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Series/Columns

Limited series and ongoing columns on Madison minutiae, the outdoors, and more.

A photo shows a large group of protestors spread out across both sides of a wide road, holding two banners. One reads "Black Lives Matter" and the other reads "Community control over police."

Police accountability is at stake in Madison’s 2025 budget

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Politics
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November 11, 2024

An inside perspective on the needs and challenges facing the City’s fledgling oversight efforts.

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Latest in Series/Columns
A blurred collage of political text messages addressed to "Steven," "Cristal," and "Christina," each demanding money and support.
Who was this for?
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Microtones
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November 8, 2024

Voters shouldn't have to endure a barrage of useless, misfired election ads.

A sketch of Paul Soglin's face is copied multiple times over a yellow, red, and orange gradient.
Stuck in austerity hell with Paul Soglin
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Capitol Punishments
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November 5, 2024

The former Madison mayor's latest antics complete his transformation into a backward-looking conservative.

A simple image collage that features a sidewalk view of the Four Star Video Rental storefront on West Gilman Street in Madison. The neon "OPEN" sign is illuminated. To its right, co-owner Lewis Peterson writes the next title on the list for his "DIY Horror" daily theme on a whiteboard. At the bottom left, employee C Nelson-Lifson adds a title to their list of "From Beyond The Grave" to that same whiteboard the following week. The bottom right image features a wider view of the store's main counter area, and a television that is playing the movie "Born Of Fire."
Personalized variations on a theme
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Microtones
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November 1, 2024

Four Star Video Rental keeps up a long tradition of human-driven recommendations.

A collage of Tone Madison's original editorial art. From left to right: Shaysa Sidebottom's illustration depicting the silhouette of a person in a cap standing by their bike. A building is visible next to them. It is coated in dark blues, with two streetlamps illuminated in red, casting a red glow on the outline of the bike. Next image: Andrew Mulhearn's illustration of a body cam in gold. In the body cam's lens, a depiction of a police officer raising his hands. The cam is at angle, giving the appearance of toppling over. Next image: Madeline Vogt's illustration of a woman crying, holding her hand to her mouth. A bookshelf is visible behind her. Next image: Maggie Denman's patterned, near-surrealist depiction of cell clusters, outlined in pinks and pruples, appearing in front of a series of pale pink and dark brown dots.
From the archives: Editorial art over the years
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From The Archives
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October 31, 2024

As Tone Madison's 10th anniversary approaches, we look back at some highlights from the past decade.

A photograph of the storefront of Butterbird restaurant on Regent Street in Madison at a medium shot. An illustrated frame around the photo depicts a checked tablecloth pattern with various items of food. In the bottom left corner, a small caricature chef stands on a spoon with the speech bubble, "Small Bites."
Small Bites: “Fall” into a spiraling cycle of indecision
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Small Bites
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October 25, 2024

A backup plan for those seeking reliable comfort amid ever-expanding food options.

Someone's left hand holds a cutout piece of paper in the shape of a penis and testicles over a table with a small tray and conical vessel. The name "Phil Hands" is written on the shaft of the paper.
From the archives: A witch cursed Phil Hands’ dick
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From The Archives
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October 24, 2024

As Tone Madison's 10th anniversary approaches, we look back at some highlights from the past decade.

A photo shows two informational postcards pinned to a bulletin board, each one inviting the recipient to a "lunch and learn" session about funeral planning options.
Death forever, sandwich now
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Microtones
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October 18, 2024

The joys of stupid postcards inviting people to informational cremation luncheons.

An illustration shows the "Forward" statue laying on its back against a blue background. The statute depicts a woman standing with her arm raised upwards, wearing a gown and a sash that reads "Forward."
From the archives: The empty honorings of “Forward”
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From The Archives
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October 17, 2024

As Tone Madison's 10th anniversary approaches, we look back at some highlights from the past decade.

A promotional still from the video game "The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter" shows a scenic, autumnal landscape. On the left of the image is the outline of a large tree, with the sun's rays subtly peering out. A body of water is visible, and there appears to be a hilly woodland area shrouded in fog across the water. On the lower right hand corner, there is a winding dirt path that runs along the water. It's leading into a small, stone tunnel. All of it is presented in an art style that strikes a nice balance between digital art and watercolor.
Wisconsin’s one-sided relationship with video games
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Microtones
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October 11, 2024

Wisconsin is a burgeoning hotbed for video games devs, but the state rarely appears as an in-game location.