Madison Media Digest: Community, Policing and Government

Here’s what we were reading while trying to catch Pokemon around town:

Community

Schools are a refuge for homeless students. Race to Equity is offering four scholarships for high school students graduating in spring 2017. Parents on the Premises, a project of the Mellowhood Foundation, tries to keep kids focused on positive activities. The Madison Veterans Hospital is expanding its services after an $11.4M upgrade, although wait times are still growing. A Madison actress will star in the Chicago production of Hamilton. The Overture Center is stepping up its security. The State Journal loves the Orpheum’s new sign. The defense attorneys for Steven Avery, who was featured in Making a Murderer, will speak at the Madison Public Library. The Apartment Project creates collaborations.  Madison’s entrepreneurs are using “big data.” The new HealthTech Capitol website is part of a greater plan to establish Madison as an ideal place for health technology start-ups. Madison’s Black Men Run became the first African American Diabetic relay team to complete a triathalon. Concessions will be part of Breese Stevens Field. A rise in EpiPen prices has caused concern for Madison’s allergy sufferers. UW - Madison has a new director of community relations.

Policing

A coalition of community groups unveiled a three-year plan with 15 recommendations aimed at reducing violence and arrests in Madison’s black community, with a price tag of $3M over the course of the plan. Mayor Paul Soglin said the next city budget will include $750,000 for programs targeted at reducing violence and incarceration. Our friends at WISC praised this. A group of former prisoners urged people to hold elected officials accountable on criminal justice reform. Hundreds marched up State Street in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protesters rallied Monday outside the Madison Police Department Central District Station. Chris Rickert thinks the tensions over policing in Madison look different than they do in the rest of the country. He also had some other thoughts on the state of the debate. Madison police used pepper spray to break up a disturbance at Shake the Lake, prompting questions about the divide between the Madison community and its law enforcement. Meadowood residents say lawn signs supporting Madison police are being taken from in front of their homes. The supervisor of the Madison Police Department’s gang unit discussed what his team does. Madison Police Department’s Latinx Outreach group kicked off their annual soccer series.

Government and politics

The County Board approved the purchase of a site for the long-planned homeless day shelter. A court blocked Dane County’s requirement that Enbridge Energy carry spill insurance, but reopened the permit process to determine if it would have been approved without the spill insurance provision. Mayor Soglin announced the new director of Madison’s Department of Civil Rights.Robert Jambois, who is challenging Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, says his opponent missed key meetings about shortening jail stays, a charge Ozanne disputed. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi says he sees the effects of Madison’s racial climate within his own family.