Mark HumphreyWASHINGTON - A third woman considered filing a workplace complaint against Herman Cain over what she deemed aggressive and unwanted behavior when she and Cain, now a Republican presidential candidate, worked together during the late 1990s, the woman told The Associated Press on Wednesday. She said the behavior included a private invitation to his corporate apartment. Continue reading →

What's in Patti Trongard's bottle is about to hit the fan. She holds the bottle containing "evidence" -- which goes by several less tasteful names -- and slips it into her purse. She's going to mail it to a DNA laboratory that specializes in dog feces. Then the fugitive pooper will be identified, the dog's owner punished, and a new kind of dung justice will prevail. "It's kind of like the 'CSI' of dog ownership," said Trongard, marketing director of the company that manages Rosedale Estates North, a 180-unit apartment complex in Roseville. Most TV viewers are familiar with DNA testing from the popular "CSI" shows, in which the genetic material at a crime scene identifies the bad guys. In real life, DNA evidence is ... Continue reading →

Where do the most pampered pets live? There are lists of the best cities for retirees, the best places to be single, and the most affordable cities, but no one seems to ask how the kittens feel. [See a slideshow of the cities that spend the most on their pets.] However, spending data suggests that Arizona might be the best place. According to a recent analysis of transactions by spending analysis firm Bundle, Scottsdale, Ariz. is far and away the city with the highest average spending on pets, at $47.88 per month. The next city, Durham, N.C., is nearly ten dollars behind, at $38.13. Three other cities in Arizona also make the top 10: Tucson, Chandler, and Phoenix. The analysis, which looked at the 100 ... Continue reading →

Lucigen Corp., Middleton, is getting a three-year, $2.8 million grant to develop a new kind of test for influenza. The Small Business Innovation Research grant is from the National Institutes of Health.Lucigen says it has discovered an enzyme that converts RNA to DNA and multiplies the DNA to identify the virus within minutes. As a result, the company said it is designing a device and reagents that will be simpler, less expensive and faster to use than current systems."We plan the world's first nucleic acid-based test for viral infections that is cost-effective and can be safely and easily used directly at the physician's office, eliminating the need to send the sample off to central testing laboratories," said Lucigen founder and chief executive David Mead.The test ... Continue reading →

Behold: The $1 Million Parking SpaceIt's luxurious, it's convenient and it can be yours for a cool million. Jin Lee/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesA Nissan Motor Co. Infiniti vehicle sits parked next to a municipal parking meter that charges $.50 per ten minutes in New York, U.S.At more than $3,600 per square foot, it’d be pricey even by the pricey standards of Manhattan apartments. But you can’t live here, unless you drive an RV. A private garage measuring 12 by 23 feet is set to go on sale this fall for a cool $1 million, making it the city’s first seven-figure parking spot. The New York Post did the math, and the asking price for the garage — located at 66 E. 11th street in Manhattan — is ... Continue reading →

It's the hometown energy company that has stayed local for more than a century, has found success and has paid it forward.That's how MGE Energy chairman, president and chief executive Gary Wolter characterized the company as nearly 2,000 shareholders gathered Tuesday for their annual meeting.MGE Energy, parent company of Madison Gas & Electric, reached a market value of more than $1 billion in 2011, an important milestone, Wolter said.Market value is determined by multiplying the price per share by the number of shares of stock. MGE shares hit a record of $47.85 on Dec. 30, 2011."We have reached this point by staying true to our roots for over a century," Wolter said. "While we may now be a billion-dollar company, that doesn't change the fact ... Continue reading →

Zurex Pharma, a Madison biotech developing products aimed at preventing infections — in hospitals and at home — has raised $6.2 million in its first major funding round. Baird Venture Partners, Chicago, and the State of Wisconsin Investment Board led the financing.Zurex has been trying for two years to land investors, said Carmine Durham, president and chief executive. Money has been tight for young companies, he said."We're playing our version of 'The Hunger Games' here in Wisconsin," Durham said. "For a company like ours, it's probably one of the most significant series A financings done in a long time."Durham said the funding will help Zurex finish developing a new type of antimicrobial wash to be used on patients about to have surgery. It has been ... Continue reading →

May 17, 2012 Americans Put Cold Cash on Ice More than one in four Americans revealed that they put their “mad money” in the freezer. The freezer strategy was more popular than socks and mattresses, according to a Marist College survey last month of more than 1,000 people. (Nod to CNN Money, which tweeted this survey @Money_College.) More people with college degrees chose the freezer than did non-college graduates. But the second most popular hiding place – socks at 19 percent – was particularly popular in the Northeast where people own a lot of socks. Third was the proverbial mattress, and more men than women went this route. Wisely, 17 percent knew of “no good place” in the house to hide their mad money. Several ... Continue reading →

Just six weeks into her new positions of president, chief executive and chairwoman of Alliant Energy Corp., Patricia Kampling got an easy ride as she faced shareholders at their annual meeting Thursday.Only a handful of people posed questions during a question-and-answer session, and most were about options for renewable energy."Would you give me a break on buying ... a compressed natural gas (fueled) car?" one woman asked. Another shareholder urged more use of solar panels rather than wind energy.Joan Sawyer of Sequim, Wash., questioned why Kampling is the only woman on Alliant's 14-member executive team. "There must be some women that qualify for those jobs," Sawyer said after the meeting.Kampling paid tribute to her predecessor, Bill Harvey, who retired April 1, saying she misses his ... Continue reading →

Intuitive Biosciences opened its doors in Fitchburg in March, and, led by a former TomoTherapy executive, wants to come out of the gate with a series of proven products.Intuitive plans to buy many of the assets of Gentel Biosciences, also of Fitchburg. The deal, whose terms have not been disclosed, is expected to finalize by the end of June, said Shawn Guse, Intuitive’s president and chief executive officer.Gentel closed its doors March 1, according to its website. Established in 2000, the company developed a protein chip technology to screen for diseases and a blood test to identify allergies. In 2007, Gentel bought GlaxoSmithKline’s protein chip technology. More recently, the company cut its staff last October and focused on products for animals.That is where Intuitive is ... Continue reading →