Here’s what we were reading while saying good-bye to Octopus Car Wash [1].
Government
Mayor Paul Soglin unveiled his 2016 budget, which calls for delays in many projects in response to concerns about debt levels [2]. Soglin said that city borrowing is reaching unsustainable levels [3]. The proposed public market on the East Side will be delayed until 2021 [4]. Police Chief Mike Koval objected to the delay of the Midtown District police station in the budget [5]. A vote on the $201M Judge Doyle Square project (including more than $40M of public money), which would bring Exact Sciences Corporation’s headquarters downtown, has been put off until Sept. 15 [6]. The Caffeinated Politics blog believes the city should support the Judge Doyle Square proposal [7]. The Tenant Resource Center faces a $95,000 cut from Dane County, which will likely impact “regular old tenants with regular old tenant issues” and translation services [8].
Dane County officials released a report focused on racial disparities in the county that the authors view as a call to action [9]. The Madison Times also covered the release of the plan [10]. The report is meant to be a blueprint for improving future practices [11]. Soglin and the City Council’s conflict over a beer license for Madison Frites restaurant has become entwined with a debate about the future and character of downtown [12].
Homelessness
A City-County committee approved a ban on homeless people sleeping outside the government building [13]. Brenda Konkel chronicles the Community Development Block Grant Committee decision to vote against an ordinance that would limit the time homeless people could spend on benched [14]. The Caffeinated Politics blog says Brenda Konkel’s advocacy for the homeless is alienating potential allies [15]. Linda Ketcham points out that fining homeless individuals in front of the City County Building will increase the incarcerated population on Madison365 [16].
Policing
A committee rejected a plan to outfit Madison police with body cameras [17]. The State Journal disagrees [18]. So does Chris Rickert [19]. David Blaska wants city government to back the police rather than engage with activists’ claims [20]. Numerous residents suspect landlord Mark Levy of retaliatory practices and racial profiling [21]. Nathan Maurer [22] writes about #HandsOffBrandi on Forward Lookout. A Dane County Restorative court program is diverting all 12-16 year olds cited for minor violations into a system that leaves no permanent record [23].
Education
Madison schools will have more AmeriCorps volunteers this year, but they will be concentrated fewer schools [24]. The standardized testing opt-out movement is an act of civil disobedience, writes Edgewood Dean of Education Tim Slekar [25]. A Madison middle schooler has started a charity seeking to provide others kids money for educational travel [26]. Michael Hernandez has taken over as principal at Madison East High School [27]; Madison Commons profiled him in January [28]. Madison’s Literacy Network kicks off a campaign to recruit 1,200 tutors in 12 weeks [29].
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Links:
[1] http://host.madison.com/business/octopus-car-washes-sold-first-location-opened-here-in-late/article_8a834b9c-b50a-57c0-8aee-d283cf5807ca.html
[2] http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/paul-soglin-s-million-madison-capital-budget-proposal-includes-major/article_b1f26370-0055-5ff4-ad72-45d8e1c3f066.html
[3] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/drawing-a-line-we-can-t-cross-paul-soglin-s/article_786857f7-8e43-5ddb-9b44-ccefa3514220.html
[4] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/paul-soglin-proposed-madison-public-market-will-have-to-be/article_b901a715-d32c-5679-a439-e5cbb60d316a.html
[5] http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/chief/blog/?Id=7844
[6] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/paul-soglin-recommends-delay-in-city-council-vote-on-judge/article_a4833602-13e0-502f-9dcb-1d3fa305fde3.html
[7] https://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2015/08/30/madison-needs-to-support-big-bold-judge-doyle-square-proposal/
[8] http://www.isthmus.com/news/news/tenant-resource-center-cut-budget/#sthash.8J2gVACQ.dpuf
[9] http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/dane-county-officials-unveil-racial-equity-analysis/article_d43ec23f-35e1-51f2-9636-d221e88ece24.html
[10] http://themadisontimes.themadent.com/article/race-to-equity-report-offers-blueprint-for-achieving-racial-justice-in-dane-county/
[11] http://madison365.com/index.php/2015/08/31/sweeping-four-year-plan-to-increase-racial-equity-in-dane-county/
[12] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/sparks-fly-as-mayor-paul-soglin-city-council-clash-over/article_94ffde54-269e-5d48-9b6a-4c458d3882a6.html.
[13] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-county-committee-approves-ccb-sleeping-ban/article_ff8aeae5-ab23-5bae-9c49-cd9daecca4f7.html
[14] http://www.forwardlookout.com/2015/09/3rd-committee-unanimously-votes-against-bench-ordinance/23818
[15] https://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/madisons-brenda-konkel-goes-off-the-rails/
[16] http://madison365.com/index.php/2015/09/04/new-ccb-policy-eschews-grappling-with-underlying-causes/
[17] http://host.madison.com/madison-committee-votes-no-to-police-body-cameras-city-council/image_ecd35f55-5916-5403-b33e-fead35846289.html
[18] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/editorial/give-cop-cameras-a-chance/article_ce087877-5ce6-5d60-9ae9-41542223b834.html
[19] http://host.madison.com/news/local/columnists/chris-rickert/chris-rickert-police-body-cameras-a-backup-for-what-madison/article_0031ae3c-3bdf-5b01-827e-b294e7d4601b.html
[20] http://www.ibmadison.com/Blogger/Bring-It/September-2015/We-need-to-start-killing-these-officers/.
[21] http://www.isthmus.com/news/news/boot-tenants-brentwood-village-bill-levy/
[22] http://www.forwardlookout.com/2015/09/handsoffbrandi-by-nate-royko/23813
[23] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime-and-courts/pilot-program-aims-to-address-youth-crime-with-restorative-justice/article_00577c75-8931-5d60-914e-aa86f8096eb1.html
[24] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/in-strategy-change-americorps-members-will-be-deployed-differently-in/article_85682048-28d9-5a24-b4f4-7a272243e198.html
[25] http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/column/guest/tim-slekar-opt-out-movement-isn-t-about-testing/article_df935192-09cd-5811-814e-f694fbf2fd45.html
[26] http://host.madison.com/news/local/young-philanthropist-still-in-middle-school-wants-to-give-gift/article_099bd550-c8fc-5908-8e2f-8605522c8be5.html
[27] http://host.madison.com/print_only/list/principal-profile-michael-hernandez-east/article_c6740620-63fe-5189-bf11-6b0e00697220.html
[28] http://www.madisoncommons.org/?q=content/for-sherman-middle-school-principal-challenges-are-relative
[29] http://themadisontimes.themadent.com/article/1200-tutors-in-12-weeks-campaign-volunteers-are-needed-throughout-wisconsin/