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Somewhere in Wiscansin

Morning Update: Tuesday, March 8

In this newsletter

Happy Tuesday, Madison.

Where were you in 2008 when rapper T-Pain famously rhymed "mansion" with "Wisconsin"?

The king of late-aughts autotune recently announced his "Road to Wiscansin" tour, fulfilling many of my middle school dreams in the process.

The tour takes the "Bartender" rapper across the nation, ultimately ending up in Milwaukee for "Wiscansin Fest" aka, a show at the Rave.

While it's a bit of a disappointment to only see one Wisconsin stop on a namesake tour, T-Pain is fully committed to his "Wiscansin" bit, going as far as creating the fictional Wiscansin University, of which he is the dean. Notable alumni include just about everyone T-Pain has collaborated with, from Lil Wayne and Kanye West, to Lily Allen and Mary J. Blige. (And yes, of course, there's merch.)

Whether you like his music or not, you have to respect such a well-executed tour theme. Though I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before the *real* University of Wisconsin has something to say about logo usage.

— Hayley

💉 Updated vaccine hours at Alliant.

🏫 Madison West is ending its Latin program.

🔍 “We are here to get some answers."

  • The family and supporters of Quadren Wilson went to the Capitol building Monday to deliver letters to lawmakers demanding justice and answers as the investigation into Wilson’s arrest continues.
  • Letters were addressed to Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Attorney General Josh Kaul, and Rep. Shelia Stubbs. They demanded, among other things, more transparency and information in the investigation.
  • Some context: Wilson was shot five times in the back during an arrest Feb. 3. Wilson underwent surgery for his injuries and was quickly transferred to a Dane County jail, where he's been for the past month. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into Wilson's shooting. According to Channel 3000, Wilson has been charged with delivering fentanyl to a person who later died, he was unarmed at the time of arrest.
“We are here to get some answers. It’s been 34 days and we haven’t heard nothing. Been treated like nothing and we are just here to get some answers." — Mane Morris, Quadren Wilson's father

💸 Centro Hispano is eyeing a new South Side headquarters thanks to a $4.8 million grant.

🐺 A bi-partisan effort to end wolf protections.

  • Wisconsin's U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin introduced legislation this week that would end protections for gray wolves across most of the country.
  • As the Wisconsin Examiner reports, the goal of the bill is to return wolf populations management to states. Both Johnson and Baldwin contend the state's wolf population is at a level that doesn't warrant federal protection, so management should go back to the state.
  • The bigger picture: Without mincing words, wolves are a controversial subject in Wisconsin. Late last year, a Dane County judge ruled Wisconsin couldn’t hold a hunt because the DNR had never established permanent rules to guide it. Later, a federal judge in California restored protections for gray wolves in most of the country. Both moves were considered wins for conservationists opposed to wolf hunts in the state.

🍦 Ice cream with a cause.

🇺🇦 Your lunchtime watch: Ukrainian expat in Wisconsin connects with a friend in Kyiv.

  • From PBS Wisconsin: "A Madison resident born in Kyiv who connects with a close family friend remaining in Ukraine while his family flees the Russian invasion."

🦠 Covid-19 Update

Wisconsin Vaccination Rate: 60.5%

Dane County Vaccination Rate: 78.2%

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📅 Events: Tuesday, March 8

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