Morning Update

Out with the old, in with the new website

We've leveled up again.

In this newsletter

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters / Unsplash

Good morning, Madison!

Here’s some medium-sized news from us: We've updated our website!

As we continue to grow and produce more original content, we’re going to need a website where our stories can truly be the stars of the show. This new site is easy to navigate while giving us a little more flexibility on how we present our content.

Have thoughts? Feelings? Just want to chat? Our inbox is always open.

— Hayley

✨ Looking for some winter fun?

Even though it may not feel too much like winter right now, there are still plenty of ways to make the most of the snowy season in Madison.
From dining in domes to winter festivals and volunteering, we've got you covered with our new winter fun guide.

The CARES van pictured outside of the team's headquarteres at Fire Station 3 on Williamson Street. Image via City of Madison

☎️ The CARES team is growing.

Madison's Community Alternative Response to Emergency Situations and Services (CARES) program is expanding its team and hours to provide further emergency support in the community.
The program is expanding from five eight-hour days a week to seven 12-hours days a week. The city is currently looking for a paramedic and crisis worker for the weekend shift.
What's CARES? The program launched in September 2021 and responds to non-violent behavioral health-related emergencies. The idea is to help people in crisis without getting police involved. In the program's first year, CARES responded to 935 calls for service. Only 3% of CARES patients were referred to the police.

📂 A new local business publication will launch next month.

The nonprofit organization that publishes Madison365 is launching a new online business publication "dedicated to covering business and workforce news for and from Wisconsin’s communities of color."
The new publication is called Blueprint365 and is set to begin publishing in February.

🏀 Some good sports news and some bad sports news.

The good news: Forward Madison FC has signed former Badger men’s soccer player Sam Brotherton to its 2023 roster. Brotherton is a 26-year-old defender from New Zealand but played for UW-Madison in 2015 and 2016.
The bad news: Following a three-game losing streak, the Badger men's basketball team has dropped out of the AP Top 25. The team returns to the Kohl Center tonight to take on Penn State.

Kelby is a friendly and wiggly guy with the most mesmerizing eyes. Photos via Dane County Humane Society

🐶 Happy Take Me Home Tuesday! Meet: Kelby.

From the Dane County Humane Society: This adult pup is rambunctious and friendly, and his eyes will mesmerize you.

Kelby appears to have some hearing loss because he doesn’t respond much to sound and he spooks easily if he doesn’t see you immediately. He’s looking for a patient family with humans who are teen-age and older to work with him on his positive reinforcement training and help him burn off some energy through exercise.

Will Kelby mesmerize you into stopping by to meet him?

🥵 Your lunchtime read: Climate change is warming Wisconsin winters faster than other seasons.

Via PBS Wisconsin: "Milwaukee and Green Bay have experienced two of the five fastest warming winters in major cities across America over the past half-century, with their average temperatures warming by about 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

As impacts of climate change around Wisconsin are increasingly observed, winter has been found to be the fastest warming season in the state."

📬

Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here.

🎙️ Today on the pod

A rendering showing a proposed jail tower that could replace the old City County Building jail in downtown Madison. Credit: Potter Lawson (architectural firm)

Dane County Sheriff: ‘Trust Me’ on Jail Closing

The Dane County Jail has problems. Originally built in 1953, officials say it’s outdated, dangerous, and inhumane. It has lead pipes and asbestos. Locks get stuck shut. It has no medical beds or room for rehabilitative programs.

County officials have been trying for years to find a plan — and the cash — to build a new jail, so they can finally close down the oldest units on the top floors of the City County building.

The county says they need an additional $14 million to seal the deal and build a six-floor, 825-bed building next to the County Courthouse in downtown Madison. Will taxpayers go for it? Costs are escalating by the minute. Meanwhile, the sheriff is shipping inmates to other counties, sometimes hours away, until a safer jail is built.

City Cast Madison talks to Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett about the controversial jail project — which, at a price tag of $167 million so far, is the most expensive in county history.

Listen now