Counting the homeless in Dane County
On Wednesday night, a group of outreach workers will fan out over Dane County, looking for people who don't have an official address.
View ArticleDreaming of a Madison homeless shelter for veterans with PTSD
When Kenneth Payne saw a man doubled over at the day shelter, he knew right away he was a veteran. "One of the things we're taught to do, when we're stressed out real bad, is get in the squat position,...
View ArticleA different approach at Porchlight's homeless day shelter on East Washington
Porchlight operates the temporary day shelter that opened at 827 E. Washington Ave. last November. The agency is the major provider of homeless services here, including the men's overnight shelter in...
View ArticlePetition seeking to remove Officer Stephen Heimsness from Madison Police...
Messages generated by an online petition on Change.org calling for Madison officials "to get police officer Stephen Heimsness off the streets of Madison" has overwhelmed the city's email system,...
View ArticleWalker's radical reform: How has it worked out for Wisconsin's economy?
Gina Ray had a front-row seat to the chaos that erupted around the Capitol protests in early 2011. Although Ray sympathized deeply with the protesters, she had a job to do as a 20-year veteran on the...
View ArticleWalker administration stays on sidelines as feds set up Wisconsin's health...
As the federal government works on setting up a health insurance exchange in Wisconsin, the governor's office appears to be largely silent on how it would like the system to be set up. Concerned over...
View ArticleJanuary 2013 survey indicates Dane County's homeless population has increased
The number of people without homes in Dane County climbed almost 13% in the last year, according to a "point-in-time" survey taken the night of Jan. 30. The survey is done twice a year -- once in...
View ArticleGov. Scott Walker rejects billions of federal dollars to expand Wisconsin's...
A day after President Obama pitched an ambitious liberal agenda for the United States, Gov. Scott Walker pushed back. Walker announced Wednesday that he will not expand Wisconsin's Medicaid program, as...
View ArticleNine candidates square off in 2013 primary races for Madison city council
Twelve of the city's 20 Common Council districts will be contested this spring, but only three of them involve primaries on Feb. 19. Three people apiece are running for the 2nd, 13th and 15th district...
View ArticleMadison Common Council spring 2013 primaries solidify tough choices
Tuesday's three Common Council primaries whittled down the number of candidates voters have to choose from, but from Michael Basford's perspective, they didn't make the choices any easier. Basford, who...
View ArticleWalker's Medicaid gamble: Shrinking BadgerCare could cost Wisconsin in the...
Gov. Scott Walker's plan to shrink the state's BadgerCare program could end up costing the state about $250 million more by 2020, according to a Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo. Walker announced last...
View ArticleGov. Scott Walker's 2013-15 budget would gut the Wisconsin Employment...
In his next budget, Gov. Scott Walker would cut the staff the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission by more than half. The commission, which was modeled on the National Labor Relations Board,...
View ArticleA plan to create a bike-friendly corridor on Sherman Avenue is winding its...
Creating a bike-friendly corridor for cyclists coming to and from Madison's north side has been in the works for some 20 years. Even so, a proposal to turn Sherman Avenue from a four-lane road to a...
View ArticleMadison's lakes could benefit from the drought
For years, Russ Hefty has argued against keeping Lake Mendota's water level artificially high. In the past year, Hefty has had assistance from a higher power -- Mother Nature. "This drought, in my...
View ArticleMadison closes its waiting list for public housing
Every day, Marqueell Hatchett worries what will happen if he can't get a bed at the homeless shelter in the basement of Grace Episcopal Church on the Capitol Square. He became homeless last August when...
View ArticleDane County Board proposes funding housing co-ops to ease affordable housing...
Brenda Konkel struck a nerve when she criticized local governments in last week's "Isthmus" for failing to act on the dismal affordable housing market. "The affordable housing picture is so bleak right...
View ArticleDane County Circuit Court candidates Rebecca St. John and Rhonda Lanford spar...
Judicial elections are supposed to be nonpartisan, which means it is often hard to figure out who you're voting for and what the candidates' ideologies are. But the race for the Dane County Circuit...
View ArticleEight Madison Common Council incumbents face challengers in spring 2013 election
Madison's Common Council is about to get a makeover. How extreme depends on how well voters think eight incumbents are doing. Only seven incumbents -- Mike Verveer, Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, Steve King,...
View ArticleOccupy Madison homeless community sticks together, despite threat of city fines
For Keith Valiquette, the attraction of the Occupy Madison encampment isn't complicated. "We want to be a community," Valiquette says. "We all generally like each other. This dividing up of men and...
View ArticleSatya Rhodes-Conway reflects on Madison Common Council tenure
Satya Rhodes-Conway has been on the Common Council for only six years, but in that time she's established herself as one of its most intelligent and passionate members. Her tenure, however, is coming...
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