart does not touch on Hefner’s movement at all.13 Wolfe even describes the sound of the rotating bed in Hefner’s residence with “…rrr…rrr…rrr…”14
While it seems that Wolfe’s focus in his chapter is the specific description of Hefner’s nimble and isolated persona, Bart chooses to focus mainly on the subjects accomplishments. He outlines the setbacks that Hefner encountered up until that point in his business career and describes the mogul’s current success and future goals. Bart uses direct quotes from the subject in a way that feels censored, unlike Wolfe’s dramatic wordplay.
The New York Times writer also underplays Hefner’s personal life and isolationism, yet touches on it briefly by saying Hefner was “by nature a remote man—friends and family describe him as a ‘loner’” and states that Hefner spends most of his time working on his magazine.15 This is nearly the only similarity between the two writers, but Bart so severely downplays his seclusion when compared to Wolfe. The reader feels informed after reading Bart’s article, yet they feel as if they have met Hefner himself upon finishing the chapter in “The Pump House Gang.”
Though it may be appealing for a reader to sense such realism in Wolfe’s writing, writers of that time criticized Wolfe for the techniques he used in gathering information. Journalists in the 1960’s were writing down quotes while Wolfe was taking in masses of details, making sure to get exact dialogue. He then would take the dialogue and rearrange it in order to tell a more effective story. Some journalists called this method deceitful.16 Alan Trachtenberg from The Partisan Review wrote that Wolfe’s apparent spontaneity was actual the result of “most arch manipulation and manufacture,” claiming that the resulting illusion is a “calculated product that disguises what it is we are actually reading.”17
It would be easy for Wolfe to lose credibility from peers such as Trachtenberg after two of his articles in 1965 were found to be completely false. Wolfe wrote articles for the Herald-Tribune that criticized the New Yorker, questioning the magazine’s editorial behavior.18 When people confronted Wolfe about the “stupefyingly false” reporting, Wolfe just laughed about it. 19 Other journalists who wrote on NASA’s space program said that Wolfe’s account in “The Right Stuff” also included “outright lies.”20
It is this false reporting that would categorize Wolfe’s new journalism into fiction over non-fiction. Wolfe, however, deems it necessary to use this technique when creating a piece of non-fiction. He defends his style by saying, “what I try to do is re-create a scene from a triple point of view: the subject’s point of view, my own, and that of the other people watching.”21
The collaboration of three perspectives requires manipulation of order to make a story logically flow. He claims that his technique is similar to how people write their autobiographies. The new journalist says that readers put trust into the writer of an autobiography to recall his life stories factually and therefore should do the same with non-fiction writers.22 According to Wolfe, accurate information is crucial because falsities could lead to lost trust, which could ultimately lead to the destruction of non-fiction as a genre.
Still, some critics shame Wolfe for such attention to mundane detail. Emile Capouya from the Saturday Review in 1965 wrote that Wolfe’s focused mannerisms made his writing less effective. He said, “The notion that every fact, activity, mannerism, detail of costume is significant, is a vulgar error.”23 Capouya’s view as a fellow journalist in that time period illustrates the difference of journalism in the 1960’s and new journalism. While some found all-encompassing detail to add to the realism, others like Capouya found this to be a waste of time and altogether uninteresting.
The differences between Wolfe and other journalists in the ‘60’s were vast, but Wolfe still fell into the category of new journalism in the 1960’s. There were other new journalists in this time period that were capturing the attention of the baby boomers, yet Wolfe separated himself even further from the rest by distinguishing himself from new journalists like Truman Capote, Hunter Thompson, and Norman Mailer. Thompson used the character, “Duke” to play his part in his stories, while Mailer inserted himself directly into the story of “The Armies of the Night” in 1967.24, 25 (CNN 1,2).
Wolfe, on the other hand, avoided emphasizing himself into the story when others injected themselves directly into the narrative.26 With Wolfe out of the mental picture, the reader falls into a realistic voyeurism, as if they were the ones observing the scene from across a table.
Though Wolfe was sometimes criticized by his peers and readers for his “new” way of writing, the redeeming qualities are what make him still popular today. Starting with “The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby,” and after publishing “The Pump House Gang” and “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” on the same day, Wolfe is still in the public eye. His most recent book, “I Am Charlotte Simmons,” a novel, was published in 2004, and his flashy white suits still make him recognizable to not only the baby boomers, but to their children as well.27
In the midst of the Vietnam War and a frenzy of motivated television reporters, Wolfe still stood out as a popular journalist of the 1960’s. His uncharacteristic writing techniques brought realism to the decade without detailing specific events, while other reporters of that time could not inform their audience with as much entertainment or flair. These differences become ever more obvious when comparing a Wolfe article to any other journalist of that time’s writing on the same subject. Though Wolfe has been criticized throughout the years for these questionable methods and apparent fact errors, he still captured the decade in a way that rocketed Wolfe to the forefront of creative non-fiction.
Notes:
1. Peggy Whitman Prenshaw, editor, Conversations with Tom Wolfe (Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1990), 9.
2. Doug Shomette, editor, The Critical Response to Tom Wolfe (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1992), 15
3. Prenshaw, Conversations with Tom Wolfe, 13.
4. ibid., 45.
5. Yale-New Havens Teachers Institute, “The Revolution in Journalism with an Emphasis on the 1960’s and 1970’s.” Yale University. http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/4/83.04.05.x.html (accessed April 10 , 2008).
6. Grassroots Editor, “Who was Gene Cervi?” Missouri Southern State University. http://www.mssu.edu/iswne/grpdfs/summer00.pdf (accessed April 10, 2008).
7. Yale-New Havens Teachers Institute, “The Revolution in Journalism with an Emphasis on the 1960’s and 1970’s.” Yale University. http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/4/83.04.05.x.html (accessed April 10 , 2008).
8. Shomette, The Critical Response to Tom Wolfe, 65.
9. ibid., 65.
10. ibid., 65.
11. Tom Wolfe, The Pump House Gang (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1968), 49.
12. Peter Bart, “Playboy of the Magazine World,” New York Times, May 7, 1964, Advertising section.
13. Wolfe, The Pump House Gang, 52.
14. ibid., 61.
15. Bart, “Playboy of the Magazine World.”
16. Shomette, The Critical Response to Tom Wolfe, 71.
17. ibid., 71.
18. ibid., 128.
19. ibid., 128-129.
20. ibid., 129.
21. Prenshaw, Conversations with Tom Wolfe, 10.
22. ibid., 163.
