Trudy + Melvin 4evr

Good morning, Madison!

It's falcon season, y'all!!!!

Madison Gas and Electric's peregrine falcons made their way back to the nesting box on top of the utility company's Blount Street station last month. Since then, residents Trudy and Melvin have been busy.

Trudy laid her fourth egg last week. In the falcon world, that's big news because four eggs is considered a "full clutch."

Trudy has called the downtown nest home for the past 12 years. This is the ninth year she and Melvin have nested in the box together (looks like things are getting serious!).

The infant predators are expected to hatch in mid-May. Until then, you can watch Trudy and Melvin take turns incubating the eggs on MGE's livestream falcon cam.

— Hayley

☕️ The State Street Starbucks is forming a union.

• Workers at the State Street Starbucks announced Tuesday that more than 70% of the store's workers have signed union cards, joining hundreds of locations across the nation on the path to unionization.
• The workers plan to file for a union election in the coming days, according to Cap Times. The State Street shop is one of the largest in the region with more than 50 employees.
• The bigger picture: Starbucks has consistently opposed unionization efforts in its stores but the State Street shop is the fifth location in Dane County to organize. Workers at the Starbucks on Capitol Square overwhelmingly voted for union representation last summer, while a Fitchburg store voted to reject unionization. Two local other stores have withdrawn their requests for elections, according to the newspaper.

🚌 Using public transportation can be hard, but Metro wants to help.

• Madison's bus system is about to undergo its biggest service change in decades. Routes and schedules are slated to change in June, which will shake things up for bus-riding veterans and newbies alike.
• To help guide people through the change, Madison Metro Transit is hiring "ride guides." These guides will stand at bus stops, employment centers, and various community events to help folks navigate to their destinations and serve as a general resource for riders, according to WORT.
• Metro is currently hiring for these positions (it pays $25/hour) and guides will be out on the streets in May.

🌻 Looking for more farmers' markets?

• If last weekend's first Capitol Square market of the season got you hungry for more local farmers' markets, we've got you covered. Not all of them have started yet, but we've rounded up more than a dozen area farmers' markets. Happy shopping!

🍅 Who has the best bloody in town?

• The Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation recently hosted Madison’s Best Bloody contest.
• Nine local bars and restaurants participated in the event. The overall winner went to newcomer Nitro Lounge. Muskellounge and Sporting Club was voted the "Most Madison" bloody, while Marigold Kitchen won "Most inventive," and the title of "Most like a meal" went to Heritage Tavern.

✡️ The new director of Madison's Jewish Social Services is making history.

• When Kai Yael Gardner Mishlove took on her new executive role at the local organization, she became the first Black Jewish woman to head a Jewish social services agency in the nation, according to the State Journal.
• Jewish Social Services provides a wide array of services — from housing and employment assistance to refugee resettlement and immigration services. The organization is the sole resettlement agency in Dane County.
• "I’m proud to be a Black Jewish woman doing this work," Mishlove told the paper. "We do this work through a Jewish lens, but with acceptance and inclusivity of everyone."

🎙️ Today on City Cast Madison

You’re Recycling Wrong. Here’s What To Do About It.

Madison was the first city in the nation to offer curbside recycling service. But fifty-five years of celebrating recycling’s virtues has driven us to optimism. We wishfully toss things in the cart and hope for the best. Friends, we are here to tell you that is NOT how this works. In fact, your good deeds are messing things up - gumming up machines and putting workers in harm’s way.

Can you recycle plastic bags? Nope. Those little tabs from your bread bags? Nope. Bottle caps? Nope. And please, for the love of Gaylord Nelson, no shower curtains.

So what’s a Madisonian to do? Bryan Johnson, Madison’s Recycling Coordinator, is here to help sort it all out.

📅 Events

Wednesday, April 19

• Trivia at Starkweather Brewing Company
• Gib’s Give & Takeaway Comedy Show at Gib’s
• Karaoke Party at State Line Distillery
• Live @ Mystery to Me: Rebecca M. Webster in Conversation with Richard Monette at Mystery to Me
• Madison's Funniest Comic Competition '23 - Round 1 at Comedy on State
• Social Media Breakfast Madison: Transform Your Social with Short-Form Video at DreamBank

📝 Miss a Minute?

Check out the headlines from our last newsletter.

• What's next for The Red Shed?
• A different kind of sausage fest is coming to town.
• MMSD has a new temporary superintendent.
• Celebrating the life and mourning the death of Wisconsin's State Archaeologist.
• Your lunchtime read: The military cracks down on PFAS, but is it too little too late for Truax?