Editorials and Columns

In May, as the state Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget committee considered a plan to spend far less on education than what Democrat Gov. Tony Evers proposed, Sheila Plotkin started filing public records requests.

It’s amazing how quickly things can disappear in Madison.

It’s time for leaders on the Sauk County Board to take control of the search for an administrative coordinator.

Overturning two lower court rulings, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck a blow Wednesday for government secrecy. The court’s 5-2 decision in the case involving state Attorney General Brad Schimel was mistaken — twice — and came from the same swamp that produced state GOP legislators’ efforts…

State Rep. David Murphy, R-Greenville, is the latest in a line of state legislators to get his tighty whities in a bundle over a class going on over at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

A state appeals court ruled last week that local “social host” ordinances aimed at curbing underage drinking don’t apply to private residences because such ordinances are tougher than the state statute covering such behavior. We think the ruling is a mistaken reading of the statute, and that…

Before the state enacted the 70 mph speed limit on interstate highways in 2015, we suggested that officials monitor the results and provide a review within a year. In light of a Journal Sentinel article last week that showed fatalities, injuries and accidents spiked in the wake of the increa…

There is big money in pain, which is why the makers of prescription painkillers seem so interested in ensuring that doctors keep prescribing opioids despite an addiction crisis that has claimed 165,000 lives in the United States since 2000.

The billionaire owner of a company that makes lead formerly used in paint gives Wisconsin Club for Growth $750,000 to help buck up Gov. Scott Walker and GOP senators during a political crisis — the recall elections in 2011 and 2012.

The Guardian US, the U.S. edition of the British newspaper, has done a tremendous public service by obtaining and publishing nearly 1,500 pages of documents compiled during the John Doe probe into whether Scott Walker’s campaign violated the law during the 2011-12 recall elections — document…

We the people of the United States, in order to ensure the welfare and prosperity of ourselves and our posterity, do demand that the 2016 presidential candidates submit plans to reduce the runaway federal budget deficit.

What will legislators do about transportation funding? And when will they actually do it? Those are two good questions that voters should be asking of every state representative and every state senator who faces election this fall.

The Republicans have only themselves to blame for the Trump Carnival that pitches its tent in Cleveland this week. Party leaders were so out of touch with their own members that they couldn’t imagine that a reality TV star with an ego the size of Manhattan and an interest in the issues the s…

Wisconsin public school students last month took their third different standardized test in three years.

Cancer and heart disease are the leading causes of death in the United States. People diagnosed with these illnesses turn to the medical community for help.

Legislators approved a bill this month imposing $20 to $40 fines for drivers talking on handheld cellphones in construction zones, moving one more step toward banning all cell phone use while driving.

A bill in the state Legislature would allow kids younger than 10 to hunt.

For decades, many liberals have dreamed of a universal health insurance system in which the federal government provides coverage to everyone and pays the cost. Known as “single-payer,” it’s modeled on programs in Canada and Britain, among others, as well as Medicare.

Trout fishing is a big deal in Wisconsin. It’s great for residents and our quality of life. It’s great for tourism and economic development.

At its best, football is a beautiful sport. From the Olympic speed of NFL running backs to the masterful skills of quarterbacks, the game can take your breath away.