The name of Isthmus, inspired by the very geography of Madison, was an early sign that the paper’s focus would be intensely local. Also, that the paper would be inextricably linked with its hometown. The city has undergone enormous change since Isthmus published its first issue in April 1976 and the paper has chronicled that evolution with care and affection. Here are some of the stories from the last half-century of Isthmus coverage.
1976
‘Shake and Bake’
July 2, by Spatz F. Columbo
Turning State Street, Madison’s Main Street, into a pedestrian mall, closed to most vehicular traffic, is a transformational moment for the downtown. A young writer just out of journalism school, who goes by the pen name Spatz F. Columbo, chronicles the “Grand Opening,” of the mall though only one of seven blocks is done. Typical of an early alt-weekly writing style, the account is descriptive, opinionated and personal. “The program began at 9:30 a.m., while most downtown residents were still sleeping off Friday night…. The organizers had printed brochures announcing all sorts of mini-lectures and special events. Some were dull (the history lectures in nearby university buildings), others hard to find (the bus tours) and some didn’t come to pass.”
1977
‘An Hour with Hizzoner: Paul Soglin interviewed’
Oct. 28, by Fred Milverstedt and Howard Waxman (Part 2)
It can be argued that no one has had a larger impact on Madison than Paul Soglin, who served three separate stints as mayor (1973–1979; 1989–1997; and 2011–2019). In a wide-ranging two part-interview four years into his first tenure, he shares how he has learned to deal with being in the public eye.
“Starting with ‘73, each year it was just a gradual process. You know, it’s a question of intimidation. I’m really the one who’s being intimidated. What I think people forget is that I’m a human being too. That I’ve got a life beyond this job, even though obviously, and I recognize it, 24 hours a day, no matter what I am doing, I am the mayor. There’s no escape from that.”
1978
‘One year later: recollections’
Oct. 6, by Susan Troller
Susan Troller recalls the morning she and her husband, Howard Cosgrove —both former reporters at The Capital Times — got the news from fellow Newspaper Guild member Dave Wagner that they were going on strike against Madison Newspapers Inc. in 1977. “Had we known then just how difficult the next year would be for us and for our friends, how ruthless the conflict would become, and that after a year there would still be no resolution in sight, we might have dragged ourselves from bed to answer the call from [Wagner] even more reluctantly.”
1979
‘Six women who knew their place’
June 8, by Kathy Foster
Kathy Foster interviews some of the women pioneers described as the “Founding Mothers of the Madison we live in today,” including Alicia Ashman, the second woman to serve on the city council and now the namesake of a branch of the Madison Public Library. “When Alicia Ashman was first elected to the city council in 1968, she was called ‘Legs Ashman,’” Foster writes. “But not for long.” Ashman started wearing slacks.
1980
‘Davis takes to teaching like Dizzy took to Bop’
March 7, by R. Harding
Legendary bassist Richard Davis, recruited to UW-Madison in the 1970s, continues to perform in Madison and around the world while teaching and mentoring students. At UW-Madison he creates such classes as the History of Black Music. “I want everybody to take that class, but I’d really like to attract the Black students who don’t know about their own heritage,” Davis tells R. Harding. Davis would also go on to create a nonprofit organization devoted to raising consciousness around racism and to promote racial healing.
1981
‘A new king: The closing of the Main King opens a new era’
May 8, by Dennis Moss
“The revitalization of the King Street block of the Capitol Concourse has taken a major step forward with the sale and closing of the Main King Tap, a notorious hangout for prostitutes and other lowlife,” Moss writes. New co-owner John Koberstein envisions King Street becoming “a beautiful old-town area with restored building fronts and an historic but classy atmosphere.”
1982
‘Rent withholding has few takers’
June 25, by Steve Berchem
According to a report, only 34 tenants take advantage of a city program, launched in 1979, that allows renters to deposit their rent into a city escrow account if their landlord fails to correct building code violations. During the same period, more than 325 properties are cited for violations. A city staffer attributes the low participation rate to the fear of retaliation. “They feel that if they withhold their rent the landlord will either raise their rent or evict them.”
1983
American TV ‘10 Waterbeds Under $250’
June 17
Never forget that a free newspaper is not free to produce. Isthmus benefited from many supportive advertisers over the years. And any historian knows that the ads in a publication can tell you as much about the zeitgeist as the articles. In 1983 furniture and appliance giant American TV boasts 10 affordable waterbed models, including a somewhat anachronistic colonial four-poster.
