As Seen In WI.com

Student poets across Wisconsin are competing this week in Madison.

Contestents are being judged by artists from Madison's hip-hop, radio and writing community. The winners from each semifinal will go on to compete against other regional contest winners at the Wisconsin State Grand Slam on Feb. 26.

The state team will go on to compete at the national Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival this summer in Los Angeles.

The national festival brings together young poets and spoken-word artists aged 13 to 19 from across the country.

By Andy Baggot

The nuts and bolts of the Camp Randall Hockey Classic are fitting nicely into place, but two fickle forces will be tracked right up to the last possible second.

Mother Nature and human nature will go a long way toward defining the quality of the inaugural event, set for Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

On-site preparations for the first outdoor games at the 80,000-seat facility — the women’s team vs. Bemidji State at 2 p.m. and the University of Wisconsin men’s team vs. Michigan at 5 p.m. — have been under way since Monday when Ice Rink Events of Woodlands, Texas, began putting the 200x85 ice sheet and its support structure on the football field.

That process has gone smoothly, according to UW assistant athletic director and event overseer Tim Wise, leaving ample time to fret about things that can’t be controlled.

• Like the weather. Bitter cold and/or precipitation would be the biggest detriments to the event. UW Athletic Department officials posted a hopeful Weather Channel forecast on their website this week, outlining an overcast, 32-degree day.

• Like advance ticket sales. The original objective of the Camp Randall Classic was to set a world record for attendance at an outdoor hockey game, making 75,000 the target. The current mark was set at Spartan Stadium in 2001, when Michigan State and Michigan played to a 3-3 tie.

Thirty years after the famed Miracle on Ice, it would take another for that record to fall. The latest report from UW had 46,000 tickets sold. While group sales have been brisk of late — aided in part by the fact the men’s team is ranked second in the country — it’s hard to imagine that kind of surge is in the offing.

Right now, a more attainable goal would be to fill the entire lower bowl, which would mean 55,000 to 60,000. A more definitive favorable weather forecast, combined with heightened attention as the unique event draws near, would help that cause.

“I’ve been doing a lot of praying that the weather holds out and the fans show,” Wise said.

The operational budget for the event is around $600,000, according to Wise, which includes $400,000 for the rink construction, $150,000 for security-related costs and between $20,000 and $30,000 for snow removal.

By BILL NOVAK

A man who allegedly stole a laptop computer was tracked down and then allegedly beaten for hours by the victims, who in turn were arrested after the alleged thief called police on his cell phone.

The two arrested for allegedly beating the laptop thief are Tidane Ahmed, 21, and Diallo Ahmed, 22, Madison police reported.

The alleged thief, Daniel Berg, 25, also was taken to jail on a probation violation after he was released from a local hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The bizarre turn of events played out at about 8 p.m. Thursday at the Equinox apartments, 409 W. Gorham St.

"The victim (Berg) had stolen a laptop computer from the suspects," said Lt. Joey Skenandore in the incident report. "The suspects located the victim on State Street and brought him back to their apartment, where they beat him for several hours."

By BILL NOVAK

An alleged supermarket thief was caught red (meat)-handed Thursday night after he allegedly stuffed three raw t-bone steaks and a jar of mustard down his pants.

Tahija Charles Robinson, 20, of Madison, was tentatively charged with retail theft, resisting a police officer, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property following his arrest at about 7:45 p.m. at Pierce's Market, 2817 N. Sherman Ave.

Madison police said Robinson was spotted by employees in the store, tucking steaks into his trousers.

"An officer arrived on the scene with the suspect still in the store," said police spokesman Joel DeSpain. "He saw the squad car and tried to get out by rushing at a sliding glass door, knocking the door out of its track."

Two store managers detained Robinson, but the suspect punched one of the managers in the face.

"The officer intervened and during the struggle a bottle of mustard rolled out of the suspect's pants," DeSpain said.

A Taser was used on the suspect to subdue him, before he was put into handcuffs and into the back seat of the squad car.

"The officer went back to the store to get statements from the managers, and when he got back to the squad, there was a t-bone steak on the floor of the car," DeSpain said.

The officer searched the suspect's pants legs and found the rest of the missing meat -- two more t-bone steaks.