News
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Kristian Knutsen
Repairing the republic
A new report calls for a massive investment in civics education, finding that the United States has “failed to prepare young Americans for self-government, leaving the world’s oldest constitutional democracy in grave danger.” Read more
Carolyn Fath Ashby
School district violates own policy with hidden surveillance cameras
Cameras hidden in hollowed-out smoke detectors were planted by district officials at East High School in a coach’s office in the boys’ locker room and a room where disabled students changed clothes. Read more
Feb 24, 2021
Skidmore survives
Ald. Paul Skidmore, first elected in 2001, faces his toughest race in years. He finished second in Tuesday’s primary to challenger Nikki Conklin; both will move on to the April 6 general election. Read more
Feb 17, 2021
Kristian Knutsen (A Room of One's Own)
A new home for Room
A Room of One’s Own has been an institution at three locations in downtown Madison. It’s time to find stability in a new home, says co-owner Gretchen Treu. Read more
Feb 15, 2021
Judith Davidoff
Feeding the hungry
Some diehards turned out to frigid Lake Wingra to commemorate Grillin' 4 Peace, an annual fundraiser that raises money for a free meal program, even though the official fundraiser is largely online this year. Read more
Feb 13, 2021
Jeff Miller
UW Arb lands landmark status
The UW Arboretum joins the Wisconsin state Capitol and the First Unitarian Society Meeting House as a National Historic Landmark. Read more about this local gem in a special issue from the Isthmus archives. Read more
Feb 3, 2021
New face, same debate
During a one-on-one interview, Isthmus asks new Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes to weigh in on the call for more officers, a possible ban on tear gas, and building trust with community members who want to defund the police. Read more
Feb 2, 2021
Eric Hovde behind “Save Madison” billboards
The “Save Madison” political action committee was created this summer to restore “safety and security.” After spending thousands on billboards, it’s unclear how successful the effort was in recruiting local candidates. Read more
Jan 12, 2021
5:10 PM
Top articles in 2020
Our most popular stories of 2020 focused on pandemic politics, coverage of downtown protests, and one surprise from the before times. Read more
Dec 31, 2020
2:58 PM
Farewell, 2020
From Doormat of the Year award to Dereliction of Duty Award, the time is here to recognize especially bad behavior in 2020. Read more
Dec 21, 2020
12:00 PM
Mary Langenfeld
The legacy of Shirley Abrahamson
From the archive: Shirley Abrahamson, the longest-serving justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and its first woman justice, will retire this July after 43 years on the bench. Read more
Dec 21, 2020
5:00 AM
Wisconsin jurists who defied Trump get an earful
Justice Jill Karofsky received 35 critical phone messages, compared to just two that were positive. Read more
Dec 17, 2020
3:15 PM
Wisconsin Justice Brian Hagedorn gets bashed, praised by public
“I think you should resign,” declared one man in a message on Hagedorn’s public phone. “You gave us a lot of lies. You said you were a Republican conservative. You’re not. You’re terrible...Resign. You're a piece of garbage." Read more
Dec 8, 2020
6:30 PM
Favorite reads
And then there were two
It wasn't even close. Dave Mahoney, a 26-year veteran of the Dane County Sheriff's Office, easily trounced Robbie Lowery in the Democratic primary for Dane County sheriff. Read more
A swing through divided Wisconsin
President Donald Trump will likely need battleground Wisconsin to win re-election. Are voters in key swing areas of the state still backing him? Staff writer Dylan Brogan hit the road to find out. Read more
A stitch in time
Larry Schmitt is one of the few experts in nalbinding in the country. It predates knitting and crochet and dates back to 6500 B.C. Read more
After the purge
With a “Wisconsin is open for business” mantra, former Gov. Scott Walker and legislative Republicans set a course to dramatically diminish the role of science in regulating and protecting Wisconsin’s abundant natural resources. Read more
Vinyl Cave: A piece of 1970s Wisconsin musical history
Whatever the story is with these oddly-covered 1970s albums, they are all musically worthwhile. Read more
