Morning Update

Batten down the hatches

Morning update: Thursday, Dec. 22

Photo by Megs Harrison / Unsplash

Good morning, Madison!

It's Thursday, it's cold, it's snowing, let's just get right into it.

You can check here for weather updates.

— Hayley

🚫 Notable City and County closures.

Trash collection: There will be no trash or recycling collection on Friday. If you normally have collection on Fridays, you should instead put your carts out for pickup by 6:30 a.m. Monday. Streets Division drop-off sites will also be closed today and tomorrow. The sites will re-open Tuesday.
City and county buildings: Both the city and county will close non-essential government offices today at 2 p.m. and continuing into Friday.
Libraries: All Madison Public Library locations will close today at 2 p.m.

⛄️ MMSD is closed, too.

The Madison School District's winter break started yesterday, so it's not technically a snow day but all Madison Metropolitan School District buildings and schools are closed today due to the weather.
All scheduled Covid-19 clinics in MMSD buildings for today and tomorrow have also been canceled.
Related: About snow days in Madison (Madison Minutes)

Madison Metro buses will still run this week. Photo by Hayley Sperling

🚍 The buses will do their best.

Despite the inclement weather, the Madison Metro buses will still run today and tomorrow. The city says there could be delays depending on street conditions.You can get the most up-to-date Metro information from the city here.

💉 The Red Cross Holiday Blood Drive is canceled but not because of a strike.

The American Red Cross canceled its annual holiday blood drive in Madison because of the weather. The drive was scheduled for Friday at the Alliant Energy Center.
The annual event is the largest one-day blood drive in the state. Canceling the event means the Red Cross will be short roughly 800 units of blood.
Related: Red Cross holiday blood drive strike called off after worker contracts approved (Wisconsin State Journal)

🐘 The dates are set for the RNC in Milwaukee.

The Republican National Committee announced yesterday it will hold its annual convention July 15-18, 2024 in Milwaukee, giving the city a renewed chance to host a major political event and putting Wisconsin at the center of the national political stage.
If you'll recall: Milwaukee was chosen to host the Democratic National Convention in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the event to go virtual.

🏡 Your lunchtime read: Seeking a roof over their heads

Via Cap Times: "Jani Koester has seen the problem of doubled-up homelessness for Madison elementary school students firsthand.

Doubled-up homelessness refers to people without a permanent place to live who end up staying with friends, relatives or strangers. Koester has been the Madison Metropolitan School District’s transition education program teacher leader for more than 30 years. She estimated that almost 80% of the families experiencing homelessness that she has worked with were either doubled up or living in hotels and motels."

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🎙️ Today on the pod

The Very Blitzened Bianca. Photo by Dylan Brogan

Make These Holiday Cocktails While You're Snowed In

It’s cozy season and City Cast Madison invited one of their favorite bartenders to show us some fancy winter cocktails to make at home. They’re perfect for whipping up at your holiday gathering or enjoying cozied up in front of the fireplace. Jeremy Bazely, bartender at the Muskellounge, shares his recipes for Mulled Cider, A Very Blitzened Bianca and Cranberry Ginger Soda.

Listen now