Opinion
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Tommy Washbush
Madison has a fear of heights
Madison’s first skyscraper, which prompted height restrictions, is going to be turned into a boutique hotel.
Local government’s mixed record on meeting notices
Wisconsin’s open meeting law says agendas should be detailed and specific and reasonably inform the public of the specific items to be considered or placed before the public body. Some notices meet this bar and some don’t.
Jun 12, 2025
Fish story
“In Wisconsin, you either fish or you know someone who does. It’s a cultural touchstone, like hunting or the Packers.”
Jun 12, 2025
Tommy Washbush / Freepik
After this year’s graduates leave Madison schools, what will be left?
Opportunities for middle class and low-income students are shrinking. The general excellence of our education system in Wisconsin and across the country is declining.
Jun 9, 2025
Photo: Gage Skidmore
Sanctuary communities?
Though it’s since been retracted, a list issued by the Department of Homeland Security listed both Madison and Shawano County as sanctuary communities.
Jun 4, 2025
Tommy Washbush / Freepik
Let the council be the council
Long city council meetings are a time-honored Madison tradition. Why change now?
May 21, 2025
Freepik
Wisconsin should allow fusion voting
United Wisconsin is probably dead on arrival. But here’s a reform idea that can’t be stopped.
May 9, 2025
Never do for a boy…
One of Joe Steen’s favorite sayings guided a significant chunk of my youth: ‘Never do for a boy what a boy can do for himself.’
May 7, 2025
10:00 AM
Freepik
Not in our name
The fear of antisemitism is never far from my mind. But Donald Trump’s efforts are not about protecting Jews. They are about using antisemitism as a political weapon to attack academic institutions, suppress free speech, and dismantle DEI.
May 7, 2025
9:00 AM
Freepik
Can we get some answers here?
It’s getting harder to land interviews and get information from elected officials.
May 5, 2025
9:00 AM
Freepik
For the Madison school board, small is beautiful
A diversity of views is not likely to happen under the current system in which Madison elects all seven members of the school board in citywide races.
Apr 25, 2025
1:00 PM
State Street photo: Richard Hurd / Flickr
Schools eclipse a State Street mall
If Madison needs a long-term editorial campaign on anything, it’s the state of our schools.
Apr 18, 2025
1:00 PM
Janet Bewley
In jeopardy: Our history, our future, our connection
Wisconsin Humanities was alerted April 3 that its federal funding was canceled, effective immediately. The organization had to tell groups statewide that their grants, too, had been terminated.
Apr 17, 2025
11:45 AM
In the June issue
SummerTimes 2025
Don’t squander it! Isthmus wants you to enjoy your summer, because what else is summer for? South central Wisconsin is beckoning.
Pressure mounts on UW animal research
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are claiming victory in forcing UW-Madison’s Food Research Institute to create a separate fund for corporate donors that don’t want to support research that uses animals.
The cheese tour
You are in Green County — cheese country. You’ll find a surprising variety of cheese for sale as well as beer, pastries, meat sticks and clever gift-ables in homage to cows, cheese and Wisconsin.
All the state’s a stage
Wisconsinites don’t have much time to enjoy their summer, so it makes sense that theater, like dining, moves outdoors. Here’s a roundup of plays presented al fresco throughout the state.
Lavender farms thrive near Madison, and midsummer’s the best time to visit
Visiting a lavender farm means vibrant color, soothing aromas, scenic beauty and maybe even a lavender latte.
