Morning Update: Wednesday, Jan. 12

Good Morning, Madison!

Happy Wednesday. It's the middle of the week and we've got a lot of news to cover so let's just jump right in, shall we?

— Hayley

😷 The Boys and Girls Club of Dane County will begin distributing free KN95 and N95 masks today.

If you'll recall: Earlier this week we told you about the Boys and Girls Club's recent order of 200,000 KN95 and N95 masks for Dane County students and teachers. Initially, Michael Johnson, president and CEO of the local Boys & Girls Clubs, sought to raise more than $200,000 to cover the costs of the masks. But his calls for donations on social media reportedly caught the governor's eye, whose office dropped off 200,000 masks at the local club earlier this week.
Adults can go to the Allied Family Center Boys & Girls Club, 4619 Jenewein Road, in Fitchburg to pick up N95 and KN95 face masks today, today, tomorrow, Friday, or from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday for the rest of the month. Each individual can get 10 masks.
The State Journal reports the money raised in the initial mask fundraiser will go toward supporting volunteers and staff and purchasing child-size KN95 and N95 masks.
Related: Your cloth mask is no longer cutting it: What Madison doctors say you should be using instead (Channel 3000)

💰 Tony Evers has raised a record amount of money for his re-election campaign.

In 2021 the governor raised more $10 million, the most raised in a year by any gubernatorial candidate in state history, the State Journal reports.
The top Republican challenger in the race Rebecca Kleefisch reportedly brought in $3.3 million in the first four months of her campaign.

☕ Meet Mercies Coffee.

The new shop opened earlier this month at 1748 Eagan Road on the East Side. The coffee shop's owner Mallory Orr says she hopes to raise awareness about human trafficking and inspire change in her store.
In an industry familiar with human rights abuses, Orr puts emphasis on sourcing her ingredients locally — the pastries are from Madison Sourdough, deli meat and bread is from Stalzy’s Deli, and Orr has plans to order produce from R.E. Golden Produce, Madison Magazine writes.

"As we develop our business and everything we’re going to be serving this local Madison community by highlighting other organizations that work to fight human trafficking in the area, specifically Dane County, but all over Wisconsin. Our goal is to bring the community around these men and women that are involved in the horrors of trafficking and get them help and support so they can have a life that’s free and thriving.” — Mallory Orr, owner of Mercies Coffee

🌲 So have you seen all the Christmas trees on Lake Monona?

In case you missed it: Local artist Lillian Sizemore is seeking local tree donations to build an 89-foot wide tree labyrinth in Olbrich Park. The installation is titled “How Lovely Are Thy Branches” and Sizemore needs around 250 trees to complete the project before its Jan. 30 opening.
According to WORT, you can bring your tree to Olbrich Park within park hours and hand it off to a team of volunteers who will trim and cut the branches. But leave the ornaments at home.
The city's Streets Division has already agreed to help dismantle and collect the project at the end of February. When it's all said and done the trees will be ground into mulch for local farmers and gardeners.

🎹 How Madison's small music venues are managing live shows amid the pandemic.

Tone Madison digs into what the city's small venues are (and aren't) doing as we wade into year three of a global pandemic. Put simply: the small guys — Crystal Corner, Bos Meadery, Café Coda, among others — are canceling shows, staying cautious, and in some cases, temporarily closing to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

"It's not worth it to us to pretend people aren't going to get sick hopping around on the dancefloor." — David Day, Crystal Corner Bar owner

🩺 Gov. Evers has given his support to the UW Health nurses’ union campaign.

Some context: UW Hospital and Clinics nurses have been fighting hard in the past seven months for union representation and contract negotiation. The COVID-19 pandemic has put an immense strain on health care workers who are now facing high rates of burnout.
In a virtual meeting last week, Evers reiterated his support for the nurses' cause, saying the pandemic has "illustrated how necessary it is for essential workers to be represented in their workplace. Workers, especially our nurses who have sacrificed so much, deserve the opportunity to organize and have a say in the workplace."
The Wisconsin Examiner reports organizers say “a strong majority” of UW Health nurses support a union, with more than 1,500 nurses signing authorization cards for representation.

🍻 Argus is going on vacation.

The downtown bar posted on Facebook that they'll be closed through Jan. 24 to give their staff a (much-needed) break. Even our toughest fighters need to rest sometimes.

🏳️‍⚧️ Your lunchtime read: Trans Handy Ma'am: Wisconsin TikTok star has over 1.5 million followers sharing maintenance tips.

From NBC 26: "Mercury Stardust first started posting to TikTok as a way to promote her weekly burlesque show in Madison. But when she decided to reply to another TikTok who didn't know how to use a ratchet strap, her account took on a whole new following."

🦠 Covid-19 Resources

Of Note: Madison Minutes is now using case count data from Public Health Madison and Dane County, our local public health authority. Our previous charts used figures reported by the state’s Department of Health Services (DHS). The above graph represents new COVID-19 cases in Dane County.

Wisconsin Vaccination Rate: 58.5%

Dane County Vaccination Rate: 76.4%