Isthmus

08/18/2026

When asked by Isthmus to detail how one school would enforce the cell phone ban, MMSD superintendent Joe Gothard pointed to current procedures: In some schools, if a student has their phone out and isn’t supposed to, the teacher calls for behavior support staff in order to avoid a “power struggle” between a teacher and student.

Some schools will have “cell phone hotels,” where students turn in their phones at the start of class, said deputy superintendent TJ McCray, who added that one school is “looking into” students turning in cell phones during the first period, and holding them until lunch.

Asked how the district might evaluate their policy at the end of the year, Gothard said they’ll know well before then. Ongoing communication will be important, and “our community doesn’t have any problem letting us know how things are going.”

Read more at isthmus.com

08/12/2026

SPONSORED | Outreach Magic Pride Festival
Saturday, Aug. 16, 1 - 6 pm
Warner Park
https://www.outreachmagicfestival.org/

08/12/2026

When Gov. Tony Evers announced last summer he would not run for a third term in office, it was the first time in 16 years that an incumbent governor would leave the race for the office open.

Cue a chaotic year for Democrats.

“If Hollywood scriptwriters came up with this plot, it would get thrown out as too unbelievable,” says Anthony Chergosky, professor of political science at UW-La Crosse.

Three of the seven candidates on the Aug 11 ballot weren’t even in the race by the time polls opened, but several still drew thousands of votes that could have decided the election. The emergent Democratic candidate, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, was once one of the drop-outs — until he decided to re-join the race in July.

It has echoes of that last open race for governor in 2010, when Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle announced he would not run for a third term. Then, as now, the sitting Milwaukee County Executive became the nominee. In 2010, he was a Republican. His name was Scott Walker.

It might not be a coincidence, says Chergosky. “Milwaukee is an electoral powerhouse, and any candidate would love to put up strong numbers in Milwaukee.”

Read more at isthmus.com.

08/12/2026

The scene from Francesca Hong's watch party Tuesday night at the Atwood Music Hall as reported by Chali Pittman. The race has still not been called.

The Democratic primary for governor was too close to call Tuesday night

08/11/2026

Concluding a national search process that began last fall and attracted more than 30 applicants, the Barrymore Theatre has hired Jared Duymovic to be the new general manager of the nearly 100-year-old near-east side venue. Duymovic leaves his job as an agent with L.A.-based Cadenza Artists International to replace current GM Steve Sperling. Sperling ran the theater for more than 30 years and was instrumental in helping re-energize the economic hub in the Atwood corridor by renewing and renovating the theater itself.

Sperling brought more than 3,000 shows to the Barrymore, and created an “all come” theater environment with a stage that was equally welcoming to Patti Smith, T***s and the Maytals, Hunter S. Thompson, neighborhood middle school talent shows, and class graduation ceremonies.

It was that mission to draw eclectic entertainment while nurturing the Atwood connection that Duymovic is most excited to enter and continue. “One of the things that makes the Barrymore different from other venues in town is that it really, authentically is a come-as-you-are space,” he says. “I think the Barrymore’s role in the community is to reflect the community, to offer space for its community.”

Originally from Indianapolis, Duymovic, 42, and his wife, Rissa, moved to Madison in 2017 when he became the director of programming at the Overture Center. They live on the west side with their two children, who attend Memorial High School. In 2022 he became the vice president of programming and engagement at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee before joining Cadenza Artists International last year.

Read more at isthmus.com.

07/25/2026

The Dane County Farmers’ Market will move ahead on Saturday starting at 6:15 a.m., according to a Friday Facebook post, though it is being billed as “not a celebration of local food, but a space where everyone can find food grown in their community to sustain themselves and be together.” It will close early, at 10 a.m.

In the wake of the fatal Madison police shooting of Corey Ruiz, organizers are canceling festivals and performances.

07/23/2026

As the news conference proceeded downtown, the crowd gathered near the scene of the shooting grew to more than 100. Some protesters arrived with bullhorns and led chants against a loose formation of police officers that stood between yellow crime scene tape and investigators a few dozen feet away.

