Submit columns for consideration to wisopinion@wispolitics.com

Bruce Murphy: The amazingly high cost of housing
Why the American Dream is becoming impossible in Wisconsin.

Mark Lisheron: Forty-year-old vehicle emissions program under new scrutiny
Tiffany says he will seek waiver to end program in seven Wisconsin counties.

Dave Cieslewicz: Conversion therapy ruling more evidence for appointed courts
Chris Taylor will be the next Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. The political stars just align that way. But she won’t do it with my vote. Nor will I vote for the conservative on offer, Maria Lazar.

Alan Borsuk: Progress at MPS under Cassellius in first year
Brenda Cassellius has completed her first year as superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, tackling numerous inherited issues.

David Blaska: We’re no Peggy Noonan but …
Why did the president’s address to the nation last night leave us colder than yesterday’s oatmeal?

Mike Nichols: In memory of Tom Howatt, embodiment of American Dream
Tom Howatt, who rose up as the son of a Scottish immigrant to become President and CEO of Wausau Paper, a preeminent leader of Wisconsin’s business community and an exceedingly generous philanthropist, has died at the age of 76 after a two-year battle with ALS.

William Holahan: Electricity pricing in the age of data centers
Wisconsin households have been feeling the sting of rising electricity bills, driven by colder winters and higher natural gas prices and the explosive growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence threatens to drive prices higher.

Joe Zepecki: AI reaches terminal velocity without laws to regulate it
A moratorium on the firing of humans because of artificial intelligence would create valuable space and time for lawmakers confronted with the reality of what’s known as the Collingridge dilemma.

Brian Fraley: DOJ prod gets DPI to release $8M Forward Exam workplan & waterpark workshop details
It took fourteen months, a mountain of ignored requests, the retention of a respected public policy legal powerhouse and a formal intervention by the Wisconsin Attorney General to finally see more of the picture. But now that the Department of Public Instruction has been forced to open its books, the picture emerging is one of calculated stonewalling and staggering taxpayer expense.

Christa Westerberg: How to jump-start your records requests
The most important tip is to not be intimidated by the process: There are no magic words required to trigger your right to get records, and the law must be interpreted broadly in favor of access.

Samer Alatout: The quiet criminalization of student speech
Whether or not the university formally adopts IHRA, the logic is already at work. And that logic is corrosive, because it places students — especially Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and allied students — in a position where their political speech is preemptively shadowed by suspicion.

Dakota Barnes-Rush: How mentorship can shape the future of Black youths
When young Black boys see leaders, mentors and professionals who look like them, it changes what they believe is possible. Mentorship helps build confidence. It gives young people direction. And it reminds them that they are not alone.

Spencer Black: Let’s figure out if data centers are worth the cost
“Look before you leap” never made more sense.

Gregg Hoffmann: E-lawyers and ethics allegations
Attorney General Josh Kaul’s hiring of environmental lawyers from outside Wisconsin has spurred a partisan dispute in the State Legislature.

Trey Dellinger: Why Wisconsin’s bipartisan AB 105 is the right step to protect the next generation
It’s time to do what must be done to protect Wisconsin’s kids from online sexual exploitation. All Wisconsinites should urge Gov. Tony Evers to sign Assembly Bill 105 into law without delay.

Bill Barth: Time to reverse residency mistake
Sen. Mark Spreitzer and Rep. Clinton Anderson, both Beloit Democrats, are introducing legislation that would allow local communities to set residency requirements for the highest-ranking appointed individuals.

James Causey: Milwaukee youth need guidance. SEED schools can help.
Local leaders need to create a plan to incorporate a SEED School, which adopt a boarding school model for at-risk youths.

Mark Belling: Leftists are ideological bigots
If you can’t name a road after the martyred most influential Christian evangelist and conservative political influencer of this century in the most conservative county in Wisconsin, it’s a fair bet you won’t be able to do it anywhere.

Michelle Bryant: Erasing service, undermining strength
Racist leadership practices return to the military

Gregory Humphrey: Wisconsin journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Iraq: Truth tellers must not be silenced
It is a clear attack on the public’s right to know. We all suffer when truth‑seekers are punished for exposing corruption, documenting conflict, or giving voice to those who would otherwise be unheard. Silencing a reporter is an attempt to blind the world.

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.