1984
‘Our town: Census figures reveal dramatic change’
April 6, by Ann Lamboley
What a difference a mere 45 years makes. Between 1970 and 1980, Madison’s population dips from 173,258 to 170,616, despite projections of growth. Between 1960 and 1980, the downtown loses more than 12,000 residents. Nearly all neighborhoods in the downtown and on the near east and near west sides experience significant population losses. Where have all the people gone? “Most notably, they’ve gone to the far west side of Madison.”
1985
Cartoon: Tips for newcomers, P.S. Mueller
Annual Manual, August 23
1986
‘Grand New Party: Wisconsin Republicans are coming into their own’
June 13, by Bob Williams
Isthmus never endorsed candidates or issued editorials on behalf of the paper, but instead strived to have guest columnists across the political spectrum, including Charles Sykes, on the right, and Sam Day, on the left. Here a longtime consultant to Republican candidates writes about the GOP’s annual state convention, where he says the party “established itself as the party of, by and for working people” and urges candidates to communicate that “fact to the voters.” He also castigates the “ideologues” at past conventions who, among other things, support legislation that would force “children who conceived children to birth those children.”
1987
‘The MNI story’
Dec. 11, by Bill Lueders
Only one reporter has dug into the complex and little understood relationship between The Capital Times and Wisconsin State Journal and that is Bill Lueders. Using records “unearthed” from the Wisconsin Historical Society, Lueders reports that both papers are actually owned by Madison Newspapers Inc., a third entity they created in 1948. It’s a financial relationship that continues to join them at the hip: the print edition of the Cap Times is currently inserted in the State Journal.
1988
‘Miles Smiles’
Oct. 14, by Dean Robbins
Isthmus could not have found a bigger legend for the debut of its annual jazz festival. After his evolution from bebop to jazz fusion, trumpet god Miles Davis electrifies a Civic Center audience with his latest sound: guitar-heavy funk, punctuated by ice-cold synthesizer blasts. Critic Dean Robbins praises Davis’ attempt to “grope for a new language — a distinctive way to express himself in the ’80s.” The Isthmus Jazz Festival remains a popular Madison attraction for three decades, showcasing local musicians and nurturing the local scene. It also treats Madison to all-time greats such as Ray Charles, Betty Carter and Sonny Rollins.
1989
‘No Choice: Abortion Rights in Wisconsin’
March 17, by Judith Davidoff
More than 30 years before the U.S. Supreme Court did what many thought would never happen, Isthmus’ 1989 story served as an early warning that Wisconsin’s 19th century abortion ban was still on the books and could go into effect if the high court were to overturn its 1973 ruling legalizing abortion. That’s exactly what happened in 2022.
1990
‘We are the world: Save the environment? Save ourselves’
April 13, by George Vukelich
For many years George Vukelich regularly contributed two columns to Isthmus: North Country Notebook and Listening In, where he gave any number of subjects a chance to hold forth on a topic close to their hearts. Here he talks with Harold (Bud) Jordahl Jr. 20 years after he helped Sen. Gaylord Nelson create the first Earth Day in 1970. Now an emeritus professor at UW-Madison, Jordahl tells Vukelich that the environmental challenge facing the U.S. and all other developed countries is a “willingness to lower our levels of living, lower our levels of consumption in order to help the poor countries develop into viable states with viable technologies.”
1991
Half notes: Nirvana’s Nevermind released
Nov. 29
Nirvana’s landmark album Nevermind, released on Sept. 24, thrusts alt rock into the mainstream. Madison resident Butch Vig produces the album, which is partially recorded at local recording studio Smart Studios. The album goes platinum and the studio plans for a third studio to handle “high level projects.” Smart Studios engineer Brian Anderson says the album’s success means the studio will likely do fewer smaller projects, including ones by local bands who might not be able to pay the higher rates.
1992
‘Has David Sold Out?’
Aug. 21, by Kathie Rasmussen and Chip Mitchell
Democratic Assembly Rep. David Clarenbach became a progressive hero when, in 1982, he helped pass the nation’s first anti-discrimination law protecting lesbian and gay residents. But this story by Kathie Rasmussen and Chip Mitchell reports that Clarenbach let languish his own bill to create a state-administered single-payer insurance system while receiving contributions from special interests, including the health care industry, for his campaign for U.S. Congress. Clarenbach denies the claims but the story is damaging. Clarenbach loses the Democratic primary to Ada Deer, who is ultimately defeated by former anchorman and Republican Scott Klug, who goes on to serve four terms in Congress.
