Author: wzhao253

I remember the Christmas I got my favorite toy like it was yesterday.  My family was gathered in my grandma’s basement, and it was my turn to open a present. At age 6, I was the second youngest, so I had been sitting patiently next to the Christmas tree while I waited for my younger…

For Kurt Kiefer, the optimal retirement from a decades-long career in information technology in Wisconsin public schools consisted of buying a condo in either downtown Madison or in its bustling Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood.  However, his wife had other plans.  “And that was to move to Door County,” Kiefer says.  To a plot of land with zero…

Wander into Short Stack Eatery just off Madison’s State Street, and you’ll find friends hunched over plates of pancakes, servers bustling to tables with eggs and coffee, and bussers whisking away the remains.  But what patrons don’t see is the sometimes darker side of the food industry — one where workers routinely experience burnout, struggle with…

On a typical weekend night, Madison’s I/O Arcade Bar is abuzz with activity. The multicolored lights from the dozens of video game screens bathe the crowd in a shifting neon glow. The electronic sound effects mingle with the lively chatter spread around the tables and central bar. Bartenders scurry back and forth, delivering drinks like…

Stephanie Salgado came to the U.S. from Honduras when they were 14 years old. They say it didn’t take them long to realize that not everyone was treated the same.  As a queer woman, Salgado realized they were treated differently based on their gender, which led them to realize systemic issues of gender inequality.  “The…

Walking into Gee’s Clippers, it’s not surprising the space is built for more than haircuts. Atop a replica of the Milwaukee Bucks’ Fiserv Forum court flooring, 72 chairs from the Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center and Arena, also known as the MECCA, and the BMO Harris Bradley Center split the room’s waiting area. A steel vault…