Wearing orange vests, about 10 members of the Focused Interruption Coalition arrived hoping to “bridge the gap between the police and the community and just make sure that everybody stays violence free,” said Leslie Jamison. “We’re going to work to deescalate and make sure nobody gets incarcerated today.”

Several speakers in the crowd urged protesters to focus their energy on the Aug. 4 meeting of the Madison city council, where amendments to the ordinance that governs the Police Civilian Oversight Board and the Office of the Independent Monitor will be discussed.

They argued that the measure would restrict the PCOB and OIM at a moment when their independence and access to police information allows them to investigate shootings just like the one on Wednesday.

“One amendment in particular takes away our unfettered access to police information and data and clearly that would impede any independent investigation that would happen in this case,” said Maia Pearson, a member of the PCOB as well as the Madison school board. “That’s going to be a very pivotal time for the Police Civilian Oversight Board here in Madison, as well as the Office of the Independent Monitor.”

Read more at isthmus.com.

07/20/2026

In announcing her run for a third term, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway flagged climate change mitigation as one of her ongoing priorities. She emphasized the point on Thursday, gesturing to the smoke from wildfires in Minnesota and Canada outside the Tenney Park Pavilion.

Rhodes-Conway says she is seeking reelection to continue working on the priorities she ran on when first elected in 2019 and again in 2023. They also include transportation, housing, and managing the city’s growth.

Rhodes-Conway pledged to help build more housing and create pathways to homeownership; add a second bus rapid transit line and passenger rail service to Milwaukee; create safer streets; and support small businesses. The incumbent mayor described herself as a reliable leader poised to stand up to “continued pressure from the Trump Administration and continued attacks on local government.”

But “above all,” Rhodes-Conway said, “we have to continue to acknowledge and address the challenges that Madison’s residents face, including the growing cost of living.” Surrounded by elected officials on the city council, Madison school board, and state Legislature, she added that she would work to reduce property taxes and fight for “fair funding and local control” at the state Capitol and in Washington.

After a decade and a half of divided state government, there could be new opportunities for whoever becomes mayor next spring. Rhodes-Conway is hoping for a Democratic “trifecta” — securing both houses of the Legislature and holding on to the governorship, to add to the state’s already liberal Supreme Court — to help achieve some of her priorities. She said she is in conversation with mayors across Wisconsin on the “biggest collective priorities” in the event of a trifecta, and it’s been a team effort to have those conversations with state lawmakers as well.

“We need to bring property tax relief to people in Madison, and I would hope that that would be a priority for people at the state level, regardless of party,” she said.

Read more at isthmus.com

07/15/2026

SPONSORED | Each month Community Shares of Wisconsin presents the Backyard Hero Award to organizations and people making change happen in our community. This month’s hero is Griffin Schumacher, a volunteer for River Alliance of Wisconsin. Since 2022, Griffin has raised nearly $10,000 for River Alliance of Wisconsin through his Instagram account, where he documents his trips on Wisconsin waterways and promotes the protection of local water resources. Thank you, Griffin!

The Backyard Hero Awards are sponsored by Isthmus, 105.5 Triple M, andBudget Signs Specialties.

https://www.communityshares.com/backyard-hero-griffin-schumacher/

07/15/2026

“Your superpower is not just your vote,” Ben Wikler explains in an Isthmus interview. “It’s your ability to build a group of people that engage with a whole lot of other people to vote — and not just in presidential elections, but in races for governor, attorney general, city council, county supervisors…Every one of these levels of government is going to play a role in getting us out of this.”

Wikler has a simple message to Democratic leaders nationally, who are often volunteers who must shut down their organizations after elections.

“It is worth investing in building an enduring political infrastructure, so that the Democratic Party can be more than an anonymous series of text messages on your phone asking for money [and] can actually be a presence in the life of a community.”

Wikler writes in his book that Wisconsin’s 2028 U.S. Senate election could be pivotal to the nation’s political future.

“Defeating Ron Johnson…while winning the White House and House, could be the race that cinches the Senate majority for Democrats and opens the path” to making sure Republicans can’t gerrymander the nation after the 2030 Census.”

Read more at isthmus.com.