The Milwaukee Post

MATC awarded $2.5M for high-demand programs Milwaukee Area Technical College has received $2.5 million in grants to reduce academic program waiting lists at Wisconsin's technical colleges. Gov. Scott Walker made the announcement while visiting MATC's Center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing on the Oak Creek Campus on July 18. Department of Workforce Development Secretary Reggie Newson, Wisconsin Technical College System President Morna Foy and MATC President Vicki J. Martin also were in attendance. There, Walker announced the DWD's intent to award MATC with grants to train 546 additional workers in such high-demand areas as early childhood education, truck driving, certified nursing assistants and manu- facturing. "These programs are among our most popular and the funds will allow us to educate, train and prepare more students for careers that are essential to Wisconsin's economic vitality," Martin said. The grant is part of $28 million in grants Walker recently announced as part of his Blueprint for Prosperity initiative to help Wisconsin technical colleges train more than 4,900 workers for jobs that employers need to fill, according to a news release. The funds to the state's 16 technical colleges will be allocated over a two-year period. Drowning victim at Hoyt Park identified The body of a boy who drowned while swimming in the Menomonee River at Hoyt Park over the weekend was identified Monday. He was Van Sang Vanmauipial, 14, of Milwaukee. According to a news release from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a 911 call Saturday just after 3 p.m. that four children went swimming in the Menomonee River at Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa. One of the children did not resurface. Several rescue units from the Milwaukee Fire Department and Wauwatosa Fire Department responded to the scene. Members of the MFD Dive Rescue Team located the boy under water a short distance from where the children had been observed swimming. Medical personnel began lifesaving measures and the child was transported to Children's Hospital. No additional information was available as of press time. Stove fire damages Friday's Front Row Grill An early Monday morning fire has closed one of Miller Park's restaurants. The fire began at around 2 a.m. Monday in the kitchen of Friday's Front Row Sports Grill. Flames and smoke came from the roof of the restaurant on the northeast side of the stadium when fire officials arrived. They found the stove fryer on fire with flames spreading through some nearby ducts. The fire was put out before any injuries or exten- sive damage took place. Some areas that sustained water damage will not be operational until further notice. They include Friday's, the escalators and elevators in the left field area, the left field loge concession stand and the Miller Park Conference Center meeting rooms on the Club and Terrace levels. Despite the fire, Milwaukee Brewers games went on as scheduled this week at Miller Park. Marquette U. awarded research grant Marta Magiera, assistant professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science in Marquette University's Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, is the recipient of a $792,000 Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation. The award will support her research on effective ways to build a knowledge founda- tion in mathematics teacher preparation, specifically focusing on mathematical argu- mentation, according to a Marquette release. The competitive five-year grant is one of the NSF's most prestigious awards, which honors junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Magiera's goal is to "get teachers and students excited about the reasoning and think- ing involved in mathematics." Expanding on her past work in mathematics teacher edu- cation, her research will contribute to the knowledge base teacher education programs need to effectively prepare elementary and middle school teachers for meeting the chal- lenges of how to make reasoning and proof an integral aspect of mathematics instruc- tion. Her research program will investigate three complementary dimensions that address the ability to formulate mathematical arguments, analyze mathematical arguments, and recognize and take advantage of situations that might engage students in mathematical argumentation and proving. The grant will also provide Marquette students an opportu- nity to engage in various aspects of mathematics education research. 4 • Milwaukee County Post • July 25, 2014 WEEK IN REVIEW STATE AND LOCAL STORIES OF INTEREST Mayor's walk challenge reaches halfway point Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's "Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days" challenge to encour- age city residents to stay active this summer has reached its halfway point. The mayor says in a newsletter released Monday that more than 300 people have reg- istered as participants and others have participated in community walks over the sum- mer. As of press time, more than 14,000 miles have been walked. The mayor says regis- tration remains open. "I am thankful for the community leaders that have led walks around Milwaukee, giving residents a variety of people to walk with and motivation to stay active," Barrett said in his newsletter. The mayor said Milwaukee aldermen, We Energies, MGIC and the Urban Ecology Center have held walks this summer. Walks will continue to be held into September. Council approves ordinance to restrict sex offenders The Milwaukee Common Council voted Tuesday to approve a residency restriction ordinance that will severely limit where convicted sex offenders can live in Milwaukee. The vote was 8-6. Aldermen who voted in favor of the ordinance were Tony Zielinski, who was the lead sponsor, Robert Bauman, Joe Davis, Ashanti Hamilton, Milele Coggs, Bob Donovan, Jose Pérez and Russell W. Stamper II. Voting against the ordinance were Jim Bohl, Robert Puente, Joe Dudzik, Terry Witkowski, Nik Kovac and Michael Murphy. Ald. Willie Wade was excused. The ordinance creates a residency restriction for designated sex offenders. It says a designated offender cannot establish a permanent or temporary residence within 2,000 feet of any school, licensed day care center, park, recreational trail, playground or any other place designated by the city as a place where children are known to congregate. Milwaukee is set to join the 14 other municipalities in the county that have residen- cy restriction ordinances. Hales Corners, River Hills, Shorewood and Whitefish Bay are the only county municipalities that do not have residency restriction ordinances. Murphy said he expects Mayor Tom Barrett to sign the legislation. Many state counties to have BadgerCare referendums State residents will have a question on their ballots asking them whether the state of Wisconsin should accept enhanced federal funds for BadgerCare rejected by Gov. Scott Walker and the state Legislature. Eight counties have officially approved this referendum so far: Lincoln, La Crosse, Clark, Dane, Dunn, Outagamie, Milwaukee and Eau Claire. More could happen in the coming months prior to the Nov. 11 election. "The negative impact of rejecting these federal funds is particularly devastating at the local level," according to a release from Citizen Action of Wisconsin, a Milwaukee- based agency. "With fewer people guaranteed access to health coverage they can truly afford, uncompensated care costs will remain high in local hospitals and county-sup- ported clinics, forcing cost shifting to county budgets, consumers and local business- es." Citizen Action believes that the referendums are important because Wisconsin resi- dents forced off BadgerCare were unable to sign up for private coverage. As a result, state residents have been unable to access health coverage for this year. "In November voters in counties throughout Wisconsin will have the opportunity to send a clear message to the governor and Legislature about the importance of guaran- teeing affordable access to health care for everyone in Wisconsin," said Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. Submitted photo Milwaukee Area Technical College President Vicki Martin speaks on the college receiving $2.5 million in grants from the state of Wisconsin at the Oak Creek campus.

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