Random things happening around town and in local government.
Burr Jones Park
Public Information Meeting Regarding Potential Changes to Burr Jones Park
6:00 January 23, 2019
Community Room – Festival Foods
810 E. Washington AveMadison Parks Division is holding a public information meeting to get your input on making improvements to Burr Jones Park. Potential changes include revisions to the parking lot, improved athletic fields, additional bicycle parking, changes to the basketball court and the addition of an athletic field lighting system.
If you have questions or comments but are unable to attend the meeting, please contact Mike Sturm at (608) 267-4921 or msturm@cityofmadison.com.
Alder Ledell Zellers
608 417 9521
MLK Events Today
12:00 Noon State Capitol Rotunda (2 E. Main St.) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute & Ceremony – featuring performances by Chicago’s Victory Travelers Gospel Quartet and Milwaukee Children’s Choir, as well as a keynote address by Muhibb Dyer, a Milwaukee Community activist and a founder of the I Will Not Die Young Campaign, a program that mentors youth and teaches conflict resolution. The event is free and will also be broadcast live.
1:00 pm UW-Madison Memorial Union, Great Hall (800 Langdon St.) UW-Madison MLK Day Celebration with keynote speaker, Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, speaking on the theme: Manifesting the Dreams of the Movement! Info? Visit the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/350183105762306/
5:00 pm Ouverture Center (210 State St.) 34th Annual Madison & Dane County
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday Observance! Program features a freedom sing-in at 5:00 pm, followed by a 6:00 pm program with the MLKJ Community Choir, keynote by Cheryl Brown Henderson – Brown v. Board of Education Originator & Civil Rights Activist – and presentation of the MLK Humanitarian Award by Dane County Executive, Joe Parisi, and Madison Mayor, Paul Soglin. Free and open to the public. Info? Visit the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2227250617529299/
A couple events from the Madison Activist Calendar
Tues. Jan. 22nd 11:00 am State St corner of the State Capitol Reproductive Rights Counter Protest to the Anti-Choice March for Life Wisconsin Rally! The threat to abortion rights is a threat to our community and our health. Abortion should be accessible to all. Join Madison Abortion Defense in reminding March for Live Wisconsin that Madison is a pro-choice town and their presence is not welcome here. They intend to pressure lawmakers to bend to their anti-woman, anti-family, anti-human rights agenda. Let’s make sure our voices are heard instead! With Scott Walker out of office, we won’t just fight to defend abortion rights. We will fight to repair the damage done during the Walker administration and expand abortion access in Wisconsin. Bring a sign, your voice, and a friend! Info? Visit the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/541492042994084/
Sat. Jan. 26th 6:00 pm James Reeb Unitarian Universalist (2146 E. Johnson St.) Sustainable Saturday Night! Free community meal, followed at 7:00 pm by: “What are we to do? – Wisdom from the Grassroots! Join leaders of Madison’s peace, justice and sustainability communities as they share their best thinking and help us to compose important questions and ideas to be shared with Madison’s mayoral and aldermanic candidates before the spring election. Info? #608-630-3633 Or visit the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/301679543887260/
Sat. Jan. 26th 4:00 – 8:00 pm Wilmar Community Center (953 Jenifer St.) Lakeside Press Farewell Party! Featuring live music from David Sewell, Ken Lonnquist, and Ladyscissors! Snacks and beverages provided – but feel free to bring other food/drink to share.
Wed. Feb. 13th 12:00 Noon Madison Central Library (201 W. Mifflin) Worker Co-ops 101: How to start a co-op business with the Madison Cooperative Development Coalition! What is a worker co-op? A values-driven business where the workers own, democratically control, and benefit from the business. A worker co-op follows the principle of “one worker, one vote.” Free and open to the public! Interpretation into Spanish provided. Childcare also available upon request – please contact malvarado@madisonpubliclibry.org one week in advance. For more info, visit the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2233858266827888/
Federal Government Shutdown – And FoodShare a.k.a. food stamps
Federal Government Shutdown and Wisconsin Benefits and Programs
As a result of the federal government shutdown, current FoodShare members may receive their February FoodShare benefits earlier than usual. February FoodShare benefits may be put on QUEST cards as soon as January 20, 2019. The amount will be the normal February monthly benefit amount. FoodShare benefits will not be put on QUEST cards in February, so FoodShare members need to budget and plan accordingly.
FoodShare benefits are fully funded by the federal government. Despite the shutdown, the federal government is funding February benefits for FoodShare members and individuals participating in other programs funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program; the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
Other programs like BadgerCare Plus, Medicaid, SeniorCare, Wisconsin Works (W-2), and Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy are not impacted by the shutdown.
Individuals can still apply for benefits and programs during the shutdown.
We are committed to minimizing the impact of the federal government shutdown on members and participants and will provide updates on the FoodShare webpage as more information becomes available.
Madison Police Department Survey
Fill it out, I expect they don’t do a great job of distributing it to people who aren’t already supporters.
We are asking for Madison residents to complete a brief survey to help us better understand the needs of our community.
The survey is available at https://policefoundation.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9zNVOJM9A66I2Nf
Paper copies are also available at the district stations.
Our doors are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Central District 211 S. Carroll St. (608) 261-9694
East District 809 S. Thompson Dr. (608) 266-4887
Midtown District 4020 Mineral Point Rd. (608) 229-8200
North District 2033 Londonderry Dr. (608) 243-5258
South District 825 Hughes Pl. (608) 266-5938
West District 1710 McKenna Blvd. (608) 243-0500We appreciate your participation and look forward to hearing from you!
Town Hall with Mark Pocan
Congressman Mark Pocan will be holding a Town Hall in Madison on Saturday, January 26th from 10am -11am CT at UW Madison’s Union South (1308 W. Dayton Street), Varsity Hall III.
The event is open to the public and no RSVP is required. Please feel free to share this information with anyone you feel would be interested. We hope to see you there.
BRT or Bus Rapid Transit Survey
This is a pretty cool survey tool.
The City of Madison is designing a new bus rapid bus service to connect destinations from the east side of the city, to the west side. Give your input on top priorities and service design.
Here’s more info: http://www.madisonbrt.com
