Get ready for something big

Morning update: Wednesday, Aug. 10

In this newsletter

Good morning, Madison!

We've got some exciting news for y'all today. Things are finally taking shape and we're happy to tell you about the new daily podcast coming to Madison.

City Cast is a network of daily local news podcasts in cities around the country. Currently they operate in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Salt Lake, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, DC, and Boise. And soon, City Cast will go live in Madison.

We're super stoked about this for plenty of reasons but first and foremost is their commitment to creating quality local journalism. City Cast has already proven its commitment to Madison by hiring longtime local journalist Molly Stentz as lead producer.

When the show launches, you'll see City Cast stories in the newsletter and you might hear us on the pod from time to time.

Stay tuned for more announcements on this front because we're just getting started.

— Hayley

P.S. Now that a lead producer has been hired, City Cast is looking to add two more staff members to the launch team, is that you? Check out the job descriptions here.

🗳 The winners and losers of Tuesday's primary.

U.S. Senate: Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes won the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, which was pretty much just a formality considering all of his top competitors dropped out of the race two weeks ago. Barnes is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in November.
Governor: Trump-backed candidate Tim Michels emerged victorious in the primary for governor, beating out former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. Michels is co-owner of the state's largest construction company Michels Corp. Michels will now face off against Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in the general election.
Lt. Governor: Democrats picked state Rep. Sara Rodriguez as their lieutenant governor candidate. Meanwhile, Republicans selected state Sen. Roger Roth as their pick for the office.
Attorney General: In the Republican primary for attorney general, voters selected Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney over former state lawmaker Adam Jarchow. Toney will now face Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul in November's general election.
Secretary of State: Democrats selected longtime secretary of state Doug La Follette for another run at the job. Republicans selected Rep. Amy Loudenbeck. The two will face off in the November election.

⛸ Fast Forward Skate Center could become affordable housing.

The Fast Forward Skating Center building on the city's southwest side is slated for demolition, drawing mixed feelings from residents who mourn the loss of the decades-old business but welcome the prospect of affordable housing in the neighborhood.
WKOW reports the new building will have 70 units, 59 of which will be income restricted.
Get involved: The city's Plan Commission will host a public hearing for the project Aug. 29.

🏘 The third time's the charm?

Developers have revised their plans — again — for a $150 million project on the city's north side. Green Street Development Group of St. Louis, Missouri have had its plans shot down by City Council twice already.
The new proposal would allow zoning for 76 single-family lots as well as commercial, agriculture, and recreational spaces, the State Journal reports.
Some context: The group's previous proposals were ultimately denied so that the developers could consider concerns about future noise from the incoming F-35 jets. Council members have asked the developers to include plans for soundproofing any new housing in the area.

🚧 Reconstruction on Russel Street.

The city will begin construction on the east side's Russel Street next week. The street will remain open to local traffic but expect lane closures on Winnebago Street and Eastwood Drive. No street parking will be allowed during the day but overnight parking will be available to residents when possible.

😷 Don't forget you can still get free Covid-19 tests from the government.

Currently in Dane County the community level of Covid-19 is medium, according to the state DHS.
Every home in the U.S. is eligible for three sets of four free Covid-19 tests. You can order yours here (hot tip: they take several weeks to arrive so order them before you need them!).

You can sign up for (3) sets of FREE COVID tests (16 total) from https://t.co/1lCEmuLP9o. You may not need them now, but it’s a good idea to stock up so you have them when you do.

Already bought tests? Learn how you might be able to get reimbursed: https://t.co/KPskXifdgg pic.twitter.com/dxSRCKAb1P
— @publichealthmdc (@PublicHealthMDC) August 9, 2022

🥘 Welcome back, Mirch Masala.

The Indian-Nepali restaurant that used to call State Street home will reopen Friday on the west side, the State Journal reports. The restaurant's new space is located at 439 Grand Canyon Drive.
If you'll recall: Mirch Masala closed its doors at 449 State St. in March because of disagreements with its landlord.

🎙 Your lunchtime read: Longtime Madison journalist Molly Stentz on her shift from broadcast to podcast.

Via Wisconsin State Journal: "After more than two decades in journalism, most recently with Wisconsin Public Radio, Molly Stentz is heading into new, yet familiar, territory as a Madison-focused journalist with City Cast, a new company aimed at building a network of local journalism podcasts across the country."

Has the fall of Roe v. Wade impacted your decisions about family planning? Tell us.

We've partnered with Tone Madison to produce a survey that will help us better understand and offer our readers a fuller picture of how the ruling is affecting people across the Madison area. Learn more and take the survey here.

Take the survey