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On Father’s Day, the Milwaukee Mile hosted its first professional race after a five-year hiatus. The Mile continues to be the oldest-operating motor speedway in the world.

Visit the Capitol this month and you’ll spot a rainbow under the state and national flags.

Wisconsinites love to vote early; more than 547,000 absentee ballots were cast in 2018. But current laws require local election officials to store those early ballots for processing only on Election Day.

Wisconsin’s most popular Airbnb comes with a big name and a bit of a bargain. Frank Lloyd Wright published plans for his “Dream House” in a 1938 issue of Life magazine, and thankfully for us, eventually brought his concept to life.

Wisconsin has recently enacted sweeping changes to landlord-tenant laws, stirring controversy among the general public.

The Madison Fire Department suffered a devastating loss in June. During the half-Ironman race on June 9, 38-year-old firefighter Todd Mahoney was found unresponsive.

Like so many tech companies of its era, Epic Systems was founded in a basement in 1979. Today, the electronic health records company, headquartered in Verona, boasts 10,000 employees with a focus on developing software to help people get well, help people stay well and help future generations live healthier lives.

Wisconsin is a state of morning people. Not the peppy kind, but the hard-working, passionate variety that wake up each day on a mission. The industries that call the state home use mornings to get a head start on the day, connect with people they serve and prepare to succeed.

Located in Milwaukee’s Third Ward on Chicago Street, Sweet Diner rewards early-morning customers and late-morning brunch-goers alike with an expansive menu of sweet and savory breakfast fare.

“I think on early shifts, it’s all about learning to function in a perpetual state of physical and mental fatigue,” said Vince Vitrano, WTMJ-TV news anchor and reporter.

Paul Henschel is a confirmed night owl. A machinist for Milwaukee Forge, he works third shift, clocking in from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday through Thursday.

When the snow flies, Wisconsin residents still expect a smooth and safe morning commute. They rely on people like Tyler Steffen, a Waukesha public works employee who has been clearing snowy roads for 20 years.

TEMPO Milwaukee President and CEO Jennifer Dirks typically starts her workday with 7 a.m. coffee meetings.

What’s not to love about Halloween? From the costumes to the candy, to haunted houses, corn mazes, pumpkin carving and hay rides, there is something for everyone. This coveted holiday is anticipated by both the old and the young at heart, and Wisconsin does it right, whether you prefer a day of family fun on the farm or a night of heart-pounding fear.

Some people like haunted houses. Others relish an exploration into uncharted areas of the brain’s most inexplicable fears. If that’s more your speed, add these hair-raising haunts to your October bucket list.

“We do everything possible to make the haunted house feel genuinely unique,” said Jacob Eugster, founder of Screamin’ Acres Haunted Houses Inc. and a UW-Madison business student.

One of Wisconsin’s biggest tourism areas around the Porte des Morts strait is better known by another name: Death’s Door. Exact lore varies, but the treacherous waters of the Door Peninsula claimed 24 sailing vessels between 1837-1914. Surrounding islands, shoals and bays took 40 others between the 1830s and 1940s. Shipwrecks prompted the construction of Sturgeon Bay’s canal in 1881, giving rise to the county’s famous lighthouses, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Preservation Program.

Where is the best location to own a home in Wisconsin? Matt Stone, licensed Realtor and Door County resident, will tell you: northern Wisconsin. Where else can one find shopping strips, expansive woods, growing neighborhoods, clean beaches and cozy taverns all in the same roughly 10-mile radius?

Our favorite rooms include:

My master bathroom. It was recently remodeled. – Marlo

Nothing beats sipping morning coffee on my porch during the summertime. – Grace

Country USA prepares to host its 23rd annual festival with an expansive lineup and attendance reaching nearly 130,000. This one-of-a-kind event draws the biggest country stars, thanks to huge crowds that turn out, affordable ticket prices and an expansive, convenient campground situated next to the concert stages.

Over 100 sponsors, 230 artists and thousands of music lovers are gearing up for the sixth annual Mile of Music in Appleton from Aug. 2-5. This handcrafted music festival is known for its novelty and no-cost nature: 1,000+ original live performances packed in 70+ venues over four days in 1 mile of Appleton’s downtown area, mostly without charge.

For the music lover seeking a festival offering on-site wedding ceremonies and tattoos, look no further: Cadott, in northern Chippewa County, hosts its 25th annual Rock Fest July 12-14.

Denny Rauen knows a thing or two about music in Wisconsin.

After just one performance during a school talent show at West Middleton Elementary, third-grader Skylar Stecker knew she wanted to be a professional singer. Six months later, Skylar and her family relocated to Los Angeles so she could pursue her dream. At 13, Skylar released her first album “This Is Me.”

Gigging is great fun for Mistrial, a five-piece band from the Fox Cities, but members have no plans to quit their day jobs. Not with impressive titles like corporate CEO and circuit court judge.

Like the last vestiges of winter giving way to spring, graduation is an annual rite of passage in Wisconsin. As our staff developed The Wisconsin 100’s Education Issue, we decided the best way to showcase the feelings, thoughts and hopes that accompany graduation season should come from recent and upcoming graduates themselves.

St. Norbert College student-athlete Fiona Hehir will be entering the workforce as an elementary teacher after graduating this May. During her time at SNC she played for the women’s soccer team, where she learned soft skills like time management and organization, built strong relationships and eventually found a familial unit on campus – something Hehir values.

In the fall of 2016, Emma Baumgart, Corporate Communications ’18, found her dream career path thanks to a new major offered at Marquette University. The Environmental Studies major allowed Baumgart to combine her creative, communications-focused interests with her passion for environmental issues.

A professor once told me, “College should be four years of not knowing what to do with the rest of your life and loving every minute of it.” Too many students enter college with a great big four-year plan and worry endlessly about falling short of their goals.

With a one-way ticket to Croatia in hand, adventure awaits Sam Lepak when he graduates from UW-Whitewater this month. Lepak says he caught the travel bug in 2017 while studying abroad in Sweden.