Madison Media Digest: Education, Community and Local elections

Here’s what we were reading while standing in line at Madison’s best antique stores. 

Education

Looking at another difficult budget, Madison Metropolitan School District considers asking for employee contributions to health care costs. Madison schools are using the principles of restorative justice in discipline cases and to address conflicts. Area high school students gathered for a conference on racial disparities. Middle school mentoring programs are seeing success. Madison Area Technical College is looking into leasing the land at its downtown campus rather than selling the site outright. UW-Madison is convening a task force to study its racial climate. Rest easy, Professor Baughman. 

Community

Bethel Lutheran Church is cutting back its homeless day center, a controversial move within the congregation.  The Isthmus celebrated its 40th anniversary. Nominees for the 19th Annual James C. Wright Civil Rights Award are due May 27th. Tickets for the April 23rd Badgers Spring Football game are only $5. Madison is a hotbed of pickleball. An Under Armour store will be opening on State Street this fall. The north side will soon be getting a bigger and better water tower. Madison’s Ultratec was honored for being an inclusive employer. The average single family home in Madison rose in value by 3.5 percent, reaching record highs. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art plans an anniversary celebration. A grocery store opening on East Washington makes the Isthmus less of a food desert. Monroe Street’s Wild Child store is up for sale.

Local elections

There was only one change to the Dane County Board this election cycle. Everett Mitchell is a new Dane County judge. He plans to continue his community commitments in his new role. David Blaska says the strong voter turnout in Madison suggests that concerns over Voter ID laws are misplaced.