Morning Update

Spring, sprang, sprung

Spring has really, truly sprung.

In this newsletter

Throwback: This photo was taken in spring 2013 by Flickr user Richard Hurd.

Gooooood morning, Madison!

How can I tell? The sun is shining, birds are singing, and I spotted no less than a dozen motorcycles speeding down East Washington Avenue over the weekend.

Now let's dive into some news.

— Hayley

🥡 New restaurants on the horizon.

There have been a bunch of new restaurant openings around Madison recently — and there are still more than a dozen to come.
What's coming: Jalisco Cocina Mexicana, Reverie Baking Co., Sultan, Draper Brothers Chophouse, JustVeggiez, and more.
For the full roundup of recently opened and in-the-wings, check out this article from Cap Times.

*Photo via Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford*

🏳️‍⚧️ Meet Madison's first openly trans alder.

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford made history when she won the District 15 City Council seat.
Martinez-Rutherford is a comedian, entrepreneur, and now, Madison's first openly trans woman elected to the City Council. She beat challenger Brad Hinkfuss by a margin of 54 votes, running on a platform for affordable housing, mental health awareness, and LGBTQ+ representation.
"When I transitioned, I never thought that I would see trans people in public office, and knowing that I’m a part of this just, I feel honored, excited, and humbled, and I hope that I can live up to what it means to be first," she told Channel 3000.

🗳️ A recount is likely in District 14.

After all the ballots were counted, Noah Lieberman was named District 14's alder-elect by a single vote.
Former alder Isadore Knox, Jr. is the other candidate in the race. He has told multiple news outlets that he plans to request a recount. A losing candidate with a margin within 1% can request a recount.

⛔️ Watch out for construction on East Wash later this week.

The westbound side of East Washington Avenue will be reduced to one lane starting Thursday. The closure is expected to last six to eight weeks, according to the city.
Why? Construction that includes pavement replacement and water and sanitary updates.

🎓 UW-Madison has named finalists for a top administrative position.

The university is in the process of searching for a new provost following the departure of John Karl Scholz, who was named president of the University of Oregon in March.
The finalists are Christopher Long, a dean at Michigan State University; Justin Schwartz, interim executive vice president and provost for Penn State University; Juli Wade, a dean at the University of Connecticut; and Charles Isbell Jr., who has spent most of his career at Georgia Tech, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
What does the provost do? According to UW, the provost provides "the guiding vision and framework for UW-Madison's academic leadership and administrative management." The role often is considered a university’s second in command, behind the chancellor.

📬

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🎙️ Today on City Cast Madison

This Judge Wants to Hear Why You Were Speeding

Parking tickets. We’ve all been there… rushing to back to the meter, just a few minutes too late. Having to move your car every two hours. Forgetting which day the street sweepers come. And don’t get us started on snow days.

One man holds the power to take the sting out of those tickets. And he’s actually more reasonable than you might think. He’s been on a mission to make local court more accessible to the public.

Meet Madison Municipal Court Judge Dan Koval.

Listen now