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Michelle Johnson is a soprano singer who made her Madison Opera Debut last year as Santuzza, the lead character of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, or Rustic Chivalry. 

Earlier today, she held a “master class” with in classical singing with students at James C. Wright Middle School. 

Johnson says that even though she wanted to be an educator, her vocal coach in high school sent her in another direction. 

“She asked me, ‘What do you want to do?’ and I though I wanted to go into education. I come from a long line of educators. My mother, my father, my grandparents, everybody were teachers, principals, all that jazz,” Johnson says. “But then she said, ‘I really think that you have something special, and I think you should try out for some conservatories.’” 

Even though Marian Anderson broke the color barrier at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1955, black singers like Johnson are underrepresented. 

In September, The Chicago Sun Times reported that out of 368 singers on the Met roster this season, only 36 are black.

Still, in the book Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement, University of Michigan Professor Naomi André writes that even though opera once functioned as “an exclusively elitist event” for society’s upper crust, there is “nothing inherently ‘white’ or ‘nonblack’” about opera. 

Johnson says that teaching about that accessibility is part of why she loves visiting students. 

“I grew up in the PBS era, so when people used to come to my school, that’s what really got me excited about this work and that’s what captured my attention, so I’m all about outreach,” Johnson says. “I love going to schools, I love going to churches, I love to just spread that it’s for us, it’s for people. The classical world is not just for the elites. It’s for regular folk.”

Alida Lacosse is a performing musician and has taught at MMSD schools for four years. 

Lacosse says that just having her students see performers who look like them can be powerful. Even if they don’t end up pursuing careers in classical singing, seeing representation in the field can encourage them to consider the possibility that they could enter it. 

“People will tell you [that] you can’t do [that], but yes you can,” Lacosse says. “Equity is about representation, and [that representation] should be women that are different, because not all black women are the same, [and] not all women are the same. Diversity is representation, it’s all different kinds [of people].” 

Johnson will be singing with the Madison Symphony Orchestra this weekend as part of A Madison Symphony Christmas.

A special reception will be held Friday, December 13th at 5:30 PM in the Upper Lobby of the Overture Center for the Arts. 

In response to the contamination of drinking water in Kewaunee County last year, the Department of Natural Resources created restrictions for the spread of manure in northeast Wisconsin. 

Yesterday, the Natural Resources Board, which oversees the DNR, voted to allow the agency to go ahead with rules that would put further restrictions on manure spreading. That means the DNR can now draft even more restrictions on manure spreading for areas deemed at risk of groundwater pollution. 

Scott Laeser is the Water Program Director for Clean Wisconsin, an environmental group that supports rules restricting manure and fertilizer use.

According to Laeser, prolonged exposure to high levels of nitrates, about 10 milligrams per liter, can cause birth defects and cancer risks in adults.  

Laeser also says yesterday’s vote was important, but that it’s just the beginning of a lengthy process.

“Now the DNR will really have to dig into this issue to look at this problem, to look at where the trouble spots are, and to come up with some new tools for the State and local conservation departments to use to reduce nitrate in groundwater and in private wells,” Laeser says. 

One of those “trouble spots” may be the southwestern part of the state, where some private wells in Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette County have been contaminated by livestock manure. 

Testing this spring found 32 of a selected 35 wells in those counties had fecal contamination. A retesting of those wells in August found 25 of 34 selected wells were contaminated. The latest results were released a week and a half ago. 

Darin Von Ruden is the President of the Wisconsin Farmers Union Board of Directors and represents those counties.

He says these rules, whenever they take effect, would help the region avoid greater issues.

“It’s better to take care of the problem before you have a problem, and looking at what’s been happening in Kewaunee County, we should definitely learn our lesson from that and try to avoid those same issues here in southwest Wisconsin,” Von Ruden says.

Earlier this year, research from U.S. Department of Agriculture microbiologist Mark Borchardt showed that over 60% of 131 wells sampled in Kewaunee County in 2017 were contaminated with fecal microbes. 

Support for the resolution to restrict manure spreading was overwhelming, but not unanimous. Bill Bruins is the owner and operator of Homeland Dairy in Fond du Lac County, and cast the lone dissenting vote during yesterday’s board meeting. 

He says the issue of contaminated water is complex, and that regulating agriculture isn’t guaranteed to fix it.

“The scope statement was worded quite broadly, and I think a lot of the public [has] the feeling that if we just simply impose statewide performance standards on agriculture, then that would just totally take care of it, [but] there’s more to this issue than a simple fix by establishing some regulations on agriculture,” Bruins says. 

Bruins also says he would like to see State legislators take immediate action by helping rural well-owners pay for nitrate filtration systems to make their contaminated water drinkable. 

Natural Resources Board Chair Dr. Frederick Prehn, who was appointed to the Board under former Governor Scott Walker, says whatever rules the DNR drafts will be costly. 

“This cannot be shouldered on the back of agriculture by itself. [The costs are] going to have to go down the food chain. Ag has a job to do; they need to grow food. And if the public thinks this whole issue of nitrates is going to be on the back of the farmer, it can’t be, and that’s not what the Board or the Department [is] looking for,” Prehn says. 

The Associated Press reported that the DNR thinks manure and fertilizer prohibitions could cost stakeholders between $50,000 to $5 million every year, but Prehn also says he thinks that estimate is “extremely l...

