Council meeting tonight, Mayor still stuck in Europe and I hear the ash might actually be getting worse even tho some flights did resume.
THE POWER OF LOBBYISTS AND MONEY
Sometimes, something might not be better than nothing. But hey, the pay day lenders must not be as threatening as AT&T et al, cuz the community television bill didn’t even get as far as the payday lending bill. But hey, Telephone Deregulation, that’s flying through.
PHOTO CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK
Enjoy!
$30M –> $18M –> $12M
Still $12M left to cut after last night’s school board meeting.
ANOTHER INFORMATION VACUUM FOR THE COUNCIL
Downtown train stations! They follow the trend on the library and Greyhound bus station. I hope they make waves tonight!
TRUST NO ONE
Tonight the City Council and County Board vote for their leadership. On the County Board side, I suspect things are fairly wrapped up. On the City Council side, trust no one. This vote in particular, seems to bring out the worst in people. Unfortunately, it proves some of those things people say about politicians are right. It’ll be interesting to see the final outcome with crucial swing votes allegedly “uncommitted”. Personally, if you ask me, if they elect Clear we’re in trouble unless the council finds its backbone.
OLIN TURVILLE PARKING
Police and Tim Bruer vs. commuter parkers and boaters. Personally, I hope the commuter parkers and boaters win. The police can just increase their patrols. They can simultaneously put little “tickets” on the cars to evaluate the security of the items locked inside. They could make that a regular noon-time stop. 🙂
TWO WAY TRAFFIC ON 100 E MIFFLIN
It’s kinda crazy to look up the street and see the YWCA building and the crane, but now two way traffic! At least the bikes will be going the right direction for a change.
DUMP YOUR HAZARDOUS WASTE!
Legally! Safely! Clean Sweep resumes May 1.
THIS MAKES ME GIGGLE
Clauder running for Assembly. I don’t know why it strikes me as funny, it just does.
RACIAL PROFILING SPEAK OUT
On Monday, April 26 at MATC-Truax in Madison and on Wednesday, April 28 at the Zelazo Center on the UW-Milwaukee campus, the public will have another chance to speak directly to elected officials about new laws regarding racial profiling, traffic stop data collection and primary seat belt enforcement.
This is your final chance to speak out about your experiences or concerns about racial profiling in Wisconsin. Your attendance, your testimonies and your letters will make a difference!
For more information about how to organize a group to attend or for tips in preparing your own testimony, contact the ACLU of Wisconsin office closest to you. Find the ACLU of Wisconsin on the web at www.aclu-wi.org.
From the Office of Justice Assistance website:
Effective January 1st, 2011, all Wisconsin law enforcement officers will be required to collect data at traffic stops that will be used to determine whether vehicles operated or occupied by racial minorities are disproportionately stopped.As required by 2009 Wisconsin Act 28, the Office of Justice Assistance (OJA) is promulgating an administrative rule to establish under what circumstances racial data is collected by law enforcement, the type of data collected, the format in which data is submitted, and the type of analyses OJA will conduct using collected traffic stop data.
The public is invited to share their comments on the proposed rule at the scheduled public hearings or through written comments submitted to OJA.
Public hearings are scheduled on April 26th in Madison and on April 28th in Milwaukee (see schedule on the website below).
Written comments on the rule will be accepted through the close of business April 30th.
NEIGHBORHOOD INPUT ON HIGH SPEED RAIL
From SASY:
Goals for fencing and crossings along the Milwaukee to Madison high speed rail route in the Schenk-Atwood neighborhood were sent to the Department of Transportation on Friday. Discussions with DOT about its plans for the route are expected to begin perhaps during the next month.
Secretary Busalacchi,
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has begun planning for the proposed Milwaukee to Madison rail service. With homes and businesses adjacent to the proposed route and numerous road, bicycle and pedestrian railroad crossings, the densely populated Schenk-Atwood neighborhood in Madison will be directly affected by the proposed rail service. While we support this new transportation option, we encourage DOT to include project features which maintain the safety, quality of life, and mobility of our residents.
On behalf of our neighborhood, please find attached our goals for the train route fencing and crossings within our neighborhood. This includes a figure identifying the location of key motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian crossings.
We recommend the following goals:
1. Need for Fencing – Eliminate or minimize the need for train route fencing so the mobility of residents is not impeded.2. Fence Design – Select a fence design which improves the appearance and infrastructure of our neighborhood.
3. Fence Maintenance – Establish a railroad fence maintenance plan to keep the area clean and repaired.
4. Quiet Zones – Complete quiet zones to assure safety at street-rail crossings and eliminate the need for the use of train horns.
5. Ped-Bike Crossing Gates – Besides street-rail crossings, gates should also be installed at rail crossings with our busy bicycle and pedestrian paths.
6. Maximize Crossings – Provide as many crossings as possible to allow movement to either side of the tracks.
As planning for the new rail service continues, we hope your staff will keep in contact with our neighborhood and other neighborhoods along the rail corridor so we can assure this is a successful project for everyone.
Should you or your staff have any questions, please contact Dan Melton, chair of our neighborhood association, or me.
Steven Klafka, Vice-Chair
SASY Neighborhood Association
HOW MANY MEN DOES IT TAKE TO PLANT A TREE IN MADISON
A bit of comedic relief. Kinda.
I’ve been quite amused this morning with Madison’s urban forestry tree planting process. Around 9:45 two men arrived with a wide peir drill and excavated a shallow hole outside my window along the street…fifteen minutes later another pair of men showed up with a young, bare root tree, set it upright and filled the hole. ten minutes later another pair of men showed up with guying stakes and hammered them into the ground (did not install the guy wires). I’m curious to see if there will another pair to set the guy wires and then perhaps another two to feed it water…way to go Madison for keeping our boys busy!
Reminds me of the stories my grandfather used to tell me about working on the highway crew for Sheboygan County, back in the olden days.
BLOCK PARTY OF SORTS!
The Social Justice Center is blocking off the street and having a party!
Mural Dedication Fri May 7 6 pm (gallery night)
“Toward Revolution – 1970’s Vision”
Join us for the dedication of a new mural at the Social Justice Center, 1202 Williamson Street.
· Festivities begin at 5:30 with mural dedication at 6:pm
· Featuring the music of:
o Peter and Lou Berryman
o Michael Bonesteel and David Bicknase “Harmony of the Spheres”
o Kronic Jones
· Be sure to check out the poster exhibit “Willy Street in the 70’s – Changing the World through Art” on exhibit at the Social Justice Center through May 31.
· Help celebrate a pivotal time in Madison’s history that is only beginning to be recognized for its significance.
