It won't make American Players Theatre's stage, but this year’s Capitol version of State Budget Deal was a five-act drama that took 18 months …
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed secretary of health and human services, everyone knew he was capable of doing great damage. He had a …
This townie has been busy over the last few months and I’ve slacked on my writing.
The Fourth of July holiday celebrates community, national and also local. Parades featuring people in uniform — scouts, firefighters and polic…
One year from now, the nation will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. I fear it could be a shame, even possibly a sham.
As the White House makes an effort to champion deals with American industries, broadband is getting its moment in the spotlight. Last week, AT…
The McCain Institute just returned from a weeklong mission to Ukraine, visiting Bucha, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Kyiv, with a bipartisan delegation …
President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran is a major surprise. The attack came right after he announced he would decide whether or not to…
In 2009, Janet Napolitano, former President Barack Obama’s homeland security secretary, announced a study of right-wing violence like the Okla…
Accessible, affordable child care is a foundational element of a thriving local economy. Child care enables parents to fully participate in th…
Please join the newspapers of Wisconsin in thanking the Wisconsin State Senate for supporting transparency in government. On May 15, the Sena…
Apart from feeding ourselves and procreating, is there any compulsion more fundamental to our human character than fighting among ourselves?
It’s one step forward, two steps back.
It’s how the Capitol works: A deadlock over the request of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to spend $4.6 billion more on just three programs let Re…
For those who are paying attention and care at all about human decency, the Trump administration’s political chaos and social instability is a…
He called me on a cold and snowy Saturday morning to ask if I would like to go for a ride in his Snow Cat.
Five years is a blink in American history— a nation built on contradiction, striving, and unfinished business. It was five years ago that a Mi…
Since Donald Trump was elected again, I’ve feared one scenario above all others: that he’d call out the military against people protesting his…
Trump Administration arbitrary moves to restructure the international trade environment to accommodate White House whims have suddenly run int…
In 1925, 25,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. Never before had so many men in white sheets desce…
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Access to high-quality healthcare is essential everywhere. However, it takes on a whole new meaning in rural areas, which often have greater m…
In January 1925, Wisconsin’s first women legislators - Mildred Barber, Helen M. Brooks and Helen F. Thompson - were sworn in as state Assembly…
In 2018, Democrats around the nation thought they had found a candidate who could defeat House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville in Wisconsin’s …
Three veteran Democrats are vying for a chance to follow a legend as they try to be elected chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin at the …
The whirlwind four-day Middle East visit by President Donald Trump underscores both the complex nature of relationships within that volatile, …
The active spring of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers offers valuable feedback as he, his family and political advisors get ready to make the major …
The Janesville Police Department recently announced a new city cruising ordinance.
If you’ve tried to buy or rent a home in Janesville recently, you’ve likely felt the squeeze. Prices are rising, options are limited, and many…
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has been the bogeyman of the right for the better part of four years. The hysteria began with Republican…
Data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey, which tracks reported and unreported crimes, has put to rest …
It has been a painful few months watching federal support for health and human services, museums, libraries, public broadcasting, science, edu…
The never-ending blitz from President Trump and his cronies has me dismayed, discouraged and disheartened. But the craziness emanating from th…
For three months every two years, the 16 members of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee are the Capitol’s fiscal princes and princesses.
A recent executive order to dismantle the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is another policy change in America’s long history of sy…
On April 8, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders calling for the nation to expand the mining and burning of coal, one of…
President Trump has signed an executive order establishing the National Energy Dominance Council. The council, tasked with proposing a strateg…
Even in our ultra-polarized era, the public and private sectors seem to have reached a consensus on the common scourge of our time: bureaucracy.
When Wisconsin Republicans hold the party’s annual convention in a few days, there may be as much discussion of the past as there are calls to…
Government employees, especially those who work for the federal government, are being targeted for removal in an attempt to cut costs.
An adage says, “A stitch in time saves nine.” Indeed. But it is a lesson seldom learned by governments.
“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth…,” is a useful starting place for discussion of the influence of Pope Francis, who throughout prov…
It is hard not to sympathize with the Trump administration’s criticisms of U.S. universities.