23. Shomette, The Critical Response to Tom Wolfe, 8.
24. CNN Entertainment, “Literary Lion Norman Mailer Dies.” Todd Leopold. “http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/11/10/mailer.obit/index.html. (accessed April 14, 2008).
25. CNN Entertainment, “Hunter S. Thompson dead at 67.” http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/02/21/thompson.obit. (accessed April 14, 2008).
26. Shomette, The Critical Response to Tom Wolfe, 71.
27. Tom Wolfe, “About Tom Wolfe.” Bio. http://www.tomwolfe.com/bio.html (accessed April 14, 2008).
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Madison swimming blindfolded
Anna Speaker
3/31/08
The view of an unsuspecting pair of bodiless legs treading right below the surface of the water. The accelerating two-toned music as it lurks closer and closer. And in one final moment of noise and suspense, the naïve swimmer discovers what is really prowling beneath the surface. This realization might just keep Madison swimmer’s out of the lakes this year.
But unlike the movie Jaws, the area lakes aren’t teeming with blood-thirsty great white sharks. Instead, they have become increasingly infested with bacteria and toxins from blue-green algae in recent years. The microorganisms in some area beaches on Lake Mendota and Lake Monona reached high enough levels for the past five water sample readings to be proposed to the 2008 Impaired Waters List, a state compilation of beaches with consistently high E.coli readings above Environmental Protection Agency levels. The tentative 2008 list included James Madison Park Beach, Olbrich Park Beach and Olin Park Beach among others.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources limnologist, Dick Lathrop, said that the increase in weed growth and bacteria is the result of manure runoff from local farms. According to Lathrop, the water that flows downstream from the fields when the show melts each spring maintains the high nutrient levels from the fertilizer. The runoff that reaches the lakes contains high phosphorous levels that lead to overflowing weeds and algae, some of which can emit toxins and create a breeding ground for bacteria.
“The one gorilla that hasn’t been tackled yet, I feel, is the manure run-off problem, and we have to stop spreading manure, not just in the winter, but totally,” Lathrop said. If farmers stop spreading manure, the lakes blue-green algae levels will drop making it safer to swim for beachgoers.
UW-Madison students seem to have the same reaction to the smell of manure in lakes as manure on fields. Frequent summer beachgoer and University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate, Molly Stapleton, said that she stopped swimming at the Union Terrace towards the middle of last summer once the warm weather amped the odor of the algae.“Once it started to smell, it’s like, ok, there’s no way I’m diving into this lake,” she said.
Other beachgoers aren’t so cautious. Will Dunlop, a student at MATC, said he would still go swimming even if the DNR issued a beach advisory due to elevated E.coli levels. Dunlop’s concern was focused more on the blue-green algae and he said he would feel less inclined to swim in the algae infested water. “I don’t really like the feeling of all the stuff on the lakes,” he said.
While the microorganisms irritate swimmers’ noses and skin, they can prompt far more unseen damage. The toxins that the blue-green algae emit can lead to gastrointestinal problems, cell damage, and some can cause harm to the kidneys and the nervous system.
The Wisconsin Beach Health Web site advises beachgoers to use common sense while swimming because it is difficult to determine the amount of blue-green algal toxins present. The Web site issues postings of beach closings due to bacteria, but Stapleton and Dunlop both said they would not look online to see if the beach was closed before heading out to the lake.
In order to make the lakes healthier to swim in, the levels of bacteria and toxins must be reduced. Stapleton said, “It’s definitely hard to get a lake that’s this bad up to its normal level that it should be. I mean, it’s going to take a lot.”
Lathrop is more optimistic about the amount of time this will take. Lathrop said, “I don’t think that they have to last 50 years continuing the problem, if we could stop this manure run-off thing, we’re going to see it in the lifetime of some of us.”
As a beachgoer, Stapleton remains skeptical about the farmers’ response to Lathrop’s suggestion. Stapleton said “It’s easy to say, ‘Ok, don’t fertilize farms,’ but really, it’s not at all. You know that’s not going to happen. You know farmers need fertilizers to grow crops. It’s what we should do, but it’s not going to happen.”
Stapleton may be right, but to take care of this beast in the water, it might take more than three men in a boat with harpoons.
3/31/08
The view of an unsuspecting pair of bodiless legs treading right below the surface of the water. The accelerating two-toned music as it lurks closer and closer. And in one final moment of noise and suspense, the naïve swimmer discovers what is really prowling beneath the surface. This realization might just keep Madison swimmer’s out of the lakes this year.
But unlike the movie Jaws, the area lakes aren’t teeming with blood-thirsty great white sharks. Instead, they have become increasingly infested with bacteria and toxins from blue-green algae in recent years. The microorganisms in some area beaches on Lake Mendota and Lake Monona reached high enough levels for the past five water sample readings to be proposed to the 2008 Impaired Waters List, a state compilation of beaches with consistently high E.coli readings above Environmental Protection Agency levels. The tentative 2008 list included James Madison Park Beach, Olbrich Park Beach and Olin Park Beach among others.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources limnologist, Dick Lathrop, said that the increase in weed growth and bacteria is the result of manure runoff from local farms. According to Lathrop, the water that flows downstream from the fields when the show melts each spring maintains the high nutrient levels from the fertilizer. The runoff that reaches the lakes contains high phosphorous levels that lead to overflowing weeds and algae, some of which can emit toxins and create a breeding ground for bacteria.
“The one gorilla that hasn’t been tackled yet, I feel, is the manure run-off problem, and we have to stop spreading manure, not just in the winter, but totally,” Lathrop said. If farmers stop spreading manure, the lakes blue-green algae levels will drop making it safer to swim for beachgoers.
UW-Madison students seem to have the same reaction to the smell of manure in lakes as manure on fields. Frequent summer beachgoer and University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate, Molly Stapleton, said that she stopped swimming at the Union Terrace towards the middle of last summer once the warm weather amped the odor of the algae.“Once it started to smell, it’s like, ok, there’s no way I’m diving into this lake,” she said.
Other beachgoers aren’t so cautious. Will Dunlop, a student at MATC, said he would still go swimming even if the DNR issued a beach advisory due to elevated E.coli levels. Dunlop’s concern was focused more on the blue-green algae and he said he would feel less inclined to swim in the algae infested water. “I don’t really like the feeling of all the stuff on the lakes,” he said.
While the microorganisms irritate swimmers’ noses and skin, they can prompt far more unseen damage. The toxins that the blue-green algae emit can lead to gastrointestinal problems, cell damage, and some can cause harm to the kidneys and the nervous system.
