Feelin' cheesy

Happy Wednesday Madison!

Madison Curd Fest kicks off at Breese Stevens Field Saturday and love 'em or hate 'em, Culvers will be joining in on the cheesy fun with more than just curds.

The Wisconsin fast food favorite will bring a food truck to the event where, for one day only, they'll sell poutine.

The dish features cheese curds on a bed of crinkle-cut fries drizzled with Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Sauce, and topped with herbs and cotija cheese (aka cheese, cheese, and more cheese, what's not to love?).

The dish will only be available at Curd Fest July 23 and proceeds from its sales will benefit Wisconsin FFA.

— Hayley

🚨 CARES is coming to the west and south sides.

• What is CARES? The Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) program responds to non-violent, behavioral health-related emergencies. CARES team members are trained in crisis intervention, cultural competency, de-escalation, suicide prevention and risk assessment, trauma-informed care, and more. The goal of the program is to address these situations without the need for law enforcement intervention.
• If you'll recall, the city first launched the CARES program in September 2021. The first CARES team operates out of Fire Station 3 on Willy Street and responds to calls in Madison's central police district. Since its launch, the team has responded to 674 calls.
• The city announced Tuesday it will add a second CARES team to its roster. The new team will be based at 2120 Fish Hatchery Road and respond to calls on the city's south and west sides.

🔥 It's hot. Here's how to recognize the signs of heat stroke.

• With temperatures reaching historic highs across the globe, it's important to know how to stay cool and safe in the heat. The Wisconsin DHS shared these tips for recognizing the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke as well as staying cool and safe.
• TLDR: Drink lots of water, check on your neighbors, and never leave people or pets in a parked car.
• Read their full list of suggestions here.

💖 Honoring Willie Lou Harris in south Madison.

• Who? Willie Lou Harris was a community leader in South Madison in the 1930s (and beyond), known for being part of the group who built the first neighborhood center in South Madison, which would later become the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County.
• Last week, city officials unveiled an honorary street sign at the corner of Bram and Baird streets in South Madison.
• At the ceremony, Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club, announced initiatives the organization will pursue to honor the memory Harris, including the establishment of a $100,000 endowed fund to keep Harris’ legacy alive, Madison365 reports.

🎶 It's curtain call for Essen Haus' music.

• Following complaints from neighbors and a tense neighborhood meeting Monday night, the owner of Essen Haus agreed to shut down the restaurant's amplified outdoor music.
• As the Cap Times reports, Essen Haus "does not have an outdoor amplified music permit except for during Oktoberfest and six other events per year," but has been playing amplified music outdoors, seven days a week, at increasingly high volumes.
• While the music may be off for now, the matter is far from resolved. Cap Times reports officials will meet to further discuss interpretations of Essen Haus’ liquor license and entertainment license.

🗳️ Check out the Wisconsin Elections Commission's new website before the primary.

• The Wisconsin Elections Commission website has a brand new look. The URL (elections.wi.gov) is the same. But officials hope the website redesign will make the site easier for the state's more than 1,800 election clerks to use. 'The new design will make it much easier for both clerks and citizens to find what they are looking for on our site," WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe said in a statement.

🍼 Your lunchtime read: Babies and Beyond’s timely rebrand won’t erase its 40-year legacy as a crisis pregnancy center.

• Via Tone Madison: "We desperately need diapers, formula, and other free, publicly-funded services for new parents. But we don’t need organizations like Pregnancy Helpline—under any name.
  
  It feels good to publicize diaper giveaways and organizations stepping up to fill the gaps during the egregiously mishandled infant formula shortage (which is still ongoing).
  
  It feels good to hope that you’re connecting people to resources, and celebrating individuals and organizations providing those direct services.
  
  But the way that [crisis pregnancy centers] tie together resources with coercive and manipulative counseling is not a coincidence."

📅 Events: Wednesday, July 20

• Ice Cream Boat Float‌‌. 4-6 p.m. at Wingra Boats. Create the perfect sundae out on the lake! Paddle from station to station to get your bowl, ice cream, toppings, whipped cream and a cherry to create a delicious ice cream sundae.
• Presentation: “The WiBee app: The Wisconsin Wild Bee community-science project to count and learn about bees!”‌‌. 7 p.m. Virtual option. Free. ‌‌The WiBee App is a new citizen science smartphone app designed for growers, gardeners, and nature enthusiasts to conduct short pollinator surveys on flowers and blooming crops.

Tomorrow

• Dane County Fair
• Movies on the Water: Wall-E and 2001 Space Odyssey
• Deadmau5
• They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, Marmalade, Prize Horse
• Comedian Tim Heidecker

Want even more events? We built an interactive events calendar that has way more events and details than we're able to share in our newsletters.

📝 Miss a Minute? Check out yesterday's newsletter.

Big names in Wisconsin races

Morning update: Tuesday, July 19

Madison MinutesHayley Sperling

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