Gov. 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...
View ArticleEast Washington Avenue warming shelter for homeless closes
On Sunday, the warming shelter located at 827 E. Washington Ave. will close its doors. The facility was intended to be open for only one season, but Dane County officials wanted a permanent, year-round...
View ArticleZoning Board of Appeals says 'no' to Occupy Madison camp near I-90/94
Madison's Zoning Board of Appeals typically handles requests from homeowners who want to build a detached garage or an addition that juts into their neighborhood's required setbacks. On Wednesday...
View ArticleJohn Strasser defeats Tim Bruer for Madison Common Council seat; all other...
Everybody says it's hard to beat an incumbent. And Tuesday's elections for Madison Common Council proved that to be true -- with one stunning exception. Tim Bruer, the so-called dean of the Common...
View ArticleWalker appointment at issue as Rhonda Lanford ousts Rebecca St. John for Dane...
Whether it was because of a difference in experience or the Scott Walker kiss of death, Dane County has a new judge. Rhonda Lanford defeated Rebecca St. John for the Dane County Circuit Court Branch 16...
View ArticleMayor Paul Soglin's 2013 committee appointments spark gossip on Madison...
Mayor Paul Soglin released his 2013 committee appointments on Wednesday, and while most of Madison can be forgiven for giving a large collective yawn, for the council members themselves, it is a huge...
View ArticleTim Bruer brought home the bacon
One of Tim Bruer's favorite lines to colleagues on Madison's Common Council is: "I've seen this movie before; here's how it's going to end." Ald. Mark Clear says the line was always a warning about...
View ArticleA place called Occupy Madison: The homeless community plans its radical next...
When Caleb Pickle fled trouble at home in the spring of 2012, he wound up a stranger on the streets of Madison. Then he heard about a place called Occupy Madison. It was a group of people camping out,...
View ArticleMadison Common Council bids farewell to 2013's outgoing members
By all accounts, serving on the Madison Common Council is a thankless job. The two-year terms involve long hours at meetings that sometimes last all night. Alders regularly field calls from angry and...
View ArticleMadison's new schools superintendent Jennifer Cheatham gets input from...
Jennifer Cheatham, the new superintendent of Madison's schools, held her first listening session with parents at East High School on Thursday night. She was late.
View ArticleMadison's 2013 property assessments released, values see a slight increase
Madison's taxable property is now worth just under $20.4 billion, about a 1% increase over last year. Of the city's 73,793 parcels, 40% are seeing a change in assessment in 2013 -- with 7,220...
View ArticleCan Madison's city government, school district work together?
Steve Somerson and Helena Tsotsis would like Madison's city government and schools to work together. As parents of children in the school district, they say they haven't seen much cooperation in the past.
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