📝 Can a UW chancellor also be a porn star?

⚖️ Wisconsin’s Legislative Maps Are Unconstitutional

• The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Republican-drawn legislative maps are unconstitutional because districts drawn aren’t contiguous. The court has ordered new maps to be drawn for the 2024 election. The ruling is a major win for Democrats and could dramatically alter the makeup of the state Legislature.
• “Wisconsin is a purple state, and I look forward to submitting maps to the Court to consider and review that reflect and represent the makeup of our state,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement.
• Some context: Wisconsin’s legislative maps have been called “some of the most extreme partisan gerrymanders in the United States.” [WisPolitics, Gov. Evers, City Cast Madison 🎧]

🏫 UW Chancellor Fired Over Extracurricular Activities

• The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously last week to terminate UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow, who was set to retire at the of the 2024 spring semester. Why? Gow and his wife, former UW-La Crosse professor Carmen Wilson, had been producing and appearing in pornographic videos.
• The two star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors. The couple also self-published two books about their experiences using pseudonyms.
• UW System President Jay Rothman called Gow’s actions “abhorrent” but Gow and his wife have remained steadfast in their judgements, saying his termination infringed on his free speech rights and noting that he did not get the chance to defend his actions in any hearing.
• "I think that college students want to be somewhere where they have the freedom to explore all kinds of ideas," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Frankly, these websites that we’re on, (students) are on there, too. Shouldn't we be talking about that?" [Journal Sentinel, YouTube]

🚨 Hateful Graffiti on State Street

• The Madison Police Department is investigating a suspected hate crime at Dubai Mediterranean Restaurant. On Dec. 26, a person (or persons) entered the restaurant on the 400 block of State Street and caused substantial damage, which included anti-Islamic graffiti.
• The vandalism at Dubai happened on the heels of another downtown incident involving an anti-Semitic display that was left on the 100 block of State Street. MPD is currently investigating the matter. Tips can be reported to Madison Area Crimestoppers at (608) 266-6014 or online.
• “Hate is not welcome here, and the City will put all of our resources towards investigating this and any incident that crosses that line. We will continue to update the community if and when more details emerge,” the mayor’s office wrote in a statement. [Cap Times, City of Madison]

🫡 Honoring Herb Kohl

• Former Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl died last week at the age of 88. The son of Jewish Polish and Russian immigrants, Kohl was born and raised in Milwaukee but had deep ties to the Madison community through business and philanthropic endeavors.
• Kohl earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison in 1956 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1958. He served as a Wisconsin U.S. senator from 1989 to 2013.
• The multi-millionaire loved sports and in 1985 purchased the Milwaukee Bucks for a then-record price of nearly $20 million to keep the team in Wisconsin. In 1995, Kohl contributed $25 million to build the Kohl Center on the UW-Madison campus, which now serves as the home to UW men’s and women’s basketball teams and the UW men’s hockey team. [UW-Madison, On Wisconsin]

Why UW Scientists Believe Psychedelics Might Heal Trauma

Could psychedelics help veterans suffering from PTSD? UW scientists want to know.

UW-Madison’s Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances wants to explore the medicinal uses of psychedelics like psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and MDMA (ecstasy) for those dealing with trauma. They’re seeking state approval to create a pilot program to study it.