The Wisconsin Beach Health Web site advises beachgoers to use common sense while swimming because it is difficult to determine the amount of blue-green algal toxins present. The Web site issues postings of beach closings due to bacteria, but Stapleton and Dunlop both said they would not look online to see if the beach was closed before heading out to the lake.
In order to make the lakes healthier to swim in, the levels of bacteria and toxins must be reduced. Stapleton said, “It’s definitely hard to get a lake that’s this bad up to its normal level that it should be. I mean, it’s going to take a lot.”
Lathrop is more optimistic about the amount of time this will take. Lathrop said, “I don’t think that they have to last 50 years continuing the problem, if we could stop this manure run-off thing, we’re going to see it in the lifetime of some of us.”
As a beachgoer, Stapleton remains skeptical about the farmers’ response to Lathrop’s suggestion. Stapleton said “It’s easy to say, ‘Ok, don’t fertilize farms,’ but really, it’s not at all. You know that’s not going to happen. You know farmers need fertilizers to grow crops. It’s what we should do, but it’s not going to happen.”
Stapleton may be right, but to take care of this beast in the water, it might take more than three men in a boat with harpoons.
School district to hold referedum info sessions
Anna Speaker
October, 2008
The Madison School District has scheduled four public information sessions throughout October in an effort to raise public awareness about the rapidly approaching referendum.
The district will hold the meetings at four different middle schools across the city. Madison School Board member and communications committee Chairwoman Beth Moss said she hopes that the wide distribution of session locations will generate diverse representation from various attendance areas.
“The formal information sessions try to appeal to more people out in the community,” Moss said. “It’s not just parents. It’s more like people who live in that attendance area. We try to get seniors to come.”
The sessions will feature a brief introduction by a district administration member, followed by an informational DVD presentation. Moss said the DVD uses graphics to help explain details of the referendum that may not be clear to voters.
“It is very important for people to get the facts and understand what we’re asking for. We’re not building a building. We’re trying to just keep going. We’re just trying to keep providing an education and not make really devastating cuts,” Moss said.
The referendum is scheduled for Nov. 4, and proposes that the district raise the revenue limit by $5 million in the 2009-2010 school year, and by $4 million in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. The increased revenue limit will consequently cause taxes to increase in 2009 by about $27.50 for a $250,000 home.
Moss said that while Madison residents suffer yearly from increased tax rates, the city’s schools don’t benefit from that increase.
“There are all of these things showing how the amount of money that schools receive now is so much less than it was in 1978, and people are actually paying less out of their taxes now than they did in 1978,” Moss said. “So it’s kind of like, this is why we’re in the situation we’re in. It’s hard for people to understand because taxes otherwise have gone up, but the amount we get has gone down.”
As of now, Moss said there is no known organized opposition to the proposal, but could not say the same for past referendums.
“I know [at] the last referendum there was no organized opposition but [at] the previous one, there were groups who actually had signs and had literature and they were actively campaigning against it. We haven’t seen that yet, but you never know. There’s still quite a bit of time,” Moss said.
People with an eye for education may have spotted some of the other publicity outlets the district used in recent weeks. District Spokesman Ken Syke said that schools took numerous measures to get the word out about the event.
“We work through our schools in what’s called either backpack mail or just school newsletters. Each school sends out a newsletter to parents about once a month or once every five weeks, and we give them any information that they can use there,” Syke said. “In addition, as far as the sessions, we’ve done a traditional news release to the news media and asked them to promote it.”
He also said that the school district e-mailed the parents about the informational meetings and added a section to the district’s Web site explaining the referendum in detail.
The information sessions will be held Oct. 7 at Sherman Middle School, Oct.16 at Jefferson Middle School, Oct. 22 at Wright Middle School, and Oct. 28 at Sennett Middle School. Each meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. and will feature both Spanish and Hmong interpreters.
October, 2008
The Madison School District has scheduled four public information sessions throughout October in an effort to raise public awareness about the rapidly approaching referendum.
The district will hold the meetings at four different middle schools across the city. Madison School Board member and communications committee Chairwoman Beth Moss said she hopes that the wide distribution of session locations will generate diverse representation from various attendance areas.
“The formal information sessions try to appeal to more people out in the community,” Moss said. “It’s not just parents. It’s more like people who live in that attendance area. We try to get seniors to come.”
The sessions will feature a brief introduction by a district administration member, followed by an informational DVD presentation. Moss said the DVD uses graphics to help explain details of the referendum that may not be clear to voters.
“It is very important for people to get the facts and understand what we’re asking for. We’re not building a building. We’re trying to just keep going. We’re just trying to keep providing an education and not make really devastating cuts,” Moss said.
The referendum is scheduled for Nov. 4, and proposes that the district raise the revenue limit by $5 million in the 2009-2010 school year, and by $4 million in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. The increased revenue limit will consequently cause taxes to increase in 2009 by about $27.50 for a $250,000 home.
Moss said that while Madison residents suffer yearly from increased tax rates, the city’s schools don’t benefit from that increase.
“There are all of these things showing how the amount of money that schools receive now is so much less than it was in 1978, and people are actually paying less out of their taxes now than they did in 1978,” Moss said. “So it’s kind of like, this is why we’re in the situation we’re in. It’s hard for people to understand because taxes otherwise have gone up, but the amount we get has gone down.”
As of now, Moss said there is no known organized opposition to the proposal, but could not say the same for past referendums.
“I know [at] the last referendum there was no organized opposition but [at] the previous one, there were groups who actually had signs and had literature and they were actively campaigning against it. We haven’t seen that yet, but you never know. There’s still quite a bit of time,” Moss said.
People with an eye for education may have spotted some of the other publicity outlets the district used in recent weeks. District Spokesman Ken Syke said that schools took numerous measures to get the word out about the event.
“We work through our schools in what’s called either backpack mail or just school newsletters. Each school sends out a newsletter to parents about once a month or once every five weeks, and we give them any information that they can use there,” Syke said. “In addition, as far as the sessions, we’ve done a traditional news release to the news media and asked them to promote it.”
He also said that the school district e-mailed the parents about the informational meetings and added a section to the district’s Web site explaining the referendum in detail.
The information sessions will be held Oct. 7 at Sherman Middle School, Oct.16 at Jefferson Middle School, Oct. 22 at Wright Middle School, and Oct. 28 at Sennett Middle School. Each meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. and will feature both Spanish and Hmong interpreters.
