Morning Update

Business in the front, party in the back

Morning update: Wednesday, Aug. 17

In this newsletter

Happy Wednesday, my friends.

Remember when I introduced you to the Wisconsin kids competing for best mullet in America?

I need to know more pic.twitter.com/oopETKYsBh
— yc (@yc) August 16, 2022

Well, the polls are officially open and Axel Wenzel, of Brillion, and Emmitt Bailey, of Menomonie, are facing off against nearly two dozen other kids from across the country for the coveted title.

In an interview with NBC15, Emmitt, AKA "Mullet Boy" explained he already has big plans for what he would do with the $2,500 prize money: buy a go-cart.

Voting will be open through Friday and you can make your pick for best mullet here.

— Hayley

An empty classroom with corona mask. — Photo by marco fileccia / Unsplash

😷 MMSD says masks will be optional at the start of the new school year.

The Madison Metropolitan School District announced Tuesday that masks will be "highly recommended" but not required at the start of the upcoming school year.
There are two scenarios in which students will be required to wear masks: When an individual is showing any symptoms of a respiratory illness (regardless of a negative Covid-19 test); And any individual during days 6-10 of isolation following a positive Covid-19 test.
Channel 3000 reports students will also not be required to sit six feet apart but the district will also encourage distancing when possible.
Some context: Last year, MMSD was the only district in the state to maintain a mask mandate throughout the entire school year.

☕️ Cafe Brittoli is closing.

The Atwood Ave. cafe announced on Facebook it'll close its doors after five years in business. Their last day will be Sept. 12.
Madison Magazine reports the owners of Monsoon Siam have purchased the building and plan to move from its current location at 2045 Atwood Ave. to the cafe's space at 2326 Atwood Ave. some time before May 2023.

❤️ Thank you for you’re support S.A.S.Y
Posted by Cafe Brittoli on Monday, August 15, 2022

🚧 Another Madison church wants to sell its building for housing.

Northside Christian Assembly (709 Northport Drive) hopes to sell its building to a Minnesota-based developer that has proposed demolishing the half-century-old structure and constructing low-cost apartments in its place.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports MSP Real Estate has offered plans for a "four-story structure offering 125 low-cost apartments, an 8,000-square-foot space on the first floor for the church and outreach services, and one level of underground parking."
The bigger picture: Two other congregations in town have recently moved forward with plans to demolish their buildings in favor of housing — Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church on the east side and St. John’s Lutheran Church downtown.

👮‍♀️ Meet the finalists for Madison's first independent police monitor.

The city will host a virtual candidate forum Thursday for members of the public to meet the finalists for the independent police monitor position.
The bigger picture: The city has struggled to fill this position for two years. Earlier this year, the city named Byron Bishop as their pick for the job but "workplace allegations and licensing violations" led to his withdrawal from consideration and sent the civilian oversight board back to square one of the hiring process, according to WORT.
The Police Civilian Oversight Board will deliberate the hiring decision in a closed session Aug. 25.

🧀 DCFM cut Farmer John’s cheese.

For more than three decades dairy farmer John Dougherty has sold Farmer John’s cheese at the Dane County Farmers’ Market. But that all came to an end June 30 when DCFM terminated Farmer John’s membership.
What's the deal? Dougherty's termination was the result of violating the market's strict producer-only rules, Cap Times reports. Dougherty is a dairy farmer, not a cheesemaker.
Some small cheesemakers have celebrated DCFM's decision, saying removing Farmer John’s cheese from the market will give other producers a chance to sell their wares at the highly competitive downtown market. Cap Times reports Dougherty does not have plans to reapply for the DCFM but will continue to sell his cheese at other area markets.
Related: Where to find Madison farmers' markets (a Madison Minutes original)

🌿 Your lunchtime read: Growing 'in a good way': Canndigenous is Wisconsin's first Native American-led hemp company.

Via Wisconsin State Journal: "A growing company in the village of Cambridge – that happens to be state’s first Indigenous-led CBD and hemp business – is working to both help the environment and show marginalized groups that building generational wealth is within reach.

Tucked behind some boutiques, art galleries and coffee shops is Ripley Green, a retail apothecary that sells various CBD products. CBD is short for cannabidiol, an active ingredient in the cannabis plant that unlike THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, induces sedation without a high."

Has the fall of Roe v. Wade impacted your decisions about family planning? Tell us.

We've partnered with Tone Madison to produce a survey that will help us better understand and offer our readers a fuller picture of how the ruling is affecting people across the Madison area. Learn more and take the survey here.

Take the survey