Morning Update: Monday, Nov. 8

Badger wins + Wisconsin losses + big cheese

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Goooooooood Monday, Madison!

Did everyone remember to set their clocks back over the weekend? If not, it doesn't really matter since, what is time in the age of pandemic anyway?

But here's something that does matter: A 2,065 lb block of cheddar cheese.

Image via Reddit user u/MrRadio.

The big cheese (hehe) was used as part of a more than 4,000 lb cheeseboard spread that became a world record breaker in 2018. Recently, it's been making its rounds on the internet again, shoutout to the Reddit user who shared the photo in the Wisconsin subreddit. Personally, something about this massive chunk of cheese is inspiring. If this cheese can help set a world record, we can all have a great Monday!

(The banana is for scale, in case you were wondering.)

— Hayley

🏈 The winners and losers of Wisconsin sports.

• Badgers Volleyball swept Hawkeyes in three sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-20) over the weekend. The team will return to UW Field House this weekend to take on the Purdue Boilermakers, one of the two teams to beat the Badgers this season.
• The Badger Football team won its fifth straight game and is now bowl eligible — for the 20th straight year — with a 52-3 victory over Rutgers.
• Related: Underage drinking is on the decline at Badger games but remains the number one cause for citations at games (via The Badger Herald)
• The Milwaukee Bucks got off to a rough start on the road, losing 94-101 to the Washington Wizards. RIP.
• A Rodgers-less Packers lost 13-7 against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. Despite not playing, Aaron Rodgers continued to lose over the weekend when Prevea Health announced it ended its partnership with the quarterback. He had been their spokesperson since 2012.
• ICYMI: Forward Madison FC Head Coach Carl Craig has parted ways with the 'Mingos after one season as coach. Madison365 has the full story.

💉 Vaccine appointments for kids are filling up fast.

• People across Wisconsin are jumping at the chance to get their 5-11 year old children vaccinated. NBC15 reports Group Health Cooperative filled more than 1,300 appointments for kids within just a few hours.
• Health care officials in the state are urging parents to get kids vaccinated. COVID-related hospitalizations have climbed slightly statewide since the end of October, PBS Wisconsin reports.
• Most children can get vaccine appointments booked through their health care providers but Public Health Madison and Dane County also has vaccination appointment offerings available.

🚌 The never-ending drama of Bus Rapid Transit.

• Once again, the city finds itself at a crossroads over how to move forward with one of the biggest makeovers to Metro Transit. On Friday, City Council alders proposed block the city from spending funds on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) until it approves the system's route.
• Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway called the proposal a “clumsy attempt to halt the project.” Many BRT decisions have already been made. The city expected to kick off constructions on the $166 million project in late 2022, with operations starting in 2024.
• As the Wisconsin State Journal explains, at the core of the controversy seems to be the decision to focus BRT service on "ridership" rather than "coverage." The city doesn't have money to expand both, so it had to make a decision. The choice to prioritize ridership means "focusing service in high-density corridors, more frequent service, no expansion of coverage, changing coverage in some areas with some riders having to walk farther to catch a bus, and dropping the transfer point system established in 1998."

🍞 Let's get this bread.

• Like many of us, former Madison Alder Mo Cheeks used the pandemic to get into baking. This hobby turned into a form of self care for Cheeks after murder of George Floyd in summer 2020. He joined Bakers Against Racism in its national bake sale where he baked everyday for 15 days straight and raised $1,000 for ACLU of Wisconsin and Black Voters Matter, Madison Magazine writes. Now Cheeks can add "award-winning" to his baker title. Tiptree World Bread Awards USA announced Cheeks as the Bread Hero of the Midwest for his work in baking and philanthropy.

🏫 ICYMI: UW-Madison raised the Ho-Chunk Nation flag on campus for the first time Friday.

🎭 Hello, Broadway!

• The Overture Center is kicking off its Broadway season this month with Fiddler on the Roof. The show will run Nov. 16-21, tickets are available online.

🦌 Gun ammunition is in short supply and deer season is just two weeks away.

• Gun and ammo sellers say the shortage has been going on since the pandemic shutdown in March of 2020. NBC15 reports many professionals say this is the longest they can remember an ammo shortage has lasted. They say if you don’t have a supply of bullets yet, it’s probably too late.

🎲 Your lunchtime read: Reaching for the stars.

• From Isthmus: "A board game created by two UW-Madison students is helping students in refugee camps learn."

🦠 Covid-19 Resources

Wisconsin Vaccination Rate: 55.2%

Dane County Vaccination Rate: 71.8%

Here's where to find a COVID-19 vaccine near you.

Need a COVID-19 test? PHMDC has you covered.

Are you eligible for a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna? Find out here.

NEW: Do you still need your flu shot? Start here.

📅  Events: Multi-day

• Startup Week. Monday through Sunday. Webinars, training, and competitions.
• Winter Art Fair Off the Square at Monona Terrace. Saturday and Sunday. Over 135 Wisconsin exhibitors with a selection of pottery, paintings, fiber, glass art, wood, photography, jewelry, graphics, sculpture and more. $5 at the door. Children under 12 free.
• Arts + Literature Laboratory open house. Dance, beadwork and fabric dying demos, music and more. Friday through Sunday.
• Becky Robinson at Comedy on State. Shows at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $18.

Monday, Nov. 8

• Free pizza to end gerrymandering. Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition is parking a food truck at 300 State Street and distributing free pizza. 10:30 a.m.- 2 p.m.
• Webinar: Hire Badgers. UW’s work-study program, previously reserved for on-campus and non-profit organizations, has recently been expanded to small businesses. 2 p.m. Free.
• Arab Fairy Tale Feasts: A Delicious Way to Explore Arab Culture. Join to learn about Arab culture and traditions through the lens of food with children’s book author Karim Alrawi. 4 p.m. Free. Virtual.
• Films for One to Eight Projectors: Roger Beebe in Person at Arts + Literature Laboratory. Program of 16mm multi-projector performances. 7:30 p.m. Free for Arts + Literature Laboratory members, $5 for non-members.

For more events happening around town, check out our dedicated events post here.

(Header image via Flickr user Ken Mattison CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)