Wisconsin State Journal from Madison, Wisconsin • 21

DANE: New bus routes in Middleton3C Lotteries Coming Monday: New Glarus wtnemaker 2C 2C 3C Records DANE turns hobby into I i Wisconsin State Journal 27. 1999. City Editor Joyce Dew. (608)252-6117 Supper club is one of the things that make Wisconsin what it is SUSAN LAM PERT SMITH ON WISCONSIN The letter demanded an investigation of that "Wisconsin enigma." the supper club "Why do they call themselves supper clubs''," the writers asked. "Why are they always located in the country" Just how does one join the club We've attended these clubs, but have never been asked to join.

Do we need to be sponsored?" What is a supper club'1 Well, dear readers, we native Wisconsinites are just born with a deep understanding of the meaning of "supper club." just as we know that cows sleep lying down, so you can't actually tip them over (Yes, there are restaurants called supper clubs elsewhere, but they re not the same Some in the South are real clubs, members-only places that serve alcohol in dry counties, something that open for lunch. It has cloth napkins, waitresses (never waiters) in sensible shoes, relish trays, cracker baskets and a salad bar. The salad bar must contain these items: cheese spread, three-bean salad, pickled beets and those cnnkle-cut carrots in French dressing JelI-0 is a vegetable. A location on ater is nice, as is a good northwoodsy name But inside the club, it must be cool, dark and soothing The lake and woods can be visible out the indow, but in a far-off way. like viewing nature on those old rotating Hamm's Beer signs.

(Of course, beer signs and tap beer are not permitted in true supper clubs Perhaps we should start ith a Please see SUPPER, Page 4C hasn't been a problem hereabouts since the end of Prohibition in 1933 A real Wisconsin supper club has certain attributes, and hile they aren't written down anywhere, we know them the way we know the lyrics to "On. Wisconsin." A real supper club has fish on Friday night prime rib on Saturday and is never Owners ot Club 26 north of Milton on Highway 26, naturally decided not to change the supper club name, which dates to the 1940s. Heat's on at the zoo Some lottery credit ideas with a twist General taxes would run program But animals are coping in various ways 'What happens In two or three years when lottery sales keep declining? Will they Infuse the lottery with (general tax revenue) to pay for sales promotion and Todd Berry president. Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance Htff 4 BIbbbQsBFbSX0bBHI fHjjBHf QiFIbMbb8SbVV3BbI hMk anraHfisK129Lfl a Js- PPPy By Valeria Davis-Humphrey Wisconsin State Journal Lions, tigers and bears the Vilas Zoo's most heat-susceptible residents follow their instincts to survive sweltering weather The animals deal with the heat and humidity like Saturday's 85-degree temperatures with access to cool tap water for drinking and pools for swimming and cooling off But they also get an assist from zoo attendants who offer chilled treats and an occasional hose-down when temperatures reach the 90-degree mark, said Rick Bilkey. zoo education director "They get uncomfortable just like we do," Bilkey said.

"But the animals deal with it just like we do." The most obvious solution is to take to the shade, Bilkey said. "The zoo's been here a long time and we've got some beautiful shade trees around the exhibits, he said." Polar bears take frequent dips to wet their fur and skin. On really hot days, they get special polar bear Popsicles of apples, carrots and fish frozen into five-gallon blocks of ice. Bilkey said. Their zoo quarters have underground dens with an earthen berm on back that keeps it cool like a basement, he added.

But the zoo has to replicate nature's options. For example, the elephants have a lagoon-sized pool with a cover shade. Elk have pools with gradual inclines so they can walk into them "Any animal that comes from Africa can adapt to our heat Please see ZOO, Page 6C By Jeff Mayers State government reporter First came the state-sponsored lottery and the promise of property tax relief Then the appeal of the lottery leveled off. and property taxpayers experienced what critics labeled "the incredibly shrinking lottery credit" Then came legal troubles that actually suspended the lottery credit. Now, after recent voter approval of a constitutional amendment allowing targeted relief to homeowners, come state budget proposals for an expanded lottery credit.

The expanded credit would be made possible through a controversial idea use general sales and income taxes to run the lottery' Legislative Republicans and Democrats are backing some form of the idea, meaning it has a good chance of being part of the final 1999-2001 state budget compromise that could emerge by the end of this week. Assembly Republicans' $168 million two-year property tax relief bonus is tied to the use of general tax money for lottery administrative costs. Senate Democrats went further by dumping most of their S473 million in tax-cut money into property tax relief and by proposing that even those who don't play the lottery pay for the prizes through general taxes. Currently, lottery bets pay for lottery administration and prizes. With final budget negotiations on tap at the Capitol this week, some budget-watchers are asking tough questions about this obscure accounting shift that would amount to a big policy change.

