Morning Update

Welcome baby Badgers

Morning update: Wednesday, Aug. 31

In this newsletter

Image via Shutterstock

Good morning, Madison!

If you're wondering why an influx of U-Hauls and out-of-state license plates have flooded the isthmus, well, it's UW-Madison move-in week. Thousands of bright-eyed baby Badgers and their families have arrived on campus bringing boxes and traffic with them.

Since UW has been doing this for a long time, they've got the move-in flow down to a science. Students are only allowed 45 minutes to unpack belongings from their vehicles before cars must be moved. But because there are thousands of new students moving in, the flow of cars never stops.

Expect traffic across the campus area, especially around Langdon Street, Observatory Drive, and Park Street.

Happy moving!

— Hayley

♻️ PSA: There's no trash or recycling collection on Labor Day.

The city's Streets Division crews won't be out making collection rounds next Monday in observance of Labor Day. If you normally get your trash or recycling picked up on Mondays, you should put your bins out by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, instead. City drop-off sites will also be closed Monday.
Related: Most residents will receive their fifth and final brush collection opportunity during the month of September (City of Madison)

🚨 Read this if you ride a bike.

Late last week a local cyclist discovered a tied cord tied across a bridge on the Badger State Trail a moment too late. Gregg Goldstein was thrown from his bike after hitting what he later discovered to be an HDMI cord tied across the bridge like a clothesline. While he was able to walk away only with bruises, the incident has led Madison cyclists to sound the alarm for their community.
This isn't just a one-off event, either. Goldstein discovered another cord tied end-to-end on the bridge again Monday. Cyclists are urging others to be vigilant.

Rollerskates — Photo by Quinton Coetzee / Unsplash

🛼 Marking the end of Fast Forward Skate Center.

The city's Plan Commission Monday approved a proposal to replace Madison's last skating rink with a four-story, 70-unit affordable housing project. If all goes to plan with the city, developers will start construction on the apartments in early 2023, with a goal of completion by early 2024.
Rink manager Justin Alling is already working to open another roller rink, Mad Town Skate. His Indiegogo campaign for the project has raised just over $2,300.

💸 Some MMSD staff will see a $2 raise.

In a 6-1 vote, the Madison School Board approved $2-per-hour wage hike for education assistants for the upcoming school year. Cap Times reports the increase will cost a total of $1.4 million and bring the starting wage for education assistants up to $18.45 an hour.
If you'll recall: Madison Teachers Inc. (the union that represents MMSD staff) called for a $5 wage increase for hourly staff, which would cost the district roughly $3.5 million.
This isn't the end: At Monday's meeting the board decided it would hold a special meeting Sept. 19 to decide whether to further increase the hourly wage another $3.

“I’m not respectfully asking anymore; I’m begging you. Our students’ education, safety, mental health and happiness are our ongoing priorities. With the ongoing staff shortages and the increased workload that we’ve been forced to endure, it not only impacts our safety, mental health and happiness, it impacts our students as well.” — Kathy Rezac, MMSD special education assistant

🚣 Dane County park fees could increase next year.

The Dane County Park Commission is considering rate increases for some permits including dog, lake access, and mountain biking for 2023. The last time rates were changed was pre-Covid-19.
The commission will hold a public hearing on the matter Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 4:45 p.m. (there will be virtual and in-person options).
Also under consideration is a new discount for veterans and military members and a new application fee for special event permit requests.

⛪️ Your lunchtime read: “This is something we owe.” Madison church pays “voluntary tax” to Indigenous nations.

Via Madison365: "The history of Indigenous peoples in Wisconsin is deep and abundant, yet it’s a history that has long gone glossed over without proper attention or, in many cases, unacknowledged completely.

St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church on Madison’s west side is looking to push against narratives of erasure by giving back through adding a new voluntary land tax into their budget for the year."