Morning Update: Monday, Feb. 21

Good morning, Madison!

If at any point over the weekend you found yourself wondering "WTF is a squall?" You're not alone.

A snow squall warning was issued Friday evening in southeastern Wisconsin, sending many Madisonians scrambling to figure out what was actually going on.

According to the National Weather Service, a squall is simply an intense short-lived burst of heavy snowfall. Snow squall warnings are issued like severe thunderstorm warnings. This occasion marked the first time the National Weather Service issued such a warning in Wisconsin.

Hopefully there won't be too many more squalls in our future, but at least now when they come, we'll all be ready with dictionary definitions of what exactly to expect.

— Hayley

Left image via r/Wisconsin. Right image shows search queries for the word "Squall" skyrocketed on Google after the NWS warning.

🏀 The (literal) border battle between Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin men's basketball team bested Michigan Sunday with a 77-63 win at the Kohl Center. But it wasn't the sportsmanship that led headlines following the game.
In what started as a verbal argument between University of Wisconsin coach Greg Gard and Michigan coach Juwan Howard escalated into a brawl with players from both teams taking swings at one another.
What happened? The two coaches got into it after the game when Howard pointed a finger at Gard for his use of a last-minute timeout in the game. Howard later appeared to take a swing Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft and then things took off.
The Big 10 Conference has announced it will investigate the incident.

🚌 An update on Madison's Metro Transit redesign.

A new draft of the city's Metro Transit bus system was recently released for public review.
This draft of the redesign promises more frequent and direct services. But the amount of time it takes to get to a bus stop may increase for some residents. To be specific, the State Journal reports "8% of city residents would live closer to all-day bus service, 72% would live about the same distance from the nearest all-day bus, and 20% would live farther from all-day bus service."
The city is still looking for feedback on the Metro redesign. If you have thoughts on the matter, an online community meeting will be held 6 p.m., Feb. 24.

🗳️ They're running?

A handful of conservatives are running against incumbent Dane County supervisors for seats on the County Board but, as the State Journal reports, a lack of information is calling the validity of the campaigns into question.
The six conservative candidates all filed their candidacies either the day before or day of the Jan. 4 deadline and have since reportedly made little effort to publicize their campaigns or take stands on issues.
As the State Journal reports, the county’s Republican Party has played a limited role in helping the challengers. While county Democrats say seeing a group of right-leaning candidates crop up in the isn't surprising, the lack of public-facing campaigns is a curious phenomenon.

🙏 "It means a lot.” Quadren Wilson's family hosted a barbecue in appreciation of the community's support.

Wilson’s family fed dozens of people at Demetral Park over the weekend in effort to show their appreciation for people who have supported them since Wilson's high-profile arrest Feb. 4.
The latest case update: The Dane County Sheriff’s Office, who is leading the investigation into Wilson's shooting, said Friday they found no evidence that Wilson had a gun at the time of his arrest. The sheriff's office also identified the law enforcement officers who shot Wilson as Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation special agents Mark Wagner and Nathan Peskie.

“Seeing everybody finally smiling after the whole situation – it means a lot.” — Jahari Morris, Quadren Wilson's sister

⚽ Support the Urban League in style.

Forward Madison has released a limited-edition hoodie designed in collaboration with Featherstone Flamingos, a Forward fan club who aims to "celebrate and promote Black culture."
The Legacy hoodie was designed to pay homage to Madison's Black athletes and all proceeds from its sales will go the Urban League of Greater Madison.

🎥 Mark your calendars for Spike Lee Festival.

This Thursday through Saturday, WUD film will host five Spike Lee films in Union South's Marquee Theater and a panel on Black representation in film as part of continued recognition of Black History Month.
For the full schedule of films and screening details, check out Tone Madison's full story.

🐺 Your lunchtime read: The future of Wisconsin's wolf management is unclear following federal ruling.

From PBS Wisconsin: "With a court decision placing the gray wolf under Endangered Species Act protection once again, more uncertainty has been added to the state's path forward for managing the animal as a new report reflects deep divisions in a DNR advisory committee."