Madison Media Digest: Housing and homelessness, Community and Businesses

Here’s what we were reading while getting excited to watch community theater in Verona. 

Housing and homelessness

The city approved a plan to provide housing to homeless families on the Far West Side. The Tenant Resource Center faces an uncertain future as Dane County ends its funding of the non-profit, which provided number of services that will now be taken over by the Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin. A bill introduced in the state assembly would make it harder for cities to engage in historic preservation efforts, Madison officials said. Critics said at a public hearing the law also would strip tenants of protections passed locally as well as make it more difficult to conduct routine inspections.  Another state bill would limit Dane County’s zoning rules, a proposal that leaves towns in the county split. Is Madison’s building boom not respecting zoning laws and neighborhood plans? An affordable housing development on S. Park Street moved closed to fruition. 

Community

A program for at-risk teens will move out of Lapham Elementary, a process accelerated after a student in the program brought a loaded gun to school. School officials responded to parental concerns at a meeting. The Wisconsin State Journal told the story of the family whose support for their daughter became a political issue in Mount Horeb. Oscar Mireles agreed to serve as Madison’s poet laureate. Metro Transit scored high marks from riders during its most recent survey. Two neighborhood associations want input on a project on the Isthmus. The Urban League and UW-Madison hosted a Family Science Night on the South Side. An exhibit planned for next month highlights the challenges faced by young people, especially LGBTQ youth and youth of color, in the criminal justice system. The city passed new noise permit regulations.

Businesses

Madison-based EatStreet, an online food ordering system, secured $15M in investment. The State Journal Editorial board supports a new hotel development near the Beltline on the South Side. Badger Football makes a huge economic impact. A building on Willy Street may become concrete lofts. The Madison Police Department has gone local with selling items from its property room. 

The Madison Media Digest will be on hiatus until Jan. 11.