Economic Development
A last-ditch deal
As more details come out, it appears that no one in the Walker administration did any research on liquid crystal display fabrication plants or on Terry Gou, the Taiwanese founder and CEO of Foxconn. Read more
David Michael Miller
The Foxconn saga continues
Clearly Foxconn was banking on former Gov. Scott Walker to stay in office and make sure it received its unneeded government payout even if it doesn’t meet all the targets. Read more
Time to end TIF?
Tax incremental financing was a slick idea and for the most part it’s worked out great in Madison. But there’s a downside. Read more
Model of dysfunction
Founded in 2013, Discovery To Product showed great promise to help UW-Madison researchers create successful companies. Instead, the program has become a model of university dysfunction. Read more
Jeff Miller/UW-Madison
UW’s innovation leader
Although UW-Madison spends more than $1 billion on research a year, many complain that bureaucracy is hampering research. However, the med school is striving to stay true to The Wisconsin Idea, by bringing its research to the people. Read more
Kori Feener
Is the fox guarding the hen house?
Two companies hoping to get a controversial powerline approved through the Driftless Area are now funding the staff to review the project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Read more
Google Earth
Thinking big
City residents are dreaming up ideas for the Oscar Mayer property, hoping to inspire and assist the property owner in making them happen. Read more
Eye of the beholder
Does a hotel proposal for the 100 block of State Street revive a neglected block or set a dangerous precedent on height limits? Opinions vary. Read more
David Michael Miller
Dear landlord
CUNA Mutual offers insurance to protect both landlords and tenants through hard times. Read more
The grid to nowhere
Between 2005 and 2016, $5.14 billion worth of electric transmission line projects were built or approved in Wisconsin. Opponents say the lines are not needed, are too expensive, and there’s a better way. Read more
David Michael Miller
Making connections, finding capital
Black-owned businesses are growing, but still lag behind their white counterparts. Several organizations in Madison are trying to help them make connections, get attention and raise money. Read more
The underdogs
Some stories fly under the radar, accomplishing important work and telling vital stories with little fanfare. Sometimes too little fanfare. Read more
David Michael Miller
Two ways to fuel Wisconsin's tech scene
Troy Vosseller, Madison’s startup wunderkind, argues two things would unleash entrepreneurs in Wisconsin: getting rid of non-compete clauses and beefing up the UW-Madison’s computer science program. Read more
David Michael Miller
Start me up
Wisconsin’s recovery from the Great Recession has been hopelessly incomplete. Dane County is flourishing while rural communities and Milwaukee languish. However, there are other ideas for jump starting the economy besides a $3 billion bet on Foxconn. Read more
David Michael Miller
The Two Wisconsins
Call it “the two Wisconsins.” While Dane County booms and the bigger cities in the Fox River Valley and western Wisconsin prosper, the rest of the state is largely mired in a downturn that is a recession in all but name. Read more
Thomas DeVillers
Blockbusters
Residents fear a Monopoly model — with developers accumulating several parcels in order to exchange green plastic houses for larger red “hotels” (in this case apartment buildings) — might become a prototype in Madison’s traditional neighborhoods. Read more
David Michael Miller
Worst deal in state history?
Walker’s wildly liberal giveaway of tax dollars suggests a desperation to wipe away his failed promise to create 250,000 new jobs and the state’s consistently below-average ranking in job creation. Read more
David Michael Miller
Beyond Foxconn
The iPhone maker’s plant in Wisconsin will reportedly generate 3,000 to 13,000 new jobs with an average salary of $53,000, plus benefits. But the company’s track record is troubling. Read more
Down by the river
On July 24, Monona approved an agreement with Galway Companies to redevelop the area along the Yahara River, just north of the Beltline. The 20-acre site is triangle bordered by Bridge Road, West Broadway and the river. Read more
David Michael Miller
Welcome to Monona
Our cover story this week is all about Monona. Staff writer Dylan Brogan talks to Mayor Mary O’Connor about what makes this small city tick. Read more
