UP: Tomas Contreras. The Madison businessman is finally freed, after being detained for three months at an immigration facility in Texas. Contreras, a legal resident since 1964, had been returning to the U.S. after visiting family in Mexico. He was detained because of a 1989 misdemeanor drug conviction, which is considered a deportable offense.
DOWN: UW-Madison. The federal government preliminarily rejects three of the university's stem-cell patents, saying the discoveries were 'obvious.' The patents, which have brought in $3.2 million in licensing fees, are based on work by researcher James Thomson. Two foundations in New York and California are challenging the patents, saying they prohibit research.
