Morning Update: Wednesday, Oct. 20

Target on State St.?! In THIS economy?!

Happy Wednesday, Madison!

Love it or hate it, the new State Street Target is open for business.

It's a smaller version of the big box store and part of a growing trend by the retailer to shoehorn itself into tighter, more densely populated urban neighborhoods.

The store is located at 610 State St. in a space that used to be home to an Under Armour Brand House, which is lucky for them considering the building's facade was already bright red.

— Hayley

🖋️ Charges filed, sentences released, defendants acquitted: Here's an update on several major local court cases.

Charges have been filed against the man who caused the car crash the killed three local teens. According to Channel 3000, 30-year-old Eric Mehring was charged with "three counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, three counts of second-degree reckless homicide and two counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety."
High schoolers Simon Bilessi, Jack Miller, and Evan Kratochwill all died at the scene of the crash.
Related: 'Love is stronger than death': Teachers, coaches remember 3 teens killed in crash (via Wisconsin State Journal)
A Madison woman was sentenced to five years in federal prison for attempted arson during civil unrest in August 2020. Anessa Fierro was convicted of attempting to set fire to two downtown commercial buildings. She and her codefendant "allegedly broke glass windows and doors of two commercial buildings, poured liquid from a gasoline container inside the buildings and then attempted to ignite the fluid," NBC15 reports.
A jury acquitted a Madison resident accused of inciting an attack on a state senator who was filming a Black Lives Matter protest outside the Capitol last year. Kerida O’Reilly was charged with a felony and a misdemeanor for being a party to a substantial battery and disorderly conduct for allegedly sparking the assault on state Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee).

🤫 A leaked recording of Epic Systems' president shows the company might be all talk and no walk when it comes to their commitments to diversity and equity.

A recording of Epic Systems president Carl Dvorak was posted to Reddit earlier this week. In it, Dvorak is quoted saying, among other things, “It's OK to have passions, but not here. This isn't the platform to fight for your social cause." Dozens of Epic employees who spoke with the Cap Times for the story said the recording is emblematic of their impression of the company as one where top leadership has never been invested in DEI work, despite public statements to the contrary.
This story is full of a lot of spicy quotes, I highly recommend reading it in full.

🚒 Madison's Fire Chief will retire next year.

Chief Steven Davis said Tuesday he will leave his post — which he's held for more than three decades — April 1, 2022.

🏀 The Bucks got their rings and a win to start off their new season.

The Milwaukee champs kicked off the season with a 127-104 win over the formidable Brooklyn Nets. Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo closed out the game with 32 points and Khris Middleton had 20 points.
And check out that ring!!!

⚖️ UW-Madison's new Center for DREAMers will support Wisconsin's undocumented residents.

What's a DREAMer? DREAMers are individuals who are part of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program or who have been impacted by the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. These programs shield some young undocumented immigrants from deportation.
DACA recipient and UW-Madison employee Erika Rosales joined forces with Erin Barbato of the UW Law School to start the statewide Center for DREAMers, where DACA beneficiaries can get legal representation, mental and social services, career and educational counseling, and more, the State Journal reports.
The center, which had its "soft launch" this month, is funded by a two-year Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment.

🦃 Registration for the Goodman Community Center's Thanksgiving Basket Drive is open and already filling up.

The center's program provides thousands of Dane County families with everything they need to make a Thanksgiving meal at home. Registration opened Oct. 18 and so far 2,400 families have already signed up. The goal for this year’s program is to serve 4,000 families.
Registration runs through Oct. 29, or until the program fills up. You can register to receive a basket or make a donation here.

🤑 The state closed out its fiscal year with a record-breaking surplus.

Wisconsin ended the 2021 fiscal year with a $2.58 billion positive balance. The state also managed to transfer $967 million to its rainy day fund, which is used during emergencies.
The State Journal reports the surplus is largely due to the massive influx of coronavirus stimulus dollars from the federal government.

🍹 Ultra Lounge 2.0?!

Remember when back in July, local entrepreneur Amarion James submitted an application with the city to open an "Ultra Lounge" in a 30,000-square-foot vacant storefront on the West side? He withdrew his applications shortly after but said he'd be back with a scaled-down proposal. And well, he kept his word.
James recently submitted an application to open "The Southern Skillet Bistro and Ultra Lounge" at the former Brocach Irish Pub space at 7 W. Main St. (which has been empty since the restaurant closed in 2019). He says the space will offer food, drink, and live entertainment including DJs, poetry, and spoken word performances.
The Alcohol License Review Committee is tentatively set to review James' applications Nov. 24.

"It's a supper club type of venue. It's something different. It's unique. It's unlike any other bar or restaurant in Madison." — Amarion James quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal.

🐺 Your lunchtime listen: Who is Hunter Nation?

In this segment, WORT takes a look at the Kansas-based lobbying group that's fighting to keep wolf hunting in the state and has increasingly interwoven itself into Wisconsin's environmental policy scene.