Morning Update

New stores, old deals

Morning update: Tuesday, Aug. 16

In this newsletter

Image via Wikiemedia Commons

It's Tuesday, friends.

Here's some big — like, value-size big — news for the folks of Verona: A new Costco is opening its doors tomorrow.

This is the third Costco in the Madison area and NBC15 reports the new store will bring 250 jobs to the area.

Personally, my favorite Costco fun fact is that the behemoth's co-founder Jim Sinegal refuses to change the price of its hot dog and soda combo. It's $1.50 for a hotdog and 20-oz. soda, is there a better deal than that?! (I promise this isn't sponsored content.)

"If you raise the effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out," Sinegal once famously said to CEO Craig Jelinek when he mentioned raising prices.

We can only hope this tradition continues to withstand the tests of time and inflation.

Now let's get into the news.

— Hayley

🗳 A look at the first competitive sheriff's race in eight years.

This November, Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett will be on the ballot facing a challenge from Anthony Hamilton, a 14-year veteran detective, in the first competitive election for county sheriff in nearly a decade.
Barrett, a Democrat, was appointed to his post in early 2021 by Gov. Tony Evers. Hamilton, his Republican challenger, has accused the sheriff of letting “identity politics” fuel the office’s staffing shortage, the State Journal reports.
Hamilton, who's white, told the news outlet the office's current recruitment strategy puts too much emphasis on hiring women and people of color and discourages white people from applying. Barrett, who is Black, claims the recruitment initiative to bring in more diverse talent is a key solution to fixing the deputy shortage. As it stands, the Sheriff’s Office is 40 deputies below its ideal staff count.
As a Republican, Hamilton faces an uphill battle in liberal Dane County. The State Journal reports he has spent $30,000 of his own money on the campaign. Meanwhile, Barrett has raised roughly $106,000 from donors since July 2021.

📚 The UW System wants to expand its free tuition program.

On Monday, the University of Wisconsin System unveiled the Wisconsin Tuition Promise, a program that will allow students to attend any university within the system without paying tuition or fees. The program, which launches in 2023, will cover up to eight semesters of tuition and fees for Wisconsin residents who come from families making less than $62,000 a year.
The program is modeled after Bucky’s Tuition Promise at UW-Madison, which launched in 2018 and had its first class of graduates in May. But unlike the UW-Madison program, which is funded through a mix of private money and institutional resources, the UW System program would be funded by taxpayers, the Journal Sentinel reports.
Students will automatically be considered for the program when they apply for federal financial aid.

🤨 Have questions about the upcoming Town of Madison attachment?

The city will host a public information meeting this Thursday at Arbor Covenant Church (2509 McDivitt Rd.) about the upcoming Town of Madison attachment. City staff will be on hand to answer questions on everything ranging from parking to property taxes.
What's the deal? On Oct. 31 of this year, the Town of Madison will cease to exist. Its fragmented land will be absorbed by the cities of Madison and Fitchburg, as outlined in a 2003 plan. This is the fifth public information the city has held for the attachment.
Related: The difference between the Town and the City of Madison (I wrote this one, nice!)

Do you live in the Town of Madison? The City of Madison and City of Fitchburg will absorb the Town of Madison by Oct. 31, 2022. Come to a Public Information Meeting this Thurs, Aug 18 from 6-7PM at the Covenant Church on the southside to learn more about the upcoming attachment! pic.twitter.com/6ZPulRrGlL
— Madison Public Library (@madisonlibrary) August 15, 2022

🏈 The Wisconsin Badgers are back in the AP Top 25.

After going unranked at the end of last year's season, the Badgers are back in the AP Top 25, sitting at number 18.
Other Big 10 schools with rankings in the top 25 include Ohio State (#2), Michigan (#8), and Michigan State (#15).

Just the beginning pic.twitter.com/edULYT5nAF
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) August 15, 2022

🐰 Happy Take Me Home Tuesday! Meet Coconut.

From DCHS: Hop on over to meet Coconut! This 1-year-old Holland lop mix rabbit loves to cuddle. Just lay on the floor and watch as he moves in close to get snuggles. He doesn't shy away from attention. Coconut is a curious rabbit looking for a new home to explore and hop about in.

Interested in meeting this cute bun? Learn more about him here.

🪁 Your lunchtime read: Making a scene.

Via Isthmus: "The house on the corner of North Seventh and East Mifflin, near Emerson Elementary, wasn’t always the most approachable. For a while, multiple small signs warned passersby to keep their dogs away from the yard. Fair enough, but this is a neighborhood where dozens of dogs walk by every day, so a little dog pee seems inevitable. For decoration, a pair of witch’s legs stuck out from under the house.

Then, next to the driveway, a couple of toy figures appeared."

Has the fall of Roe v. Wade impacted your decisions about family planning? Tell us.

We've partnered with Tone Madison to produce a survey that will help us better understand and offer our readers a fuller picture of how the ruling is affecting people across the Madison area. Learn more and take the survey here.

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