The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives. In higher education, it has sparked pointed questions locally and nationally about the short-term operations and long-term future of the University of Wisconsin System.
Newly elected Monona City Council member Kristie Schilling is finding out just how unpleasant politics can be, even on the local level.
The smell of charcoals burning, the sound of Wisconsin beef sizzling and the sight of perfect grill marks are truly hard to beat. As the sun sets later and later and the temperature rises higher and higher, grilling season has officially made its arrival. Whether cooking on gas or charcoal, …
Donald Trump says it’s just not fair.
In drafting next year’s budgets, Wisconsin K-12 districts face uncertainty as to whether and how schools will open this fall and whether the drop in state tax collections will mean a cut in state school aids.
(This is the full text of a statement issued by the Monona Grove School Board relating to the developer’s agreement with the village of Cottage Grove for the construction of a new elementary school.)
Wisconsin has fresh hope for an eventual “return to normal” with the most-recently issued emergency order to combat the coronavirus pandemic, but the “new normal” may temporarily look a little different.
During this coronavirus pandemic, access to accurate and trustworthy information in your community is as critical to life under quarantine and as sought after as hand sanitizer and face masks.
This spring has certainly brought a new normal to our lives that, in many ways, feels like anything but normal.
Here we go again: If religious humor offends you, don’t read any further.
Key municipal revenue streams will take a hit as the economic fallout unfolds from the COVID-19 crisis, with greater impact for cities and villages that rely more heavily on fees and taxes tied to tourism and visitors, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
At the end of April each year, we get to celebrate two holidays that are focused on environmental conservation. On April 22 of each year, we celebrate Earth Day, aimed at focusing on conservation efforts founded in part by Wisconsin’s own senator (and also former governor) Gaylord Nelson. On…
Believe it or not, this has been a relatively quiet time on the open government front.
Recent trends in how Wisconsin local governments fund their local library suggest they remain a priority, even as the way in which libraries serve their communities is rapidly changing.
Warning: If you don’t like “gallows humor,” don’t read any further.
When Gov. Tony Evers abruptly closed all Wisconsin schools March 16, it may have seemed like the start of an extended spring break for many students.
As a representative on the Monona City Council, I view it as my responsibility to help ensure Monona is a great place to live, work, and play for all its residents, businesses and visitors. This also applies to the amazing employees who keep Monona moving.
There were more heroes than villains in this year’s Openness Awards, or Opees, bestowed annually by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. In fact, in two categories, there was more than one winner.
Facing an economic downturn of stunning speed and unknown length, the state of Wisconsin’s finances is much stronger now than at the onset of the last recession in 2007, according to a new report from the independent, nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum.
The world has been moving pretty fast lately; events are unfolding rapidly, and that can be unsettling.
The media is most definitely not your enemy.
During the hectic legislative session in February, one thing got lost: the public’s ability to participate fully in the process.
I recently switched my family’s cell phone service from AT&T to Spectrum.
The latest trend among adolescents is deadly.
Two summers ago, in a desperate and embarrassing election year ploy, then-Gov. Scott Walker declared the Milwaukee Zoo Interchange highway project finished “on time and on budget,” even though the project was not actually finished and wasn’t even expected to be finished until 2023.
For generations, farmers have been caring for the land, the water, and their environmental resources. While many traditions run deep in the farming community, innovation and ingenuity are the keys to success in agriculture. Today, farmers across our state are leading the way when it comes to…
By far, the majority of people who responded to this newspaper’s online poll about the fate of the San Damiano Friary want to see the property remain much as it is, and they were willing to spend tax dollars to preserve the lovely, 10-acre green space.
The Monona community lost one of its rocks Feb. 2 when Ken Grinde died
Republican incumbents up for re-election to the Wisconsin state Senate this fall, on average, had almost twice as much money in the bank heading into 2020 than their Democratic colleagues, according to a WisPolitics.com check of finance reports.
Despite the short daylight hours and the chill in the weather, farmers throughout the state of Wisconsin are still hard at work.
In what is truly a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Dane County government, private health providers and insurers, and community nonprofit service providers are teaming together to support the creation of Dane County’s new Universal Access Resource Center.
Here’s my bold prediction for the future – and it’s so bold, I’m making it two years in advance:
Just shy of two years ago, this column explored the heightened importance of open government when public health is at risk. Multiple examples showed the government was not sharing timely information with the public, or even other branches of government, on issues such as clean drinking water…
In recent months, our country has been captivated by the impeachment process and its upcoming Senate trial. Every news channel, every talk radio station and every newspaper spent time extensively covering contentious hearings in the House of Representatives–and for good reason. This process …
The holiday season is here, and a new year is just around the corner. As we prepare to enter 2020, many are preparing to meet new goals and to focus on new priorities.
Every year at this time, I turn my column over to my husband, Chuck Martin. Here is his annual Christmas letter:
You can walk into city hall asking to see records without ever having to give your name. You can mail or email an open records request to any public entity without giving any indication of who you are.
The Monona Grove School Board will soon be considering a request to eliminate honors sections in the high school freshmen and sophomores English and science curricula.
A report from the Environmental Integrity Project shows that from 2008-18 Wisconsin cut funding for environmental protections more than any other state in the nation – with almost all the cuts occurring from 2011-2018.
Wisconsin’s state budget reserves recently hit their highest level in four decades, as corporate tax collections grew in fiscal year 2019 at their fastest rate in more than a half century.
A contributor to the Nextdoor Monona website recently revealed a profound ignorance that I find troubling.
When you consider all the money Monona Grove taxpayers have agreed to pump into the school system, we’re still not getting much bang for our bucks.
Wisconsin’s tradition of government transparency rests on the state’s open records and open meetings laws. They declare that nearly every government document is open to public inspection, and nearly every meeting of groups formed to do governmental work must be open to the public.
Chuck and I had dinner this weekend with a couple of old Monona hands. Giles and Lori Santyr used to live on Tonyawatha; their kids went to the same day care ours did.
Outcomes in states that have legalized medical marijuana contradict at least some points made by both advocates and opponents of the move in Wisconsin, according to a new report from the independent, nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum.
The First Amendment isn’t getting the appreciation and respect it deserves. Increasingly battered and misunderstood, it needs all the support it can get as divisive politics and advancing technologies drag us in new directions.
“For God’s sake, Tommy, whatever you do, find a cure.” That was my brother Eddie’s final request before he died of pancreatic cancer. The disease has also taken my brother Artie and my best friend Ervin. It kills roughly 45,000 Americans annually.
Early in his administration, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers was asked to produce a letter he’d gotten from departing Gov. Scott Walker, during the transition. He initially refused, claiming it was a “purely personal” communication outside of the reach of the state’s open records law.
As our economy and the housing market continue to recover, and as October kicks off as Careers in Construction Month, home builders across the country are seeking skilled workers – such as carpenters, framers and roofers – to help them build the American Dream.
The hits just keep on coming!
If this column sounds bitter and angry, that’s because I am.
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