Morning Update

UW says goodbye to Chryst

Morning update: Monday, Oct. 3

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Good morning, Madison!

Happy Monday, and more importantly, happy October 3, aka Mean Girls day.

Though the 2004 cult classic film is set in Evanston, Illinois, there is a small Madison connection.

True fans know that Cady (played by Lindsay Lohan) was only able to host her infamous party where her house of cards came crumbling down around her because her parents were out of town at a Ladysmith Black Mambazo concert in Madison.

Anyone else have the sudden urge to throw on some pink and go to the mall? See ya there.

— Hayley

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🏈 Football coach Paul Chryst is out following a rough weekend for the Badgers.

UW-Madison announced Sunday it's parting ways with Chryst five games into the 2022 season. Chryst was in his eighth season as the Badgers' head coach. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will take over the team in the interim.
Chryst led the Badgers to a 67-26 record. His contract was approved to run through 2026, the State Journal reports.
The Badgers got off to a rough start this season. Over the weekend the team fell to their former coach Bret Bielema in a tough 34-10 loss to visiting Illinois.
Related: 5 things to know about new Wisconsin football coach Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin State Journal)

"After a heartfelt and authentic conversation with Coach Chryst about what is in the long-term best interest of our football program, I have concluded that now is the time for a change in leadership." — UW Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh

a laboratory worker takes a swab test — Photo by Mufid Majnun / Unsplash

🦠 Making Covid-19 testing a little easier.

Public Health Madison & Dane County and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced some changes to their Covid-19 testing services that will (hopefully) make getting a Covid-19 test a little smoother.
What's new? On the PHMDC side, you will no longer be required to fill out a new questionnaire on CovidConnect every time you set up an appointment. You’ll register one time and use that login information moving forward, this should streamline the process. DHS announced it will shift away from lab-based PCR testing to an antigen test model, meaning more rapid tests.
The rapid testing change started at the beginning of the month and is so far in place at PHMDC's South Madison clinic.

✈️ The Madison teacher's union wants the county to further study noise impacts of the incoming F-35s.

Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI) sent a letter to County Executive Joe Parisi along with Madison city officials calling for a larger study on the noise impacts of the F-35s on Madison-area students. WORT reports the letter also asks for noise abatement measures to be included for area schools.
Some context: The Dane County Airport is currently working to get a more accurate view of the noise levels surrounding the airport. That study, which is set to be completed in 2024, doesn't include research into the health effects of noise on children’s health or hearing.
If you'll recall: F-35 fighter jets are scheduled to arrive at Truax airfield in 2023.

🐺 Wisconsin wolf population dropped 14% following last year's hunt.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the state's wolf population now stands at 972 — a 14% decrease in total size but a number the state's large carnivore specialist calls "stable."
When it comes to determining Wisconsin's wolf population, not all experts are convinced of the state's strategy, voicing fears the DNR is overestimating the state's number of wolves, WPR reports.
Some context: The issue of wolf management in Wisconsin is a complex and changing one. For years, hunters and farmers have argued there are too many wolves in the state, citing attacks on livestock and pets as a necessary reason for the hunt. Conversely, Wisconsin tribes and conservationists have criticized the state's management of wolf hunts, citing the 2021 season, in which hunters harvested more than 100 wolves over the allotted quota.

💿 Checking in on the Murfie drama.

Who? What? Murfie is a formerly Madison-based music streaming company. The business stored thousands of people’s personal CD and vinyl collections and made them available for members to stream.
The drama: In November 2019, the business unexpectedly announced an end to its operations and gave customers little time to retrieve their collections. Murfie’s assets were purchased by entrepreneur John Fenley of Utah. Fenley had plans to move the collection to a warehouse in Arkansas and re-launch the business.
The news: According to the Cap Times, Fenley is in a legal battle with the Pine Bluff, Arkansas plan commission over building codes and inspection requirements, leaving him unable to operate. Meanwhile, the CDs "remain in shipping containers outside the warehouse." In June, someone broke into Fenley's facility and robbed him of more than $14,000 of material goods. But don't worry, the thieves didn't touch the CDs.

🐞 Your lunchtime read: Artist & UW-Madison professor bugs out with her art.

Via Wisconsin Life: "Jennifer Angus is an artist and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But instead of using a brush or canvas to display her art. Angus incorporates items that are a little livelier.

'The very first installation I did with was in a downtown Toronto storefront gallery,' Angus said, 'And people walked in and walked up to the wall. And then literally I watched them take a step back as they realized that that pattern, that the wallpaper is made of insects.'"

📚 Wisconsin Book Festival Fall Celebration

Don’t miss the state’s premier literary event! The Wisconsin Book Festival Fall Celebration connects you with your favorite authors in 50+ free programs, encouraging conversations that spark ideas and foster understanding.
The lineup is packed with fiction, poetry and nonfiction, including STEM, politics, social justice and other book themes.
Learn more here.

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