City Life

Madison Commons Media Digest, June 16, 2019

By |

Madison and Dane County

Dane County vows to move forward after GOP strips Alliant Energy Center improvements form state budget, Barry Adams, Wisconsin State Journal, June 15. Madison City Council adopts changes to neighborhood center funding, Abigail Becker, Capital Times, June 13. Community

A look at the new Eastside Pinney Library, Lisa Speckhard Pasque, CT, June 15. Fire departments from all over Wisconsin staff Madison stations during services for firefighter Todd Mahoney, Bill Novak, WSJ, June 15. Madison getting ready to celebrate 30th Annual Juneteenth, David Dahmer, Madison365, June 13.

City Life

People of Color and Single-Parent Households are Most Likely to be in Poverty in Dane County

By |

Single-parent households and people of color are under the greatest risk of being in poverty in Dane County, according to the 2018 State of Working Wisconsin report by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS). COWS is a national think-and-do tank that promotes “high road” solutions to social problems based around University of Wisconsin-Madison. The report states that wages have been nearly stagnant over the last 40 years and income today is lower than it was in 2000. Poverty in Dane County doesn’t mean that people aren’t working. Unemployment is at 2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

City Life

Mifflandia Project Presents Development Proposal at Final Public Meeting

By |

The City of Madison planning team charged with guiding the redevelopment of Madison’s Mifflin neighborhood showed off its final recommendations at the project’s last public meeting June 3 at the Madison Senior Center. The team’s recommendations covered a wide range of topics, from specific proposals regarding building height maps and land usage, to broader ideas about increasing diversity and inclusiveness in Madison’s downtown area. Based on feedback from residents since the project’s first meeting in October 2018, the Mifflandia team flipped the City’s 2012 Comprehensive Plan’s guidelines for residential and business land usage in the area. The new plan reserves Mifflin and Main Streets for residences and concentrates businesses along W. Washington Avenue. The group also proposed a “four-plus-two” height restriction — in which buildings’ street-side facades would be limited to four stories, followed by a “set-back” that would allow building up to six stories farther back from the street — for all buildings from W. Mifflin Street to W. Main Street.

City Life

Madison Commons Media Digest, June 9, 2019

By |

Top Story

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway asks city agencies to plan for $9.5 million budget gap in 2020, Abigail Becker, Capital Times, June 5. Madison and Dane County

Dane County puzzled by errant tax reminders, Steven Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal, June 8. Madison School Board poised to take up new school-based police officer contract, Logan Wroge, WSJ, June 8. Dane County Board approves $148 million in jail renovations after opponents shut down meeting, Emily Hamer, WSJ, June 7. Madison police officer who strikes teen in video is put on 'restricted duty,' Chris Rickert, WSJ, June 7; Video shows MPD officers beating black juvenile with bag over his head; Internal investigation ongoing, Robert Chappell, Madison365, June 5.

City Life

June 2019 Backyard Heroes

By |

Community Shares, a partner of Madison Commons, recognizes two volunteers each month. The volunteers come from Community Shares' member groups and are selected for their service to the community and to community issues. Thom Thoresen, Wisconsin Conservation Voices

Thom Thoresen is a hardworking volunteer and longest-serving board member of Wisconsin Conservation Voices. Since 2004, Thom has facilitated Wisconsin Conservation Voices’ membership at Community Shares of Wisconsin. In this role, he leads fundraisers and matches donations for the annual Big Share campaign.

City Life

Why We Need Medicaid Expansion and Why Opponents Are Wrong

By |

The co-chairs of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee have announced plans to reject Governor Evers’ proposal for Medicaid expansion in the biennial state budget. Their politically motivated decision would result in a loss to the state of $324 million over two years, including needed general operating funds. Not accepting these federal tax dollars would gut much of what the Governor has proposed, including programs in the health, transportation and education budgets which serve all Wisconsin residents. Here are five reasons why Wisconsin should accept the federal funding for Medicaid expansion:

More people will be covered by BadgerCare. The Governor’s proposal would lift the income eligibility ceiling for a single individual from $12,490/year to $17,236/year, expanding BadgerCare eligibility to cover an additional 82,000 more adults.