Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle today announced $16.8 million in state funding for the Milwaukee area, including $12.5 million for the Medical College of Wisconsin, $3 million for a new University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee engineering campus, $500,000 for a School of Public Health at UWM and $800,000 to help redevelop the former Pabst brewery.

The announcements are part of the governor's plan to strengthen the Milwaukee area. More details on that plan are available at www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=10524.

"For Wisconsin to thrive, we need a Milwaukee that is strong, safe and prospering," Doyle said. "To keep Wisconsin competitive, we need to continue making smart investments that will harness the talent and resources of southeast Wisconsin. These investments will preserve Wisconsin's leading role in ground breaking research and will create the high-paying jobs of tomorrow."

Last month, Doyle announced that he would direct $2.5 million from the state's operating budget to support collaborative efforts between the Medical College of Wisconsin and other institutions in southeastern Wisconsin, including UWM, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Marquette University.

The funding announced today will be used to purchase and install a new General Electric 7T MRI imaging scanner for expanded research related to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy and other diseases. Currently there are only two of these scanners in operation, at the University of Minnesota and at Mass General/Harvard University, according to the governor's office.

The new UWM engineering campus will be located near the Milwaukee County Research Park, the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa. The new UWM engineering campus will house the Institute for Biomedical and Health Technologies and could also be home to the Biomedical Technology Alliance of Southeast Wisconsin, according to the governor's office.

In addition to the $200,000 included in the budget last month, Doyle wants to provide another $300,000 for UWM to explore the concept of a School of Public Health near downtown Milwaukee.

The $800,000 for the Pabst brewery redevelopment is from Wisconsin Department of Commerce grants that will be used for environmental remediation and pollutant removal at the property located in the northwest corner of downtown Milwaukee.

Zilber Ltd. founder Joseph. Zilber purchased the 20-acre property and recently began work to transform the site, which has been dormant since the brewery closed in 1996, into a new neighborhood of residences, office space, stores and restaurants. Zilber plans to gut and repair many of the historic buildings in the complex and sell them to other developers. He also plans to redevelop some of the buildings himself.

For the first time, India may be on the verge of opening up its market and allowing the import of Harley-Davidson Inc. motorcycles, according to a news report by The Mint, an Indian newspaper.

In what is being touted as a goodwill gesture ahead of a visit by U.S. trade representative Susan Schwab in April, India's commerce ministry is in the process of issuing a law that will allow the import of Harley-Davidson motorcycles by the end of March.

According to the report, Milwaukee-based Harley has been lobbying the Indian government for years to gain entry into the market.

The India Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways had blocked earlier attempts, citing the fact that the country did not have any prescribed emission norms for motorcycles with an engine capacity exceeding 500 cubic centimeters. The capacities of most Harley motorcycle engines exceed that size.

The ministry now agreed to adopt European emission norms for the motorcycles.
The read the full report, visit www.livemint.com.

Waterloo-based Trek Bicycle Corp. is launching the Trek Lime, a new line of bicycles that combines a retro look with modern technologies.

The Trek Lime is an "everybike" with a coaster brake, fully automatic gear shifting, no cables, simple lines, a comfortable seat and a "cool factor," including swappable chain guards and handgrips in six different colors.

"You've heard of the mood ring? Call it a mood bike. And it's maintenance-free," the company said.
The Trek Lime has a suggested retail price of $579.99 and will soon be available through Trek dealers.

The new bike was developed with the assistance of SolidWorks three-dimensional computer assisted design (CAD) software.

"The combination of SolidWorks software and the pressure-sensitive monitors enabled our industrial designers to try many different concepts quickly and easily," said Michael Sagan, Trek product development technology lead. "You completely preserve design intent when you combine sketching and CAD modeling together, then save the ideas as a SolidWorks file. Working this way allows our designers to be more creative and is a huge advantage for us."

"Lime brings back the joy of bikes for millions of soon-to-be born-again cyclists without the complicated gadgetry that captivates the competitive end of the bicycle market," said Rainer Gawlick, SolidWorks vice president of worldwide marketing.

To view the new Trek Lime, visit http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1224000&f=29.

Small Business Times has won two awards in the Milwaukee Press Club's annual Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism Competition.

SBT executive editor Steve Jagler received second place in the category for Magazine Editor of the Year. The judges for the contest noted SBT's growth and the excellence of the exclusive content in its printed publication and its Web site, www.biztimes.com. Jagler was nominated for the award by his staff.

