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Chartbeat Study Confirms Most Online-Readers Click With a Bias

by Dilame Lindmeier, age 16

How do people react when they see a headline with which they disagree? Do they read it, skip it, or gloss over it without batting an eyelash?

In the age of online publishing, media companies use services to track readership. Several publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Reuters use Chartbeat, a web-analytic software that displays the most popular stories, readers’ locations, and the time readers spend reading each article. [Read More]

A Major Redevelopment Project Takes Shape in Monona

by Hugo Gonzalez Koop, age 17

After years of planning, a major redevelopment project is taking shape in Monona. The recently approved project is getting positive feedback from residents and will start construction later this year. The $36 million improvement plan, developed by Galway Companies, will take place.

Protecting nearby water resources is an important part of the plan. According to The Capital Times, the project will cut down on storm water runoff into the Yahara River and improve the capture and treatment of sediment. It's estimated that the project will create 26,000 square feet of commercial space, 33,000 square feet of office space, and over 230 residential units by 2022, when construction will end. [Read More]

Invasive Asian Carp Threaten the Great Lakes

by Cynthia Avila, Assistant Editor of La Prensa Libre de Simpson Street

Over the years, invasive species have made a home in the Mississippi River. But it seems that the Asian carp has yet again found its way into a Chicago waterway that is nine miles from Lake Michigan. It was caught below T.J. O’Brien Lock and Dam by a commercial fisherman working with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. This is not the first time an Asian carp has snuck through the three electrical barriers, which are located in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. In 2010, a bighead carp was caught in Lake Calumet.

The electric barrier system, which is run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was designed to prevent invasive species, such as the Asian Carp, from entering and reaching the Great Lakes. The silver carp, which is one of the four types of Asian carp, weighed around eight pounds and measured 28 inches long. The silver carp was sent to Southern Illinois University where biologists will determine its origin. [Read More]

Madison College and Edgewood College
Collaborate to Repave Degree Pathways

by Jacqueline Zuniga Paiz, age 17

Madison College (MATC) has expanded its relationship with Edgewood College. Under a new plan, the private institution Edgewood College will guarantee admission to MATC graduates with associate degrees in human services, or electrical or civil engineering.

According to Christine Benedict, vice president of enrollment management at Edgewood College, students affected by this streamlined process will be able to finish their bachelor's degree in as few as two years after graduation from MATC. [Read More]

Carbon: Every Girl’s
Future Best Friend

by Leila Fletcher, age 14

The element carbon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. People have known about its existence since ancient times, and it still has many uses today.

Carbon’s symbol is “C,” and its name comes from the Latin word for charcoal: carbo. Its atomic number is six, which means that carbon has six protons and six electrons, and it has an atomic mass of 12.0107. The element’s electron configuration is 1s2 2s2 2p2. At room temperature, carbon is in a solid phase, and it melts at 6422 degrees Fahrenheit. [Read More]

No One Knows For Sure Where the Lead Pipes Are

by Deney Li, age 15

Since the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, the issue of lead-contaminated water and lead pipes has gained renewed attention. Since then, many states, including Wisconsin, have taken action to replace the lead water pipes still in use by schools, homes, businesses and other facilities.

What makes this task difficult is that regulatory agencies, like the Public Service Commission (PSC), do not have a clear record of where lead pipes are located in the state. Utility companies may have a hodgepodge collection of papers and records, but the information has never been collected or analyzed. This is probably because local officials did not have a reason to document piping systems until Congress banned the installation of new lead pipes in 1986—although some cities banned their use even as early as the late 1800’s. Today, lead is known to stunt development of the nervous system in young children and infants. [Read More]

Reseña del Libro:
Malina Pies Fríos

Malina Pies Frios, escrito por David Fernandez, es un libro que calienta los corazones mientras congela los pies

por Mariama Bah, 9 años

Malina Pies Fríos escrito por David Fernández es un libro sobre una niñita que vive en el polo norte y tiene los pies fríos.

A Malina le gusta estar con su familia en el polo norte, pero no le gusta el frío en el invierno porque en las tardes el cielo se pone muy oscuro. A veces ella pesca pero Malina piensa que la pesca es aburrida. Por el frio, Malina aprendio a usar chanclas en la playa. [Read More]

Mural Off the Beltline Pays Homage to Monona’s Historic Beauty

by Armond Garcia Harper and Azario Garcia Harper

Simpson Street editor Taylor Kilgore was driving home from our South Towne office the other day when she noticed something beautiful. Before her eyes, a group of artists, including teenagers, were working on a colorful mural on the side of the Well No. 3 Building on 6500 Raywood Road in Monona. [Read More]

Lodi Marsh Wildlife Area and State Natural Area Adds 58 Acres to Protected Lands in Northern Dane County

by Andréanna Wright, age 16

From wetlands to prairies, a diverse range of biomes contributes to the preservation of natural resources and wildlife in Wisconsin. Climate change, prairie loss, and deforestation have reduced some of the state’s richest sources of species diversity over the last couple of decades. [Read More]

“Code Start” Aims to Diversify the Tech Industry

by Christy Zheng, age 13

In the world of technology, black Americans are at a disadvantage. According to Information is Beautiful, an online infographic text, there are significantly fewer black Americans than white Americans working in the top U.S. companies. This statistic is evident in the texts list of the racial diversity in said companies, including Instagram, YouTube, and Google. [Read More]

Karate Originated in the Okinawa Islands

by Kelly Nguyen, age 10

A long time ago in Japan, karate was brought to the Okinawan Islands by a Chinese family. In Japanese, karate literally means “empty hands.” Karate originated here because weapons were banned in Japan at the time, so hands became the weapons of choice for many warriors. [Read More]

Fungi are Complex, Multicellular Organisms

by Amie Kabera, age 15

Fungi are such unique organisms that they have their own kingdom. Different types of fungi are found throughout the world, in places such as Antarctica, the Amazon Jungle, in the rainforest, the Gobi desert, and even in our own backyards. Fungi are advantageous and disadvantageous: some are used to treat and help cure diseases, but others are the cause of some diseases. [Read More]

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