Midwest
Leaders in creation of Arctic vault that protects millions of seeds win World Food Prize
- Cary Fowler and Geoffrey Hawtin, two men who led the effort to create the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, will receive the 2024 World Food Prize.
- The vault opened in 2008 and now holds 1.25 million seed samples from almost every country in the world.
- Fowler and Hawtin hope their selection as World Food Prize laureates will enable them push for additional funding of seed bank endowments around the world.
Two men who were instrumental in the “craziest idea anyone ever had” of creating a global seed vault designed to safeguard the world’s agricultural diversity will be honored as the 2024 World Food Prize laureates, officials announced Thursday in Washington.
Cary Fowler, the U.S. special envoy for Global Food Security, and Geoffrey Hawtin, an agricultural scientist from the United Kingdom and executive board member at the Global Crop Diversity Trust, will be awarded the annual prize this fall in Des Moines, Iowa, where the food prize foundation is based. They will split a $500,000 award.
The winners of the prize were named at the State Department, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded the men for their “critical work to advance global crop biodiversity and conserve over 6,000 varieties of crops and culturally important plants, which has had a direct impact in addressing hunger around the world.”
SECOND ARCTIC ‘DOOMSDAY’ VAULT WILL STORE THE WORLD’S DATA
Fowler and Hawtin were leaders in an effort starting in 2004 to build a back-up vault of the world’s crop seeds at a spot where it could be safe from political upheaval and environmental changes. A location was chosen on a Norwegian island in the Arctic Circle where temperatures could ensure seeds could be kept safe in a facility built into the side of a mountain.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened in 2008 and now holds 1.25 million seed samples from nearly every country in the world.
Fowler, who first proposed establishing the seed vault in Norway, said his idea initially was met by puzzlement by the leaders of seed banks in some countries.
Cary Fowler, left, and Geoffrey Hawtin are shown on Feb. 24, 2014, at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. (World Food Prize Foundation via AP)
“To a lot of people today, it sounds like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It’s a valuable natural resource and you want to offer robust protection for it,” he said in an interview from Saudi Arabia. “Fifteen years ago, shipping a lot of seeds to the closest place to the North Pole that you can fly into, putting them inside a mountain — that’s the craziest idea anybody ever had.”
Hundreds of smaller seed banks have existed in other countries for many decades, but Fowler said he was motivated by a concern that climate change would throw agriculture into turmoil, making a plentiful seed supply even more essential.
Hawtin said that there were plenty of existing crop threats, such as insects, diseases and land degradation, but that climate change heightened the need for a secure, backup seed vault. In part, that’s because climate change has the potential of making those earlier problems even worse.
“You end up with an entirely new spectrum of pests and diseases under different climate regimes,” Hawtin said in an interview from southwest England. “Climate change is putting a whole lot of extra problems on what has always been significant ones.”
Fowler and Hawtin said they hope their selection as World Food Prize laureates will enable them push for hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding of seed bank endowments around the world. Maintaining those operations is relatively cheap, especially when considering how essential they are to ensuring a plentiful food supply, but the funding needs continue forever.
“This is really a chance to get that message out and say, look, this relatively small amount of money is our insurance policy, our insurance policy that we’re going to be able to feed the world in 50 years,” Hawtin said.
The World Food Prize was founded by Norman Borlaug, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his part in the Green Revolution, which dramatically increased crop yields and reduced the threat of starvation in many countries. The food prize will be awarded at the annual Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, held Oct. 29-31 in Des Moines.
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Here’s a glance at Milwaukee’s Top 25 Restaurants selected by Rachel Bernhard
For the first time in five years, the Journal Sentinel presents Milwaukee’s Top 25 Restaurants, this year from new dining critic Rachel Bernhard.
From much-loved chains to acclaimed local spots, Milwaukee is home to many great places to eat.
However, like any city, some popular restaurants are missing. This may ring especially true if you’re a newcomer looking for a taste of home ― or a Milwaukeean who’s discovered a new favorite while traveling.
We asked our readers which fast-food brand they think Milwaukee needs and why. Our survey, which was open from Feb. 27 to March 2, received 199 responses. One restaurant won decisively, with more than six times the votes of any other.
Here’s which restaurants Milwaukeeans are hungry for:
In-N-Out Burger is Milwaukee’s most-desired fast-food restaurant
California-based burger and shake spot In-N-Out Burger claimed the title of Milwaukee’s most-wanted fast-food joint with 62 votes, nearly one-third of survey responses.
Founded in 1948, In-N-Out is known for its limited but celebrated menu featuring hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries and shakes. The majority of its about 400 locations are in the brand’s home of California, with others across the western U.S. in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Texas and Utah. Many Journal Sentinel readers praised In-N-Out’s “great-tasting” and “juicy” burgers, affordable menu and “excellent service.”
