Community
Anxious in the liquor store
“It wasn’t that hard, but it stopped being fun at some point. Soon I noticed the smell of wine on my mom’s breath when she would lament to me about ‘being too sick to do anything.’ I was young, not stupid.” Read more
Feb 6, 2024
Warm blanket
”My presence at the desk was, in fact, both an affirmative action initiative and a desperate ploy to address dwindling enrollment.” Read more
Jan 10, 2024
Tiny Tiger, big love
“When I met No. 72631, he sat on the far edge of a desk in a meeting room and stared at me. Slowly, he inched closer. Closer. I offered him Easy Cheese on the tip of my finger. It was the first time I’d felt the warm, rough tongue of a cat.” Read more
Dec 12, 2023
A bowl of many parts
"At our house, my son Hollis, 10, is responsible for taking out the recycling. He’s not super into it. But when we started wondering whether we could make cool stuff out of our own plastic waste, the job got more interesting." Read more
Nov 10, 2023
52 decibels
“It’s a simple fact that humans create noise, both naturally and via technology. As I write this I’m listening to a Bach violin concerto (52 decibels). It’s a pleasant noise, but noise nonetheless.” Read more
Oct 11, 2023
Five things
“Adding to the sense of dread is the suspicion that this is the ‘new normal,’ to use a phrase we’ve all come to hate. You don’t like it this hot? Well, it’s only going to get worse, we’re told.” Read more
Sep 17, 2023
Caregiving 101
“My mother was often confused, sometimes frightened. And there I was — a warm, calm, familiar presence, smiling and putting my arm around her, making her feel safe. It was so easy and made such a big difference.” Read more
Aug 14, 2023
8:00 AM
A fork in the road
“As a physician, I make recommendations to patients but personally, I have never had to make such mortifying decisions…. As physicians, we aren’t any more equipped to make those decisions than patients who go through them.” Read more
Jul 12, 2023
8:00 AM
The power of one
“I had known for a long time that I couldn’t read. But when my teachers told my parents that I struggled with reading, my parents never believed them.” Read more
Jun 9, 2023
8:00 AM
Saying no to war
Catholic Workers initiated newcomers into the tradition and practice of civil disobedience at a recent weekend-long workshop in Madison. The goal: to resist war and the F-35 fighter jets coming to Truax. Read more
May 11, 2023
8:00 AM
Trees, glorious trees!
“People have long sought immortality through art, religion and offspring. To plant a tree seems like an equally good bet.” Read more
Apr 11, 2023
8:00 AM
Slow learner
“I’ve made a life out of sneaking in the back door of workplaces and relationships, signing up, then scrambling to prove myself worthy.” Read more
Mar 7, 2023
8:00 AM
In the paper
United against Ron Johnson. But who is the best candidate to beat him?
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson faces a reelection bid in one of the nation’s most politically divided states. History tells us Republicans should fare well in the upcoming midterms, but Johnson is unpopular and he’s running in a state won by Joe Biden. Read more
One Madison woman’s trip to Illinois for an abortion
On July 2, a 30-year-old Madison woman left her house to travel more than two hours to a clinic in Illinois to obtain a medication abortion to end her pregnancy. Since the Dobbs decision, she no longer has access to legal abortion in Wisconsin. Read more
Madison's Jacknife embraces an of-the-moment approach to fast-casual sushi rolls, bowls and salads
Jacknife is the fast-casual sibling of Red, one of the more innovative Japanese restaurants in town. So expectations were high when it opened in March. Read more
Wisconsin’s ‘honor’ system for removing guns failed Jesi Ewers
The conditions of his bail for domestic battery should have kept James “J.T.” Budworth from using his guns. They didn’t. Two months after being released from custody, Budworth used one of his guns to murder Jessi Ewers before taking his own life. Read more
The Dane County Farmers’ Market’s 50th anniversary cookbook is still looking to round out the collection
Do you have a yummy parsnip cake recipe passed down to you from your Eastern European mom-mom? This cookbook project is interested. Read more