Tea culture steeps in Madison
Anna Speaker
5/1/08
Nearly 60 glass jars of different tea line the wall of Dr. Xiping Zhou’s tea room, leaving the scent of indiscernible dried herbs lingering in the air at his Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine clinic on the west side of Madison. That may have seemed like a lot to a Madison resident several years ago, but today, even coffeehouses are stocking more and more varieties of tea, trading in the caffeine-laden coffee and providing a fresher, healthier option.
Madison tea consumption is on the rise. Liz Tymus, General Manager of Espresso Royale, estimated that while tea used to contribute 10 percent of her overall business, in the past few years, tea produced nearly 20 percent of overall sales. Lorie Henn, owner of Fair Trade Coffeehouse on State Street, estimated that her store sells 20 percent more tea than it did several years ago.
Tymus attributes the rise in consumption to residents wanting more than the caffeine boost from what she calls a “crazy explosion” of coffee shops in Madison.
“People are looking for something new and different and tea is absolutely a new sort of off-the-beaten-path direction that people are willing to take,” Tymus said.
Ground Zero and Cargo Coffee owner Lindsey Lee said that Madison tea drinkers are becoming more sophisticated, so his businesses now sell a wider variety of tea. Espresso Royale on State Street currently sells 29 varieties of tea. MaCha teahouse on Monroe Street sells over 40.
But while these coffee shops are providing steaming cups of tea to the growing number of willing consumers, Dr. Zhou, Medical Doctor of Oriental Medicine, warns that too much or too little tea could lead to health consequences.
“The Chinese believe, we said, good health is not perfect heath; good health is called balance health. We keep balance,” Zhou said. He says people should drink an average of two cups a day, but advises drinking less black and red tea due to their high caffeine content.
Julie Foote, an undergraduate student at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that part of the reason she drinks tea is because she likes the taste and because she recognizes that it is good for her health. As a tea drinker, she strays from coffee for several reasons.
“Firstly, I really just don’t like the taste and I really don’t like coffee breath,” said Foote. “Secondly, I’m not big on caffeine. I prefer not to be a caffeine addict if I can help it.”
While Foote is cautious of coffee’s addictive qualities, Dr. Zhou warns that too much of the drug is bad for digestion and the nervous system, and it can cause cardiological problems. He said that females in particular should be wary of their caffeine intake.
“Drink caffeine for female really make worse for female, like for menopause, female dysmenorrheal, and also [cause] high defect for birthrate,” said Zhou. He also said overdosing on caffeine can lead to worse cases of osteoporosis and arthritis.
Zhou recommended that tea replace coffee in everyday diets. While the caffeine in coffee can be debilitating to the body, tea contains polyphenols, which help lower cholesterol and reduce fat. In addition to these benefits, Zhou said the antioxidants in tea can also reduce bacteria in our body. He also commented on how the drink can help fight stress.
“Tea is more [to] help our body relax and make our calm our focus. Coffee makes our [focus] hyper.”
But as exam time rolls around on campus, students will be flocking to the tea-bearing coffee shops to cram for their finals and get their fix of caffeine. Dr. Zhou recommended replacing the caffeine-loaded espresso with herbal, green or white tea. He said to avoid strong black tea because it too contains large amounts of caffeine.
“People wanting to have some stimulant or also have some focus should drink some green tea and or jasmine tea,” said Zhou.
The key to getting the most out of your cup is drinking fresh. In order to get the greatest beneficial impact from tea, Zhou said it is best to drink loose tea. Loose tea consists of free-floating leaves or herbs, unlike tea bags that have been manufactured and packaged. According to Zhou, these store-bought tea bags have less antioxidants than loose teas. Tymus of Espresso Royale says that the loose teas are also different from prepackaged teas in that they allow the consumer to “personalize each experience.”
So whether Madison residents satisfy their taste with 29 tea choices at Espresso Royale, or over 40 at MaCha, they have a steep array of options to choose from when broadening their cultural--and nutritional-- horizons.
5/1/08
Nearly 60 glass jars of different tea line the wall of Dr. Xiping Zhou’s tea room, leaving the scent of indiscernible dried herbs lingering in the air at his Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine clinic on the west side of Madison. That may have seemed like a lot to a Madison resident several years ago, but today, even coffeehouses are stocking more and more varieties of tea, trading in the caffeine-laden coffee and providing a fresher, healthier option.
Madison tea consumption is on the rise. Liz Tymus, General Manager of Espresso Royale, estimated that while tea used to contribute 10 percent of her overall business, in the past few years, tea produced nearly 20 percent of overall sales. Lorie Henn, owner of Fair Trade Coffeehouse on State Street, estimated that her store sells 20 percent more tea than it did several years ago.
Tymus attributes the rise in consumption to residents wanting more than the caffeine boost from what she calls a “crazy explosion” of coffee shops in Madison.
“People are looking for something new and different and tea is absolutely a new sort of off-the-beaten-path direction that people are willing to take,” Tymus said.
Ground Zero and Cargo Coffee owner Lindsey Lee said that Madison tea drinkers are becoming more sophisticated, so his businesses now sell a wider variety of tea. Espresso Royale on State Street currently sells 29 varieties of tea. MaCha teahouse on Monroe Street sells over 40.
But while these coffee shops are providing steaming cups of tea to the growing number of willing consumers, Dr. Zhou, Medical Doctor of Oriental Medicine, warns that too much or too little tea could lead to health consequences.
“The Chinese believe, we said, good health is not perfect heath; good health is called balance health. We keep balance,” Zhou said. He says people should drink an average of two cups a day, but advises drinking less black and red tea due to their high caffeine content.
Julie Foote, an undergraduate student at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that part of the reason she drinks tea is because she likes the taste and because she recognizes that it is good for her health. As a tea drinker, she strays from coffee for several reasons.
“Firstly, I really just don’t like the taste and I really don’t like coffee breath,” said Foote. “Secondly, I’m not big on caffeine. I prefer not to be a caffeine addict if I can help it.”
While Foote is cautious of coffee’s addictive qualities, Dr. Zhou warns that too much of the drug is bad for digestion and the nervous system, and it can cause cardiological problems. He said that females in particular should be wary of their caffeine intake.
“Drink caffeine for female really make worse for female, like for menopause, female dysmenorrheal, and also [cause] high defect for birthrate,” said Zhou. He also said overdosing on caffeine can lead to worse cases of osteoporosis and arthritis.
Zhou recommended that tea replace coffee in everyday diets. While the caffeine in coffee can be debilitating to the body, tea contains polyphenols, which help lower cholesterol and reduce fat. In addition to these benefits, Zhou said the antioxidants in tea can also reduce bacteria in our body. He also commented on how the drink can help fight stress.
