(WisBusiness) FRI News Summary — 27 Feb. 2009

From WisBusiness.com …

— Real gross domestic product decreased at an annual rate of 6.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to an estimate from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.

That’s the worst rate of decline since 1982 and a big change from the previous estimate of a 3.8 percent decline.

See more below in TOP STORIES.

— Wisconsin’s unemployment rate hit 7.6 percent last month, the highest it’s been since March 1987.

The Department of Workforce Development announced today the unemployment rate for January jumped 1.8 percentage points from December’s rate of 5.8 percent. It was also 2.7 percentage points higher than the state rate for January 2008.

The last time the state’s unemployment rate was that high was March 1987, when it was also 7.6 percent. That was down from 7.9 percent in February 1987.

See more: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/newsreleases/2009/unemployment/0109_state_lmi.pdf

— A deep, dark scary recession hasn’t cowed the turnout for the 20th annual Organic Farming Conference held in La Crosse this weekend, according to a new column from Marc Eisen. Registrants mostly from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa topped 2,300, up from 1,900 last year. Several hundred walk-ins Friday and Saturday are expected to push the number higher.

The big turnout in the face of hard times shows just how deeply rooted organic farming has become in the upper Midwest. Gloom and doom may hold sway over vast swaths of the American economy today, but in the farm niche where the milk is untouched by synthetic growth hormones, the tomatoes are succulent and the beef cattle are grazed in fields, the mood is surprisingly celebratory.

Read more from Eisen soon at http://www.wisbusiness.com

— Badger Career Network Alerts, an online service designed to connect mid-career to executive UW-Madison alumni with companies that are hiring, has concluded a successful pilot phase and is advancing into beta testing.

When fully scaled up, the new system will enable companies in the Madison region, throughout Wisconsin, and nationwide to alert qualified UW alumni candidates to specific position postings. Badger Career Network Alerts is a joint project of the Wisconsin Alumni Association and Thrive, the economic development enterprise serving the eight-county Madison region. Three Madison region companies — Covance, Epic Systems, and UW Hospital & Clinics — participated in the pilot test.

See more: http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=150571

— The state Department of Natural Resources expects Lake Delton to be refilled by Memorial Day 2009 and, with help from local groups, will begin to restore the lake’s fishery this spring.

“I am pleased to announce we are confident that Lake Delton will be refilled in time for families throughout the country to enjoy Lake Delton this summer,” said Gov. Jim Doyle. “Lake Delton is a Wisconsin treasure and a critical component of the area’s tourism industry. Finishing this project has been a top priority since last year’s flooding. Within a few years fishing on Lake Delton will be better than it has been in generations and a great place to land a trophy walleye and bass.”

The lake began refilling in December 2008 after reconstruction work was launched on County Highway A. Enough work was completed in the fall to allow the lake to partially fill and additional work will be completed to allow the lake to reach proper levels by Memorial Day.

See more: http://wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=150517

— Sixteen University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering students spent last fall figuring out a system that ultimately reduced the amount of gasoline necessary to run a Vespa moped by 10 percent.

While enrolled in civil and environmental engineering professor Marc Anderson’s section of InterEngineering 160, Introduction to Engineering, the students designed, built and tested a hydrogen-based system based on electrolysis, the process of splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen via an electrical charge.

The students experimented on a yellow 50 cc steel-body Vespa moped provided at a substantial discount by Jeff Dunn, the owner of Vespa Madison at Dunn’s Import in Middleton.

See details: http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=150570

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REGISTER NOW: WisBusiness.com Luncheon featuring Carl Gulbrandsen of WARF MONDAY, March 2, 11:45 a.m.



The next WisBusiness.com Luncheon at the Madison Club, organized by the Madison Club, Madison Magazine, and WisBusiness.com, is slated for Monday March 2 at 11:45 a.m.. The guest is Carl Gulbrandsen of WARF

The event is open to the public, and the price for lunch is $19. Call the Madison Club to register at (608) 255-4861. The luncheon starts at 11:45 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m.

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GREEN TIER ADVANTAGE 2009: SUSTAINABILITY FOR WISCONSIN BUSINESSES



Date: March 3-4, Times: Day 1: 2-7 pm, Day 2: 8:30 am-3 pm Location: UWM School of Continuing Education

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