Madison Media Digest

If you only read one local news story this week, it should be this piece about a La Follette High School club where young men come together to support their peers and communities.

Schools and Education

GiGi’s Playhouse offers a variety of services and programs for children with Down’s Syndrome. The Madison School Board will soon decide whether to create the first public Montessori school in the Madison School District. School Board candidate Ali Muldrow wants better representation and support for people of color in MSD. Due to the volume of questions and requests they received, MSD extended the deadline for local 8th graders to apply for the Personalized Pathways program. A local effort provided violins for students. Mendota Elementary will participate in the Overture Center’s program which develops theater programs in elementary schools that don’t otherwise have the funding for them. There are six candidates vying for the two school board seats that are up for reelection.

Development

Due to a lack of funding, a South Side mixed-use development will no longer include a neighborhood center. MATC’s downtown campus may be repurposed into a home for nonprofits; there are four other finalists in the running for its redevelopment. The former Bellini building may become home to a sports bar. The Oscar Meyer plant closing has dropped annual city water usage. Le Tigre lounge has reopened after an 11-week long closing. Intercity bus stops have moved from University Avenue to Langdon Street due to construction and bicycle safety issues. 

Community

Similar to community-supported agriculture, CSArt will offer the chance to support local artists by buying shares in their work. The Madison Mallards are looking to renovate their stadium using shipping containers. Mayor Soglin and MPD are disagreeing over staffing. Soglin reintroduced a proposal that would limit sleeping on downtown sidewalks; some say this would further limit the already limited options that homeless folks have. The city council has yet to decide on the proposed panhandling ordinance. Lake Mendota officially froze over on New Year’s Day.