Submit columns for consideration to wisopinion@wispolitics.com

Jill Underly: Our schools are central to democracy
Public education promises more than academic credentials; it promises citizenship and democracy. And that is a promise we can’t afford to break.

Mark Belling: Goliath leaves Madison
Robin Vos’ towering speakership has lots of highs but some aggravating lows.

Emily Tseffos: Stewardship program is in jeopardy
If you care about access to public land, about hunting and fishing traditions, about the outdoor economy that supports small-town Wisconsin, now is the moment to speak up.

Buckley Brinkman: Creating an AI advantage for Wisconsin
Wisconsin can lead in AI implementation — particularly in manufacturing. This leadership will not happen organically. It must be designed. We should create a Wisconsin AI Network – strong local nodes connected through deliberate statewide mechanisms.

Bill Barth: Independents need to speak up, loudly
On Election Day, independent numbers need to be heard. Make it loud.

Dave Cieslewicz: UW athletics wants dark money
A pending state bill would provide $14.6 million a year to the department. Spending on name, image and likeness agreements would be exempt from the state’s open records law.

Courtney Graves: How to fix Wisconsin’s slowing economic growth rate
A previous report from the MacIver Institute shows that Wisconsin’s GDP growth is lagging behind the rest of the nation. This report dives deeper into why that may be happening and what policies can be implemented to fix it.

John Torinus: High court shelves Trump’s tariff mess
The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overrule President Trump’s broad-scale use of tariffs to punish other countries caught him by surprise.

Cam T.B.: The federal war on trans healthcare mirrors that of abortion
Hospitals are folding to anti-trans hate, but the community continues to advocate for trans youth.

Thomas Nelson: Jesse Jackson redefined the Democratic Party
For those ground down by today’s politics, remember Jackson’s example. Keep hope alive.

Jeffrey Leverich: Blame both parties for this political moment
The democratic promise of our nation is broken by big-money corruption. Can we finally understand that the current turmoil confronting us results from our failed political system?

Steven Walters: How Robin Vos transformed Wisconsin
Longest-serving Assembly speaker in history had a controversial tenure.

David Blaska: Robin Vos never subscribed to the Big Lie
The speaker believed responsible conservatism wins elections.

Bruce Murphy: Could Democrats sweep Wisconsin Legislature?
A trifecta is possible. That would be historic.

Leah Vukmir and Andrew Wilford: Stop badgering Wisconsin visitors with tiny tax bills
Imagine you’re one of the millions of Americans who visit Wisconsin every year. You’d likely enjoy classic Wisconsin hospitality: bratwurst, cheese curds, brandy old-fashioneds and — maybe even a tax bill?

Brian Fraley: The whole truth: Why the war on school milk is the ultimate, wacky, radical overreach
The new enemy is a cold, creamy glass of whole milk.

John Nichols: Hong chooses people power over tech billionaire overreach
Rejecting the empty rhetoric and even emptier caution that characterizes most campaigns, Hong is focusing in on the debates about data centers and artificial intelligence that will define Wisconsin’s future.

LaKeshia Myers: On ice and against the odds: Honoring our Black winter Olympians
We are out here — on the ice, in the snow, at the top of the podium — because excellence doesn’t wait for an invitation. It shows up anyway.

Patrick R. Johnson: Student journalism is civic infrastructure. Protect it.
If we want stronger local journalism anywhere, we should stop talking about trust as a mood and start treating it as a practice.

Lena Taylor: On the passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson
When members of the Wisconsin Legislature, myself included, chose to leave the state to stand against an attack on workers’ rights, Rev. Jackson was there. He didn’t just lend his voice, he lent his heart and resources.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ discuss the federal ban on hemp-derived THC products
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, take up the federal ban on hemp products containing THC and its effect on a multi-million dollar industry in Wisconsin. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public

Rewind: Your Week in Review for Oct. 17
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” Wisconsin Public Radio Capitol Reporter Anya Van Wagtendonk and Associated Press Capitol Correspondent Scott Bauer discuss the 7th CD race, the governor’s race, the latest action in the state Senate and Assembly, and more.