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What's going on in Madison today.

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Good morning, Madison!

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🎶 The Live on King Street lineup is here.

The free concert series draws thousands of people to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the summer. This year's lineup features Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Live On Queen Street (a drag block party), Rod Tuffcurls & The Bench Press, KennyHoopla, and Margo Price.

🍎 Madison teachers are fighting for higher wages.

Hundreds filled the seats and aisles of the auditorium where the Madison School Board met Monday to protest the district's proposed 2023-24 budget.
The preliminary budget would give MMSD staff a 3.5% raise and cut 155 positions, most of which would be teachers and educational assistants, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Members of the union that represents Madison teachers and staff have called for an 8% raise to match inflation. The School Board will approve a preliminary budget in June.
Related: MMSD leaders face difficult 2023-24 budget development (Cap Times)

📣 The CUNA Mutual union has authorized a strike.

Members of the insurance company's union overwhelmingly voted in favor of going on strike if they don’t reach a contract deal with the company within a month.
Union members have alleged the company has refused to bargain in good faith over issues of healthcare, pensions, wages, and outsourcing.
The insurance company is one of Madison's largest employers with a local workforce of roughly 1,750. Of those employees, 450 are union members. Although the union formed in the 1940s, this is the first time the body has authorized a strike.
Dig deeper: Union turmoil at CUNA Mutual (Isthmus)

☕ Garth’s Brew Bar is now a coffee shop, too.

The Monroe Street bar is known for its craft beer selection, but recently expanded to also serve a full range of coffee drinks.
The coffee is sourced from local roaster Wonderstate and complemented by a pastry selection from Bloom Bakeshop.
With the expansion to coffee comes recently expanded hours, too. The bar now opens at 8 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

🏘️ Your lunchtime read: 150 police calls, 7 in one day: Life at Madison's 'M Block' apartments.

Cap Times: "Life inside an affordable housing complex on Madison’s far east side has been frustrating and frightening, according to tenants and neighbors who’ve witnessed as many as seven police responses in a single day at the site. [...]

The Meadowlands, a 225-unit complex with subsidized housing, opened in 2022 and was built by Indianapolis-based company KCG. Living there has become so problematic for some tenants they're fleeing: One couple broke their lease to move out after less than five months."

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🎙️ Today on City Cast Madison

*Spring flowers adorn the Madison Public Library downtown. Credit: Molly Stentz*

Five Things You Didn’t Know Your Library Card Could Do

The Madison Public Library has a wealth of resources beyond books.
Your little orange card can help you grow a garden or get across town. You can digitize those old family photos or make cheap photocopies.
Tana Elias, the library’s digital services and marketing, lets us in on a few things you probably didn’t know your little card can do.

Listen now