1993
‘Race matters: Our survey finds consensus, tension and agreement that race relations have worsened’
Aug. 20, 4th annual Madison poll
Twenty years before the 2013 Race to Equity report synthesized the many ways Black and white residents’ lives diverge in Dane County, a poll commissioned by Isthmus (and conducted by Chamberlain Research Consultants) finds that perceptions about race vary widely among Madison’s Black and white residents. Among the results: 57% of Black residents — versus 19% of white residents — strongly disagree with the statement that Black people have the same opportunity to get jobs and promotions as white people in Dane County. Also, three-quarters of Black respondents feel the government pays “too little attention” to the problems of Black people, compared to 47% of white respondents.
1994
‘Parks’ Place: Under Gene’s tenure, Mr. P’s is reemerging as one jazzy joint’
March 25, by Jennifer Lind
Eugene Parks, a local civil rights champion and notorious thorn in the establishment’s side, is 46 years old when Jennifer Lind catches up with him at Mr. P’s Place, his south-side nightclub. Over the years, Parks served as the Madison city council’s first Black alder, president of the NAACP’s Madison chapter, and the city’s affirmative action officer. As Lind notes, “Parks’ reputation has often been defined by his rage — at the continued manifestations of bigotry in a city that proudly proclaims itself liberal.” Meanwhile, Mr. P’s becomes a haven for intimate performances by local jazz giants like Ben Sidran, Richard Davis and Clyde Stubblefield. It closed in the late ‘90s, but the building remains at 1616 Beld St. Parks died of natural causes in 2005 at age 57.
1995
‘If the public leads, the pols will follow’
June 9, by Marc Eisen
Madison was a major player in the New Urbanism movement — promoting dense, walkable and mixed-use communities — and Marc Eisen and Isthmus helped lead the way. The paper helps organize the “Nolen in the ’90s” conference, which brings together local leaders with some of the stars of the New Urbanism movement, including town planner Andres Duany. Isthmus publishes an eight-page supplement for the conference, with a lead story by Eisen, titled “Why John Nolen is important today.”
1996
‘The Pied Piper: L’Etoile proprietor Odessa Piper has fostered a quiet revolution in cooking and dining’
Oct 25, by Anne Strainchamps
On the 20th anniversary of the founding of Madison’s first farm-to-table fine dining restaurant, Anne Strainchamps tags along with owner Odessa Piper and Tami Lax, then L’Etoile’s full-time “forager,” on an early Saturday morning shopping trip to the Dane County Farmers’ Market. Piper, writes Strainchamps, was then emerging as a national star. Lax would go on to open the always popular Old Fashioned, and Harvest, which permanently closed after COVID.
1997
‘Wright and wrong’
July 11, by Jody Clowes
The Monona Terrace and Convention Center, for decades a matter of public contention over its financing, design and scope, finally opens on July 17. “Frank Lloyd Wright would have both loved and hated the newly completed Monona Terrace,” writes contributor Jody Clowes. In the following week’s cover story, staff writer Melanie Conklin asks city officials what Madison might be able to do next: a commuter light rail, public swimming pool, and “quilt” of parks make the list.
1998
‘Cry rape’
Feb. 13, by Bill Lueders
News editor Bill Lueders writes his first article about a legally blind Madison woman named Patty who reported being raped in 1997, only to be disbelieved by police and pressured to recant, then charged with a crime for false reporting. Dozens of other articles followed over the next several years, as Patty fought the charges and then sued the cops and was, in the end, vindicated. The case is the subject of Lueders’ 2006 book, Cry Rape: One Woman’s Harrowing Quest for Justice (UW Press).
1999
‘The Last days of the Capitol Theater’
Nov. 19, by Jay Rath
Contributor Jay Rath points out that the redevelopment plans for the upcoming Overture Center project would likely entail demolishing part or all of the historic Capitol Theater, which opened in 1928. Mass outcry follows and the Overture Foundation abandons plans to demolish the theater, which still hosts performances to this day.
