Morning Update

Why did the turtle cross the road

Morning Update: Tuesday, May 24

In this newsletter

☁️ Today's weather: Mostly cloudy. High: 67° Low: 51°

Gooooooood morning, Madison!

Happy Tuesday. Since the flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and the weather is doing whatever the h*ck it wants to do, it's officially spring.

With springtime comes the emergence of new life, literally.

Nesting season for Wisconsin's turtles is underway and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wants to remind folks to watch out for female turtles as they move from wetlands to their nesting areas. The state's 11 turtle species lay eggs in nests from late May through June in sunny and well-draining uplands, like in yards alongside roads, making nesting season a dangerous time for turtles.

“Protecting adult females and turtle nests in the wild are the best ways to conserve turtle populations in Wisconsin," Andrew Badje, DNR Conservation Biologist said in a press release.

So slow down and be on the lookout for turtle crossings!

— Hayley

🎮 It looks like Raven Software workers will get their union.

The Middleton-based video game developer made history Monday after its quality assurance testers voted to unionize. In all, 24 ballots were cast, 19 in favor of a union, three against, and two which were contested and ultimately not counted, Cap Times reports.
Why is this a big deal? When the vote is certified May 31, Raven will be home to the first labor union at a large U.S. video game company. The vote also comes as Raven's parent company Activision Blizzard is finalizing a $69 billion acquisition deal with Microsoft.
How did we get here? The unionization campaign was spurred in part by the January layoffs of 12 Raven quality assurance workers. Workers went on to strike and demanded their former colleagues be rehired into full-time positions. Shortly after, the remaining employees filed a petition with the NLRB.
Related: A new ‘zeitgeist’: Union activity increase in Madison area follows national trend (Cap Times)

💉 DHS is now recommending Covid-19 boosters for kids.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Monday it supports the CDC's recommendation that children ages 5-11 should receive a booster dose five months after their initial Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination series.
DHS also now recommends everyone 12 and older who are "moderately or severely immunocompromised," and people 50 and older to get a second Covid-19 booster.
Related: 'Not a time for panic': Dane County health chief hints at mask recommendations, urges calm (Wisconsin State Journal)
Further reading: Dane County Exec says he’s tested positive for COVID (Madsion365)

⛵ Goodbye, Nau-Ti-Gal.

After almost 40 years of service, the Lake Mendota waterfront restaurant Nau-Ti-Gal announced it's closing for good.
In a letter posted online, owners Bill and Jack von Rutenberg thanked their supporters and noted their other business, Mariner’s Inn will remain open.
The bigger picture: Local developers LZ Ventures had proposed tearing down the restaurant and building an apartment complex along the Yahara River. Cap Times reports those plans were put on hold after a "less-than-enthusiastic response from the Westport Plan Commission."

🎶 Madison-based FPC Live is putting down roots in Milwaukee.

The concert promoter in partnership with the Bucks announced they'll be bringing two new concert venues to the Deer District next year.
Channel 3000 reports one venue will hold 4,000 people while the other will hold 800. Construction on the $50 million project is set to begin later this year if all proper city approvals go through.
Some context: FPC Live manages High Noon Saloon, Majestic, Orpheum, and Sylvee. In 2018, Live Nation, the world's largest concert promoter, bought a controlling stake in FPC Live.

🗒️ A couple of housekeeping notes.

Street collections: The city's streets division won't be picking up any recycling, trash, brush, or large item collections Monday in observance of Memorial Day. If you normally get your trash or recycling picked up on Mondays, the city says carts should be brought to the curb by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Parking: The city's transportation office will be closed Monday for Memorial Day, meaning on-street meters and parking restrictions will not be enforced. Nice.
Food scraps recycling: Starting June 14, the Eastside Farmer’s Market will begin accepting food scraps for recycling. Dropoff will be available from 4-7 p.m. at the Tuesday market, which is held at McPike Park (202 South Ingersoll St.).

🐹 Happy Take Me Home Tuesday! Meet Bear.

From Dane County Humane Society: Bear is a 3-month-old guinea pig in search of a new family. Bear can play hard to catch as he hides under hay, in tubes, and in his "Bear cave". But when you do catch Bear, he seems to enjoy pets and being held.
Think Bear would make a great addition to your family? To learn more about Bear, click here.

🎓 Your lunchtime read: 'Locked up, not messed up': Graduates earn diplomas while incarcerated.

From Cap Times: "Dressed in caps and gowns, incarcerated graduates at the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility walked into a room filled with friends and family to the “Pomp and Circumstance” march.

'Even in this place, even in this environment, we could become graduates,' said Jimmie Jackson, a student who spoke Friday at the ceremony. 'We could become better individuals because we believed in ourselves and had someone else to believe in us.'

Jackson was one of 15 students to graduate with a small business entrepreneurship diploma from Madison College while imprisoned."