“Tea is more [to] help our body relax and make our calm our focus. Coffee makes our [focus] hyper.”
But as exam time rolls around on campus, students will be flocking to the tea-bearing coffee shops to cram for their finals and get their fix of caffeine. Dr. Zhou recommended replacing the caffeine-loaded espresso with herbal, green or white tea. He said to avoid strong black tea because it too contains large amounts of caffeine.
“People wanting to have some stimulant or also have some focus should drink some green tea and or jasmine tea,” said Zhou.
The key to getting the most out of your cup is drinking fresh. In order to get the greatest beneficial impact from tea, Zhou said it is best to drink loose tea. Loose tea consists of free-floating leaves or herbs, unlike tea bags that have been manufactured and packaged. According to Zhou, these store-bought tea bags have less antioxidants than loose teas. Tymus of Espresso Royale says that the loose teas are also different from prepackaged teas in that they allow the consumer to “personalize each experience.”
So whether Madison residents satisfy their taste with 29 tea choices at Espresso Royale, or over 40 at MaCha, they have a steep array of options to choose from when broadening their cultural--and nutritional-- horizons.
"Rent" captures audience enthusiasm
Overture Hall was splitting at its 2,251 person capacity Friday night as the official off-Broadway group brought the heat to a powerless apartment during a sold-out performance of Rent.
Without second thought, as the play began, the audience was immediately immersed in a world circulating with drugs, AIDS and jealousy. The performance lasted three hours and told the tale of the depressing lives of Roger and Mark (Heinz Winckler and Jed Resnick respectively), two starving artists and roommates, who were captivating enough to grasp the attention of musicals lovers and haters alike.
The story closely followed the capricious relationship between Roger and Mimi, a nineteen-year-old songbird dealing with a shameless drug addiction and suffering from AIDS. Jennifer Colby Talton, acting as Mimi, delivered an astounding performance with some tricks but mostly truth. The sincerity of her representation of the character was enigmatic, drawing the viewer closer to the story than thought possible. This was paralleled, if not exceeded, by the crystallized singing voice of Winckler. Every note was pristine as it resonated through the amazing acoustics of Overture Hall. Within fifteen minutes, they performed the song “Light My Candle,” and made their amazing abilities and chemistry shine. This song was closely followed by Winckler’s solo of “One Song Glory,” striking the entire hall silent until the song ended and the audience exploded with applause.
The hall was equally dumb-founded by the hypnotizing physical contortions of Angel, played by Kristen-Alexzander Griffeth. The AIDS-infected homosexual cross dresser was colorfully flamboyant and arguably the most endearing character in Rent, holding the community together with optimism and love.
Though the erotic nature and drug-related content was subtle, this play was not for the young or faint of heart. The audience, however, grew notably closer throughout the performance. The community created between the characters by the end of the play mirrored the gained camaraderie throughout the audience, sharing laughs, tears and excitement. Maureen, Mark’s ex-girlfriend-turned-lesbian, even had the crowd mooing along during her eccentric interpretive dance segment entitled “Over the Moon.” This performance was entertaining and humorous, but limited the vocal talents possessed by Christine Dwyer, the actress portraying Maureen. Fortunately, her skills were exemplified and amplified in the dueling ballad entitled “Take me or Leave me” between Maureen and her contesting new girlfriend, Joanne (Onyie Nwachukwu).
This song took advantage of the intricate set of Rent. An artistic use of three ordinary metal tables set the stage for three separate scenes simultaneously. While there were only a few props, the whole stage was a complicated series of lights and gadgets with an elaborate grunge-factor that gave the sense of New York’s lower eastside. The ironically festive Christmas lights and scrap-metal Christmas tree illuminated the recurring theme of the play; seeing the upside of being down and out of luck, money and time in the city.
Undoubtedly the most impassioned song of the play, “Seasons of Love,” was performed with the entire cast taking on the audience front and face. It was in this song that Mark and Roger’s old roommate, Collins, (Anwar Robinson) belted exceptional and relevant lyrics with his smooth tones resembling the likes of Stevie Wonder.
The only possible downside to this event at the Overture Center would be the fast paced dialogue and lyrics that made it difficult for the first time viewer to follow the plot closely. Despite this minor setback, the exceptional acting, singing and dancing skills, along with a fantastic set and story made Rent a far greater experience than something that could be measured in “midnights and cups of coffee,” but instead something that could be “measured in love.”
Without second thought, as the play began, the audience was immediately immersed in a world circulating with drugs, AIDS and jealousy. The performance lasted three hours and told the tale of the depressing lives of Roger and Mark (Heinz Winckler and Jed Resnick respectively), two starving artists and roommates, who were captivating enough to grasp the attention of musicals lovers and haters alike.
The story closely followed the capricious relationship between Roger and Mimi, a nineteen-year-old songbird dealing with a shameless drug addiction and suffering from AIDS. Jennifer Colby Talton, acting as Mimi, delivered an astounding performance with some tricks but mostly truth. The sincerity of her representation of the character was enigmatic, drawing the viewer closer to the story than thought possible. This was paralleled, if not exceeded, by the crystallized singing voice of Winckler. Every note was pristine as it resonated through the amazing acoustics of Overture Hall. Within fifteen minutes, they performed the song “Light My Candle,” and made their amazing abilities and chemistry shine. This song was closely followed by Winckler’s solo of “One Song Glory,” striking the entire hall silent until the song ended and the audience exploded with applause.
The hall was equally dumb-founded by the hypnotizing physical contortions of Angel, played by Kristen-Alexzander Griffeth. The AIDS-infected homosexual cross dresser was colorfully flamboyant and arguably the most endearing character in Rent, holding the community together with optimism and love.
Though the erotic nature and drug-related content was subtle, this play was not for the young or faint of heart. The audience, however, grew notably closer throughout the performance. The community created between the characters by the end of the play mirrored the gained camaraderie throughout the audience, sharing laughs, tears and excitement. Maureen, Mark’s ex-girlfriend-turned-lesbian, even had the crowd mooing along during her eccentric interpretive dance segment entitled “Over the Moon.” This performance was entertaining and humorous, but limited the vocal talents possessed by Christine Dwyer, the actress portraying Maureen. Fortunately, her skills were exemplified and amplified in the dueling ballad entitled “Take me or Leave me” between Maureen and her contesting new girlfriend, Joanne (Onyie Nwachukwu).
