Morning Update

It's time to (early) vote

Now through Feb. 19, early voting is available at more than two dozen locations across Madison.

In this newsletter

The city's I Voted stickers were designed by high schooler Katina Maclin. Image via City of Madison

Good morning, Madison!

Did you know you can vote today?

Now through Feb. 19, early voting is available at more than two dozen locations across Madison.

You can register to vote at any early voting location through Feb. 17. You'll need to present an accepted ID to receive and cast your ballot, so don’t leave home without it.

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Are you ready to vote?

Check out a sample ballot.

Get to know the candidates: State Supreme Court justice, Madison Mayor, City Council.

— Hayley

🖼️ A journey through "re:mancipation".

A new exhibit at the Chazen wants audiences to take a critical look at a controversial piece in the museum. Titled "re:mancipation," the project combines history, technology, and art to examine the 1873 sculpture "Emancipation Group," which depicts President Abraham Lincoln standing over a kneeling newly-freed man.
The exhibit is a collaboration between the museum, artist Sanford Biggers, and the MASK Consortium and opened this week. It reimagines the problematic 1873 sculpture by repositioning additional objects in the museum’s collection alongside it with new artwork by Biggers and educational resources.
The exhibit will be on display until June 25.

🏘️ Welcome to the agri-hood.

An investor group wants to create a one-of-a-kind neighborhood on the east side focused on farming, home ownership, racial justice, and wealth generation for low-income residents.
Bt Farms LLC has spent $4.9 million buying three parcels totaling 222 acres off East Buckeye Road, according to the State Journal. The group is working with the former longtime executive director of Goodman Community Center to help facilitate the project. The project has a focus on sustainability and will be a cooperative and governed by residents.
The project seeks to build a community organized around a working farm, create low-cost housing, and preserve wetlands.
Learn more: Bt Farms is planning an online information session Feb. 17.
Related: Meet the team that wants to bring an agri-community to Madison (Wisconsin State Journal)

*A dumpster fire caused damage to the downtown Nitty Gritty in November 2022, leading to it's temporary closure. Image via Madison Fire Department.*

🎂 Your second chance for a Nitty Gritty birthday.

Remember when the Nitty Gritty downtown closed for more than a month last year because of a fire? While no one was injured in the event, the closure meant that some folks with winter birthdays couldn't celebrate their special days at Madison's (self-proclaimed) "Official Birthday Place."
Typically, the restaurant is pretty staunch on its birthday rules — you have to have an ID and it must be your actual birthday to receive the special treatment, which includes free drinks and a commemorative mug. But due to their closure in 2022, the Nitty is letting anyone with a birthday between Nov. 21 and Dec. 31 celebrate belatedly through the end of the month. Cheers!

🏫 Meet the the Board of Regents’ new appointee.

Gov. Tony Evers on Monday appointed Joan Prince to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. Prince previously served as vice chancellor of Global Inclusion and Engagement at UW-Milwaukee and was nominated by former President Barack Obama to join the U.N. General Assembly as a public delegate in 2012.
Prince's appointment must still be approved by the state Senate, which has left several of Evers' past appointees unconfirmed.

📖 Your lunchtime read: The not-quite-grown-up Madison of "Filthy Animals".

Via Tone Madison: "In this 2021 collection of short stories, author Brandon Taylor ties Lionel’s narrative through multiple sections of the book, always circling back to Madison as the main setting. Taylor himself spent years in Madison pursuing a degree in biochemistry before heading to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and the Madison in Filthy Animals reflects that experience. It’s a city that people move to and away from, the way Taylor did, with permanent residents playing second fiddle to the transients attracted by UW-Madison and their struggle to find solace in their temporary home."

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🎙️ Today on City Cast Madison

Happy Singles Awareness Day — Photo by Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

How to Move Beyond Betrayal

This week, we’re honoring love in its many forms. We’ll offer you things to do, places to go, and advice on how to care for friends, lovers… and yourself.

Today, we’re talking about how to survive the unthinkable - when a loved one betrays you and hurts you badly, you can’t imagine how you’ll move on. And yet, you have to.

Darcy Luoma had a rewarding career, a successful business, a loving family and a happy marriage. Until the day her husband was arrested for sexual assault of a minor and her life was blown apart. Darcy shares her story of how her entire life changed and what she learned to do to take care of herself and her family in the midst of a crisis.

Darcy Luoma is the founder of Darcy Luoma Coaching and Consulting.

Listen now