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Enrollment moves upward in Universities of Wisconsin system
MADISON, Wis. — Overall enrollment in the Universities of Wisconsin system’s four-year schools ticked upward this fall compared with last year, data released Tuesday shows.
The system released enrollment numbers as of the 10th day of the 2024 fall semester. They show overall enrollment stood at 164,431 students, up 1.2% from the 10th day of the 2023 fall semester.
UW-Green Bay saw 975 new students for a 10.5% increase in enrollment, the largest percentage jump among the 13 four-year schools. Enrollment at UW-Madison, the system’s flagship university, increased nearly 3%. UW-Superior, the most remote campus, in Douglas County in far northwestern Wisconsin, saw a 3.6% increase.
Five schools saw their enrollment shrink, including Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Parkside, Platteville and Stout.
Overall enrollment at the system’s two-year branch campuses fell 22%. The most dramatic drop-off was at UW-Stevens Point’s Marshfield campus, where enrollment plunged nearly 45% compared with fall 2023.
UW officials have blamed declining numbers of high school graduates and more graduates eschewing college for the workforce for faltering enrollment.
City staff helped support Gyropolis by removing an abandoned gas station and securing appropriate funding.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Even before noon, the lunch line was long at Gyropolis on Tuesday. The Greek restaurant was closed for renovations for several months but returned this week under a soft opening.
Dino Contolatis first opened Gyropolis in Bloomington in 2005, following in his parents’ footsteps. They opened a deli in the city in 1996 after emigrating from a picturesque but poor Greek village in 1971.
“My customers, I want to thank them for getting us to this point,” Contolatis said. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”
One such customer, Chuck Pittman, says he’s eaten at the restaurant for at about 10 years now.
“There are lines that would go out the door,” said Pittman, who lives in St. Paul but works in Bloomington. “The parking lot was always super full.”
There have been so many customers, Contolatis decided in 2022 it was time to expand. Only, there was an abandoned gas station next door.
“It got broken into many times,” Pittman said. “It was just kind of an eyesore on the corner.”
The restaurant is located on 90th Street W and Penn Avenue S, which lead to places including City Hall and I-494. It’s considered a busy area, though not as busy as the Mall of America. Still, the city was eager to get involved in the restaurant’s expansion plans.
Economic development analyst Michael Palermo says the city helped demolish the gas station.
“This was a way to kind of redevelop a site that was kind of difficult to develop on its own,” Palermo said.
Palermo says city staff helped secure $58,400 in grant funds from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, making the demolition possible in Fall 2023. Tax increment financing also made the project possible.
“This just speaks to the greater effort we have to support our local commercial nodes,” Palermo said. “We have these big prominent regional destinations but we also want to support our small businesses.”
Gyropolis employees worked from a food truck over the last few months as the restaurant building nearly tripled in size.
The expansion includes a larger kitchen, more parking spaces, more indoor seating and a new patio for outdoor seating.
Pittman joked that gyros are somewhat challenging to eat in the car or on the go.
“I’ve done it, but it’s one of those things that you really want to sit down and enjoy it fresh because they make it perfectly,” he said.
Unlike before, there’s also enough room indoors to wait in line. There’s a pick-up window now, too.
“We used to be 10 employees and now we’re 14 and probably gonna need more, as we can see today,” Contolatis said. “My team are the best people I could possibly work with and the city has been great in helping me navigate this process and to help create a self-determining business on a very important corner in Bloomington that I hope has a bright future.”
Contolatis said a grand opening will take place next week.
After more than 300 suggestions were submitted, city officials have narrowed the finalists down to 10.
DULUTH, Minn. — Halloween can often be a reminder that snow is just around the corner… just ask any Minnesotan who was living in the state back in 1991.
While the idea of snow may not always be welcomed, city officials in Duluth are hoping to make the transition a little more fun.
Voting is now open online for the city’s first-ever snowplow naming contest after more than 300 suggestions were submitted. The 10 finalists to choose from include:
- Enger Plower
- Blizzard Wizzard
- Dewaagonebidood (“the one whi is pishing/plowing snow” in Ojibwe)
- Lake Snowbegone
- Sled Zeppelin
- Snow Dozer
- Edgar Allen Plow
- Plowus Maximus
- D’Lhut Drifter Lifter
- Plowabunga
People will have until Nov. 4 to vote, and the winning name will be announced during the Christmas City of the North Parade on Nov. 22. To vote, click here. The person or persons who submitted the name will win a photo opportunity and will ride in the plow during the parade.
The idea stems from the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s “Name-A-Plow” contest that was introduced back in 2020.
The group is calling on the governor and state lawmakers to join their cause and keep children safe.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — There’s a new push for better safety measures for kids with autism in Minnesota.
Autism advocates and the Council on American-Islamic Relations held an emergency meeting at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday to address two recent drownings.
Back in June, officials say a Hopkins boy with autism, 4-year-old Waeys Ali Mohamed, drowned in a creek. A few months later police say the body of 11-year-old Mohamed Mohamed was found in a pond near his home in Eden Prairie.
Both boys went missing from their homes and both were found in open water a short distance away. Other children have also drowned in recent years.
During their meeting Tuesday, autism advocates and parents shared information about recent cases, and they discovered a shocking statistic.
“We believe that eight children with autism from the Somali community died in the last three years,” CAIR Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said.
Many parents in the Somali community are deeply concerned about this issue.
“I am heartbroken yet again, to hear about a drowning in our community,” mother Fatima Molas said. “This could have been one of my kids. My son loped one week twice.”
Loping, also called Elopement, is a term used in the autism community for wandering. Advocates say children with autism are more likely to wander away from home and they’re often drawn to water.
“We have known for decades the number one cause of death in the autism community for children is drowning. Drowning is 100% preventable,” Jillian Nelson with the Autism Society of Minnesota says.
A recent study from the University of Minnesota suggests 1 in 16 Somali 4-year-olds will be diagnosed with autism, a rate advocates say is two times higher than the general population.
The task force is calling on the governor and lawmakers to join them as they search for strategies to keep these children safe.
“Give access to swim lessons. It’s a basic thing we can do. These children need to learn how to swim. Support the families,” Molas said.
Besides more access to swimming lessons, this task force is also requesting resources to help parents secure their homes so their children can’t get out in the middle of the night.
Advocates say another problem is many of these families have to wait 15 to 18 months to receive services, so they’re looking for strategies to bring that wait time down and bring more workers into the profession.
