Drafty castles and stingy relatives

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach” — Ebenenzer Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. While Christmas may come just once a year, the spirit of the holiday season needs to live on in the heart...

Gross K-12 school property taxes in Wisconsin are rising 7.8% on December bills, the largest increase in more than three decades. As a result of these and tax levies imposed by other units of local government, total tax levies are expected to see their biggest jump since at least 2018. Property tax levies for all Wisconsin K-12 school districts combined are expected to rise by about $476.1 mill...

One of the first actions of the Trump administration was the elimination of USAID, the soft-diplomacy arm of the government that delivered medicine, food assistance, and health expertise to countries where the need was greatest. In 2024, USAID’s budget accounted for just 0.3% of federal spending. The Lancet estimates that defunding and dismantling the agency will lead to at least 14 million prev...