Citizen Dave: The world is lumpy, and cities matter Dave Cieslewicz on Wednesday 02/22/2012 2:19 pm It has become a cliché that that world is flat as famously described by Thomas Friedman. But new research by Barry Wellman, a communications professor at the University of Toronto, suggests just the opposite. Wellman studied millions of tweets and discovered they're not evenly distributed at all. >More
Madison voters turned away at polls for lacking photo ID Judith Davidoff on Wednesday 02/22/2012 10:53 am Melanie Sax and other poll workers recognized the longtime voter. They also found her name and address in the poll book. But she did not have a photo ID for Tuesday's primary so she could not vote. "She was fairly recently in a car accident and couldn't make it to the DOT to get a Wisconsin ID," said Sax, the chief elections inspector at the polling location at Trinity United Methodist Church on Vilas Avenue. >More
Wilmington on DVD: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part One, Mozart's Sister, The Conformist on Wednesday 02/22/2012 10:00 am Breaking Dawn - Part One, the latest chunk of the Twilight Saga -- set in a world where handsome vampires and sexy werewolves pursue repressed young teenage girls through the hills and forests of Forks, Washington -- continues the series' obsession with the love that dare not show its face and lovers who seem trapped in an old Production Code. But no such bloody luck. >More
Ellen Berz bests Walker-appointed judge, Roger Allen, in Dane County circuit court primary Nayantara Mukherji on Wednesday 02/22/2012 9:54 am, (1) Comment It's rare for an appointed judge to get challenged at election time. Rarer still for there to be a primary. So Ellen Berz scored no small victory Tuesday night in besting Circuit Court Judge Roger Allen, who was appointed to the bench in December by Gov. Scott Walker. According to preliminary election results, Berz won 44 percent of the vote, Allen, 31 percent, and Francis Sullivan, 24 percent. The City Clerk's Office reports that 1,276 absentee ballots remain to be counted. >More
Wisconsin union lobbying plummets in last half of 2011 Bill Lueders, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism on Wednesday 02/22/2012 9:43 am When the unions' lobbying money flowed, it really flowed. And then, for the most part, it dried up. During the first half of 2011, labor unions collectively reported spending more than $7 million on lobbying in Wisconsin. This six-month total was $2 million more than these same unions spent during the entire prior two-year legislative session, 2009-10. >More
Live-blogging voter ID reports from the 2012 Wisconsin spring primary Isthmus Staff on Tuesday 02/21/2012 Tuesday, February 21 marks the first election day in Wisconsin with the new voter identification regulations in place at the polls. Voters across the state are now required to present a specific form of ID to poll workers and sign their name or mark in the poll book in order to receive a ballot. Follow live tweets, aggregated reports, and discussion throughout the day and evening here. >More
Pigs in a Fur Coat to serve small plates on Willy Street Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 02/21/2012 3:24 pm, (2) Comments The building formerly home to La Rocca's Pizza on Willy Street will have a new tenant: Pigs in a Fur Coat. According to documents filed with the city of Madison, the target opening date at 940 Williamson will be March or April. >More
Residents cry foul over big-box grocery at Grandview Commons Nathan J. Comp on Tuesday 02/21/2012 2:20 pm A proposal to build a Copp's grocery store on Madison's far east side has outraged dozens of residents who want the city to reject the plan, claiming it upends the new urbanist vision that spurred them to buy homes in the Grandview Commons neighborhood. New urbanism drew people to this community, and now they want to impose a big-box store in the middle of it," says Barbara Davis, referring to developer Veridian Homes. >More
Madison bookstores prepare for brisk sales of Russ Feingold's While America Sleeps Judith Davidoff on Tuesday 02/21/2012 1:23 pm The publicists at Crown must not know just how gaga Badger progressives are over former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold. How the tears flowed when he lost to political newcomer and tea party favorite Ron Johnson in 2010. How his supporters have begged him, in vain, to run against Gov. Scott Walker in an all but certain recall election. >More
Win tickets to a Johnny Cash 80th Birthday Bash, ZoSo, Memoryhouse, Reverend Horton Heat, Daniel and the Lion, more! on Tuesday 02/21/2012 12:00 pm The Isthmus Guest List is back with another round of free tickets to amazing concerts, shows and more fun events around Madison. This week's contests include tickets to: a Johnny Cash 80th Birthday Bash, Zoso, Reverend Horton Heat, Colin Hay, and the Great Midwestern Bluegrass Bash at the Majestic; Nic Cowan and Imaginary Cities at the RSR Stage; Ava Luna at the Frequency; Tennis, Memoryhouse, Daniel and the Lion, Dave Alvin & The Guilty Ones, the Wisconsin Beard-Off, The Pints, The Kissers, and Dave Wax Museum at the High Noon; and more! >More
