Madison Media Digest: Police, Government, Community, Education

Here’s what we were reading while doing our best Betsy Ross impressions:

Police

The Common Council has been struggling to find a consultant who is qualified to conduct a controversial review of the Madison Police Department. Black Lives Matter Protesters marched along State Street to the Capitol on Sunday. Madison Police released the name of an officer who shot and killed a man the department says was advancing toward the officer with a pitchfork on the Near East Side. The city will hold a Q&A session on the shooting today. Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said the week’s violence both by and against police was a call to continue engaging with communities. The Madison Police Department asked the media not to attend last week’s academy graduation. Community leaders and police officers talked to Madison youth about how to navigate dealings with police officers. Some on the Southwest Side are showing support for Madison Police who they say are being unfairly criticized; Dave Blaska says they speak for a majority. Black leaders called for de-escalation by both police and their critics. Chris Rickert thinks no one has explained what police officers should do when faced with potentially life-threatening situations. Koval and Alder Samba Baldeh may have patched up some of their differences. One of the police officers wounded in the attacks on a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas has Madison ties.

Government

Mayor Paul Soglin introduced a plan to limit sleeping on public streets downtown during the day; advocates for the homeless spoke out against the proposal. The Madison City Council approved a $170M bid to redevelop Judge Doyle Square, endorsing the plan after another one fell through last year. The State Journal praised the City Council for getting “big things done.” The council approved a plan to study employee contributions to health care. Dane County lost a lawsuit over taxing authority over towns that withdraw from zoning authority, which was part of the new state budget. Madison designated July 20 as “Columbian Day.”

Community

An African-American man described how the city’s racial climate led him to decline a job at UW-Madison. Hot dog production will be the first to go as Kraft Heinz starts to close the Oscar Mayer plant and leave Madison’s North Side after a century. Madison’s Latinx community is often overlooked. Good weather and low gas prices led to a drop in Metro ridership. Boris Frank, 84, continues to work on behalf of those who need mental health services. A sewing camp on the West Side for kids 7 and up seeks to teach a lifelong skill. The city’s first skatepark has enjoyed a successful first year. Healthy Community Kitchen offers meals to those facing health crises. Phitness Plus CEO Haywood Simmons is combating racial and economic health and fitness disparities with new program. What is a day in the life of a Dane County Farmer’s Market vendor like? A disc golf championship will be held in Madison this week. Madison’s Classical Music scene is booming this July.

Education

Dane County is undertaking a series of efforts aimed at ameliorating the effects of poverty on childhood brain development. A local preschool becomes the first in the nation to implement AnjiPlay curriculum. Madison Area Technical College courses usually held on the West Side will be moved around town while the new campus is being readied. Madison students are really into Hamilton.