Morning Update

Got scraps?

The city has announced the return of food scrap recycling at two area farmers' markets

In this newsletter

image via Flickr user Marco Verch

Happy Monday, Madison!

Following the success of last year's program, the city has announced the return of food scrap recycling at two area farmers' markets.

The service will be available throughout the season at the Eastside Farmers’ Market, which starts tomorrow, and the Tuesday South Madison Farmers’ Market, which opens next month.

In 2022, the program helped divert more than 10,000 pounds of food scraps from landfills.

✅ The below items are all fair game for drop-off: Raw fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds, loose tea, rains and rice, egg shells, and gourds.

❌ Not everything can be turned into compost. These items are not allowed: Meat, dairy, produce stickers and packaging, paper products, single-use bags and flatware, metal or glass.

The program also needs volunteers! If you're interested in lending a hand, you can sign up here.

— Hayley

😋 New food joints around town.

Reverie Baking Co.: The bakery run by a former Mint Mark pastry chef recently opened on Winnebago Street in the former site of Arts + Literature Laboratory. Reverie offers cookies, muffins, biscuits, scones, and various sourdough loaves. The space also has a full espresso menu and coffee from local roasters Kin-Kin.
Jalisco Cocina Mexicana: The Mexican restaurant recently opened in the former home of Muramoto on King Street. It's owned by the same people who run the Cultura Cali food cart. The menu features a wide range of Mexican food with some West Coast twists. And they do brunch!
Graze: Yes, I know Graze isn't new (and their cheese curds are some of the finest this town has to offer). But after a three-year hiatus, the restaurant recently announced the return of brunch and lunch service and a fresh menu. The additional service starts Wednesday.

💸 Home prices in Madison keep going up.

The average value of a single-family home in Madison is $424,400 — a 12.6% increase over last year, according to new data from the city.
Citywide, home values rose in every neighborhood, most by double digits.
In the last year, Madison saw $866 million in new construction. The overall value of all real estate in the city (homes, apartments, commercial buildings, etc.) rose 14.4% from 2022. This figure represents the highest growth in decades, according to the State Journal.

🍺 A $15,000 fine for City Bar.

If you'll recall: Madison Police raided City Bar last September and found that of the 143 people asked to prove their age, only six were old enough to legally drink. Cops issued 137 underage drinking and fake ID citations.
Now, the State Street bar has agreed to pay a nearly $15,000 fine after pleading no contest to a 93-count complaint filed after the incident.
In light of the raid, City Bar voluntarily agreed to purchase better ID scanning equipment to catch fakes, the State Journal reports.

🏀 Madison’s semi-pro basketball team has a new coach.

Heading into their third season, the Madison Mavericks will be led by longtime Madison-area coach James Adams.
Adams had previously been the team's assistant coach and has also served as co-head coach of the Madison College women’s basketball team, according to Madison365.
"We’re hoping that we can get a lot of community to come to support the local guys and just try to make it more of a family affair," Adams told Madison365.

🚘 Adjustments to the flex lane.

It's been less than a year since the Wisconsin Department of Transportation implemented the state's first flex lane along the Beltline. Now equipped with new data on its usage, the DOT is making changes to the lane's operating hours.
The department has pushed the opening time of the flex lane headed eastbound in the morning back by about an hour, and more changes could be on the way, according to NBC15.
Officials say usage of the lanes is meant to be dynamic and many factors — including traffic, weather conditions, and special events — can influence its operation.
Related: How to Drive the Flex Lane (WisDOT)

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🎙️ Today on City Cast Madison

*This box contains a film about housing discrimination that the UW didn't want anyone to see. Images courtesy UW Public History Project*

Digging in to UW’s Past, Skeletons and All

“History is written by the victors.” That’s often attributed to Winston Churchill.

But what about the other sides of the story? The stories we don’t learn about in school: how some students and staff were denied housing due to their race and why some UW leaders held dangerous, racist ideas about genetic superiority. And what about the stories of students who fought to make campus more accessible and better for all?

The UW Public History Project is here to tell them. Kacie Lucchini Butcher is the project’s director.

Listen now