ISTHMUS: Ben Manski up, UW-Madison research down

UP: Ben Manski. The Wisconsin Green Party candidate for the 77th State Assembly seat wins the endorsement of Madison Teachers Inc., a coup for an independent running in a hotly contested race with five Democrats, a Republican and one other independent.

DOWN: UW-Madison research. A federal court ruling blocking President Obama's order expanding stem-cell research has put many UW projects in limbo. The university gets about $5 million a year in federal grants for stem-cell research. Researcher Beth Donley tells the Wisconsin State Journal that the ruling will have "a chilling affect."