On Friday, Edgewood students protested the Catholic college’s removal of a document on its website that provided contact information for two Madison-based Planned Parenthood clinics. 

The College made the Off-Campus Wellness Resources document in question available to all students, faculty, and staff on its internal website on Thursday, but student journalists say the links’ removal is just the latest example of growing tensions between students and administrators. 

Alyssa Allemand is a senior at Edgewood College and has been the editor for On The Edge, the College’s student paper, for the last two years. She attended a meeting called by five faculty members yesterday regarding those tensions.

“They didn’t necessarily vote on anything, but various statements were made talking about the situation. From our article on Friday, a faculty member read a statement in support of students that various faculty members have been signing,” Allemand says.

“I think there’s over a hundred signatures, or around a hundred signatures on that one right now, so there was just kind of discussion about how to go about these statements, and whether to have one cohesive statement on behalf of faculty and staff, or if there should be various different ones that they sign, and just kind of what issues those statements should speak to, so it was really just [a] discussion. ”  

Allemand  also says that, at the beginning of this semester, interim president Mary Ellen Gevelinger told faculty and staff to not speak with “outside media.” 

Those comments were originally made in the context of layoffs and program cuts, but Allemand believes that following Friday’s protest, staff feel like they still shouldn’t talk to outside press regarding any sensitive matter.

On The Edge’s media editor and Edgewood senior Robin Gee attended a separate meeting yesterday between students and the interim president. Gee says that Gevelinger’s words have also caused some confusion about whether or not students may attend certain meetings as reporters. 

“There has been a lot of confusion between the administration and On The Edge about whether or not we count as outside media,” Gee says. “When I was going to this meeting yesterday, they were not clear about whether or not I should go as a journalist or as a student, and so that was something that was another frustration about the lack of transparency between the administration and us. ” 

Don Downs is a retired professor at UW-Madison. He says that Edgewood could restrict student journalism without violating First Amendment rights because it is a private entity. 

But, if Edgewood has any policies that protect the free speech rights of its students and employees, then such restrictions would constitute a contractual —  not First Amendment — violation. 

“The bottom line here, at least when it comes to Edgewood, is if it’s a public school, they could not restrict the rights of the students here,” Downs says. “But, they have an arguable right to restrict the rights of the employees depending on what that speech is about and what the employees’ duties are and things like that.”

It’s unclear what free speech rights Edgewood College faculty members have as an employee handbook is not available to the public. 

Confusing statements notwithstanding, interest in student journalism at Edgewood has grown. 

Patricia Simms is On The Edge’s faculty advisor. She says that the paper had been relatively “quiet” for a few years, but that this year has been different. 

“When you can get more than a dozen people writing, and editing, being involved, at showing up at my house on [a] Sunday to make decisions, it’s really special,” Simms says. 

Allemand and Gee say that they will continue to follow the story throughout the winter break, and when they return to campus in January. 

Last Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Universities, Technical Colleges, Children and Families held a public hearing on Senate Bill 232 relating to the termination of parental rights, rights of alleged fathers, and payments allowed in adoption.

Oneida Nation member and Attorney, Michelle Gordon, testified in opposition of the bill in regards to the declaration of paternal interest.

WORT producer Shaun Soman spoke with Michelle Gordon about how the legislation would affect First Nations tribes in Wisconsin earlier today.

(WORT) — This week we cover a new legal challenge to Wisconsin’s voter ID law, a debate over public education in Milwaukee, sports concussions and Tone Madison editor Scott Gordon gets the details on Mr. Jackson’s new album.

Contributors this week: Darien Lamen, Karma Chavez, Elizabeth DiNovella, Nigel O’Shea and Scott Gordon.

(WORT) — This week we cover Verona closing the Epic TIF, deer ticks showing up in Dane County, another UW campus voting no confidence in university leadership and Mike McCabe provides a commentary on trickle-down economics.

Contributors this week: Cameron Bren. Patrick Waring, Maddy Braverman, Molly Stentz, Mike McCabe and Sara McKinnon.

(WORT) — This week we cover Madison College’s decision to expand its south side campus, Community Pharmacy struggling on State Street, the no confidence vote by the UW-Madison Faculty Senate and Nigel O’Shea reviews Thai Basil.

Contributors this week: Molly Stentz, Patrick Waring, Antonio Marquez, Darien Lamen, Nigel O’Shea, and Tone Madison editor Scott Gordon.

(WORT) — This week we cover the legacy of Tamara Grigsby, the pivotal school referendum vote in Montello, final business in the Wisconsin Senate, and a recipe for whole-roasted cauliflower.

Contributors this week: Darien Lamen, Cameron Bren, Antonio Marquez, Helena White, André Darlington, and Sara McKinnon.

(WORT) — This week we cover the finger pointing over Oscar Mayer leaving Madison, tenure trouble at the University of Wisconsin, the loss of the state’s only nude beach, and Elizabeth DiNovella puts Bo Ryan in the penalty box.

Contributors this week: Maddy Braverman, Jalika Ceesay, Darien Lamen, Helena White, Nigel O’Shea and Elizabeth DiNovella.

(WORT) — Bo Ryan made headlines this weekend after Deadspin reported that the UW-Madison investigated the former men’s basketball coach about having an extramarital affair.

Are we suddenly French? Or are we a Big Ten School? WORT Sports Director Elizabeth DiNovella keeps it real.