wisconsin

June 2, 2026

Wisconsin Fiscal Surplus Should Be Used On Big Ideas

Last week, a local television news report about the high cost of filling up at a service station caught my attention. The driver complained, and rightly so, about spending almost 70 dollars to fill the tank. Watching the coverage, I thought of the $300 the state had proposed to give back to Wisconsinites through a… Continue reading

Economics, Social Commentary, Society, Taxes, wisconsin, Wisconsin Politics

Economics, economy, finance, politics, surplus, Tony Evers, wisconsin
May 27, 2026

Francesca Hong Has Democrats Talking, Does She Have The ‘Big Mo’?

In 1980, when politics seemed more tame and polite, in comparison to what we have dealt with over the past decade, there was a term that almost all reporters and political analysts were fond of using. “The Big Mo” was famously coined by George H.W. Bush after he defeated Ronald Reagan in the Iowa caucuses,… Continue reading

2026 Midterm Elections, Democrats, francesca-hong, wisconsin, Wisconsin Politics

democrat, Elections, francesca-hong, news, politics, wisconsin
May 26, 2026

Wisconsin’s Transgender Youth Deserve Better

The news from late last week continued an ongoing conversation about the need for transgender minors to be allowed to have gender-affirming care. This should be a no-brainer, but in our current political climate, it is a battle needing to be waged. A coalition of more than 65 Wisconsin organizations, including the Chippewa Valley LGBTQ+… Continue reading

Social Commentary, Society, Transgenders, wisconsin, Wisconsin Politics

gender, lgbtq, politics, trans, transgender, wisconsin
May 24, 2026

Letter From Home: 26th Anniversary For James Wilson And Gregory Humphrey, 5/24/26

James figured out how many minutes we have spent together as we celebrate our 26th anniversary today. We have spent most of the last 13,679,040 minutes together, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world. When we met, he called me his Skinny Little Fat Man! (I weighed 132 pounds when we met… Continue reading

Gay Rights, hancock, maine, Social Commentary, Society, wisconsin

gay, hancock, life, love, madison, maine, Society, wisconsin
May 10, 2026

Governor Tony Evers Correct: Conversion Therapy Widely Discredited And Harmful

I am sixty-three years old, and I have lived long enough to watch the world change in ways my younger self could never have imagined. I grew up in a time when being a gay teenager was treated by some as a defect; my grandmother surely would have termed it a moral failure. It was… Continue reading

conservatives, Conversion Therapy, Gay Rights, Social Commentary, Society, Tony Evers

bullying, Conversion Therapy, hancock, lgbtq, mental-health, politics, queer, teenagers, Tony Evers, Waushara County, wisconsin
April 27, 2026

Why N Word Has No Place In Janesville Bar

When I heard the following story for the first time, I blinked a few times and then asked it to be repeated. The story did not take place 30 years ago in Mississippi or 15 years ago in a redneck bar in Hayward. The story occurred just a couple of weeks ago in Janesville, Wisconsin.… Continue reading

Janesville, Racism, Social Commentary, Society, wisconsin, Words

black-men, Janesville, n-word, politics, Racism, Society, wisconsin, Words
April 20, 2026

Tom Tiffany Too Tethered To Trump, While Darren Bailey Builds Blueprint For Balance

It came as no surprise that Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany received Donald Trump’s endorsement for this November’s gubernatorial race. The 7th congressional district has been represented since May 2020 by an elected official who has slavishly supported Trump. In the endorsement, Trump said the congressman is someone who has “always been at my side”. What… Continue reading

2026 Midterm Elections, conservatives, Darren Bailey, donald-trump, Illinois, republicans, Tom Tiffany, wisconsin, Wisconsin Politics

Darren Bailey, donald-trump, Elections, Illinois, midterms, news, politics, Tom Tiffany, wisconsin
April 19, 2026

Jan Swoboda, Political Navigator For Former State Representative Lary Swoboda, Dies At 82

Upon hearing the news that Janice Swoboda, 82, of Luxemburg, had died, one of the first thoughts that came to mind was that a very unique couple was together again. She was married to former State Representative Lary Swoboda. who served for 24 years in Madison. He died at the age of 73 in 2012.… Continue reading

Jan Swoboda, Lary Swoboda, Obituary, Wisconsin Politics, Wisconsin State Capitol

Books, Jan Swoboda, Lary Swoboda, Obits, politics, wisconsin
April 12, 2026

Senator Ron Johnson Makes Us Stop And Think

The Wisconsin State Journal wrote this weekend in an editorial that, “When (Wisconsin Senator Ron) Johnson, a fan of conspiracy theories, is the voice of reason, you know things are bad. Some found that sentence all too true, given the absurdity that has been unleashed by Donald Trump’s Iran war; others surely laughed. I have… Continue reading

conservatives, donald-trump, Iran, iran-war, republicans, Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Politics

donald-trump, logic, news, politics, reason, Ron Johnson, trumps-iran-war, war, wisconsin
March 30, 2026

Letter From Home: “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah And A White Pine, Too” 3/30/26

There are those days in life when you must stop and slow down, recognizing that what is playing out is truly wonderful. Not because you are on vacation or won the lottery. As the day is put into perspective, all the events are rather ordinary. Yet putting them together, and taking nothing for granted, they… Continue reading

hancock, Isthmus, Letter From Home, madison, Society, trees

gardening, hancock, happiness, life, madisom, nature, spring, trees, white-pine, wisconsin

David Crowley For Governor

Recent Columns

Nine Memorable People Worth Knowing – Doty Land

Send us Fan MailWith humor and honesty, Gregory Humphrey gives short presentations about nine people who will leave you smiling and feeling a bit better about life. Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, Doug Fieger, James Howard "Jim" Bartelt, Dennis Peebles, Geneva Rode and Ruth Schohl, Bill Kraus, Fran Tate, and Eva Nell Brooks. With a professional studio-quality production, this podcast is meant to lift sails.

Humphrey History Minute

Coffee Shop Banter

Perfect Addition To A Cup Of Hot Steaming Coffee

My book is about a rural family, finding a way through the years of being bullied, and the suicide of my best friend. Many recollections about the days in broadcasting, the state legislature, and coming out as a gay man.