2000
‘!Caliente! Arts events are helping to heat up Madison’s Latino culture’
June 23, by Susan Kepecs
“The Latin scene’s cookin’ and it’s no flash in the pan,” writes contributor Susan Kepecs. “Madison’s new cultural stew is shaping up with sabor. Put that word in your vocabulary — sabor means flavor. And everybody’s getting a taste.”
Kepecs points to a new group, the Performing Arts Network of the Americas, made up of mostly Latino entrepreneurs dedicated to bringing world-class Latin music to Madison. Also Sin Fronteras, an outreach program from UW-Madison’s Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies program, run with the Madison Children’s Museum, that “is changing the way kids learn multiculturalism.” She also notes that a concert by the Central American All Stars, a group of renowned musicians from Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Panama — the culmination of the city’s “Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Week” — draws a huge crowd.
2001
‘Here comes the Overture Center’
April 6, by Tom Laskin
As the first phase of construction begins on the Overture Center, staff writer Tom Laskin notes that the city does not seem to have a comprehensive plan to deal with the anticipated impacts on the blocks surrounding the city’s new cultural arts center, funded largely through what would eventually be a $205 million gift from local philanthropist Jerry Frautschi. “The decision to grapple with economic changes catalyzed by the Overture Center on an ad hoc basis should alarm anyone who fears the indiscriminate bulldozer of gentrification.”
2002
‘Epic decision’
May 17, by Marc Eisen
About four months before construction is set to begin on Epic’s new sprawling campus on 346 acres of farmland near the Sugar River in Verona, editor Marc Eisen looks back at why the tech company decided to leave Madison, and what the relocation might mean for the greater community. “The move seems destined to influence housing patterns, commuter trends and commercial growth for decades to come,” he writes.
2003
Mayorathon
Isthmus begins covering the 2003 Madison mayoral campaign in fall 2002, with staff writer Melanie Conklin and digital director Jason Joyce building “Mayorathon,” the paper’s first digital-first reporting project, which was recognized by the Milwaukee Press Club. Each week the candidates, which number as many as eight at one point, weigh in on such things as their favorite city-subsidized developments and their favorite local bands. Dave Cieslewicz and Paul Soglin emerge from the primary, leaving behind incumbent Sue Bauman and others, with Cieslewicz winning the general in April. The campaign is fodder for lively discussions on Forum, Isthmus’ online message board, and wins over some members of the staff who were skeptical about the value of the website, then known as The Daily Page, or TDP for short.
2004
‘On with the show’
Sept. 24, by Tom Laskin, Susan Kepecs, John Barker, Kenneth Burns
Overture Center opens in September and Isthmus goes big, printing a pullout guide to the nine-day grand opening festivities and sending four critics to cover the proceedings. Publisher Vince O’Hern proclaims that “the state of the arts in this city will never be the same.” Another important venue debuts this year when Cathy Dethmers partners with developer Curt Brink to open the High Noon Saloon in the former “Buy Sell Shop” space at 701 E. Washington Ave., allowing the local rock scene to emerge from a low period that began after the Hotel Washington burned in 1996 and O’Cayz Corral followed suit in 2001. Staff writer Tom Laskin profiles Dethmers the same year for a cover story, which would hang in a display case at the High Noon until Dethmers sells the venue in 2017.
2005
‘Bars brace for July 1 snuff-out’
June 10, by Masarah Van Eyck, Bill Lueders
In the weeks leading up to Madison’s historic smoking ban in bars and restaurants, which went into effect on July 1 and was the first in Wisconsin, Isthmus considers how the new restrictions might affect cigar bars and other tobacco specialty stores as well as bar owners. Keith Daniels of the Harmony Bar is one of the few tavern owners to welcome the ban, saying he can’t wait to “get smoking out of the bar so my bartenders don’t have to breathe other people’s smoke, and I don’t have to breathe it.” Ira Sharenow was the city’s leading anti-smoking activist, whose relentless and tireless advocacy turned off even some allies, hence the headline of a Nov. 17, 1995, opinion column by news editor Bill Lueders: “The most hated person in tobacco control: Why is Ira Sharenow shunned by people who get paid to do what he does better?”
