Citizen Dave
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Freepik
Density backlash underway in Madison
The rhetoric against growth in Madison reflects a fundamentally anti-urban, back-to-the-land kind of vibe. Read more
Tommy Washbush / Freepik assets
Chill the Madison referendums
Local governments in Madison have to back off from the referendums they’re considering for the November ballot. Or risk helping elect Donald Trump for president. Read more
Jun 20, 2024
The mess at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections
The Dodge County Sheriff has filed charges against recently retired Waupun prison warden Randall Hepp and eight of his staff members in the deaths of two inmates. But the state’s top administrators need to explain how the alleged abuse happened. Read more
Jun 13, 2024
Tommy Washbush / Freepik assets
UW athletics can afford fairness
In a recent historic settlement of an antitrust case, college sports programs agreed to pay their athletes up to $21 million a year. They also agreed to pay damages of $2.8 billion to some former athletes. It’s a good start but could go further. Read more
Jun 5, 2024
Tommy Washbush / Freepik assets
Build despite the F-35 noise
Dane County needs to produce about 7,000 housing units every year just to keep up with demand and we’re currently producing only 5,000. Read more
May 29, 2024
Tommy Washbush
City of Madison budget crisis averted?
The city was estimating a large budget hole for 2025. But when the books were closed for 2023 it turned out the city was about $31 million in the black. You can thank inflation. Read more
May 15, 2024
Tammy Baldwin for Senate
In praise of pork
Tammy Baldwin is a master at bringing home the bacon. She even touts it on her own website. Read more
May 1, 2024
Wisconsin Athletics
AJ Storr should have had a contract
Last week Bucky buckets lost AJ Storr, its leading scorer and only genuine NBA-caliber player, to Kansas, and it lost its veteran point guard and team leader, Chucky Hepburn, to the transfer portal. Read more
Apr 26, 2024
8:00 AM
What happened to NPR and PBS?
The NewsHour and the NPR news shows were, in their best days, the gold standard for what broadcast journalism — or any journalism — should be. Read more
Apr 18, 2024
3:00 PM
Tommy Washbush / Freepik assets
NIMBY v. YIMBY
Most Madisonians agree on a few things: Housing costs are too high; sprawl is bad; and mass transit is good. How to translate into policy is where things get gnarly. Read more
Apr 11, 2024
11:00 AM
Tommy Washbush / Freepik assets
Keep private money out of Wisconsin elections
Most of the funding from the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life for Wisconsin went to five cities, all of which voted for Joe Biden in 2020. Read more
Mar 30, 2024
12:30 PM
Some concerns about incoming Madison schools superintendent Joe Gothard
Joe Gothard was the best of the three finalists for Madison superintendent. But low achievement scores in the last school district he ran are concerning. Read more
Mar 21, 2024
2:30 PM
Isthmus photo illustration / file photos
What if the Dems were must-see TV?
Joe Biden was feisty and energetic for his State of the Union address but how’s he going to hold up out there on the stump in less controlled environments? Read more
Mar 11, 2024
10:00 AM
In the June/SummerTimes issue
Pedal, paddle, proceed to Paoli
Investments in restoring this historic Dane County community are paying off Read more
Journalist scores win in lawsuit over public employee gag rule
In an apparent first, a journalist has successfully sued a public agency over its policy prohibiting employees from speaking to reporters without permission. Read more
Election denialist ties up courts
Peter Bernegger has filed some 20 cases charging elections officials with fraud. All that have been adjudicated have been dismissed in court. He also faces a $10,000 fine or more than three years in prison in an ongoing criminal case. Read more
Get thee to an outdoor theater production
Despite the possible impediments of unexpected downpours, swarms of mosquitoes, and the occasional threatening bat, there is something magical about watching the (metaphorical) curtain rise as the sun sets. Read more
Behind the Isthmus cover: June 2024
Madison-based designer and illustrator Christina King says she has an ‘unhealthy obsession with chairs,’ with two vintage lawn chairs among her collection. The humble lawn chair stars in her June 2024 Isthmus cover illustration. Read more
