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Mark Belling: The opposite of cutting-edge innovation
The slow-moving, inconvenient, expensive Madison-to-Milwaukee train idea is back.

John Nichols: Hong sides with Wisconsin workers over AI robber barons
Like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and California U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna at the federal level, she’s taking the AI debate seriously.

Dave Cieslewicz: Voting rights ruling could help Dems
The bottom line is that it’s way too early to declare this a big victory for Republicans or even to claim with much confidence that it will reduce the number of Black representatives. And, if it makes us consider voters as individuals with a simple right to vote, rather than as faceless members of a bloc that votes all the same, so much the better. Now, that would be true progress.

Paul Van Auken, et al: If we want peace in the US, we should learn from Ireland
People can find points of connection in the stories of others, even if they’re of a different political party, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Listening is the key to building relationships.

Dave Zweifel: RFK Jr. ushers in age of contagion
A doctor friend of mine predicted this would happen 10 years ago: Measles is back.

Peder Mewis: Wisconsin’s energy future calls for practical, balanced solutions
An all‑the‑above strategy that includes renewables is the responsible path forward and positions our state to succeed for decades to come.

Bruce Thompson: ACA premium costs rose 40% in Milwaukee
How and why ACA marketplace rates rose so high in Wisconsin and the nation.

Curt Kubiak: Direct Primary Care is growing in Wisconsin, and for good reason
At its core, direct primary care offers a simpler way to deliver primary care. Patients pay a predictable monthly fee for access to most primary care services, bypassing insurance billing, copays, and administrative complexity. That simplicity is proving to be a powerful tool for patients, clinicians, and communities.

John Nichols: Where do Wisconsin Republicans stand on voting rights?
Will they maintain the Wisconsin Republican tradition of putting voting rights ahead of partisanship?

Courtney Graves: The growing burden of behavior and special education in Wisconsin classrooms
The growing number of behavior issues in the classroom and Individualized Education Plans are putting pressure on Wisconsin schools and teachers.

LaKeshia Myers: Knowledge is power — and so is money: April Is Financial Literacy Month
The racial wealth gap did not happen by accident. It was built — policy by policy, denial by denial, generation by generation. And while we cannot undo history overnight … Knowledge is power. And so is money. Let’s get both.

Natalie Eilbert: Flock camera surveillance is Big Brother come to life
Every municipal leader considering surveillance technology must ask themselves, “Who controls our data?” These questions must be discussed in the open with public input, even — and especially — if sometimes it feels like the plot of a science fiction novel.

Gregory Humphrey: Doty Land Podcast: Honoring George Meyer, a dedicated conservationist
Warm recollections from friends and fellow conservationists about the former Secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation

Steven Walters: Was Dan Bice Wisconsin’s most important journalist?
Remembering the unique style of the Journal Sentinel columnist and former colleague.

John Nichols: Is Tommy Thompson too old? Never!
The thing to understand about Tommy Thompson is that he doesn’t accept conventional measures of aging. At age 84, he’s still operating businesses, working on his farm near Elroy and, as has been widely noted in recent months, at least mildly entertaining the prospect of mounting a fifth bid for governor of Wisconsin.

Bill Kaplan: Tom Nelson seeks common ground on shipbuilding
Outagamie County Exec Tom Nelson and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin call for revitalizing American shipbuilding.

Kay Fijalkiewicz: Legal immigrants, legal uncertainty
Over the past year it has become increasingly difficult for humanitarian parolees to receive renewal confirmation for work permits and other necessary documents.

Susan Stanton, Alvin Thomas and David Pate: Commuting Wisconsin life prison sentences needs reentry process
For prisoners who demonstrate rehabilitation and growth, new orders create an opportunity for a second chance. But more reforms are needed to ensure people who are released are not set up to fail.

Michelle Bryant: We are built for this fight
All is not lost in voting rights set-back.

Christa Westerberg: How to make a Wisconsin open records request: Free tools and tips
Wisconsin’s Open Records law, by design, makes it easy to get records, to fulfill its important objective of informing the electorate. Don’t hesitate to exercise your right to use it.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ discuss Evers’ end-of-session vetoes, bill signings
The WisPolitics.com Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, discuss Governor Evers’ vetoes and bipartisan bill signings for the recent legislative session. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

Rewind: Your week in review for April 24
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and Wisconsin Public Radio Capitol Reporter Anya van Wagtendonk discuss GOP businessman and attorney Paul Wassgren dropping his 7th CD bid, ad buys in congressional races, oral arguments before the state Supreme Court on access to data on voters deemed incompetent and more.