At first glance it was a bleak weekend for Wisconsin’s top football teams. The Badgers blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost at Michigan State, 25-24. Then the Packers lost at Tennessee, falling to 4-4. But Green Bay battled the Titans, the NFL’s only undefeated team, to a stalemate. The coin flip for overtime...

"I’m the NRA and I vote,”read the campaign buttons. But on Nov. 4, the progun-rights voters fired up by the National Rifle Association (NRA) were in the minority. In fact, a slew of NRA-backed candidates were defeated across the country— including the Republican presidential ticket, lawmakers on the national...

Maybe in its last life Wisconsin was a province in Asia. Our unassuming Midwestern state, which is famously known for its cheese and beer, is a major producer of Asian staples like ginseng and soy sauce. Wisconsin’s relationship with Kikkoman Foods, the world’s largest producer of naturally brewed soy sauce...

State Rep. Mike Sheridan of Janesville was elected speaker of the state Assembly last Wednesday by the Democratic caucus, now in the majority. But just one week before the speaker’s election, three Milwaukee representatives— Pedro Colon, Fred Kessler and Jon Richards—were running against Sheridan.

Things are looking pretty grim in Madison and in state capitals around the country. Wisconsin will face an estimated $5 billion shortfall for the 2009-2011 budget and the state Department of Administration has asked agencies to cut their budgets by more than 10%, thanks to the worsening condition of the economy and...

Ask someone from rural Wisconsin if he likes apple pie and a likely response will be, “Which kind?” The distinction lies in whether the apple pie was made in an oven or over the stove. Here in the Badger State there is a long-standing tradition of making homemade batches of "Apple Pie," a potent...

The state’s football fans have endured some unpleasant weekends this fall, but not this time. The Wisconsin Badgers rallied to beat Minnesota, 35-32, raising their record to 6-5 and making them eligible for a bowl game. And the Packers shook off two straight narrow defeats and demolished...

Wisconsin has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, and it is costing taxpayers a fortune. For the majority of victimless crimes, such as drug possession, there are ways other than prison to deal with the perpetrator that are better for society as a whole and for the perpetrator...

On Nov. 4, Michigan became the 13th state to legalize medical marijuana when 63% of its voters approved a grassroots-supported ballot initiative. Now, a quarter of all Americans live in a medical marijuana state. But even though 80% of Wisconsin residents approve of legalizing medical marijuana for seriously ill...

Francophiles and wine lovers descended upon the Eisner Museum in record numbers, with nearly 200 imbibers rushing to taste this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau. The 11th annual Fete du Beaujolais Nouveau was hosted by the Alliance Française de Milwaukee and coordinated by recent Atlanta transplant Beth Haskovec...