2006
‘Kink Exhibit: Fetish shows take center stage in the Madison club scene’
Aug. 18, by Melissa Faliveno
Melissa Faliveno takes in a BDSM show at the Annex nightclub on Regent Street in a “red lace corset, hot pink wig, black leather skirt, and ridiculously huge PVC boots.” The story is a look at Madison’s kink community and the scene’s influence on pop culture. “I’ve discovered that a once stigmatized and carefully hidden subculture is now entering the mainstream of Madison clubs and even surfacing in everyday life. Have you noticed how many pierced and tattooed people you see on the streets today?” writes Faliveno, now an assistant professor of English and creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of the essay collection Tomboyland, and novel Hemlock.
2007
‘Madison won’t easily bottle up Halloween’s demons’
Oct. 26, by Kent Williams
After Halloween on State Street in 2005 draws 100,000 and ends in hundreds of arrests, the city comes up with Freakfest as a way to corral the havoc. It seems to work — there are 35,000 pay-to-play partiers in 2006 and way fewer arrests. In advance of 2007’s Freakfest ($5 in advance and $7 on the big night), with scheduled performers including Lifehouse, The Mighty Short Bus and Rob Dz, staff writer Kent Williams ponders the future of the event: “Will the city succeed in domesticating Halloween?”
Two decades on, Madison succeeds in slaying Freakfest, along with a little help from COVID and disappearing sponsorships and other funding. The official freaks haven’t returned to State Street since 2019.
2008
‘Brittany Zimmermann called 911, but no one came’
May 2, by Jason Shepard
Contributor Jason Shepard’s scoop that the Dane County 911 Center mishandled a call from slain UW student Brittany Zimmermann makes national news. The morning after his report is published online, 911 Center Director Joe Norwick, Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk hold news conferences to respond to the findings. After denying any involvement in Zimmermann’s murder for years, David Kahl pleaded guilty in 2023 to first-degree intentional homicide. He died in prison in 2025.
2009
‘The sky’s the limit: Downtown Madison keeps growing up’
Feb. 20, by David Medaris
Four years after editor Marc Eisen writes in a cover story (“Welcome to boom town”) that the “central city is booming in a way unimaginable only a decade or so ago,” staff writer David Medaris returns to the theme of downtown growth. “The strip of land between lakes Mendota and Monona has been building skyward at an accelerated pace,” writes Medaris. Paul Lenhart of Krupp General Contractors, quoted in the story, nails his forecast: “I do think we’ll see a downturn in the coming years,” he cautions, “but it’s only temporary. There’s always new people moving to Dane County and Madison. We’re a magnet.”
2010
‘Got migrants? Wisconsin’s dairy industry depends on undocumented workers’
June 4, by Joe Tarr
Fifteen years before “undocumented workers” become an issue so divisive it threatens to tear apart the nation, staff reporter Joe Tarr delves into their crucial role in the state’s dairy industry and their under-the-radar existence here. Presciently, dairy farmer John Rosenow observes that a widespread crackdown on immigrant labor would devastate farms but ultimately prove fruitless. “The notion of rounding up 10 million people and shipping them back home is absurd,” he says. “They’d never find them all. The economy would tank. And you’ve got to have due process, so it would clog up the system.” You heard it here first.
2011
‘Wisconsin Capitol protests: A 13-day timeline’
February 24
It’s all hands on deck at Isthmus during the February 2011 protests against Gov. Scott Walker’s union-busting bill, with hundreds of thousands of people rallying at the state Capitol, across the street from the paper’s offices. In addition to web and print coverage, Isthmus runs live blogs of the protests, fueled by the establishment of the #wiunion hashtag, which leads to international traffic to the website.
2012
‘Tommy v. Tammy: the U.S. Senate race is one of the hottest in the nation’
Oct. 26, by Ruth Conniff
“After emerging victorious from a bruising three-way primary, Thompson seemed positioned to win the Senate race in a walk,” Conniff writes. “But he had spent all his money at the start of the general campaign, and couldn’t answer Baldwin’s ads. That hurt him.”
Tammy Baldwin would go on to topple Tommy Thompson, the former longtime popular Wisconsin governor, becoming the nation’s first openly gay U.S. senator.
