Opinion

Almanac for May 11, 2026

Today is Monday, May 11, the 131st day of 2026. There are 234 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1997, the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeated chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in the final game of a six-game match in New York, winning 3 ½-2 ½ and marking the first time a computer won a match against a reigning world champion. Also on this date: In 1935, the Rural Electrification Administration was created as one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs. In 1946, the first CARE packages, sent by a consortium of American charities to provide relief to the ...

The Comey indictment and free speech

In 200-plus years of interpreting the free speech clause of the First Amendment, the courts have narrowed and expanded its scope. The Supreme Court employed a particularly narrow approach during much of the last century, through two world wars and then the Red Scare in the 1950s. Thankfully, ...

Stay alert on the road as deer crashes spike

Those who live in the northwoods know deer on the roads can be a hazard when driving, no matter the time of year. But spring brings some special circumstances that increase the risk of vehicles and deer having a nasty encounter, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Deer activity goes up in May and June, as does look for places to give birth and last year’s fawns separate from their mothers. In turn, this means more deer crossing the roads and a greater chance for crashes, the Wisconsin DNR warns in a news release. “Drivers should have their full attention on ...

Editorial cartoon for May 9, 2026

Almanac for May 9, 2026

Today is Saturday, May 9, the 129th day of 2026. There are 236 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conditionally approved Enovid for use as the first oral contraceptive pill. Also on this date: In 1754, the famous political cartoon "Join or Die" was first published by Benjamin Franklin in the Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson, acting on a joint congressional resolution, signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. In 1951, the U.S. conducted its first ...

FDA has spoken on the abortion pill. Case closed.

The Supreme Court has just restored a woman's ability to obtain the abortion pill by mail without first seeing a medical provider, at least for now. A lower court had tried to tighten that easy access by requiring patients to consult with a licensed clinician in person before acquiring the ...