Morning Update: Wednesday, Nov. 10

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Good morning, Madison.

It's Wednesday, congrats to all of us for making it halfway through the week. Sometimes you just have to celebrate the little things.

Let's just dive right into it all today, shall we?

— Hayley

😷 COVID-19 case numbers are creeping back up across the state.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services confirmed 3,229 COVID-19 cases Tuesday — that's the highest confirmed daily case count in over a month. The state's seven-day case average has also shot up in the past week.
What you can do: Get vaccinated, wear a mask while inside (reminder that Dane County's mask mandate is in effect until Nov. 27), be kind to each other.

💉 You can get your kids vaccinated at the Alliant Energy Center.

County health officials began offering COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11 at the site Tuesday. Public Health Madison & Dane County says right now they have the capacity to provide 400 pediatric doses a day.
You can schedule an appointment at publichealthmdc.com/vax or head to vaccines.gov for a fuller list of options available in your area.
Related: UW-Madison testing COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months to 4 years old (WPR)

🎒 Following big fights Monday, more than one-third of Madison East High School students stayed home Tuesday.

Some context: Multiple fights broke out at East High School Monday. In one case, more than a dozen police responded and left eight students seeking medical treatment after cops used pepper spray in attempt to break up the fights.
Following Monday's fights, anonymous social media posts began circulating saying more violence was to come and on Tuesday, roughly 37% of the student population were counted absent from East, the State Journal reports.
The Madison Metropolitan School District has outlined a three-pronged approach to increase safety on campus:
- Guidance for modifying the Madison East safety and supervision plans. Staff members will increase supervision during the start of school and dismissal, lunch, and passing times.
- Using central office presence at the school.
- Focusing on community collaboration efforts.

📚 A few quick bites on the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Enrollment is down and expected to keep dropping. (Cap Times)
MMSD feel short on their diversity hiring goals. The district set goals to increase teacher applicants of color, hire more teachers of color, and hire more male/non-binary teachers of color and male/non-binary teachers in general. The Cap Times reports MMSD fell short on all of these goals.
At least 277 MMSD classrooms are at or above the maximum class size this year, and 302 are below the minimum. In 2019, those numbers were 179 and 355, respectively.

🏆 Congrats to Taylor, the Henry Vilas zookeeper was awarded the Outstanding New Program Leader Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

📣 PSA: Alternate side parking begins next week.

The City's alternate side parking restrictions begin November 15 and will be in effect through March 15, 2022.
What are the rules? Between the hours of 1:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m., drivers must park on the odd-house-numbered side of the street on odd-numbered dates and park on the even-house-numbered side of the street on even-numbered dates. Violations are punishable by fines ranging $20-$60, not to mention the possibility of getting towed.
The city has a nifty service that will send you text alerts with reminders where to park your car.

🏒 Teams to watch: Badger women's hockey and women's soccer.

The Badger women's hockey team has seen years of success. this year is no different. The No. 1 ranked team is currently undefeated in their season, most recently beating the Bemidji State Beavers 8-1.
Some exciting news for the Badgers women’s soccer team: They've secured a spot in the NCAA tournament. This is the fifth time in six seasons the team has the tournament, which is pretty impressive to say the least! The team will host Butler in a first-round match at 6 p.m. Friday at McClimon Soccer Complex.

🖥️ Local publisher Tone Madison is turning into a worker-owned cooperative.

From Co-Founder Scott Gordon: "Tone Madison is a place where journalists call the shots without interference from outside interests. Converting to a worker-owned cooperative will shift more power into the hands of journalists at a time when living wage media jobs are sparse, smaller media companies are struggling to make ends meet, and larger media chains undermine their own journalists with cost-cutting efficiencies and click-bait strategies." Read the full piece here.
Full disclosure: I do some fundraising work and writing for Tone Madison.

🏈 Your lunchtime read: Aaron Rodgers Didn't Just Lie

🦠 Covid-19 Resources

Wisconsin Vaccination Rate: 55.1%

Dane County Vaccination Rate: 71.7%

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.

Clean Lakes 101: At-Home Water Quality Action by Clean Lakes Alliance. Actionable ways for residents to reduce stormwater runoff from reaching the lakes. 8 a.m. Virtual. Free, with donation option.
Fall 2021 Visiting Artist Colloquium: Eli Reed. Reed is a documentary photographer and a member of international photographic cooperative Magnum Photos who has a strong interest in social justice and the effects of war on society. 5 p.m. Virtual. Free.
Free Art Social at Robinia Courtyard. Bring an art project you're working on or just clear your mind and make some new friends. 6-8 p.m.
Conversation with Erica Rosenfeld Halverson, author of “How the Arts Can Save Education” and MSD school board president Ali Muldrow. Hosted by A Room of One’s Own. 6 p.m. Virtual.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus at The Annex. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. $20.

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

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