Morning Update

The podcast is here

City Cast Madison Host Bianca Martin in Madison Fire Department's electric firetruck. Photo credit: Dylan Brogan

Good morning, Madison!

That podcast we’ve been teasing for months? It’s here!

For their debut episode, the City Cast Madison team visited the Madison firefighters who operate the first-ever electric firetruck in use in the United States.

The team is hosting a launch party with happy hour vibes at Cordial Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. I hope to see you there!

— Sam

The potential rail station locations identified by officials. Credit: City of Madison

🚂 The City is planning for a train-filled future.

The city is holding a kick-off meeting next week for a study that will recommend a location for a potential future Amtrak Station.
Don’t get too excited: This doesn’t mean a station will be built here – this is just prep work. But local leaders have been encouraged by preliminary plans from Amtrak and the U.S. Department of Transportation that propose expanding passenger rail service to Madison.
The city has already identified a few stretches of railroad that could work for a station. The study will initially consider these corridors before narrowing options down to more specific locations later in the process.
The meeting on Dec. 7 will include a presentation on the study and a chance to talk with local officials and Amtrak staff.
Related: Study To Find Location For Amtrak Train Station In Madison Approved (WORT)

✈️ Why the mayor is in Africa this week.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is leading a group of 20 on a visit to Kanifing, The Gambia this week. Kanifing is one of Madison’s nine sister cities.
While there, Rhodes-Conway will meet with several local politicians, including President Adama Barrow, according to a press release.
The trip was organized by State Rep. Samba Baldeh, who was born in The Gambia. “I am proud to bring together the people of The Gambia — the nation of my birth — with my friends and colleagues of my adopted home and the City of Madison. I know we will have much to learn from each other.”
Members of the delegation each pay their own way, according to the city.

🏫 Four possibilities for Thomas Jefferson Middle School’s new name.

The Cap Times reports a committee has decided on a shortlist of people to name the school after. The options are Sally Hemings, Eston Hemings Jefferson, Ezekiel Gillespie, and Maya Angelou.
What happens next? The committee meets one more time before they present their list of options to the School Board, which makes the final decision on what the school should be named.

🌳 Annual state park admission stickers and trail passes for 2023 are now available.

Vehicle passes: Annual vehicle stickers offer admission to all state parks and forests for the year. The alternative is to buy a day pass each time you visit.
Trail passes: You’ll only need a trail pass if you plan on biking, skiing, horseback riding or skating on certain trails. Walking and hiking are free.
There are more than a dozen state parks within an hour’s drive of Madison. You can find the full list on the Department of Natural Resources website.

🗺️ Your lunchtime read: The 2022 Election is over. Wisconsin turns to redistricting (again).

Via The Badger Project: “But a win in the 2023 election by the liberal candidate for that open Wisconsin Supreme Court seat would flip the right-leaning 4-3 majority to a left-leaning one.

'Democrats and good government groups are hopeful that a change in the court’s ideological composition will provide an opportunity to challenge the current districts as partisan gerrymanders,' Burden said.”