“Taste, prices, service. Everything about this place is top-notch quality,” one reader, Jason, said.
“Burgers taste terrific. Still remember them after being in California 10 years ago,” reader Connie said.
Which restaurants do people wish were in Milwaukee?
Another burger chain, Texas-based Whataburger, finished in a somewhat-distant second with 10 votes. With locations mainly focused in southern and southwestern states, Whataburger offers a more varied menu that includes burgers, chicken, breakfast, melts and desserts.
Burger, chicken and fish spot White Castle and Mediterranean bowl-based restaurant Cava tied for third, each with eight votes. You don’t have to travel far to go to the nearest White Castle. It’s in Kenosha at 11730 75th St. Cava has locations in the Chicago area.
Fourth place was also a tie. Illinois-founded burger and milkshake joint Steak ‘n Shake and 24/7 Southern breakfast favorite Waffle House each got seven votes. Steak ‘n Shake has restaurants just over the Wisconsin-Illinois border, in Gurnee and McHenry, according to the company’s online store locator. Waffle House has restaurants in the southern Midwest, South and Southwest, with its closest locations to Milwaukee being in the St. Louis and Indianapolis areas.
Finally, San Diego-based Jack in the Box came in fifth with six votes. Jack in the Box is known for its extensive menu, which offers everything from burgers and chicken to tacos, egg rolls and cheese-stuffed jalapeños. The brand’s nearest locations to Milwaukee are in Chicago.
Here are the top finishers in our survey:
1. In-N-Out Burger: 62 votes
2. Whataburger: 10 votes
3 (tie). Cava: 8 votes
3 (tie). White Castle: 8 votes
5 (tie). Steak ‘n Shake: 7 votes
5 (tie). Waffle House: 7 votes
7 (tie). Jack in the Box: 6 votes
8 (tie). Bojangles: 4 votes
8 (tie). Jollibee: 4 votes
10 (tie). Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips: 3 votes
10 (tie). El Pollo Loco: 3 votes
10 (tie). Torchy’s Tacos: 3 votes
10 (tie). Zaxby’s: 3 votes
Restaurants readers wish Milwaukee had: Honorable mentions
The other restaurants mentioned by survey respondents are listed below. Each received less than three votes. Four readers also said they didn’t want any fast-food chains coming to Milwaukee; two said they would instead prefer new local restaurants.
- &pizza
- 85C Bakery Cafe
- Anime Cafe
- Applebee’s IHOP
- Baja Fresh Mexican Grill
- Birdcall
- Blake’s Lotaburger
- Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken
- Boston Market
- BurgerFi
- Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop
- Chicken Salad Chick
- Church’s Texas Chicken
- Cook Out
- CosMc’s
- Del Taco
- Der Weiner Dog
- Duck Donuts
- Dutch Bros Coffee
- Earl’s Kitchen + Bar
- Fatburger
- Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
- Friendly’s
- Fuddruckers
- Godfather’s Pizza
- Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
- Hello Kitty Cafe
- Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders
- Hungry Hobo
- Johnny Rockets
- King of Donair
- Krystal
- Long John Silver’s
- McAlister’s Deli
- Mel’s Diner
- Nando’s Peri-Peri
- Next Level Burger
- PDQ Chicken
- Pei Wei Asian Kitchen
- Piada Italian Street Food
- PLNT Burger
- PrimoHoagies
- Protein Bar & Kitchen
- Ruby Tuesday
- Saucy by KFC
- Skyline Chili
- Slim Chickens
- Smashburger
- The Earl of Sandwich
- The Peach Cobbler Factory
- Tim Hortons
- Veggie Grill
- Which Wich Superior Sandwiches
- Yogurtland
If the “wealthy elites” he fears were truly running the show, Minneapolis would not have put forth the slate of candidates for or elected the councils of the past decade. The parallels to GOP tropes are alarming. This is not to say Frey is the best mayor ever, but he does his best to deflect the worst of the council’s ideas and reflect everyday reality. I believe most citizens would rather we returned to a more centrist, merely “liberal” approach. Unfortunately, we have had no such candidates on the ballot for a long time, which again counters Payne’s assertions (exceptions like Linea Palmisano are rare).