This song took advantage of the intricate set of Rent. An artistic use of three ordinary metal tables set the stage for three separate scenes simultaneously. While there were only a few props, the whole stage was a complicated series of lights and gadgets with an elaborate grunge-factor that gave the sense of New York’s lower eastside. The ironically festive Christmas lights and scrap-metal Christmas tree illuminated the recurring theme of the play; seeing the upside of being down and out of luck, money and time in the city.
Undoubtedly the most impassioned song of the play, “Seasons of Love,” was performed with the entire cast taking on the audience front and face. It was in this song that Mark and Roger’s old roommate, Collins, (Anwar Robinson) belted exceptional and relevant lyrics with his smooth tones resembling the likes of Stevie Wonder.
The only possible downside to this event at the Overture Center would be the fast paced dialogue and lyrics that made it difficult for the first time viewer to follow the plot closely. Despite this minor setback, the exceptional acting, singing and dancing skills, along with a fantastic set and story made Rent a far greater experience than something that could be measured in “midnights and cups of coffee,” but instead something that could be “measured in love.”
Small town journalist denied open meeting requests
By Anna Speaker
When Sally Miller left her job in the city for a quiet job at a small Wisconsin weekly newspaper, she didn’t expect such uproar.
The small town of Galesville, population 1,400, didn’t expect it either.
Miller moved to Galesville, a small town near La Crosse, and brought with her a tenacious personality and the thunderous experience of working as a journalist for dailies and weeklies all over the United States, also owning two papers in the Chicago area.
Over her years in the newspaper industry, she learned to handle open records violations and frequently dealt with government bodies that refused her requests.
“Government corruption and mishandling of government powers is allowed to exist and thrive when it goes unreported and unchallenged,” Miller said. “Open meeting and record laws ensure that, while corruption certainly still does exist, it's pretty tough to keep it hidden and secret.”
But when she arrived at the Galesville Republican in Trempealeau County, handling refusals became routine and often unenforceable in a small town setting.
Miller started as a trial freelance reporter for the weekly Galesville Republican, with a circulation of 2,000, in December 2007.
Within her first week on the job, she attended a Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (GET) school board meeting in which the board discussed a controversial contract of an architect who was working on a new middle school building. When the debate on finances began to erupt, the acting GET School Board President Harold Olson regained control of the situation in the same way that the small Wisconsin school district often did: the quiet way.
“Suddenly, the school board president shut down conversation and said ‘we’ll discuss all of this in closed session at the finance committee meeting next month,’” Miller said. “Immediately I knew, you can’t go into closed session for this, and even if you go into closed session for a legitimate reason, you can’t discuss this because there’s not a legitimate reason.”
Miller was new to town and didn’t know the nuances of the state’s open meetings law. Still, she had a hunch that the board broke the law and consulted the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s open meetings hotline. When they verified the violation, Miller called Superintendent Craig Gerlach and challenged the closed-meeting decision.
For the next few weeks, the paper and the school board argued over the legality of discussing the matter in a closed meeting. Miller said that she openly informed the board of the consequences.
“I said, ‘you better call your attorney because if you go into closed session, I will stand up and challenge it right there,’” Miller said. “‘I will tell you that you can’t do it and anybody that goes into closed session will then be in violation of open meetings laws.’”
It was New Year’s Weekend, and Miller, then fully employed by the paper, let several board members know that she planned to write a story exploiting the violations. Shortly after, Miller said that Gerlach revised the agenda to discuss the contract in open session.
Gerlach, who became superintendent of the Monona Grove School District in April, said he can no longer speak for the GET School District, but said he encourages open lines of communication between the public and the school board.
“There are laws that determine to what extent we provide information, and we provide information to the public on a regular basis,” Gerlach said.
Miller had gotten her taste of open records violations during the first several weeks on the job, but her persistence in defying the GET School Board continued for months. During her time at the Republican, Miller claimed that the GET School District fabricated meeting minutes, held board meetings without inviting all of the members, and approved motions in unofficial meetings.
Gerlach said that as far as he knew, all requests had been fulfilled during his time with the GET School District.
Yet Miller said that the board repeatedly went into closed session while other committees throughout the county failed to comply with open meetings laws.
Within a month of working for the Galesville Republican, Miller sent out a formal request to every government body in the county asking for notice whenever any of the county officials met to discuss business.
Some smaller bodies in the county have been diligent in complying with Miller’s requests, although others continue to meet without sending the newspaper notices of their meetings.
Repeated complaints to District Attorney Jeri Marsolek and calls to the State Attorney General’s Office offer little progress.
Miller said the State Attorney General told her to consult with the District Attorney while the District Attorney claimed they had “real crimes” to pursue. The government’s failure to enforce the law, Miller said, has been the biggest obstacle for the Galesville Republican.
“All of the elected officials know. They know that we are going to complain and we are going to file complaints, and they know that nothing is going to get done,” Miller said. “They know there’s no penalty attached, they know they can violate the law blatantly.”
Miller feels that she has run out of options. The paper could legally hire a lawyer, but Miller said that a small paper like the Republican can’t carry the financial commitment.
“We shouldn’t have to pay a lawyer. We shouldn’t have to pay out of our pocket as a paper to do what the District Attorney and the State Attorney General’s office gets paid to do which is enforce the law,” Miller said.
The size of Trempealeau County intensifies the problem. With a population of about 28,000, elected town officials are often neighbors and friends. Miller said that people seldom stand up to violations because they aren’t willing to jeopardize their relationships with those who attend their church or play football with their children.
While the issues remain untouched by the District Attorney, Miller said she suffers from attempted intimidation from board members. She said that at a meeting in April, Olson allegedly yelled at Miller in a meeting, questioning her relationship with her boss. Miller said that as Olson was leaving the meeting, he leaned in and told her, “You’d better watch yourself.”
Olson did not return several phone calls seeking comment, yet wrote a note to the current school board president asking her to tell Miller to explain to the FOIC that he would not be returning the calls.
Miller also said that board members sometimes laugh at her when she threatens to file a complaint, urging her to file two complaints to see what happens.
While some question Miller’s methods, Gerlach didn’t seem to show distaste for Miller’s bold journalistic style, nor did he see an issue with the way the board generally conducted itself.
“I wouldn’t say [Miller} was inappropriate, nor would I say the board was inappropriate,” Gerlach said.
He acknowledged, however, that there needs to be a standard of conduct in meetings.
“I think that the media as well as all public need to act appropriately and communicate in a civil manner. I think that’s common professional respect.”
Olson resigned as school board president in June. The new president Tanya Gendreau has worked hard to clean up the board’s image. She has ordered that meeting minutes be taken at every meeting and posted on-line, and that the board members read a pamphlet and attend a training session on open meetings laws.