2013
‘The Frautschis of Madison: Meet the city’s most influential family’
Aug. 8, by Stu Levitan
“Jerry [Frautschi’s] spectacular trifecta of projects — donating the $205 million Overture Center, developing the 100 block of State Street and financing the Edgewater Hotel expansion — has transformed downtown Madison more than anything since Mayor Paul Soglin took the cars off State Street in his first term in office,” contributor Stu Levitan writes. “[Pleasant] Rowland’s contributions — creating Concerts on the Square and Pleasant Company — have also been fundamental. These are just the latest manifestations of the family with the greatest sustained civic involvement, business success and philanthropy in Madison’s history.”
2014
‘Just married! Meet six same-sex newlywed couples in Dane County’
June 12, by Judith Davidoff, Joe Tarr
When federal Judge Barbara Crabb strikes down Wisconsin’s eight-year ban on same-sex marriage on a Friday afternoon, couples rush to the Dane County clerk’s office to get married. Isthmus reporters head there too and stay through the weekend, capturing the stories of couples who have waited years — often decades — to tie the knot with their partners. The next week’s print cover story includes the stories of six couples who got married. The coverage wins a 2015 national award for LBGT/Gender Equality reporting from the Alternative Association of Newsmedia.
2015
‘#TonyRobinson’
March 12, by Allison Geyer
The fatal shooting of Tony Robinson, a biracial 19-year-old graduate of Sun Prairie High School, rocks the city. Staff writer Allison Geyer is on the scene, near the Williamson Street residence where Robinson was shot by Madison police officer Matt Kenny.
“Within hours, dozens of protesters arrived on the scene, holding signs and chanting ‘Black lives matter,’” she writes. “As news of the shooting spread via social media, national news outlets pounced on the story. By Saturday morning, the Willy Street neighborhood was swarming with reporters and television crews poised to document the aftermath.
“On everyone’s mind was a question: Would Madison become the next Ferguson, Missouri?” The city settled a lawsuit with Robinson’s family in 2017 for $3.35 million. Kenny was cleared of professional and criminal wrongdoing.
2016
‘Time to leave: Fed up with political climate, game pioneers abandon UW-Madison’
July 25, by Aaron R. Conklin
Gov. Scott Walker’s attacks on higher education have consequences. Aaron R. Conklin has the scoop that Kurt Squire and Constance Steinkuehler, co-directors of UW-Madison’s Games + Learning + Society Center, are leaving the university and state for California. The pair, at the forefront of a burgeoning game development scene in Madison at the time, cite the “open hostility” of the political climate in the state as their reason for departing for the coast.
2017
‘Ford Tough: The no-frills east-side gym is a crucible for change’
Jan. 5, by Marcelle Richards
Marcelle Richards’ look at the no-nonsense east-side institution Ford’s Gym is no nod in the direction of feel-good fitness. This is a deeply personal look at how a community can develop from an unconventional third space. Devotees profiled by Richards include Carolynne Shurna, who terms the gym “almost like another family…. They tell you you’ll live longer if you go to church. This is sort of my church.” Richards also interviews strength-training coach David McKercher and regular (and star Madison chef) Tory Miller.
2018
‘Save a shed: Trachte buildings are a piece of Madison history. And they’re disappearing fast’
July 26, by Linda Falkenstein
As more Trachtes (some approaching 100 years of age) fall in the face of redevelopment, it is time to revisit this piece of Madison’s architectural history. Features editor Linda Falkenstein, pens a love letter to the quirky steel-paneled, barrel-roofed work buildings that, she writes, “have been a big part of defining Madison’s look, particularly on the near east side, for more than a century.” There are some survivors: The Tinsmith, 828 E. Main St., serves as an event venue, and a shed in Thurber Park is home to a city artist residency.
2019
‘Sound it out: Why are Madison students struggling to read’
May 30, by Jenny Peek
Alarmingly low literacy rates in the Madison schools and across Wisconsin spur contributor Jenny Peek’s investigation into the state’s “balanced literacy approach” to reading. Critic Mark Seidenberg, a UW-Madison professor and cognitive neuroscientist, tells her: “If you want your kid to learn to read you can’t assume that the school’s going to take care of it. You have to take care of it outside of the school, if there’s someone in the home who can do it or if you have enough money to pay for a tutor or learning center.” The Madison school district has since returned to phonics.
2020
‘Statues toppled, senator punched’
June 24, by Dylan Brogan
Staff writer Dylan Brogan covers the Black Lives Matter protests during the summer of 2020 and is on the scene when protesters pull down the “Forward” statue at the top of State Street and punch Sen. Tim Carpenter, who was video recording some of the action. Brogan is later subpoenaed and forced to testify in a trial over the assault of Carpenter, despite a legal challenge from the paper which argued that the state’s shield law — which provides a high bar for compelling a journalist through a subpoena to testify as a witness — should have kept Brogan out of court.
