In our cover story this week, "Slaying the Gerrymander," author David Michael Miller -- an Isthmus production design artist for the last 26 and a half years -- takes on the Wisconsin redistricting in 2011 that facilitated Republican victories in the 2012 elections. It also had other consequences, highlighted in a sidebar that's one of the features of this analytical package.
Miller has long been the master of maps here at Isthmus, the person most responsible for the voluminously detailed ones that appear in the Isthmus Annual Manual each August. He's used to the phenomenon of one stray line making a big change. He's witness to what a lot of seemingly stray lines can achieve when bent to a purpose.
We present Miller's analysis, redrawn maps and other illustrations in the paper and online at TheDailyPage.com so that you may be better informed when state Sens. Cullen and Schultz, both of whom are retiring, hold hearings on bills regarding redistricting at the Capitol on Monday, Feb. 10. It's an important topic, though there won't be any new redistricting for about seven years.
For the record, we present the results of balloting at the Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest on Jan. 18. Attendees voted for their favorite beer and/or cheese variety.
Beer: 1) Karben4 Deep Winter Coffee Stout. 2) Sweet Mullets Jorge Jalapeno Ale. 3) Red Eye Snow Bunny.
Cheese: 1) Crème de la Coulee Bandaged Cheddar. 2) Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Cheddar Cheese Curds. 3) Maple Leaf Cheesemakers Apple Harvest Cheddar.