“I’m trying very hard. I myself believe in open meeting laws,” Gendreau said. “I think everything should be out for everyone to see.”
While the GET School Board cleans up its act, Miller said other offices in Trempealeau County continue to fly under the nose of the justice system, hindering the right to public documents.
The Galesville Republican’s Web site still refers to Galesville as “a garden of Eden in the Midwest,” but when it comes to freedom of information laws, it seems that this county has seen a few bad apples.
When Sally Miller left her job in the city for a quiet job at a small Wisconsin weekly newspaper, she didn’t expect such uproar.
The small town of Galesville, population 1,400, didn’t expect it either.
Miller moved to Galesville, a small town near La Crosse, and brought with her a tenacious personality and the thunderous experience of working as a journalist for dailies and weeklies all over the United States, also owning two papers in the Chicago area.
Over her years in the newspaper industry, she learned to handle open records violations and frequently dealt with government bodies that refused her requests.
“Government corruption and mishandling of government powers is allowed to exist and thrive when it goes unreported and unchallenged,” Miller said. “Open meeting and record laws ensure that, while corruption certainly still does exist, it's pretty tough to keep it hidden and secret.”
But when she arrived at the Galesville Republican in Trempealeau County, handling refusals became routine and often unenforceable in a small town setting.
Miller started as a trial freelance reporter for the weekly Galesville Republican, with a circulation of 2,000, in December 2007.
Within her first week on the job, she attended a Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (GET) school board meeting in which the board discussed a controversial contract of an architect who was working on a new middle school building. When the debate on finances began to erupt, the acting GET School Board President Harold Olson regained control of the situation in the same way that the small Wisconsin school district often did: the quiet way.
“Suddenly, the school board president shut down conversation and said ‘we’ll discuss all of this in closed session at the finance committee meeting next month,’” Miller said. “Immediately I knew, you can’t go into closed session for this, and even if you go into closed session for a legitimate reason, you can’t discuss this because there’s not a legitimate reason.”
Miller was new to town and didn’t know the nuances of the state’s open meetings law. Still, she had a hunch that the board broke the law and consulted the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s open meetings hotline. When they verified the violation, Miller called Superintendent Craig Gerlach and challenged the closed-meeting decision.
For the next few weeks, the paper and the school board argued over the legality of discussing the matter in a closed meeting. Miller said that she openly informed the board of the consequences.
“I said, ‘you better call your attorney because if you go into closed session, I will stand up and challenge it right there,’” Miller said. “‘I will tell you that you can’t do it and anybody that goes into closed session will then be in violation of open meetings laws.’”
It was New Year’s Weekend, and Miller, then fully employed by the paper, let several board members know that she planned to write a story exploiting the violations. Shortly after, Miller said that Gerlach revised the agenda to discuss the contract in open session.
Gerlach, who became superintendent of the Monona Grove School District in April, said he can no longer speak for the GET School District, but said he encourages open lines of communication between the public and the school board.
“There are laws that determine to what extent we provide information, and we provide information to the public on a regular basis,” Gerlach said.
Miller had gotten her taste of open records violations during the first several weeks on the job, but her persistence in defying the GET School Board continued for months. During her time at the Republican, Miller claimed that the GET School District fabricated meeting minutes, held board meetings without inviting all of the members, and approved motions in unofficial meetings.
Gerlach said that as far as he knew, all requests had been fulfilled during his time with the GET School District.
Yet Miller said that the board repeatedly went into closed session while other committees throughout the county failed to comply with open meetings laws.
Within a month of working for the Galesville Republican, Miller sent out a formal request to every government body in the county asking for notice whenever any of the county officials met to discuss business.
Some smaller bodies in the county have been diligent in complying with Miller’s requests, although others continue to meet without sending the newspaper notices of their meetings.
Repeated complaints to District Attorney Jeri Marsolek and calls to the State Attorney General’s Office offer little progress.
Miller said the State Attorney General told her to consult with the District Attorney while the District Attorney claimed they had “real crimes” to pursue. The government’s failure to enforce the law, Miller said, has been the biggest obstacle for the Galesville Republican.
“All of the elected officials know. They know that we are going to complain and we are going to file complaints, and they know that nothing is going to get done,” Miller said. “They know there’s no penalty attached, they know they can violate the law blatantly.”
Miller feels that she has run out of options. The paper could legally hire a lawyer, but Miller said that a small paper like the Republican can’t carry the financial commitment.
“We shouldn’t have to pay a lawyer. We shouldn’t have to pay out of our pocket as a paper to do what the District Attorney and the State Attorney General’s office gets paid to do which is enforce the law,” Miller said.
The size of Trempealeau County intensifies the problem. With a population of about 28,000, elected town officials are often neighbors and friends. Miller said that people seldom stand up to violations because they aren’t willing to jeopardize their relationships with those who attend their church or play football with their children.
While the issues remain untouched by the District Attorney, Miller said she suffers from attempted intimidation from board members. She said that at a meeting in April, Olson allegedly yelled at Miller in a meeting, questioning her relationship with her boss. Miller said that as Olson was leaving the meeting, he leaned in and told her, “You’d better watch yourself.”
Olson did not return several phone calls seeking comment, yet wrote a note to the current school board president asking her to tell Miller to explain to the FOIC that he would not be returning the calls.
Miller also said that board members sometimes laugh at her when she threatens to file a complaint, urging her to file two complaints to see what happens.
While some question Miller’s methods, Gerlach didn’t seem to show distaste for Miller’s bold journalistic style, nor did he see an issue with the way the board generally conducted itself.
“I wouldn’t say [Miller} was inappropriate, nor would I say the board was inappropriate,” Gerlach said.
He acknowledged, however, that there needs to be a standard of conduct in meetings.
“I think that the media as well as all public need to act appropriately and communicate in a civil manner. I think that’s common professional respect.”
Olson resigned as school board president in June. The new president Tanya Gendreau has worked hard to clean up the board’s image. She has ordered that meeting minutes be taken at every meeting and posted on-line, and that the board members read a pamphlet and attend a training session on open meetings laws.
“I’m trying very hard. I myself believe in open meeting laws,” Gendreau said. “I think everything should be out for everyone to see.”
While the GET School Board cleans up its act, Miller said other offices in Trempealeau County continue to fly under the nose of the justice system, hindering the right to public documents.
The Galesville Republican’s Web site still refers to Galesville as “a garden of Eden in the Midwest,” but when it comes to freedom of information laws, it seems that this county has seen a few bad apples.
