Morning Update

Keeping score

Morning update: Thursday, Sept. 28

In this newsletter

Good morning, Madison!

Correction: Yesterday's newsletter mistakenly referred to District 12 Ald. Syed Abbas City Council president. He is the former president (his term ended in April). District 19 Ald. Keith Furman is the council's current president.

I probably couldn't name all the City Council members from memory, but I definitely know who the president is! So we're sorry about that.

Thanks to the folks who have written in with corrections and feedback.

In the 1.5 years Madison Minutes has been around, the number of corrections we've had to issue have been few. Considering we've sent out more than 300 (!!!) newsletters in that time, our stats are pretty good.

Speaking of stats, this newsletter somehow ended up with a bit of a sports theme. So, uh, go team?!

— Hayley

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👟 The closing chapter to The Shoe Box scandal.

The what? Twenty-one years ago, scandal rocked the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department when an investigation by the Wisconsin State Journal revealed the owner of a Black-Earth-based store — The Shoe Box — gave more than $20,000 in "unadvertised discounts" and "credit arrangements" to Badgers athletes.
Aftermath: The news led to a robust investigation and a range of consequences for the university from the NCAA. As a result, the university prohibited players and athletic department staff members from shopping at The Shoe Box as well as Rookies Food and Spirits in Mazomanie.
Today's news: The State Journal on Wednesday reported the athletic department has lifted the shopping moratorium. UW athletic director Chris McIntosh said the passage of time and the "substantially changed landscape of college athletics" were behind the reasoning for the move. McIntosh also said he consulted with former UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank before the end of her term on the matter.
Time travel: Take a look back at the old newspapers and see the original story.
Madison trivia: The 2001 State Journal investigation that uncovered the scandal was reported in part by Andy Hall, who you might know now as the co-founder and executive director Wisconsin Watch.

💉 A campus-area plasma center announced its closure, leaving some students without critical income.

If you've attended the UW-Madison (sup, fellow Badgers), odds are you know someone who at some point in their college career donated plasma to earn some extra cash. Now, the only plasma donation center within walking distance of campus has announced its closure.
Biomat USA, Inc. says its Interstate Blood and Plasma facility located downtown at 317 N. Henry Street will permanently close Nov. 11, affecting 47 employees.
The Daily Cardinal reports the location was still heavily trafficked by students, some of whom relied heavily on the donation funds to pay their bills.

"I know, for a lot of people, it’s their borrowing money or their fun money. But for me, that's grocery money that puts food on my table." — Kaylin Gruen, UW-Madison student

🛍 Fresh faces coming to Hilldale.

New clothes: Next month, J.Crew-look-alike clothing store J.McLaughlin will move in next to UNTUCKit (not to be confused with Tim Robinson's TC Tuggers).
New food: October will also bring the arrival of Amara, the latest restaurant from Rule No. One Hospitality Group, which owns Merchant and Lucille.
New cosmetics: Later in the fall, the mall will welcome luxury beauty retailer Bluemercury. Get all the details on all the openings from Madison Magazine here.
Further development: On the northeast side of the mall in the building Fleming's Steakhouse once occupied, two new tenants have moved in. One is a Chase bank (opening soon) and the other is Creando Exploretorium, a bilingual preschool.

🏠 Good news if you own property.

Property values in Wisconsin saw a record increase in 2022, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum. Values in the state grew by 13.8 %, toppling the last record of 9.6% set in 2006.
Why? Many people were able to lock in low interest rates on homes in 2021. That factor, paired with 2022's inflation and the limited supply of homes drove up the price of property.
Locally, property values in Madison saw an even higher increase at 17.2%.
Learn more: What You Should Know About Real Estate Valuation (Investopedia)

🏈 Just for fun: The Packers are getting nostalgic.

The team will wear uniforms inspired by the 1950's during the game against the New York Jets Oct. 16. The uniforms are green, with gold numbers and stripes.
As Channel 3000 notes, the 50s wasn't a particularly great decade for the team's record, but it did bring the hiring of legendary coach Vince Lombardi in 1959.

#Packers 50s Classic Uniforms return to Lambeau Field Week 6 🔥 #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/B3dZPXYwdL
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 28, 2022

⚽️ Your lunchtime read: Q&A: Evan Warwick is Forward Madison’s chief meme officer.

Via Cap Times: "When Evan Warwick first approached Forward Madison FC, it was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was hoping to become the team’s official FIFA (video game) player.

This is common — many soccer clubs have an official esports player. But even though Warwick didn’t keep that job for long, the request opened a door for the 26-year-old Muskego native.

Fast forward to now, and Warwick has worked with the club for more than a year as its director of digital content."