Thursday, September 25, 2008 - The Daily Cardinal by The Daily Cardinal

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

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O.A.R. to play at Freakfest 2008, ticket prices up from last year By Callie Rathburn THE DAILY CARDINAL

After city ofﬁcials hinted last week that partygoers could expect a popular headlining act at Madison’s Halloween celebration this year, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced Wednesday the band O.A.R. landed the gig for the upcoming Freakfest 2008. Attendees will also have to shell out more money for the Nov. 1 event. Freakfest 2008 ticket prices will be $7 in advance and $10 for the day of the celebration—up from last year’s price of $5 for advance and $7 the day of. Once prone to drunken riots, Cieslewicz said Madison’s Halloween celebration has transformed over the last three years into a music festival with costumes. The city has again partnered with Frank Productions to feature the live entertainment following the success of last year’s Freakfest with Lifehouse as the headlining band. “We’re thrilled to have a top

music act headlining Freakfest this year, and I’m excited to be working with Frank Productions, along with city staff, students and downtown stakeholders to continue building on the success of the Halloween event,” Cieslewicz said in a joint statement with Frank Productions and other city officials. Despite higher ticket prices, O.A.R. is expected to draw a larger and more diverse audience than previous years. “We’ve worked very hard to come up with a talent line up and a headliner that a huge cross-section of partygoers would enjoy,” Fred Frank of Frank Productions said. Brandon Clementi, UWMadison freshman, was pleased to find out O.A.R. is performing at his first Freakfest experience. “I’m super excited. I did some research, I’m a freshman this year, and last year I found out the headliner was Lifehouse, and I was disappointed,” Clementi said. Others criticized the choice.

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Thursday, September 25, 2008

Van Hollen allowed to continue GAB suit By Megan Orear THE DAILY CARDINAL

JACOB ELA/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Freakfest 2008’s headlining act O.A.R. is expected to draw larger and more diverse crowds than performances from Freakfest 2007 (above). “I think its not the most appropriate band—O.A.R. is more chill, for Freakfest you want something more upbeat and exciting, like hiphop,” Chloe Loop, a UW-Madison junior said. In addition to O.A.R., Freakfest 2008 will include other bands like Donavon Frankenreiter, The Hard Lessons, Thriving Ivory and The Dollyroots on the Mountain Dew Amp/Z104 Stage on the corner of

State Street and Capitol Square. Overall, students agreed they would pay higher ticket prices to see the live entertainment. “While the increase in price is regrettable, I think the fact that we are getting such a headliner at this year’s event will make this year’s Freakfest something that everyone can get excited about,” said UWMadison senior and District 8 Ald. Eli Judge.

In a hearing Wednesday, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi denied the Government Accountability Board’s motion to disqualify Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen from a lawsuit he ﬁled over voter registrations Sept. 10. Sumi also granted the motions of the Democratic and Republican Parties of Wisconsin to intervene in the lawsuit and set a hearing for Oct. 23, only two weeks before the election. Lester Pines, the attorney representing the GAB, said Van Hollen should be disqualiﬁed from the case because the GAB is technically his client, and suing a client would violate rules of professional conduct. Pines said he disagrees with the decision to allow Van Hollen to stay on the case, but will instead focus on winning the lawsuit. “Although I don’t agree with [the decision], this matter is proceeding on to the next issue, which is, can the attorney general even do this?” Pines said. According to Pines, Van Hollen has the ability to enforce some election van hollen page 3

Debates may sway large number of Wisconsin voters; McCain asks for delay By Justin Eells THE DAILY CARDINAL

The presidential debates could impact the votes of as many as a quarter of voters in Wisconsin, according to a poll released Wednesday. In the Quinnipiac University Poll, 25 percent of respondents from Wisconsin reported being “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to be influenced by the debates in their voting decisions. The poll, conducted Sept. 14-21, surveyed voters in the four “hotly contested” states of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. According to the poll Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has a 49 to 42 percent lead in Wisconsin. The first debate is scheduled for this Friday, with the first vice presidential debate scheduled for Oct. 2. However, Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Wednesday he wants to delay the debates on account of the present financial crisis, a move that Obama strongly opposes. Obama said in a statement the

current economic crisis makes the debates “more important than ever.” According to UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin, voters have not made up their minds yet. “The public still has some deciding to do,” Franklin said. The debates are an opportunity for candidates to gain the trust of voters, Franklin said, and are especially crucial for Obama, who “has only been on the national scene for about four years.” Franklin said although either candidate could beneﬁt from the debate, party loyalty often limits the impact of the debates on the election because viewers will see their party’s candidate as the winner of the debate. Although the debates rarely have an immediate impact, they can solidify a candidate’s victory, as in President Ronald Reagan’s 1980 election, according to Franklin. “In this historic election with the American people still largely undecided, the debates could play a signiﬁcant role in determining whom voters will trust, and ultimately, whom they will decide to make the next president,” Franklin said.

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Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk unveiled a number of alcohol initiatives in her proposed budget Wednesday after a task force investigated alcohol abuse in the county for seven months.

Falk announces alcohol initiatives for budget By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL

In an effort to target alcohol abuse, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk announced a series of budget initiatives Wednesday aimed at providing increased funding for drunkdriving enforcement and rehabilitation programs. Falk noted the state of Wisconsin holds many unfavorable titles when it

comes to alcohol abuse statistics—it is the worst state for binge drinking, underage drinking and drunk driving—problems she plans to curb within Dane County. “We can make a difference in a problem that is bringing our whole community down,” Falk said. “We can confront the overuse of alcohol in our community starting with prevention when children are young

[to] tough enforcement for chronic offenders.” In February, Falk created a task force to evaluate alcohol abuse within Dane County and make recommendations for strategies to ﬁght the problem. Falk’s proposed initiatives aim to educate children about alcohol abuse at the middle school level, falk page 3

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”