Cerebral palsy case finds Madison doctor not guilty
11/10/08
Anna Speaker
A medical malpractice lawsuit lasting four years came to a close Friday, finding a Madison doctor not guilty for an infant’s development of cerebral palsy 12 years ago.
Tana Richardson, current Dallas resident, filed a lawsuit in 2004 on behalf of her son, Andrew Shepherd. She brought the suit against Dr. Susan Davidson and St. Mary’s Hospital and Medical Center in Madison, claiming that Davidson waited too long to transfer Richardson to the labor and delivery sector of the hospital which led to her son’s development of cerebral palsy in 1996.
One of plaintiff’s attorneys, Terrence Cirocco, said that while the ruling was unfortunate, it was not uncommon as the plaintiff in a malpractice case loses nine times out of ten. He added that the conclusion of the case on the weekend may have pressured the jury’s decision.
“They went out I think about 5:30 p.m. and it’s kind of unusual for the judge to keep them…on a Friday night so that didn’t help us any,” Cirocco said. “Then he told the jury if they didn’t decide they would have to come back Saturday which doesn’t help us.”
The jury found Davidson and St. Mary’s not guilty of medical malpractice after the defendants argued that any number of the mother’s health issues could have caused the cerebral palsy. Davidson said the mother suffered from a history of diabetes, increased blood pressure and preeclampsia, a condition in which high levels of protein in the urine cause swelling and even sudden death in unborn babies. Richardson was also older and heavier than the average pregnancy patient.
The defendants added that Richardson’s previous health complications during pregnancy may also explain Shepherd’s brain damage. Richardson had heart failure after delivering her other son, Joel, 15, whom developed hemiplegic cerebral palsy from a stroke shortly after birth.
Richardson claimed it was her doctor’s insufficient care that led to Andrew’s condition.
“It’s nothing personal. I liked her as a doctor. It’s just that that day was unfortunate. I mean, that meant life and death for us,” Richardson said.
During the 34th week of her pregnancy, Richardson checked herself into the hospital for her skyrocketing blood pressure. When tests showed that the unborn baby’s heart rate was dropping, Davidson, a maternal fetal medicine doctor who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, immediately ordered an emergency Cesarean section.
According to Richardson, she then spent 30 minutes in the hospital hallway waiting to be transferred. She said she would have been able to take control the situation if she wasn’t suffering from other various health problems and disorientation from being at the hospital.
“Had I been more assertive at that time, I would have said I want her down here now,” Richardson said.
Dr. William Zinser, Richardson’s pediatric neurologist in Dallas, told Richardson that Shepherd developed cerebral palsy during the thirty-minute time period she was waiting to be taken to the delivery room because he lacked a flow of oxygen to his brain.
One of Shepherd’s attorneys, Terrence Cirocco, said that while the ruling was unfortunate, it was not uncommon. He said that the plaintiff in a malpractice case loses nine times out of ten. He added that the timing of the case may have pressured the jury’s decision.
“They went out I think about 5:30 p.m. and it’s kind of unusual for the judge to keep them, as you can imagine, on a Friday night so that didn’t help us any,” Cirocco said. “Then he told the jury if they didn’t decide they would have to come back Saturday which doesn’t help us.”
The family waited to file the suit until 2004 when the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided that there is no statute of limitations on a suit filed against a doctor by a developmentally disabled child.
Anna Speaker
A medical malpractice lawsuit lasting four years came to a close Friday, finding a Madison doctor not guilty for an infant’s development of cerebral palsy 12 years ago.
Tana Richardson, current Dallas resident, filed a lawsuit in 2004 on behalf of her son, Andrew Shepherd. She brought the suit against Dr. Susan Davidson and St. Mary’s Hospital and Medical Center in Madison, claiming that Davidson waited too long to transfer Richardson to the labor and delivery sector of the hospital which led to her son’s development of cerebral palsy in 1996.
One of plaintiff’s attorneys, Terrence Cirocco, said that while the ruling was unfortunate, it was not uncommon as the plaintiff in a malpractice case loses nine times out of ten. He added that the conclusion of the case on the weekend may have pressured the jury’s decision.
“They went out I think about 5:30 p.m. and it’s kind of unusual for the judge to keep them…on a Friday night so that didn’t help us any,” Cirocco said. “Then he told the jury if they didn’t decide they would have to come back Saturday which doesn’t help us.”
The jury found Davidson and St. Mary’s not guilty of medical malpractice after the defendants argued that any number of the mother’s health issues could have caused the cerebral palsy. Davidson said the mother suffered from a history of diabetes, increased blood pressure and preeclampsia, a condition in which high levels of protein in the urine cause swelling and even sudden death in unborn babies. Richardson was also older and heavier than the average pregnancy patient.
The defendants added that Richardson’s previous health complications during pregnancy may also explain Shepherd’s brain damage. Richardson had heart failure after delivering her other son, Joel, 15, whom developed hemiplegic cerebral palsy from a stroke shortly after birth.
Richardson claimed it was her doctor’s insufficient care that led to Andrew’s condition.
“It’s nothing personal. I liked her as a doctor. It’s just that that day was unfortunate. I mean, that meant life and death for us,” Richardson said.
During the 34th week of her pregnancy, Richardson checked herself into the hospital for her skyrocketing blood pressure. When tests showed that the unborn baby’s heart rate was dropping, Davidson, a maternal fetal medicine doctor who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, immediately ordered an emergency Cesarean section.
According to Richardson, she then spent 30 minutes in the hospital hallway waiting to be transferred. She said she would have been able to take control the situation if she wasn’t suffering from other various health problems and disorientation from being at the hospital.
“Had I been more assertive at that time, I would have said I want her down here now,” Richardson said.
Dr. William Zinser, Richardson’s pediatric neurologist in Dallas, told Richardson that Shepherd developed cerebral palsy during the thirty-minute time period she was waiting to be taken to the delivery room because he lacked a flow of oxygen to his brain.
One of Shepherd’s attorneys, Terrence Cirocco, said that while the ruling was unfortunate, it was not uncommon. He said that the plaintiff in a malpractice case loses nine times out of ten. He added that the timing of the case may have pressured the jury’s decision.
“They went out I think about 5:30 p.m. and it’s kind of unusual for the judge to keep them, as you can imagine, on a Friday night so that didn’t help us any,” Cirocco said. “Then he told the jury if they didn’t decide they would have to come back Saturday which doesn’t help us.”
The family waited to file the suit until 2004 when the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided that there is no statute of limitations on a suit filed against a doctor by a developmentally disabled child.
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