Citizen Dave: Ten reasons to defriend me Dave Cieslewicz on Tuesday 02/21/2012 10:52 am Last week, I wrote about how I had hit the Facebook friend ceiling of 5,000. I was sort of implying, without being too heavy-handed about it, that if you're one of the 5,000, maybe you'd want to defriend me and make room for others. I can't bear to do the defriending from my end. I saw Sophie's Choice. So to make things easier for all of us, if you're one of my Facebook friends, let me offer ten reasons why you should defriend me. >More
Battleground, Episode 2 recap: Who Is Claire Villareal? Kristian Knutsen on Tuesday 02/21/2012 6:00 am, (1) Comment Battleground sinks its docu-dramedy roots into the soils of both story and Madison milieu in its second episode. While the pilot offered basic character introductions amid a war room setting, this slice of the primary campaign starts spinning a web of personal connections and conflicts among its young staffers. >More
Citizen Dave: A new language of politics Dave Cieslewicz on Monday 02/20/2012 11:45 am, (1) Comment On President's Day, let's take a moment to remember a man who never was president but should have been. Bobby Kennedy's campaign for the 1968 Democratic nomination lasted just 82 days before he was shot in a hotel kitchen while reaching to shake the hand of a dishwasher. He may have been the last American politician who had the courage to tell us what we needed to hear, not what he thought would get him the most votes. >More
Shearwater emphasizes volume at High Noon Saloon Scott Gordon on Monday 02/20/2012 11:18 am Shearwater's new album, Animal Joy, doesn't quite sacrifice the prettier moments of 2008's Rook or 2010's The Golden Archipelago, but certainly makes a point of rocking a little more bluntly. That was clear enough when the Austin band played a fierce set Sunday night at the High Noon. >More
The Week: February 20-23, 2012 on Monday 02/20/2012 6:00 am Madison keeps its winter warm streak running this week with a calendar that includes: talks by Jennifer Chiaverini, Gary Rhoades, and Professor Griff; a performance by Ballet Folklorico de Colombia; and live music from Steve Aoki, Brad Paisley, Dreamers of the Ghetto, and Prof. >More
Vinyl Cave: Mono vs. stereo with the 'White Album' by The Beatles Bob Koch on Sunday 02/19/2012 8:00 am, (3) Comments Another legendary title was recently checked off this collector's list: I stumbled across a mono LP of The Beatles, a.k.a. the White Album. Probably similar to many Fabs fans in the U.S., I've known about the U.K. mono edition for many years, but had never seen one in person until now. >More
A Book A Week: The Sisters From Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen Becky Holmes on Saturday 02/18/2012 6:00 pm Beverly Jensen wrote The Sisters From Hardscrabble Bay in the 1990s, but died of cancer before she could publish it. In fact it's not entirely clear whether she meant for it to be published, though she had been working with a writing group and taking writing classes. >More
Madison's Count This Penny to play 'Prairie Home Companion' Jason Joyce on Friday 02/17/2012 6:11 pm Allen and Amanda Rigell haven't lived in town for long, but Madison will proudly claim them as its own when their Americana duo, Count This Penny, plays for a national audience on a "Prairie Home Companion" broadcast from the Milwaukee Theatre on March 31. >More
Anthony Shadid will be missed in Madison and around the world Bill Lueders, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism on Friday 02/17/2012 4:54 pm Earlier today, a television reporter stopped by to talk with me about Anthony Shadid, one of my former interns at Isthmus. The reporter, camera running, asked me if I had any idea back then just how far Anthony would go -- the national Associated Press, Boston Globe, Washington Post, New York Times, two Pulitzer prizes, three books (one set to be published next month), international recognition and acclaim. And, as sad as I'm feeling about news of Anthony's passing, in Syria yesterday of an apparent asthma attack, at age 43, I had to smile. >More
Steel Dreams Madison's rail corridors inspire competing visions. Anthony Shadid on Friday 02/17/2012 4:54 pm New York Times journalist Anthony Shadid died on February 16 at 43. He was on assignment in Syria when he apparently suffered a fatal asthma attack. The Pulitzer Prize-winner attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he wrote for The Daily Cardinal and Isthmus. The following story, from the October 27, 1989, edition of Isthmus, is a look at Madison's railroad corridors. >More
Citizen Dave: The Week in Review... when will the Republican debates return so we can laugh again? Dave Cieslewicz on Friday 02/17/2012 2:47 pm Ok, so look people, this was not an especially funny week. Now, last week -- last week was golden. You had the Russians bringing back a guy from the dead to prosecute him for back taxes. You had the 50th anniversary of the Cuban trade embargo -- a huge success on the verge of toppling Castro after only half a century! And you had Republicans running for president of the United States and saying things. >More