The work cited for the award included three SBT cover reports: "Call Forwarding," a report about the future of the state's telecommunications industry; "The Business of Diversity," a report about effective strategies for developing a diverse workforce and the importance of diversity to the local economy; and "Private Equity Groups are Buying Wisconsin," a report about the impact of out-of-state investment groups acquiring Wisconsin businesses.

The cover reports were compiled by SBT reporters Elizabeth Hockerman and Eric Decker, managing editor Andrew Weiland and editorial intern Bradley Wooten, and the content was effectively displayed by production manager Vanessa Serkowski, art director Shelly Paul and graphic designer Kandy Stamborski.

Hockerman also received second place in the Magazine Best Single Feature Story category for her cover story headlined, "Are You Having Fun?" The story featured companies that are confronting a tight labor market by becoming employers of choice and enacting effective strategies to hire and retain top performers. The story focused on ventriloquist Dale Brown, founder of Brown & Martin Inc. in Waukesha.

The entries were selected among hundreds submitted from news organizations and journalists throughout Wisconsin. The competition was judged by professional journalists and journalism scholars from across the country, including San Diego, Syracuse, Ft. Lauderdale and San Antonio.

SBT will receive the awards at the Milwaukee Press Club's 77th annual Gridiron and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 28, at the InterContinental Hotel Milwaukee.

Transportation costs are hidden in Gov. Jim Doyle's budget proposal, according to Gretchen Schuldt, co-chair of Citizens Allied for Sane Highways and author of today's Milwaukee Biz Blog.

The Biztimes Stock Index dropped 1.41 points to close at 173.83 Friday, but local stocks roared back to life with a strong rally this morning. The largest local gainers this morning were Kohl's corp. (up 99 cents to $72.95) and Ladish Co. (up 98 cents to $40.40). The largest local decliners this morning were Strattec Security Corp. (down 56 cents to $43.00) and Briggs & Stratton Corp. (down 7 cents to $27.78).

The BizTimes Stock Index was created by Small Business Times and is monitored by North Shore Bank. The index, which measures the stock values of publicly held companies based in southeastern Wisconsin, is updated daily and can be viewed at www.biztimes.com.

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign today asked the Wisconsin Judicial Commission to investigate whether state Supreme Court candidate Annette Ziegler violated the Judicial Code of Conduct by handling cases in which she or her husband had a significant financial or business relationship with one of the parties.

The WDC's request cites nine cases handled by Ziegler, a Washington County Circuit Court judge, involving banks and other businesses in which she owned $50,000 worth of stock or more.

Seven other cases cited in the WDC's request involve West Bend Savings Bank which paid Ziegler's husband for being a member of its board of directors and for renting space he owns to the bank.

In addition, Ziegler has received a multi-million dollar loan from the bank, according to the WDC. Part of the judicial code of conduct says a conflict of interest occurs when judges or their family members are a party in a case or "an officer, director or trustee of a party" in a case before them.

Most of the cases involved small claims and money judgments ranging from $532 to nearly $47,000, a small business bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure and automobile repossessions, according to the complaint. The financial institutions brought the complaints seeking the money, equipment and autos and won. Two cases involving auto injuries remain open, and another case was settled out of court.

The WDC identified the court cases in its request to the commission by reviewing several dozen cases Ziegler handled from 2004 to date and comparing the parties in those cases with the companies she listed investments with in her Statement of Economic Interests filed with the State Ethics Board. Electronic court records show Ziegler did not withdraw from the cases or inform the parties about her financial ties, the WDC said.

Furthermore, Ziegler has not disputed the accuracy of recent media reports that said she did not withdraw or inform the parties of conflicts of interest in dozens of cases she handled.

"Judge Ziegler repeatedly broke clear-cut judicial ethics rules on conflicts of interest and continues to this day to act as though they don't apply to her. She needs to be held accountable for that. The rules are not negotiable and simply ignoring them is not an option for any judge," WDC director Mike McCabe said. "These repeated lapses in judgment call into question not only Judge Ziegler's fitness to serve on the state Supreme Court, but also her fitness to continue serving as a circuit court judge."

McCabe said the WDC hopes the commission reviews the complaint "with some urgency" to avoid the possibility of the Supreme Court having to discipline one of its own members if Ziegler is elected April 3.
Ziegler is being contested for the Supreme Court seat by Linda Clifford in the April 3 election.