Madison 'Insane'

It's no stretch to surmise that this bit of good news would have been significantly challenged under ethanol mandates: "A positive job outlook: Local hiring 'just insane'."

The Madison area has the 14th best employment outlook in the country heading into the second quarter, according to Manpower Inc.'s latest survey.

For April through June, 57 percent of the Madison area companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while just 3 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, the Milwaukee-based global staffing giant reported. The remaining 40 percent plan to maintain their current staff levels.

"We are incredibly busy," said Luke Whitburn, head of Manpower's Madison office. "It is just insane."

The net 54 percent gain for the Madison area tied Fargo, N.D., and Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla., with just 13 other metro areas posting higher net gains.

Here's to good news, even if this makes it harder for Green or Walker to oust Doyle.