New York Times food writer Mark Bittman to speak at Isthmus Green Day 2012 on Friday 02/17/2012 1:00 pm Mark Bittman, the acclaimed New York Times food columnist, will make his Madison debut at the fifth annual Isthmus Green Day. The environmental expo will be held on Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Monona Terrace. Admission is free and open to the public. >More
Uvulittle Records looks to grow with Maestro Subgum reissues Scott Gordon on Friday 02/17/2012 11:13 am, (1) Comment Madison has sprouted a healthy number of new independent labels in the past few years, from the adventurous Brave Mysteries to the garage-pop leanings of Kind Turkey Records. But Jon Hain has been running Uvulittle Records since about 1996. In his spare time as co-owner of Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, Hain has gradually built a small but chaotic roster that includes singer-songwriter Ritt Deitz and Chicago psych-improv band Milkbaby. >More
The Week[end]: February 17-19, 2011 on Friday 02/17/2012 6:00 am The Madison Winter Festival and Polar Plunge are looking to make the most of the mild season this weekend. The calendar also includes: stand-up by Kate Clinton; performances by by Kanopy Dance; productions of Twelve Angry Men, Splendor in the Math, and A Brown Bear, a Caterpillar and a Moon; a talk by Ira Glass; two nights of Carnaval parties and the Local Love Fest; and, more live music from the Ryan Korb Trio with Greg Abate, Lizz Wright, Gaelic Storm, Yacht, Soja, DrFameus, David Francey, The Dream Songs Project, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Night Moves, Star Persons, Juniper Tar, Andrew D. Huber, and Shearwater. >More
City pushes for compromise on Block 100 to avoid 'bruising battle' Joe Tarr on Thursday 02/16/2012 4:14 pm Progress on the redevelopment of the 100 block of State Street has stalled while city officials push to get the developers to consider alternatives to tearing down the landmark Schubert Building, 120 W. Mifflin St., and its neighbor, the Fairchild Building, 122 W. Mifflin St. Both the Landmarks and Urban Design Commissions planned on reviewing -- and possibly voting on -- the project this week, but both panels referred it to a later date. >More
Wisconsin GOP passed redistricting with almost no public support Bill Lueders, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism on Thursday 02/16/2012 2:55 pm By now, the notion that outside special interests drive the political process is so widely accepted as to be almost a cliche. And often this belief is buttressed by the disclosures that lobby groups must make. Yet when it comes to the hot-button state political issue of redistricting, the process appears driven not by outside special interests but an inside one: the Legislature itself. >More
Citizen Dave: I am not being stuck up! Dave Cieslewicz on Thursday 02/16/2012 1:24 pm, (1) Comment As of yesterday, I joined a very select group -- or at least it would have been four years ago. Yesterday I reached my 5,000th friend on Facebook. This means that I'm sorry but you can't "friend" me even if you wanted to. You had your chance but now it's over. It's not that I don't want to be your friend, it's just that I can't because Big Brother Facebook won't let me. >More
Gov. Scott Walker's corruption scandal brings shame to Wisconsin Brian Austin on Wednesday 02/15/2012 4:00 pm, (10) Comments A government that has lost the trust of its citizens is not long for power. Under Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin has gone in one year from being a state renowned for open and clean government to one that is shabby and nefarious. >More
Citizen Dave: Idea of the Week... a Green Transportation card for Madison Dave Cieslewicz on Wednesday 02/15/2012 3:07 pm, (5) Comments It's Winter Bike to Work Week and, in fact, I have been biking to work pretty much all season long. Of course, this isn't so much to brag about this winter with so little snow and such mild temperatures. But I still feel the warm glow of political correctness and I'm actually enjoying the rides. So this Idea of the Week is transportation-related: What if one card gave you access to four ways to get around? >More
MMoCA recalls a master showman with 'Houdini: Art and Magic' Jennifer A. Smith on Wednesday 02/15/2012 2:38 pm Nearly 90 years after his death, Harry Houdini still draws excited crowds, as proven by the throngs at last Friday's opening of "Houdini: Art and Magic" at the Art. A talk by the show's curator was standing room only, and MMoCA's main galleries on the second floor were packed with adults and kids alike. >More
Cookbook cues: All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art by Molly Stevens Anna Thomas Bates on Wednesday 02/15/2012 2:00 pm The aroma of roast chicken or the look of perfectly caramelized beef tenderloin wakens my inner cavewoman and makes my mouth water, but preparing it makes me edgy. A botched dish is costly (to your wallet, and potentially your belly). And compared to simmering a nice bean soup, there are a lot of questions of faith. >More
