More than a hike in the woods Summer camps cover a lot of ground, from Shakespeare to stargazing David Medaris on Friday 03/05/2010 Back in the 20th century, summer camp options usually boiled down to 4-H, church, Scout or YMCA programs, often on a lake in the woods where activities ranged from swimming and hiking to swimming and hiking. Since then, a proliferation of choices has resulted in summer camps for everything from swimming and hiking to math, foreign languages, computers and performing arts. >More
NEWS
A better Way for Wisconsin? Coalition unites powerful competing groups to break through partisan gridlock Erik Gunn on Thursday 03/04/2010, (1) Recommendation For as long as anyone can remember, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities has butted heads with other lobbying groups representing powerful interests. "We not only don't see eye to eye, we fight tooth and nail," says Dan Thompson, the league's executive director. But since 2007, Thompson's group and five others have been seeking common ground: a path out of the state's corrosive fiscal and ideological gridlock. >MoreCar dealer builds Madison's biggest house Big house on the prairie Joe Tarr on Thursday 03/04/2010, (4) Comments Doug Schoepp wasn't trying to set a city record when he built his house last year on Madison's far west side, off Mid Town Road. Schoepp -- who owns Schoepp Motors Inc. -- says he and his wife, Michelle, just wanted a house big enough for them, their three children and both sets of parents, should they ever need to move in. >MoreA widening rift over Monona Drive Residents are angered by potential impact of road project Nick Penzenstadler on Thursday 03/04/2010, (1) Comment, (1) Recommendation Dennis Lynch knows what some people will say -- that he's a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard). He has two defenses: First, the thing he's against is not in his backyard, it's in his front yard; and second, the proposed widening of Monona Drive will harm his entire neighborhood. >MoreMadison Common Council: Who will lead? Joe Tarr on Thursday 03/04/2010 The Madison Common Council is starting to contemplate who will be its next president and president pro tem, to be elected at its organizational meeting April 13. At first blush, it seems nobody wants the job. >More
MUSIC
Fortune and Glory plays fast, friendly pop-punk Not overthinking it Rich Albertoni on Friday 03/05/2010, (3) Recommendations It's noon on Saturday, and four of the five members of the Madison rock band Fortune and Glory are sitting around a table at a local pub, having drinks. When they're not chiding each other, they're busy telling me why they've found a haven in the punk-pop music they make. >MoreLocal Natives: Gorilla Manor (Frenchkiss Records) Rich Albertoni on Friday 03/05/2010, (1) Recommendation Indie rock is no longer the unpredictable genre it once was. It is increasingly performed as down-tempo, folk-based music. It emphasizes sonic space and extended instrumental repetition in its seemingly singular determination to make music feel thoughtful, gently impressionistic and dreamy. >MoreVia Audio gives away a Brooklyn vacation Indie sweepstakes Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 03/05/2010 Composed of four Berklee College of Music graduates, Via Audio aren't short on talent. In fact, they've become fast favorites of Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla and Spoon drummer Jim Eno. Eno produced both 2007's Say Something and Animalore, the disc they're releasing March 9 during a cross-country tour. >More
OPINION & COMMENTARY
An assault on court records Wisconsin should not be shutting down public access Bill Lueders on Thursday 03/04/2010, (28) Comments If only there'd been more time. Last week I testified before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is considering a petition from the State Bar to greatly expand the ability of judges to seal and expunge court records. >MoreOther people's garbage My neighbors dump their trash in my bins on Thursday 03/04/2010 Dear Tell All: I live in a neighborhood near West High where the houses are close together. That makes for an intimate relationship with the neighbors — too intimate sometimes. Our environmentally conscious household doesn't generate a lot of garbage, so our trash bin usually has lots of room to spare on pickup day. Not so our neighbors to the east, whose bin is always overflowing with junk. >More
The Oscars won't suck You heard it here first Dean Robbins on Friday 03/05/2010, (1) Recommendation I say this every year, but I really think the Academy Awards will be better than usual. The producers are reportedly studying film of past disasters to weed out the deadliest elements (why has no one ever thought of this before?), and hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are sure to be an improvement over last year's Hugh Jackman. >MoreAfter 25 years, TAPIT/new works dances on Shoe business Jay Rath on Thursday 03/04/2010 TAPIT/new works Ensemble Theater turns 25 years old this season. It calls itself "Madison's oldest professional theater company." Certainly it's a rare troupe, producing works that often include tap dance. TAPIT celebrates its anniversary March 5 with the premiere of Help Wanted: A Comedy About the Search for Security, True Love or at Least a Decent Part-Time Job. It indeed includes tap dancing. >MoreAliens vs. Predator is gory and cool but flawed PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Rated Mature) Doug Elfman on Friday 03/05/2010 I'm lucky that I've never been one of those people who say or think violent thoughts. I never say anything like, "I could just kill such-and-such." I mean, I can hate a person. I'm just don't get all rage-y about it. >More
MOVIES
Warlords duke it out in John Woo's spectacular Red Cliff Third-century smackdown Kenneth Burns on Friday 03/05/2010 It's easy to tell which side is virtuous and which side is debased in Red Cliff, John Woo's spectacular war film set in third-century China. The virtuous leaders love music and tea, and they commune with nature. The debased ones desecrate their dead. >MoreThe Damned United: Grudge match Kenneth Burns on Friday 03/05/2010 Newt Gingrich, you'll recall, shut down the federal government because Bill Clinton made him use the back door of the plane. Depending on whom you ask, the stakes aren't quite so high in the marvelous British sports film The Damned United, but like the Gingrich story, this movie likewise warns us that grudges can lead to disaster. >More
Middleton's Bloom Bake Shop embraces farm-to-table Makin' whoopies Linda Falkenstein on Friday 03/05/2010, (12) Recommendations The windows at Middleton's new Bloom Bake Shop, 1834 Parmenter St., are steamed over -- like a greenhouse! -- from all the baking going on early this cold Thursday morning. A chocolate-smudged Annemarie Spitznagle finishes adding some ingredients to a batter and emerges from behind the counter to talk. >MoreLa Mestiza's new downtown branch serves sophisticated Latin fare Serious ceviche on Main Street Raphael Kadushin on Friday 03/05/2010, (2) Recommendations One of the nicest things about living in Madison is the sense of community, and the kind of friends who keep you informed. So it was typical that my friend Doug Swenson was the person who introduced me to the original La Mestiza restaurant on Odana Road. >More
SPORTS & RECREATION
Defense buoys women Badgers Jason Joyce on Thursday 03/04/2010 On March 15, the Wisconsin women's basketball team, now 20-9, will likely receive its first NCAA tournament bid since 2002. It will be the Badgers' first trip to the "big dance" under seven-year head coach Lisa Stone, named the Big Ten Coach of the Year by her peers this week. Expect Stone to receive huzzahs during this weekend's Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis. >More
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