Suppressing the student vote? New residency rules could affect Wisconsin’s recall election Judith Davidoff on Wednesday 05/16/2012 1:10 pm The voter ID law passed last spring by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature was widely criticized for requiring that voters show a driver's license or other form of photo identification at the polls. These provisions are now under two court injunctions by judges who found that the photo ID requirements likely discriminate against minorities, the poor and the elderly. Meanwhile, it is the bill's new residency requirements, largely lost in the controversy over photo ID, that are much more likely to keep students away from the polls. >MoreCitizen Dave: Ron & Katie and Scott & Carol Dave Cieslewicz on Wednesday 05/16/2012 11:27 am Here's some news. Politics doesn't have to be divisive. Last night, I was invited to a meeting of Reach Out Wisconsin, a loosely formed group of Wisconsinites of various political stripes who want to prove that you can disagree without being disagreeable. >More
Controversy in Madison's Downtown Plan: Public may balk at overlooked proposals Joe Tarr on Thursday 05/10/2012, (2) Comments Madison is nearing completion on its Downtown Plan, a process that has dragged on for more than four years and will guide development there for a long time. But the plan may well head to the Common Council this summer with contentious issues unsettled, some of which have received little public scrutiny. >MoreScott Lamps moves easily between pop, classical and musicals The genre jumper Bob Koch on Thursday 05/10/2012 Madison has more than its share of musical chameleons, songsters who switch effortlessly between rock, country, jazz and more. You have to look harder to find people who work not only in pop but also in more complex musical genres, like classical. An example is multi-instrumentalist Scott Lamps. One of the most prolific Madison musicians right now, the UW graduate works in widely divergent genres. >More
Wilmington on DVD: Haywire, The Mel Brooks Collection, Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie Mike Wilmington on Wednesday 05/16/2012 10:00 am Director Steven Soderbergh is a Jack-of-all-trades who, in his new movie Haywire, also does his own cinematography and editing -- and does them all, as we know, very well. Gina Carano is a Jill-of-one-trade, a mixed martial arts champion here branching out into acting and movie superstardom. >More
Early music group Eliza's Toyes turns to pioneers of the German Baroque John W. Barker on Sunday 05/13/2012 8:37 am As we speak of The Three B's (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms), so too we hear of The Three S's -- or "The Three Sch's," which is the name of the latest program by the enterprising Madison early-music vocal group Eliza's Toyes. It was performed at Gates of Heaven Saturday night. >MoreMadison Symphony Orchestra concludes its season with a Gershwin feast John W. Barker on Saturday 05/12/2012 8:16 am The proclamation of George Gershwin as "America's greatest composer" in the promotional material may or may not in itself attract Madison Symphony Orchestra patrons, but an all-Gershwin program certainly does. The house was virtually full for the Friday evening performance in Overture Hall, and the audience was exuberantly enthusiastic. >More
Wisconsin Union Theater announces 2012-2013 season Kenneth Burns on Friday 05/11/2012 12:51 pm Wisconsin Union Theater, the great performing arts series hosted by the UW-Madison, has announced the lineup for its 2012-2013. One thing hasn't changed. The live schedule is a typically beguiling mix of jazz, classical, world music and theater. >MoreKevin Henkes writes his first book for beginning readers, Penny and Her Song A different way of thinking Jay Rath on Thursday 05/10/2012 Kevin Henkes is riding high following the reception of his latest book, Penny and Her Song. It's the first story for beginning readers from the Madison children's illustrator and author. "It's a very different art form," he says. "I'd never done it before, so it was exciting to try to do." >More
Barrett already fundraising on Walker's 'divide and conquer' comments caught on video Judith Davidoff on Friday 05/11/2012 Tom Barrett is already raising money off of potentially explosive video footage reported late Thursday by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, in which a then newly elected Gov. Scott Walker tells his largest donor that he intends to pursue a “divide and conquer” strategy as the first step in diffusing union power. >MoreLive-blogging the 2012 Wisconsin recall primary election Isthmus Staff on Tuesday 05/08/2012 Voters across Wisconsin will go to the polls today to cast ballots in the primaries of six recall elections, for governor, lieutenant governor, and four state senate seats. The principal race is in the Democratic primary for governor, in which Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, former Dane County Exec. Kathleen Falk, Sec. of State Doug La Follette, and state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout will vie for the opportunity to face Gov. Scott Walker in the general election. >More#dontgo: Scenes from the 2012 Mifflin Street Block Party (slideshow) Lukas Keapproth on Sunday 05/06/2012 An estimated 5,000 people gathered on Madison's Mifflin Street Saturday to celebrate an annual rite of spring, although this year they did so under the watchful eye of dozens of police officers. >MoreMORE VIDEO >>
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