Morning Update

Happy BCycle szn

I know it's still not officially spring but it is officially BCycle season!

In this newsletter

Photo by Hayley Sperling

Good morning, Madison!

I know it's still not officially spring but it is officially BCycle season!

E-bikes are back on the streets as of today for the 2023 season.

And as of this year, Fitchburg has become the fourth community in the Madison area to join the bike sharing network. Thanks to a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, BCycle will open 20 new stations with over 110 electric bikes for the expansion.

Happy trails!

— Hayley

🧱 Breaking ground at St. Vinny's.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul broke ground this week on an expansion and remodel of its east side storefront.
The Baldwin-Williamson Street Project will lead to the demolition of two Baldwin Street buildings and the Willy Street thrift store’s book room. The new construction will house expanded retail space on the first floor and supportive services on the second.
The thrift shop — with the exception of the book room — will remain open during construction. A grand opening is expected in 2024.

🏳️‍⚧️ Rallying for trans rights.

Trans Advocacy Madison is holding a rally at the State Capitol this Saturday to oppose the recent onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that's surfaced in statehouses across the nation.
The event will start at 2:30 p.m. and include a march and speakers.

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🏘️ A big step forward for the housing proposal near Tenney Park.

What’s new: The city's Plan Commission unanimously approved the demolition of the historic Filene House to make way for a housing project with 331 units on the east side. This
Some background: Filene House, located at 1617 Sherman Ave., was up for landmark consideration in an attempt to save it from demolition. City Council ultimately rejected the proposal, helping clear a path for developers to proceed with their plans.
The multi-building project will range from one to five stories, with 311 apartments and 20 two-story townhomes units. City Council will have the final say over the project's approval later this month.

⛪️ A Madison church is leaving its denomination over disputes about LGBTQ+ rights.

Members of the Asbury Church voted to cut ties with the United Methodist Church over an ongoing dispute over same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ clergy. The west side church is the largest Methodist congregation in Dane County with roughly 900 members.
The United Methodist Church prohibits same-sex marriage and prevents open members of the LGBTQ+ community from serving as clergy members, ut the church is expected to loosen those restrictions in the future, leaving Asbury congregants concerned.
According to the State Journal, some members have stopped attending services in response to its opposition to same-sex marriage and gay clergy. "We were stunned that this could happen in Dane County," one congregant told the news outlet. "Now that they’ve decided to be an anti-gay church, I’ll never step foot in there again."

📚 Your lunchtime read: Book banning is alive and well in Wisconsin prisons.

Via Tone Madison: "Volunteers at the Madison-based organization LGBT Books to Prisoners recently found out that Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, an expansive 'resource guide by and for the trans, gender expansive, and nonbinary community and their families' published by Oxford University Press, was banned in Wisconsin prisons by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) in 2019. The DOC has deemed the book 'pornographic,' and its decision will prevent incarcerated trans people from learning about issues incredibly relevant to their selves.

Our carceral punishment system’s loopy, arbitrary, cruel, and opaque choices and methods for censoring the books imprisoned people can read has extended to the trans community, with this particular ban, amid ongoing attacks on trans people."