2021
‘Howl: Will Wisconsin ever make peace with wolves? Or will vengeance prevail?’
Nov. 4, by Ron Seely
After a hastily authorized Wisconsin wolf hunt in 2021 that made national news for its brutality and excess, contributor Ron Seely takes to the woods to begin work on this essay. He draws on his decades of work as a science and environment writer for the Wisconsin State Journal to explore the state’s relationship with wolves and the new political forces that threaten not just the wolves, but the state’s tradition of responsible hunting and values of conservation. He writes that we will have to navigate the “political morass” to “arrive at some common ground — perhaps including a science-based hunt — that allows wolves to persist and humans to live alongside them with little complaint.”
2022
Cover story: 2022 Wisconsin Film Fest
April 7
Events that the public took for granted for many years become newly miraculous as they begin to happen in-person again post-COVID restrictions. This cover package shouts hallelujah over the return of the Wisconsin Film Festival, long a partner with Isthmus, which publishes the fest’s full schedule in print. Judith Davidoff, Jane Burns and Linda Falkenstein talk with such fans as Kathy Mathes and Jesi Hirsch, who’d longed for “the camaraderie” of the in-person fest, interview WFF staffers who make the festival happen and profile two young filmmakers whose work made it into the “Wisconsin’s Own” segment.
2023
‘Guilty until proven innocent: Keith Findley has been working to free wrongfully convicted inmates for 25 years’
Jan. 5, by Steven Walters
Steven Walters, who has been covering the state Capitol for more than three decades, started contributing weekly articles to Isthmus in September 2022. Occasionally he pens longer takes on state politics or profiles, like this piece on Keith Findley, who pioneered Wisconsin’s Innocence Project and helped cofound and lead the Innocence Network, a worldwide coalition of some 70 innocence projects. The story focuses in part on Jarrett Adams, who was freed from prison as a result of the work of the Wisconsin Innocence Network, and who went on to earn a law degree. “Keith and the Wisconsin Innocence Project exonerated me, and now I am able to help exonerate others,” says Adams.
2024
‘Hundreds join Madison vigil to support victims of school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School’
Dec. 18, by Liam Beran
At Abundant Life Christian School off of Buckeye Road, the city suffers its first deadly school shooting; three people die, including the shooter. Staff writer Liam Beran attends a candlelit vigil for the victims at the state Capitol on Dec. 17. Asked for comment, Chris Gustaf, father of a UW-Madison student, sums up the general tenor: “I’m tired of people being sad. They need to be mad.”
2025
The nonprofit issue
November 6
Since Isthmus became a nonprofit in 2021, we see the world a little differently. We are also more aware of the hundreds of nonprofits in our community that provide needed services, filling in the gaps left by the private and public sectors. We conceived of what is now an annual Nonprofit Issue to shine a light on these groups and the work they do. In the 2025 issue, we talk with the leaders of Own It, Solace Friends, WorldWise Microfinance, Bikes For Kids Wisconsin and the Literacy Network. The Volunteer Guide is a sponsored companion to the issue, helping match prospective volunteers with organizations in need of help.
2026
‘Activists plan beagle ‘rescue’ at Ridglan Farms’
March 6, by Bill Lueders
Animal experimentation and general issues of animal welfare have often been the focus of Isthmus stories. The campaign by animal activists to shut down Ridglan Farms, a dog breeding and research facility in Blue Mounds, was first reported in Isthmus by contributor Bill Lueders on March 7, 2024. His latest piece on March 6, 2026, previews a planned rescue of beagles at the site, which happened the following week. Isthmus’ first report on Ridglan Farms in 2015 by contributor Noah Phillips surprised many, who had no idea such a facility existed just outside of Madison.
Contributors: Liam Beran, Judith Davidoff, Linda Falkenstein, Jason Joyce, Bob Koch, Bill Lueders, Michael Popke, Dean Robbins. Isthmus file photos by: Brent Nicastro, Mary Langenfeld, Keith Wessel, Eric Tadsen, Christopher Guess, Dylan Brogan, Nick Berard, Liam Beran, Christian Grover.
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