There is something particularly American about the way we're dismantling our democracy these days – we are doing it with paperwork. While the …
For most of Wisconsin’s 177-year history, lawmaking in the capitol modeled that chapter in your high school civics or government textbook.
When a bridge collapsed in Baltimore in March 2024, Mayor Brandon Scott was derided as a “DEI Mayor,” a reference to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Passing separate budget bills authorizing spending for programs less at risk, which would buy time to get better estimates of future federal a…
Harvard University is betting everything on the rule of law. Standing up to President Donald Trump and refusing to accede to unlawful conditio…
In the shifting sands of American politics, the Democratic Party stands at a pivotal moment. Frequently cast as the Party of “Yes,” Democrats …
The decision by President Donald Trump to initiate peace talks with Russia and Ukraine has raised hopes that the brutal war may at last come t…
One small step for the AP was a giant leap for the free press.
Six months before World War II ended in Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote a letter to his top science adviser. Could the wealth of…
Beginning this week, America’s corporate bosses will have to publicly address how to gauge and respond to President Donald Trump’s chaos-induc…
The decision by President Donald Trump to initiate peace talks with Russia and Ukraine has raised hopes that the brutal war may at last come t…
It was wonderful to wake up Wednesday morning and not hear what felt like hours of political ads – ads that were lucrative for our local media…
Americans are exhausted — by our divisions, our politics, and a media landscape that thrives on tearing us apart. When asked to envision our i…
The Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, led by an unelected billionaire and supported by the Donald Trump administration, continues its…
November’s election came with a message from voters to do something about rising costs that stressed family budgets nationwide. From groceries…
In only a few weeks, the United States has walked away — or rather sprinted — from decades of global leadership. It’s unrealistic that another…
What, exactly, does the Democratic base want? More. More of everything. Including new leaders.
It may be the undercard in April 1 elections, but the contest to be the next state superintendent of public instruction is important.
Do you know who is running for the Janesville City Council or the Janesville School Board on April 1? You don’t? Well, you are not alone.
What’s actually in the beer you’re drinking? Currently, there’s no guarantee that you’ll receive a good answer to that question.
I’ve never attended an in-person listening session with our congressman; however, I’ve stopped by his office to ask questions and called sever…
In Steve Knox’s recent column in the March 10, 2025, edition of The 69 (“A plug for healthier, less-processed school lunches”), he makes …
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ plan to pay for state highways over the next two years may be almost as controversial as his proposed spending inc…
I’m a pretty boring guy when it comes to lunch. Leftovers from dinner the day before are what land in my lunch sack. Non-processed and easy. I…
Although that sound you hear coming from Washington is Elon Musk’s chainsaw of spending and federal employee cuts, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers …
The brutal verbal ambush by United States leaders of Ukraine’s beleaguered President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to resonate in the world’s c…
My friend Teresa Nguyen was recognized recently for her longtime efforts in the local arts scene. She richly deserved the recognition by the R…
What has become of us when the president, Donald Trump, who opposes big government, wants the government to have its hand in everything, from …
I have thought for a long time that Blackhawk Technical College is the place where Janesville and Beloit come together.
The sweeping plan of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to tear down the Green Bay prison built in 1898, turn the Waupun prison built in 1858 into a v…
Public access television was a big deal in the 1990s. Wayne and Garth, those crazy kids from Aurora, Ill., piqued the interest of many in Gene…
President Donald Trump has made executive orders a routine part of the day at the White House.
A few years ago, I wrote about my family healthcare dilemma. I didn’t lose healthcare. However, the care and insurance relationship between Me…
The new administration started with a bang, signing executive orders and making sweeping changes. One of those orders seeks to create the Depa…
Kendrick Lamar’s performance at Superbowl 59 was not accessible to most of us, certainly not to me. I saw he was making a statement about Amer…
No one can fault Donald Trump for failing to accomplish at least one of the things he promised while he was a candidate: disruption.
Four-term Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson finds himself as an ambassador for President Trump without a portfolio.
Last year, I elevated my sharing of all the great the great things about Janesville and I invited co-workers and their significant others to j…