One budget watchdog isn't assured by the fact that Republicans and Senate Democrats are going down the same road. "That doesn't mean it's a good said Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance Berry called the proposed accounting trick "clever But he said he was reminded of another state property tax relief plan the SI. 2 billion property tax bonus of several years ago that was part of the state's commitment to pay two-thirds of the costs of schools. Property taxes have started rising again, and the two-thirds commit- State Journal photo SARAH TEWS Shaking the excess water off his 650-pound frame. Nanuq.

a male polar bear resident of the Vilas Zoo. demonstrated how a cool dip was a bear necessity in Saturday's hot, humid weather. ment is seen by many as more burden than relief This new shift would wipe out state policy that has kept lottery money and functions walled-off from the rest of state government. It would use general tax money to pay for certain lottery functions in order to pump more temporary property tax relief money directly to homeowners in a place they can easily see: on the property tax bills they'll receive this December and December 2000 Berry said if leading lawmakers include a subsidized lottery in the budget plan, and GOP Gov Tommy Thompson signs it. the lottery would become another "state-funded Thompson would have the final say.

but he appeared to sanction the change last week when he sat with Assem bly Speaker Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha. to help promote the Assembly Republican tax cut plans and budget. "Where does it end'" Berry asked "The lottery is still dying. What happens in two or three years when lottery' sales keep declining? Will they infuse the lottery with (general tax revenue) to pay for sales promotion and ads Then you're in a real swamp. If they decide to get into the advertising game, the sky's the limit Lottery opponents, including Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison.

are voicing their concerns. So are former policy-makers such as former state Sen. Joe Wineke. D-Verona. now a political affairs adviser at the International Union of Operating Engineers.

They're both going to dump (general tax money) into the lottery. Somebody's going to question Please see BUDGET, Page 5C UW sociologist helps census 'get real' The program earned Voss a "Hammer Award" last week from the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. The award is Vice President Al Gore's effort to recognize federal workers and collaborators who help make government run more efficiently. Ensuring census data are up-to-date is critical, since the federal government uses the numbers in deciding how to allocate much of the S160 bil- Please see CENSUS, Page 4C sociologist, who have created a pilot program to make the census more current. The program, called the American Community Survey, was developed as a companion survey to the census, said Paul Voss.

director of the UW's Applied Population Laboratory It in volves surveying a small sample of the population on a range of detailed questions every month. Analysts would then periodically lump those results together to update a community's profile, typically every year. By Phil Brinkman Wisconsin State Journal Imagine a job where they offered you a raise only once every 10 years. Throughout American history, that's the way the federal government has treated local communities, adjusting the amount those municipalities received for federal programs only after the S. Census Bureau conducted its decennial census That could change soon, thanks to the efforts of a group of demographers, including a UW-Madison rural Voss Lucey and Earl back Bradley for Democratic nomination top lobbyist: former state Rep Marcia Coggs.

D-Milwaukee: former Senate Majority Leader Timothy Cullen. D-Janesville. now a top Blue Cross-Blue Shield executive: Madison attorney and commentator Bill Dixon: former Wisconsin Attorney General Bronson LaFollette; former state Rep Barbara Notestein. D-Milwaukee: former state Rep John Robinson. D-Wausau; former Thompson administration Cabinet member Carol Skornicka.

now general counsel at Midwest Express: former Wisconsin state treasurer Charles Smith: and former state Sen Joe Wineke. D-Verona. The support of Earl. Lucey and other familiar Democrats suggests Bradley's candidacy could gain a foothold in Wisconsin. Bradley is attracting people from a broad political spectrum, and his campaign claims that more than 60 Wisconsinites have contributed money to the ex-senator.

Among the Democrats on record supporting Bradley former Assembly Majority-Leader Dismas Becker. D-Milwaukee: former Natural Resources Board member and Green Bay businessman John Brogan: Bill Broydriclc a former state lawmaker from Milwaukee, former congressional aide and Gore's active supporters. But the extent of Bradley's support has been less certain despite Democrats' general appreciation for his work as the former senator from New Jersey and his celebrity as a former New York Knicks professional basketball player. "I think (Gore's) the favorite. But I think it's a pretty thin veneer of favoritism." said Earl, a Madison lawyer and occasional lobbyist who especially likes Bradley's commitment to campaign finance reform "I think Bradley has lots of appeal to lots of people." from 1971 until 1977.

"Democrats want a fresh face who is willing to talk about tough issues like taxes and race relations." the former governors said in a statement issued over the weekend. "Bill Bradley is literally a star intellectually and as a fresh new leader for the 21st century Gore has always been expected to have core support in Wisconsin, given President Clinton's popularity here and the vice president's frequent visits Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala. D-Madison. is one of By Jeff Mayers State government reporter Wisconsin's most recent Democratic governors are among a growing group of state Democrats supporting Bill Bradley over Vice President Gore in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Anthony Earl and Patrick Lucey are expected to be named honorary co-chairmen of the Wisconsin Bradley campaign sometime after Labor Day.

Bradley organizers said over the weekend. Earl was governor from 1983 until 1987. Lucey was governor.