Photos: A look back at April in Madison from State Journal photographers
A look at some of the best photos from April by State Journal photographers Amber Arnold, John Hart and Owen Ziliak.
Marcelo Condori, of Madison, watches the sunset as a bolt of lighting streaks across the sky on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at James Madison Park in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Madison Metropolitan School District Planetarium director Ben Senson at the facility at Memorial High School, in Madison, Wis. Friday, April 24, 2026. Currently showing at the planetarium is “Sounds of the Ocean,” an immersive visual experience which features the sounds of whales and dolphins. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
(From left) Henry Berkevich, 9, and his sister, Evelyn, 11, with their dad, Bob, in back left, from Columbus, and Bodhi Verhelst, 5, with his mom, Janice, of Oregon, spray water to simulate rain on a watershed model during UW-Madison’s Science Expeditions outside the Hasler Laboratory of Limnology on the Lakeshore Path in Madison, Wis. Friday, April 10, 2026. The annual science open house runs through Sunday with events throughout campus. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Wisconsin Heights High School educational assistant Jayme O’Connell, left, is embraced by agricultural studies instructor Kim Houser during a surprise school assembly celebrating O’Connell’s decision to donate a kidney to Houser in Mazomanie, Wis. Friday, April 10, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A vehicle that went through the ice of Brittingham Bay in Madison, Wis. following a carjacking last January is retrieved by members of the Dane County Sheriff's Office, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Manke Enterprises Tuesday, April 28, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice-elect Chris Taylor hugs Wisconsin State Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill J. Karofsky on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at the Madison Concourse Hotel in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Maren Lamoreux, 7, of Lanark, Illinois, learns how to throw a rope with the help of Ava Armstrong, right, a member of the equestrian team at UW-Platteville, during the Midwest Horse Fair at Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. Friday, April 17, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Commencing one of UW-Madison’s annual rites of spring, the Union Terrace’s signature tables and chairs are returned to the gathering space on the shores of Lake Mendota in Madison, Wis. Wednesday, April 15, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Alter boys from Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School in Monona walk behind the pews after mass on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Teresa Hardy, lead singer of People Brothers Band, at her husband John Hardy’s bar, The Green Room Public House, on Atwood Avenue in Madison, Wis. Monday, April 13, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
A crew member with Williams Tree Service uses a fallen tree to climb out of the second story of a home on Golden Gate Way after a massive storm blew the tree down in to the house overnight on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Roof damage at St. Joseph Catholic Church after a storm moved through the area in East Bristol, Wis. Tuesday, April 14, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Responding to spawning cues that occur each spring, a muskie attempts to clear the Wingra Dam in an effort to migrate upstream into Lake Wingra in Madison, Wis. Monday, April 13, 2026. Each year, the spectacle draws steady streams of visitors to an overlook above the dam for a glimpse of the occasional jumps, very few of which prove successful. During the migration, which can last several weeks, the area around the dam is designated a fish refuge by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and fishing is not allowed. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Wisconsin quarterbacks practice dropping back on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at Camp Randall in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Wisconsin middle blocker Natalie Wardlow (12) reacts after a point against Northern Illinois, with setter Charlie Fuerbringer (24) and outside hitter Halle Thompson (67), in the second set of a spring volleyball match at UW Field House in Madison, Wis. Friday, April 24, 2026.
Animal rights activists attempt to break into Ridglan Farms beagle breeding and research facility in the town of Blue Mounds, Wis. Saturday, April 18, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Law enforcement in riot gear walk in a field after helping stop an attempt by animal rights activists to storm the grounds of Ridglan Farms, a beagle breeding and research facility, on Saturday, April 18, 2026 in Blue Mounds, Wis. The activists attempted to breach the fence of the facility, but were repelled by tear gas and rubber bullets shot but law enforcement.
Jessica Moses, right, of California, shares a long embrace with Irina Vogler of North Carolina during a gather outside of Ridglan Farms on Sunday, April 19, 2026 in Blue Mounds, Wis. The pair, both originally from Germany, had met only minutes prior to this moment. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Animal rights activists hold a press conference inside the Wisconsin State Capitol demanding action from local lawmakers following a failed break-in at Ridglan Farms this past weekend on Monday, April 20, 2026 in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
Participants in the 2026 Crazylegs Classic run along State Street in Madison, Wis. Saturday, April 25, 2026. The 44th annual event, held in honor of former UW Athletics Director and National Football League Hall of Fame inductee Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, drew thousands of runners, walkers and wheelchair participants to the downtown and UW campus area for the Athletics Department fundraiser. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A zookeeper gets a photo of Bandit, a red panda who will be relocating from Henry Vilas Zoo to another AZA-accredited zoo and paired with a mate, during a going away party at his enclosure in Madison, Wis. Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Red pandas are endangered and the relocation was recommended by the Red Panda Species Survival Plan. The zoo plans to get another red panda to join their female red panda, Betty. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Ailiani Gomez Tecuatl, 3, shares a dance with members of Madison Ballet during an interactive performance and reading event by the company at the Fitchburg Public Library in Fitchburg, Wis. Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Participants experienced how choreographers create new dances and had a chance to explore basic ballet steps incorporating space, rhythm, and movement quality. Also taking part in the event at left is the girl’s brother, Thiago, 2. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
UW-Madison graduate students Shannon Welby, above and Sydney Meyers revel amongst the crowd during a visit to the Mifflin Street Block Party in Madison, Wis. Saturday, April 25, 2026. An annual rite of spring for many of the university’s students, the party draws thousands to a two block stretch of the street for a celebration of the impending end to the academic year. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
UW-Madison alumni Jack McGinn, left, and Trevor Knox celebrate after a goal by Wisconsin in the first period at a watch party for the NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship between Wisconsin and the University of Denver on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at The Sett in Madison, Wis. OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL
The blooms of a magnolia tree bring a spring look to the UW-Arboretum as the conservancy’s plantings begin their seasonal transition in Madison, Wis. Monday, April 6, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Mike Abernethy, who recently retired as a UW Health Med Flight physician, at the base in Janesville, Wis. Wednesday, April 15, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Members of the Wisconsin Women’s Rowing Team take part in morning practice runs on Lake Mendota near the Union Terrace in Madison, Wis. Wednesday, April 15, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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