Morning Update

Thursday. What a concept.

We're almost through this week, nice.

In this newsletter

Happy Thursday, Madison!

We're almost through this week. Nice!

If you have a moment, would you mind telling us where you live? Not in a creepy way. We just want your zip code for research purposes. (If you already filled out this form last week, thank you!)

Answer here

Also, there's snow in the forecast today. I'll let you decide if that's good news or not.

— Hayley

🗳️ Mark your calendar for these City Council forums.

District 6: Former longtime Alder Marsha Rummel and former mayoral candidate Davy Mayer are ballot to represent the east side district. The two candidates will participate in a forum March 22 at The Tinsmith.
District 15: Small business owner and comedian Dina Nina Martinez Rutherford and Executive Director of Housing Initiatives Inc. Bradley Hinkfuss will be on the April ballot to represent District 15. The two will sound off on the issues at a forum March 23 at Goodman Community Center.

🛒 From strip club to grocery store.

The former site of Visions strip club at 3554 E. Washington Ave. will soon re-open as Gooh (pronounced Go) Grocery. The store is a much-needed addition to the area, which has been deemed a food desert, according to NBC15.
The store will sell the usual staples alongside grocery items tailored to the area's West African, Hmong, and Latinx residents’ needs. The owners also plan to convert the building's upper level into apartments.
Construction should be finished in the spring and Gooh Groceries is set to open this summer.

❓ Have questions for the School Board candidates?

Simpson Street Free Press and The Cap Times are hosting a School Board candidate forum March 21 at East High School. If you have questions for the candidates, submit them here.
Who’s running Former Madison educator Blair Feltham and former Madison City Council candidate Badri Lankella are both on the ballot for Seat 6. Seat 7 incumbent Nicki Vander Meulen, who is running unopposed, will also be at the forum.
Related: Officially one contested race for Madison School Board (Cap Times)

💔 A Madison trailblazer has died.

Leslie Watkins, a well-known local retailer, marketer, and patron of the arts died over the weekend. after a battle with pancreatic cancer She was 68.

When Watkins opened Paperteria downtown in 1984, she became one of the first Black female retailers in the area, according to the State Journal.
"She was known for welcoming and including people in her envelope of personalities. Her friends were as eclectic as her design aesthetic and she was always well accessorized," James Tye, a close friend of Watkins told the outlet. "She was usually the brightest light in any room."

🚒 Your lunchtime read: Madison women firefighters tell their stories in new documentary.

Via The Cap Times: "Every day they’re on duty, the women who serve as firefighters in the Madison Fire Department display a courage that an average person couldn’t comprehend.

For a new project, they had to display a different kind of courage — to step in front of a camera and talk about their experiences as women in a male-dominated profession.

'In Her Boots' is a new feature-length documentary produced by the Madison Fire Department that features female firefighters who have worked in the department since the first group of eight women graduated from the Madison Fire Service Academy in April 1980."

📬

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🎙️ Today on City Cast Madison

*Young nature fans learn about making maple syrup at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Photo courtesy Aldo Leopold Nature Center.*

It’s Maple Syrup Time!

March in Madison brings hints of spring. Migrating birds like sandhill cranes and robins start to return. Despite the freezing temps and occasional snowstorm, we start to feel like the worse of winter is behind us. This is the time to make maple syrup!

People have been tapping maple trees for thousands of years, way before Madison was a city. The tradition lives on at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center and their annual Maple Syrup Fest. We sit down with the center’s Education Director Virginia Wiggen and Marketing and Communication Manager Cara Erickson to get the scoop.

Maple Syrup Fest takes place Saturday, March 18th, from 1-4pm at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona.

Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers

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