Wisconsin State Journal from Madison, Wisconsin • 17

WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL JANUARY 30, 2011 LOCAL SUNDAY SPRING SOON? Thats what King Arthur the pig indicated Saturday morning in Cottage Grove, paoecb SECTION INSIDE: BIRTHS C2 TODAY IN HISTORY C2 DIGEST C6 CATHY STEPP DNR chief wants to ease fears Its time to move beyond campaign rhetoric and find ways to fix the agency, she says. Madison: City with a plan (or several) By RON SEELY rseelymadison.com 608-252-6131 few weeks and what your approach has been early on. Stepp: The first priority I had once we found out we were chosen for these positions was to get out and meet the staff and to have face-to-face contact with them. Theres a lot of rhetoric always in any campaign and whenever new leadership comes into being, whether it is the government or the private sector, theres always an uncertainty thats out there. And it was important for me from that having happened as well as my past public statements about the agency that I be able to explain those.

I want them to understand that, yes, Please see STEPP, Page C3 Cathy Stepp, secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources, proved to be Gov. Scott Walkers most controversial appointment, largely because of her business background and past criticism of the agency. In comments on a conservative blog last year, Stepp was particularly pointed in her description of DNR staffers as "unelected bureaucrats. Last week, Stepp sat down with the Wisconsin State Journal to discuss her appointment, her background and her relationship with staffers. State Journal: Let's start with your last STEVE APPS State Journal Cathy Stepp Position: Secretary, state Department of Natural Resources.

Ago: 47 Hometown: Yorkville, near Racine Education: Oak Creek High School Salary: $125,000 Experience: Served in state Senate from 2002 to 2006. Served on Natural Resources Board. Helped run family construction business. ON WISCONSIN I GREEN BAY Packers hometown likes to remind visitors it offers Chicago is the city that works. New York is the city that never sleeps.

Madison, it seems to me, is the city that plans. The Downtown public market hotel(used-to-be) train station. Revitalizing the Old University Avenue corridor. City-adopted plans for about a fifth of Madisons approximately 120 neighborhoods. And the latest: A proposed esplanade with parks, paths, public art and other amenities between John Nolen Drive and Lake Monona that hearkens back to Nolens original plan 100 years ago.

Whether such ideas start with the city or private groups, their success depends on many factors. But in my experience, there are at least as many collecting dust on a shelf somewhere or in some kind of permanent limbo as being put into practice. Ive always thought it must be nice to be one of those city architectural and design consultants, whose profits are limited not to what is, but to all that might have been. So, for instance, imagine all the wasted tirfiaand effort that went into the $88 million proposal to build a new Central Library, hotel and retail development which fell apart amid a disagreement between the developer and the city over money. Or the plan for a Downtown public market and hotel, which is still a go but which I have grave doubts about given the actions of Gov.

Scott Walker, high speed rail murderer. Central Park might appear to be the biggest recent boondoggle. The vision for this two square blocks on the Near East Side first surfaced more than 40 years ago, was dropped for about three decades and resurfaced in 2000. Eleven years later the summer view from Ingersoll Street which would be smack in the middle of the park consists of a few immature trees and a scrubby lawn. Thats despite what city planning and Please see RICKERT, Page C3 Photos by M.P.

KING State Journal A mural painted in 1911 depicts Fort Howard in 1850. The mural is in the entryway of the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay. The historic city also is home to the Green Bay Packers, who will play for the NFL championship next Sunday in Arlington, Texas. MORE THAN JUST A FOOTBALL TEAM GREEN BAY Lombardi Avenue, Bart Starr Road and Holmgren Way speak to the storied history of football in this city as the Green Bay Packers prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday in the Super Bowl. But away from Lambeau Field, on the west side of the Fox River, is a street that predates City Stadium and the Acme Packers and is an indication of the civic renaissance happening in this community of about 101,000 people.

tive city, but theres an eclectic experience that you can have. Haney was working on a laptop computer and sipping coffee at Kavama Quality Coffee, opened in 1999, where the deli features a meatless menu, marinated olives and cheese from Carr Valley in La Valle and Roth Kase in Monroe. Haney was with two friends, Waryee Kong, 27 and his sister, Kaoe Kong, 24. All three grew up in Green Bay, and Broadway is one of the first places they take out-of-town visitors. They really like the atmosphere," said Waryee Kong.

"Youre seeing more cultural diversity, which 1 never saw as a kid. Please see GREEN BAY, Page C2 microbreweries and a chocolate shop that has been around since the 1920s. Winterfest on Saturday featured ice sculptures, food and music. An estimated 5,000 turn out on Wednesday afternoons and evenings during warmer months for a farmers market. Next month, the city will debut its own film festival.

"You can have a cultural experience in Green Bay," said Tbny Haney, 23, who recently graduated from UW-Green Bay as a philosophy major. "Its a conserva Broadway was once an Indian path that grew into Fort Howard and later a dilapidated drug- and crime -riddled bar district. But shortly after Don Majkowski tore a ligament in his ankle and Brett Favre took over in 1992, a grassroots effort led by small business owners began transforming the street into a more desirable destination. Theres a vegetarian coffee shop and deli, upscale restaurants with names like Chefusion and Vita Rawstaurant, two Bowling duo still at it after 60-plus years Linus and Don are gearing up for the big tournament next weekend, and, yes, that means there has been a certain amount of trash talking. Don was giving Linus grief for having a 50-year-old bowling ball, and Linus, well, Linus said that morning he had almost dropped the ball on his foot, and that would not have been pretty.

In the storied history of Madison bowling, its possible no two individuals have teamed together longer in the same tournament than Linus Thorn-sen and Don Michaelis in the event informally known as the Oscar Mayer Sweeper. This years tournament Saturday at Dream Lanes will make 63 consecutive years the two have been paired. They first competed together at the Arcade on Atwood Avenue in 1948 and havent missed one since. "I cant believe it has been that long," Thomsen, 83, said. I cant either," Michaelis, 86, said.

"Except when I try to get out of bed in the morning." Madison bowling lore is overflowing with great achievements, dating back to 1930 when a Madison woman, Jennie Hoverson Kelleher, went to the Plaza alleys on Henry Street and bowled the first 300 game ever sanctioned by the Womens International Bowling Congress. She was awarded a patch and a $2 gift certificate to the Gardner Bakery. The six-decade career of Thomsen and Michaelis in the Oscar Mayer Sweeper is not overflowing with great achievements. They have never won the tournament. Thats not to say theyre bad bowl- Leicht Memorial Park, the frozen Fox River, Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge and downtown Green Bay are shown in this photo, taken from the clock tower of Titletown Brewing Co.

The Broadway District in Green Bay has undergone revitalization over the past two decades. One of the popular attractions is Kavarna, a vegetarian coffeehouse. Please see MOI, Page C3.