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College athletes’ NIL deals would be exempt from public records law under Wisconsin bill
An Assembly bill would establish regulations in Wisconsin regarding name, image and likeness deals. It would hide such deals from the public eye.
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Wisconsin Eye
College athletes’ NIL deals would be exempt from public records law under Wisconsin bill
An Assembly bill would establish regulations in Wisconsin regarding name, image and likeness deals. It would hide such deals from the public eye.
Feb 12, 2026
Ross Zentner
What to do in Madison this weekend: Feb. 12-15, 2026
Picks for Feb. 12-15 also includes a tour stop by Broadway hit 'Kimberly Akimbo;' album release concerts by Gentle Brontosaurus and It's All You, Cowboy.
Feb 12, 2026
Liam Beran
Madison mayor: paying damages for uncounted votes sets a dangerous precedent
Madison’s argument that leaving absentee votes uncounted does not represent a constitutional violation drew sharp backlash. In response, Madison’s mayor suggests that perhaps the state should change its laws.
Feb 11, 2026
Tommy Washbush
Making more with less
Making decorative stained glass, and jewelry from broken pieces of china, can be noisy and messy. Most art studios aren’t a suitable match. So artist Lauren Beard makes her art out of her small east-side home.
Feb 11, 2026
Keith Wessel
Rebecca Hale transforms East High’s orchestra
When Hale started at East four years ago there were a total of 65 members in the combined grade-level orchestras. Today there are 130.
Feb 11, 2026
Nick Garcia
Memorial hoops coach Collins tops 500 wins
After winning three state and 14 conference titles, changing his approach to accommodate the game’s evolution, and surviving COVID, the dean of Madison-area basketball coaches contemplates retirement.
Feb 9, 2026
More turnover in the Wisconsin Legislature
Gone are the days when senators spent decades in the state Legislature.
Feb 9, 2026
Tommy Washbush / Freepik
Republicans take up ‘anti-SLAPP’ legislation
Now that Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature introduced their own ‘anti-SLAPP’ legislation, the bills passed in committee unanimously. But a floor vote is uncertain.
Feb 9, 2026
Pat Martin
What to do in Madison this week: George Saunders, 'A Valentine's Affair' and more Isthmus Picks
Picks for Feb. 9-12 also includes an exhibition of drawings by Andy Ewen at Giant Jones; the Broadway tour of 'Kimberly Akimbo' visits Overture.
Feb 9, 2026
Romulo Ueda
Madison novelist Susanna Daniel chronicles a journey through 10 dates in ‘Girlfriending’
For ‘Girlfriending,’ Susanna Daniel teamed with a woman-centered publisher, Third Rail Press, that’s dedicated to women’s stories that mainstream publishers deem too difficult or unmarketable.
Feb 8, 2026
Kyle Nabilcy
Hot Lunch and Grey Market are two underappreciated spots in Tenney-Lapham
Both serve cocktails and sandwiches. They’re both in the burgeoning Tenney-Lapham/East Wash corridor. And both are slightly misperceived.
Feb 7, 2026
Mats Rudels
‘HERE LIES THE TRUTH’ comes to the end of its transforming and transformative run
UW-Madison dance professor Li Chiao-Ping’s hour-long dance 'HERE LIES THE TRUTH' provokes thoughts on these topics so recently in the news. The performances, Feb. 5-7, in the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space are to be the final shows.
Feb 6, 2026
Krystal Pence
Speed dating is back
This is speed dating, a matchup strategy that first became popular in the 1990s. More recently, it’s made a quiet resurgence.
Feb 6, 2026
8:30 AM
Photo: Kash Patel via X
The real story of the prosecution of Hannah Dugan
Judge Hannah Dugan was charged and convicted in federal court of impeding or obstructing a proceeding while presiding over misdemeanor court on April 18 in Milwaukee County. But the real story of that day is one of federal overreach.
Feb 6, 2026
8:00 AM
Courtesy Meyer family
Aldo Leopold, Gaylord Nelson and…George Meyer
George Meyer was a force in Wisconsin’s conservation community for 50 years. He died in December at age 78.
Feb 5, 2026
4:00 PM
Submitted photos
Madison school board sees most contested races since 2022
Competition for Madison school board seats heats up. Two incumbents face challengers.