Wilmington on DVD: Project Nim, The Rum Diary, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas Mike Wilmington on Wednesday 02/15/2012 10:00 am Few films in recent years have moved and disturbed or impressed me as much as Project Nim, James Marsh's documentary about the chimpanzee named Nim Chimpsky, of his life and hard times, of his rise and fall, of how he was taught to be almost human and then punished for being a chimpanzee. >More
Madison Snaps -- February 15, 2012 on Wednesday 02/15/2012 8:00 am Today's image titled “Freezing the Winter Roads” was photographed by Mike Vande Ven Jr. >More
Citizen Dave: The world is lumpy, and cities matter Dave Cieslewicz on Wednesday 02/22/2012 2:19 pm It has become a cliché that that world is flat as famously described by Thomas Friedman. But new research by Barry Wellman, a communications professor at the University of Toronto, suggests just the opposite. Wellman studied millions of tweets and discovered they're not evenly distributed at all. >MoreCitizen Dave: Ten reasons to defriend me Dave Cieslewicz on Tuesday 02/21/2012 10:52 am Last week, I wrote about how I had hit the Facebook friend ceiling of 5,000. I was sort of implying, without being too heavy-handed about it, that if you're one of the 5,000, maybe you'd want to defriend me and make room for others. I can't bear to do the defriending from my end. I saw Sophie's Choice. So to make things easier for all of us, if you're one of my Facebook friends, let me offer ten reasons why you should defriend me. >MoreCitizen Dave: A new language of politics Dave Cieslewicz on Monday 02/20/2012 11:45 am, (1) Comment On President's Day, let's take a moment to remember a man who never was president but should have been. Bobby Kennedy's campaign for the 1968 Democratic nomination lasted just 82 days before he was shot in a hotel kitchen while reaching to shake the hand of a dishwasher. He may have been the last American politician who had the courage to tell us what we needed to hear, not what he thought would get him the most votes. >MoreCitizen Dave: The Week in Review... when will the Republican debates return so we can laugh again? Dave Cieslewicz on Friday 02/17/2012 2:47 pm Ok, so look people, this was not an especially funny week. Now, last week -- last week was golden. You had the Russians bringing back a guy from the dead to prosecute him for back taxes. You had the 50th anniversary of the Cuban trade embargo -- a huge success on the verge of toppling Castro after only half a century! And you had Republicans running for president of the United States and saying things. >MoreCitizen Dave: I am not being stuck up! Dave Cieslewicz on Thursday 02/16/2012 1:24 pm, (1) Comment As of yesterday, I joined a very select group -- or at least it would have been four years ago. Yesterday I reached my 5,000th friend on Facebook. This means that I'm sorry but you can't "friend" me even if you wanted to. You had your chance but now it's over. It's not that I don't want to be your friend, it's just that I can't because Big Brother Facebook won't let me. >MoreCitizen Dave: Idea of the Week... a Green Transportation card for Madison Dave Cieslewicz on Wednesday 02/15/2012 3:07 pm, (5) Comments It's Winter Bike to Work Week and, in fact, I have been biking to work pretty much all season long. Of course, this isn't so much to brag about this winter with so little snow and such mild temperatures. But I still feel the warm glow of political correctness and I'm actually enjoying the rides. So this Idea of the Week is transportation-related: What if one card gave you access to four ways to get around? >MoreCitizen Dave: Time for the game without a clock... baseball season is starting Dave Cieslewicz on Tuesday 02/14/2012 10:49 am, (1) Comment Pitchers and catchers report to spring training camps this week, so it's time to think about baseball. Every year, I find myself liking baseball more. I think it's because baseball is the only major American team sport without a clock. Football has a clock. So does basketball. >MoreCitizen Dave: Ted DeDee a good choice for new Overture president Dave Cieslewicz on Monday 02/13/2012 1:35 pm Welcome to Madison, Ted. You've got a great place to work and a fantastic city to work in. Ted DeDee has been selected by the Overture Center Foundation board to succeed Tom Carto and become the art center's fourth president since its opening about six years ago. From everything I've read and learned about him, he is a good choice. >MoreCitizen Dave: The Week in Review... death, taxes, Castro, and quiet Republicans Dave Cieslewicz on Friday 02/10/2012 1:05 pm, (1) Comment They say there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. Well, now it looks like taxes are even more of a sure thing than death. It took the Russians, a country that knows something about the dark side, to figure that one out. >MoreCitizen Dave: Where's Wisconsin? A lost year under Walker Dave Cieslewicz on Thursday 02/09/2012 3:34 pm, (6) Comments It was a year ago this week that all hell broke lose. Governor Scott Walker proposed what amounts to the elimination of public employee unions. The backlash was heard around the world, and has resulted in the recall of the governor with the final chapters of all this still to be written. >More> MORE FROM DAVE
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