Here’s what we were reading while eating french fries from the UW Hospital Cafeteria while we still can [1]:
Education
Teachers are unhappy with the new school discipline policy [2], saying students are out of control and the schools haven’t hired enough staff to implement it. Others are optimistic, but believe improvements will take time [3]. Chris Rickert says having the right staff [4] is key to the policy’s success. The school board also approved a tax hike [5] to fund its operations, 6-1, with Mary Burke casting the lone no vote. In a separate vote, teacher’s base salaries were raised. A Madison elementary school teacher also won a $25,000 grant [6] for being an excellent teacher.
Development and Environment
The proposal for the Judge Doyle Square hotel has been scaled back [7] to one with fewer rooms requiring less public subsidy. The proposal is expected to be presented to the council and mayor this spring. Twenty-one acres of state-owned land in the Hill Farms neighborhood may soon be redeveloped [8]. The state issued a request for proposals for a private developer to build a new 600,000-square-foot office building on land that currently houses the Department of Transportation building. A proposed development in Fitchburg [9] is raising concerns about the impact on local water quality. Some are worried about runoff in an area near Lake Waubesa, the Nine Springs E-Way, and Swan creek. A decision on whether or not to move forward will happen in November.
To fight the Emerald Ash Borer, the City plans to remove 1,700 ash trees and treat 6,000 with a chemical injection in 2015 [10]. Residents of some neighborhoods have been tying green ribbons on trees in parks to raise awareness.
Community
Springs Window Fashions was featured for its volunteering [11] with groups that focus on hunger and housing. November’s Madison Magazine features the letters seven African American mothers wrote to their children [12] addressing issues of race. Madison Times previewed the upcoming Black Women Rock awards [13] which will take place November 8th.
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Links:
[1] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/uw-health-to-stop-selling-sugary-drinks/article_f3f666c8-0d8a-5fda-b769-da4d5a50d912.html
[2] http://host.madison.com/ap/mcclatchy/state/madison-teachers-new-discipline-policies-not-working/article_9d1cf06c-a63a-5e60-aa8b-2d38a3de8784.html
[3] http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/pat_schneider/madison-school-board-member-dean-loumos-not-surprised-by-new/article_653a7b10-603e-11e4-bff0-8b0b2e256116.html
[4] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/columnists/chris-rickert/chris-rickert-having-the-right-staff-is-the-third-leg/article_35dd641a-45d2-5af6-b681-3d9f61060a37.html
[5] http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/pat_schneider/one-week-from-election-mary-burke-says-no-to-tax/article_d255a196-5eb5-11e4-bac7-ab37b8bd5da3.html
[6] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/lincoln-elementary-teacher-surprised-with-national-award/article_dcf02ee6-0d09-5874-bdf4-e5551fe050f3.html
[7] http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/bryna-godar/downsized-judge-doyle-square-project-draws-little-consensus-among-madison/article_35a840db-8585-56f1-a081-9174aee1aa83.html
[8] http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/mike_ivey/state-moving-forward-on-hill-farms-land-sale-redevelopment/article_87439bea-5bc7-11e4-b1c7-43ffecf99a3b.html
[9] http://www.isthmus.com/isthmus/article.php?article=43885&sid=b5d33d81102385b99da66d78390a0b25
[10] http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/bryna-godar/ash-tree-removals-in-madison-parks-spark-neighborhood-action/article_c424ba33-d8ba-5514-b5ef-28808e4feb17.html
[11] http://host.madison.com/wsj/business/company-focuses-on-hunger-housing-efforts/article_122b683e-28bb-54aa-b9d3-666c690ae759.html
[12] http://www.madisonmagazine.com/Madison-Magazine/November-2014/Letters-to-Our-Sons/
[13] http://themadisontimes.themadent.com/article/building-sisterhood-community