In the 1920’s, the lumbering era in the Upper Midwest was drawing to a close. Most of the original northern pine forest in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota had been clear cut, and the logging camps and river drivers moved westward, in search of virgin timber. Behind them, the loggers left a legacy of on one […]
The Struggle for the Soul of The WI Democratic Party
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has taken it on the chin for the past several election cycles. Since 2009, the Badger State Dems have lost 5 State Senate Seats, 17 Assembly Seats, and 3 gubernatorial elections. Perhaps most stunning, Wisconsin voted Republican in the 2016 Presidential election for the first time since the 1980s. As […]
Amadeus Opens at the Bartell Theatre on Friday June 2nd
In his 1998 book, “Outliers,” author Malcolm Gladwell makes the case that if you want to become an expert at something — playing or composing music, for example — all you need to do is put in 10,000 hours of diligent practice. No genius required. Writing two decades earlier, playwright Peter Sheaffer took a diametrically […]
US DOT Picks UW-Mad Traffic Ops & Safety Lab to Test Driverless C...
Are you looking forward to having a robot drive your car? Or does the prospect of handing the wheel over to a machine fill you with trepidation? Love ‘em or hate ‘em, driverless cars are on their way. Before they become commonplace, driverless cars have a few obstacles to overcome. Peter Rafferty is the Program […]
Madison PD Officers: Are There Too Many? Too Few? Best Approach?
At a news conference in April, after a particularly busy night of gunfire reports, Madison Police Chief Mike Koval told reporters that Madison needs to have a “come to Jesus moment” about the amount and nature of gun violence in the city. Koval argued that the Madison Police Department has too few patrol officers and […]
US Dairy Industry Produces Its Own Woes
Last month, Canadian company Grassland Dairy cancelled contracts to buy milk from scores of U.S. dairy farmers. Over 50 Wisconsin farms found themselves with no buyers for their milk. The issue bubbled up to get the notice of Washington, inspiring President Donald Trump to slap a retaliatory tariff on Canadian lumber. After much scrambling, including […]