Despite the council’s regularly exercised veto power, Payne paints the mayor’s office as “the singular executive in control of local government.” Please recall we citizens voted for this check and balance of City Council power. Payne claims the City Council shows ”fiscal discipline” when they have regularly wasted taxpayer funds, reduced the tax base or both at once, like the Hennepin Avenue redesign in Uptown that eliminates driving lanes and parking, which kills taxpaying, job-creating businesses. Or the grandiose 1,256-page (versus St. Paul’s 304), costly and “progressive” 2040 Plan response that shows us the lengths to which our council will go to pad their progressive resumes at taxpayer expense in both dollars and livability. They favor the voices of tiny minorities like a bike lobby that has given us impassable streets with no parking for shoppers, deliveries or residents and are used sparingly whatever the season. Payne’s attempt to create a boogeyman merely reflects his own elitist, socialist efforts at the expense of common sense and the broader common good.
Daniel Patton, Minneapolis
“Republicans believe the protests are meant to sow chaos rather than create a dialogue between voters and their representatives. They suspect many of the protesters do not live in the districts where they’ve gathered.
“ ‘They’re not actually even advocating the positions that they care about effectively,’ said Jennifer DeJournett, executive director of the Minnesota Republican Party. ‘It’s sort of manufactured outrage in an area where they don’t even live.’ ”
Amid ongoing successes, there are constant signs that the Hogsett administration is fraying.
Hogsett apologizes over former chief of staff allegations
Hogsett apologizes to victims of alleged sexual harassment by former chief of staff during City County-Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024 in Indianapolis.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said he wouldn’t run for a third term. Then he did. So, he doesn’t have much room to be annoyed that some people are asking whether he might run for a fourth term despite saying he wouldn’t.
Mirror Indy last month asked Hogsett why he’s still holding fundraisers during a Tarkington Park groundbreaking. “I don’t want to answer a political question at a city event,” he said, even though he spent much of 2023 holding city press conferences for the benefit of his reelection campaign.
Hogsett might not want to talk about it. But people in and around city government are increasingly getting the sense that he is considering running again in 2027. It’s his right to do that if he wants — and he’d probably win again.
But it’d be a really bad idea.
Hogsett’s chase for legacy
Nine years into Hogsett’s tenure, I maintain my view that he’s been an above average big-city mayor.
You can break Hogsett’s tenure so far into three parts: the early years, when he sought financial stability above all else; the middle years, defined by a once-in-100-years pandemic, riots and crime spikes; and, more recently, a chase for legacy.
Hogsett’s early obsession with fiscal discipline put Indianapolis in position to weather an unforeseeable pandemic and come out the other side better positioned than many other big cities. Downtown is returning to normal and the crime that skyrocketed during 2020 and beyond is trending downward.
The mayor has since pivoted to a more aggressive approach. He’s building a city-owned hotel, overseeing the long-anticipated redevelopment of Circle Centre and chasing a Major League Soccer dream that many, if not most, people thought was insane almost a year ago.
These efforts mark a departure from Hogsett’s early, cautious years and return us, at least to some extent, to the Greg Ballard era, when the former Republican mayor was using creative financing schemes to build projects, including 360 Market Square and CityWay.
Hogsett’s MLS pursuit also bears obvious resemblance to former Mayor Bill Hudnut’s deals to build a stadium and land the Colts. Hogsett is closing in on landing an MLS club and that could very well be what he is remembered for above all else.
Hogsett has been through three elections now in which his critics have failed to articulate a strong case against him and, more importantly, failed to persuade voters to reject him. I remain convinced that Hogsett has governed more or less like a moderate big-city Republican and that, if you put an R next to his name, Republicans would be generally happy with the job he’s done — as are most Indianapolis residents.
Hogsett’s effectiveness is waning
Amid ongoing successes, though, there are constant signs that the Hogsett administration is fraying.
Hogsett’s record is stained, at the very least, by last year’s revelations that the mayor failed to protect women on staff from men who were abusing their power. An ongoing investigation could reveal even worse information, further altering how we view Hogsett.
A third term would be harrowing even under the best of circumstances. But the sexual harassment scandal has cast a pall over the City-County Building, exhausting staff and making the Hogsett administration an even less desirable place to work.
Staffing issues are showing up at the highest levels within the administration. The Democratic-controlled City-County Council last month pushed back on Hogsett appointees to lead Indianapolis Animal Care Services and serve as deputy mayor of public health and safety.
Both cases are complicated, with blame to spread around, but Hogsett at the very least mishandled the politics surrounding those appointments. It is stunning for a Democratic-controlled council to reject two routine appointments by a Democratic mayor.
Filling leadership and staff positions is part of the nuts-and-bolts job of being mayor. Hogsett’s effectiveness is waning.
Hogsett likely will achieve his goal of serving long enough to reshape Indianapolis in ways that will be visible for generations to come. He’s also served long enough to bring about scandal and test the patience of those around him.
He might get to go out on top. That seems much less likely if he runs for mayor again.
Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or james.briggs@indystar.com. Follow him on X and Threads at @JamesEBriggs.
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