WATERTOWN – Responding to critics of a passenger rail line
between Madison and Milwaukee – including the leading Republican
candidates for governor who are vowing to stop the project – U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday the plan is going
forward.

Original post:
Transportation secretary: High-speed rail is ‘here to stay’

With summer in full swing, I’m delighted to see so many children
riding bicycles. As a pediatrician, I know the importance of
exercise. But I also value prevention, and it troubles me to see
many kids riding without helmets.

Read more here:
Dr. Matt Karwowski: Make bike helmets mandatory for kids

The regrettable treatment of Shirley Sherrod following the
release of an out-of-context video clip illustrates a number of
unfortunate developments.

Read the original post:
Warren Gordon: Public servants no longer respected

Last week Tuesday
in Property Trax, I
reported on the federal government’s latest program to stem the
rising tide of foreclosures driven by unemployment. And I noted it
looked similar in concept to a plan put
forward in late 2009 by experts in UW-Madison’s real estate
program.

Go here to read the rest:
Property Trax: UW-Madison prof pans feds’ new foreclosure prevention program for unemployed

A man was shot dead by Dane County sheriff’s deputies in
Stoughton after he fired at them Wednesday night.

Originally posted here:
Armed man killed by sheriff’s deputies in Stoughton shootout

He was said to be a knowledgeable collector of Cambodian
terra-cotta sculptures and Chinese bronze statues.

Originally posted here:
Stanley B. Kaufman, an enigmatic figure in Madison’s legal scene, dies at 65

Opponents of Dane County commuter rail are urging municipalities
to place an advisory sales tax referendum on their November
ballots, but County Clerk Bob Ohlsen is warning that would be a
“huge waste” of taxpayer dollars.

See more here:
With no referendum planned, RTA opponents want localities to have their own votes

Great Wolf Resorts chief executive officer Kim Schaefer went
behind the scenes of the Madison indoor waterpark resort company
for the sake of network television.

The rest is here:
Great Wolf CEO becomes an ‘undercover boss,’ and TV cameras are there to capture it

Nonprofit agencies that run local thrift stores to fund their
charitable activities are irked by the growing number of collection
bins in the area, particularly those put out by a for-profit
recycling company.

Here is the original:
An influx of donation boxes has Madison thrift stores worried about competition

A Verona man faces an unusual charge after police said he
allegedly tried to buy an 8-year-old girl for sex.

See original here:
Verona man charged with child trafficking