Morning Update

What's up with the public market?

Morning update: Wednesday, Sept. 7

In this newsletter

Good morning, Madison!

Happy Wednesday, friends. We've got a lot of ground to cover this morning so let's jump right into it.

— Hayley

Madison Minutes thanks our advertising partners. Become one.

💉 The state has expanded monkeypox vaccination eligibility.

Who's eligible? People who attended an event or venue where there was known monkeypox exposure; People who know a sexual partner was diagnosed with monkeypox within the last 14 days; Gay men, bisexual men, trans men and women, any men who have sex with men, and non-binary people who have had multiple sexual partners in the last 14 days or expect to have multiple or anonymous sex partners; Clinical and research lab staff who directly handle orthopoxviruses; Healthcare providers who directly care for patients with sexually transmitted infections.
As of Sept. 6, there have been 63 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Wisconsin.
Get more information and schedule a vaccine appointment here.
Related: Ahead of return to school, UW-Madison prepares for possible monkeypox cases (Cap Times)

💸 The public market and the $5.2 million budget gap.

The city's long-awaited public market is in jeopardy thanks to a $5.2 million financing gap that the city has yet to address.
Some context: Madison's public market was set to take over the two-story, 45,000-square-foot, city-owned building at 200 N. First St., which is currently used as a temporary men's homeless shelter. The market would feature food, arts, and entertainment year-round.
Where'd the money go? The city was forced to withdraw a $3.4 million federal grant application for the project, which was a critical funding element. Coupled with rising costs and inflation, the project has a new total cost estimate of $20 million and a $5.2 million gap in funding.
What's next? The fate of the public market is unclear. Some fear that this funding gap will spell the end for the project, which supporters said was "shovel-ready." Cap Times reports there was hope the mayor would include funding for the market in her newly released 2023 capital budget, but that wasn't the case. At a press conference Tuesday, the mayor said she'll be deliberating options for the market's funding with the city's finance committee and City Council in the coming weeks.

🥕 Bring your scraps to the Dane County Farmers’ Markets.

You can now bring food scraps to Wednesday Dane County Farmer’s Markets throughout September.
Look for a tent near the information booth to drop off scraps. Collection will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 200 block of MLK Jr. Boulevard.
Related: Where to find Madison farmers' markets

🚧 Developments to watch.

Monona Garden Family Restaurant: After nearly two decades of operation, the Monona Garden Family Restaurant at 6501 Bridge Road has closed. The restaurant will be demolished and replaced by a mixed-use building with apartment rentals and 17 "live-work spaces," which is a unit with both an office and a residential space owned by the same resident.
131 West Wilson: After months of disagreement over the condition of the building, the city's Plan Commission approved a demolition permit for 131 W. Wilson St., an office building and former home to Paisan's restaurant. Developers plan to start the tear-down process in October and start construction on a new 263-unit apartment building next summer. The State Journal reports the new building, to be called “The Moment,” will open in 2025.

💔 RIP Tai.

Last month, Henry Vilas Zoo's female red panda Tai was diagnosed with cancer. After working with the UW Veterinary school's oncology department on a treatment plan, Tai's condition didn't improve and the zoo made the decision to euthanize her. She was 14.

Via Washington Post: "Nada Elmikashfi, one of just a handful of Black staffers in the Wisconsin state legislature, is frustrated that Democrats in Washington, despite controlling the White House and Congress, have struggled to address the issues most concerning to Black Americans, including confronting racism and addressing police use of excessive force.

But she, too, continues to believe in voting as a form of resistance against Republicans who continue to push former president Donald Trump’s baseless claims of widespread election fraud, especially in cities with large Black populations."