Opinion
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Tommy Washbush
Starving Wisconsin’s public universities is not the answer
Years of defunding the UW System have laid the groundwork for implementation of Republicans’ higher education agenda. Read more
Tommy Washbush / Lisa Ferdinando photo
Desperately seeking choice
A number of third party candidates have emerged to address voter dissatisfaction in the all-but-certain presidential candidates. Votes for the 'uninstructed' camp are another sign of frustration. Read more
Apr 6, 2024
When a journalist took a stand against a powerful senator from Wisconsin
Sandy Flores Ruiz, a student at West High School and a student editor at Simpson Street Free Press, won first place in the Wisconsin Civics Games Editorial Contest with this essay. Read more
Mar 29, 2024
Submitted photos
Madison has a housing crisis and we need to build more housing
A west-side homeowner and east-side housing advocate argue for the need for more housing in Madison and challenge the opposition brewing to the city’s rezoning efforts in neighborhoods. Read more
Mar 19, 2024
Tommy Washbush / Freepik Assets
Why is Madison facing a $27 million deficit?
The city of Madison will not be able to meet a $27 million deficit with cuts and new fees alone. It will very likely have to do something it has never done before: ask voters in a referendum to go beyond state limits on property tax growth. Read more
Mar 11, 2024
Tommy Washbush / Freepik Assets
GOP’s power trip is bad for Wisconsin
The smashmouth style of politics practiced by Republicans in Wisconsin is not in anybody’s interest. It’s a function of having too much power and too little accountability. Read more
Feb 6, 2024
Bobbie Harte
Mayor Rhodes-Conway clears up some misconceptions about Madison’s city budget
The annual budget crunches that confront the city are the result of two basic dynamics, neither of them within the control of city government: a rapidly growing city and harsh restrictions on revenue enacted by the state Legislature. Read more
Jan 15, 2024
Tommy Washbush
It was a year of mounting threats to democracy. Brace yourself for 2024.
It seemed as if it could not get worse. Now, we have the leading Republican candidate borrowing talking points from Adolph Hitler. Read more
Jan 5, 2024
10:00 AM
Mark Fraire
Mark Fraire: The arts help drive Madison’s economy
The arts in Dane County generated $346.7 million in economic activity during 2022, according to a survey released by Americans for the Arts. That supported 4,677 jobs, provided $189.9 million in salaries and generated $60.4 million in tax revenue. Read more
Dec 10, 2023
11:50 AM
John Woods
Soglin: Madison faces ‘unprecedented fiscal crisis’
The economic crisis facing the city of Madison is not a result of the pandemic. It’s the result of a series of financial decisions made over the past five years. Read more
Nov 30, 2023
1:00 PM
Looking for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, then and now
By the time I was 18 I had met Palestinians, learned a lot, and I wasn’t going to be part of the Israeli military machine. I prepared to go to prison for six months for refusing the draft. Read more
Nov 3, 2023
2:30 PM
Tommy Washbush
Madison police records shed light on cop complaints
The Madison Police Department released records relating to personnel matters six months after the author sued the department, which had said it would be 10 to 14 months before the records could be provided. Read more
Nov 3, 2023
9:00 AM
Tommy Washbush / Freepik
Smoke on the rocks?
I wait tables at a local restaurant that kept its large and popular patio open when the air quality was at its worst in Madison. There were paying customers who chose to take on the health risks of smoke exposure — a choice I didn’t have. Read more
Oct 8, 2023
8:00 AM
In the May issue
Wisconsin is for the birds
By almost any measure, birdwatching in Wisconsin has never been more popular — with technology making it easier than ever to tell a nuthatch from a chickadee or to post colorful photos on social media sites. Read more
Dinner at Nonna’s
It seems reasonable to assume that at a spaghetti house, you should start with the spaghetti. Also: take the cannoli. Read more
Churches eye redevelopment as buildings age and membership dwindles
‘The status quo for these properties is simply not viable for many of [these churches]. So they will change,’ says Pres House executive director Mark Elsdon. Read more
Auntie Luke explains why constitutional referendums are so confusing
Auntie Luke Explains, a new series by T.L. Luke, demystifies complex topics through the use of comics. She begins this month with an explainer on constitutional amendments that go to statewide referendum. Read more
Behind the Isthmus cover — May 2024
Designer and animator Chris Bennett finds the fun in a Madison run for the May 2024 Isthmus cover. Read more
