Isthmus

Isthmus is a free weekly newspaper located in Madison, Wisconsin (USA). It was established in 1976 by Vince O'Hern and Fred Milverstedt. The newspaper is released every Thursday and has a weekly distribution of 50,000 copies. In addition to the print edition, Isthmus also shares news, opinions, sports updates, and a wide range of articles about local arts, dining, and music on its website, Isthmus.com.

Local

English

Newspaper

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#226150

United States

#46050

News and Media

#1988

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

The co-founder of Isthmus, described as one of Madison’s best writers, has died

5 days ago | isthmus.com | Judith Davidoff |Jason Joyce

Legendary Madison journalist Fred Milverstedt, who co-founded Isthmus in 1976 with Vince O’Hern, has died. Mike Baron, a comic book author and former Isthmus writer, reported the news Monday on his Substack. Milverstedt was a Madison native, graduating from West High School in 1960.
‘Hooked’ loon on Lake Monona rescued after eluding capture for two days

6 days ago | isthmus.com | Judith Davidoff

Linda Grenzer runs Loon Rescue out of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, with her husband, Kevin. Wednesday night Grenzer posted on Facebook an update to the two-day saga of a wounded loon spotted on Lake Monona. “A Madison Community Coming Together to Save a Loon in Distress,” she wrote. “Once rescued a disturbing find that X-rays revealed!” The group was alerted to the “hooked” loon Monday morning by Nate Stade and Andy Swartz, who saw it near Olbrich Park.
Never do for a boy…

1 week ago | isthmus.com | Jason Joyce

Joe Steen was a psychiatrist who wore a pointy goatee and horn-rimmed sunglasses with red lenses. He smoked a pipe, which he always seemed to have a hard time keeping lit, and he would fuss with it even as he recited Edgar Allan Poe stories from memory or kicked a kid’s ass in chess. After my dad and some teachers, Steen was the adult male with whom I spent the most time as a teenager.
Can we get some answers here?

1 week ago | isthmus.com | Judith Davidoff

Last month I wrote about trust in the media. In a nutshell: Americans generally distrust national media, but generally trust local media. The more people are connected to their community, the more they are likely to engage with local news and trust local news. The reverse is also true. The more informed people are, the more connected and active people are in their communities. That puts a lot of pressure on us in the news-gathering business to keep people informed.
Sweetgreen or Crisp& Green establish themselves in Madison

1 week ago | isthmus.com | Linda Falkenstein

Descr: Salad and bowl restaurants have been rising in popularity for a while, but the national chains have been pretty quiet in Madison. That’s likely because our homegrown version, Forage Kitchen, got a firm foothold early, expanding from one location on State Street in 2015 to nine — five in the Madison area, plus Pewaukee, Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee and Champaign, Illinois. I guess it’s also a chain now.
A proposal for tax incentives for in-state film production gains momentum

1 week ago | isthmus.com | Graham Brown

Nick Langholff has traveled the world as an assistant film director. When he came home to Wisconsin in 2006, he continued to make movies, including Madison and Feed the Fish. But over the last dozen years, he has transitioned to commercial production and says he is “grateful” to have brought to life advertisements starring Aaron Rodgers and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Still, other stories linger in the back of Langholff’s mind.
Madison celebrates 150 years of public library service

1 week ago | isthmus.com | Linda Falkenstein

In some ways it’s an awkward time for the Madison Public Library to be celebrating its 150th anniversary. Libraries are facing funding cuts — and cuts for other programs, from social services to the humanities, are creating a domino effect that will also impact libraries. But still, the milestone is an opportunity to celebrate and highlight what the library provides to the city, says Tana Elias, library director at Madison Public Library.
The next era for Madison’s indie venues - Isthmus

1 week ago | isthmus.com | Emilie Heidemann

“We try to keep music accessible,” Toffer Christensen says, his voice permeating the soon-to-open Atwood Music Hall. “We want people to go out and see as many shows as possible.” Christensen, co-owner of the new venue at 1925 Winnebago St. as well as the Bur Oak, down the street, is in some ways sticking his neck out with the new hall, which, at its 700-seat capacity, will need to attract some national touring bands to fill its space.
How the sausage was made

1 week ago | isthmus.com | Larry Sandler

It was a big win for Wisconsin’s small towns. Soon after the Legislature overhauled local government funding in 2023, shared revenue, the state’s primary local aid program, jumped thousands of percentage points for towns and villages with fewer than 100 residents, while percentage increases were far more modest for the largest cities. The biggest cities are also the most Democratic, while small towns are growing ever more Republican.
Madison nonprofit Rooted sees several grants for youth education canceled or paused

2 weeks ago | isthmus.com | Ava Menkes

For the last several years, Rooted, a Madison nonprofit focused on urban agriculture, has run programs that help get locally grown food into student lunches and snacks, as well as fund school gardening programs and other initiatives. Now these programs are threatened by the Trump administration’s cuts to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding. One of the grants the group applied for is canceled for the next funding cycle, while the grant it currently has is uncertain for the next cycle.