Feb 5, 2026
11:00 AM
Tommy Washbush
High stakes in Madison’s uncounted absentee ballots lawsuit
Madison City Attorney Michael Haas says the lawsuit filed by some voters whose absentee ballots were not counted could set a dangerous precedent for all local governments whose clerks conduct elections.
Feb 5, 2026
9:00 AM
Beth Ivankovic
Farm to fleece to market
Wisconsin’s fibersheds are supporting the labor of small-scale farmers and connecting consumers to farmers through markets and farm tours.
Feb 5, 2026
9:00 AM
AJ Juarez
What to do in Madison this weekend: Sudan Archives, 'A Love Letter' and more Isthmus Picks
Picks for Feb. 5-8 also includes 'The Hobbit' from Children's Theater of Madison; fun on frozen lakes with Frozen Assets Festival, Winter Carnival and Grillin' for Peace.
Feb 5, 2026
5:01 AM
Madison Opera’s premiere of ‘Everlasting Faint’ engages with history — and the present moment
An opera about 19th century ghosts and moms taking down the patriarchy couldn’t be more relevant.
Feb 4, 2026
1:30 PM
A new book chronicles the history of Wisconsin’s iconic Birkebeiner
Jerome Poling covers the cross country race from its origins to its weather-plagued present.
Feb 3, 2026
12:00 PM
Tommy Washbush / Freepik
Retention bonus did not retain Jennifer Mnookin
Last June UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin received a retention bonus of $150,000. She would have gotten $250,000 had she stayed into June of this year, but instead she’s leaving for Columbia University.
Feb 2, 2026
12:00 PM
Ross Zentner
Forward Theater’s ‘Ironbound’ is painfully current
‘Ironbound’ is a meditation on love, endurance, and survival in a system designed to exploit those with the least power.
Feb 2, 2026
9:00 AM
Kay Sakiya
What to do in Madison this week: Step Afrika, Winter Carnival and more Isthmus Picks
Picks for Feb. 2-5 also includes the return of an annual Madison College SOUL Affinity Group exhibit honoring the stories of Black women; 'A Love Letter' is a collaboration by Theatre LILA and Barrio Dance.
Feb 2, 2026
5:07 AM
In the February issue
Farm to fleece to market
Wisconsin’s fibersheds are supporting the labor of small-scale farmers and connecting consumers to farmers through markets and farm tours.
Behind the Isthmus cover: February 2026
A scene from the Jan. 25 ICE protest in downtown Madison makes the February print cover.
Madison Opera’s premiere of ‘Everlasting Faint’ engages with history — and the present moment
An opera about 19th century ghosts and moms taking down the patriarchy couldn’t be more relevant.
Aldo Leopold, Gaylord Nelson and…George Meyer
George Meyer was a force in Wisconsin’s conservation community for 50 years. He died in December at age 78.
Memorial hoops coach Collins tops 500 wins
After winning three state and 14 conference titles, changing his approach to accommodate the game’s evolution, and surviving COVID, the dean of Madison-area basketball coaches contemplates retirement.
Orchid Escape
"Big Bugs, Big Questions" theme, 10 am-4 pm, 1/31-3/8, Olbrich Gardens-Bolz Conservatory. $10 admission ($6 ages 6-12) adv. only for timed entry.
Feb 14, 2026
10:00 AM4:00 PM
A Love Letter
Theatre LILA and Barrio Dance collaboration, 2/5-15, at 7 pm Thursday-Friday, 2 and 7 pm Saturday, and 2 pm Sunday. $43/$41.
Feb 14, 2026
2:00 PM
Ironbound
Forward Theater: Wisconsin premiere of recent play by Martyna Majok, 1/29-2/15, Playhouse, at 7:30 pm Wednesday-Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, plus 2 pm, 2/7 & 14. $69-$54.
Feb 14, 2026
2:00 PM
Kimberly Akimbo
Touring Broadway production, 2/10-15, Overture Center-Overture Hall, at 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 & 7:30 pm Saturdays and 1 & 6:30 pm Sundays. $176.73-$49.95.
Feb 14, 2026
2:00 PM
Madison Ballet
"Re: Focus - Pointes of View," 7 pm on 2/13, 2 & 7 pm on 2/14 and 2 pm, 2/15.
Feb 14, 2026
2:00 PM
