Morning update: Tuesday, Sept. 7

Good morning, Madison!

Yesterday we published two original stories:

Below are some highlights from the first story we think are important for everyone.

Donate. The Tenant Resource Center, Freedom Inc., Urban Triage, and the Latino Consortium for Action are all doing work in rental relief.

Post flyers about tenant rights. Do you have access to a community bulletin board? The Tenant Resource Center has created flyers outlining renter rights. Download the English version here and the Spanish version here.

Talk to your friends who own rental properties. Evictions have ripple effects in many areas of society. Kids move schools. Adults struggle to get to work. Properties may stay vacant.

— Hayley

🗳️ Expect all eyes on Wisconsin in 2022.

For the first time in three decades, Wisconsin will have a contested Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate race, and that's just the tip of it all.
As Laurel White reports for WPR, Wisconsin will also see highly competitive races for the 3rd Congressional District, the lieutenant governor’s office, and the mayorship of Milwaukee.
Twelve Democratic candidates have already filed paperwork to compete in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. And no, Sen. Ron Johnson has still not announced whether or not he's even running.
Meanwhile, no Democrat has stepped up to run for U.S. Rep. Ron Kind's 3rd Congressional District seat (Kind announced last month he would not seek reelection after 26 years).
Similarly in the lieutenant governor and Milwaukee mayor's races, no major Democratic campaigns have been announced. Political experts have noted that whoever fills these seats will have great ability to shape the future of Wisconsin's Democratic party.

😷 Frontline health workers are burnt out.

Staff at UW Health are reaching a breaking point after 18 months of nearly constant COVID-19 care. With COVID-19 hospitalizations numbers the highest they've been since January, many see no respite in sight.
Registered Nurse Mackenzie Lee told Channel 3000: “People are looking for other jobs. This is just becoming too stressful on this unit…They’re burned out from the constant PPE- just seeing these patients so sick and having a really hard time.“
Lee noted that nearly all patients she sees are unvaccinated.
Related: State extends $100 COVID-19 vaccine reward program to Sept. 19 (via Wisconsin State Journal)

🌮 Beware of Madison Taco Fest.

The "Madison Taco Fest" is set to take place at Breese Stevens Field Sept. 18, but past festival attendees have nothing good to say about the event, going as far to call it a scam.
The traveling food event put on by AZ Food Festivals LLC has been making its rounds across the country and with it leaving a trail of unhappy customers. Reports of long lines, over-crowded spaces, and overall disorganization plague the festival.
In North Dakota the Attorney General’s Office is taking up an investigation into the festival and attendees of the Pennsylvania event plan to file complaints with their AG as well. Don't say we didn't warn you!

🍿 Wanna catch a movie? Flix Brewhouse Madison is open for business thanks to COVID-19 relief funds.

The movie theater received a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant in August — eight months after congress approved the emergency funding for venues and stages affected by the pandemic.
Flix wasn't alone in its long wait for cash. Venues like the Overture Center and Barrymore Theatre waited months before their federal funding came through, the Cap Times reports. Flix's CEO Allan Reagan remains "cautiously optimistic" after re-opening.

🏎️ Your lunchtime read: East Wash is still a highway

Tone Madison's Scott Gordon laments the "danger and delusion" that runs through Madison's "sparkly Cap East project."

🧅 Shrekfest is coming, but how did it get here?

Have you ever wondered how Madison, WI became home to Shrekfest? The festival started off merely as an internet joke in 2014 but is now in its eight year of very real festivities. WORT has an interview with the festival's founder.

📉 Berry average, at best.

This summer's warm and dry weather will likely lead to a ~~berry~~ very average cranberry harvest. Though there's still a month before the final count, growers are fairly confident they'll measure up to expectations. Tom Lochner, executive director for the Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association, told WPR this year’s estimated crop is close to the state’s average of 5.5 million barrels.
Even if crops have smaller yields, Lochner says that's actually a good thing. In recent years the industry has struggled with oversupply.
Thanks to the pandemic, domestic cranberry sales have actually risen in the past year. (Because who doesn't love cranberry juice?)