Podcasts about Capitol Square

About 1,500 teachers and school librarians from around the state converged on Capitol Square last week, ready to educate lawmakers on the need for more money for public schools in the upcoming state budget. But many of the legislators had been dismissed as state employees at the Statehouse, and many surrounding businesses were sent home early in the afternoon. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles talks with the protestors about their concerns. Later, Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Reporter Sarah Donaldson and Bureau Chief Karen Kasler join Jo to discuss a new energy bill that's headed for Governor DeWine's desk, a new effort to put a ballot measure before voters, and, of course, funding for a new stadium for the Cleveland Browns. Later, we say goodbye as one of Ohio Public Media's team members, Ron Corby, retires and hangs up his headphones for the last time.

Monday 8 O'Clock Buzz host Brian Standing hears from some of the 10,000 who attended the "Hands Off!" anti-Trump rally at Madison's Capitol Square. The post Thousands Throng Madison Capitol for Anti-Trump Protest appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

The Columbus Metropolitan Club hosted a conversation with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine last week. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles got an opportunity to ask him questions about his State of the State speech, his budget, and issues affecting Ohioans. Later, Jo is joined by Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Reporter Sarah Donaldson to talk about major happenings on Capitol Square.

The bagpipes will be back on the Capitol Square this weekend for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. With the official holiday mere days away, how are you celebrating?  If you're Fitchburg alder Gabriella Gerhardt, you're adding to your world-record-setting four-leaf clover collection. Four-leaf clovers, technically a genetic mutation of the common three-leaf variety, are considered lucky due to their rarity. Gerhardt already holds the Guinness Book of World Record honors for “Most four-leaf clovers collected in one hour” and “Most four-leaf clovers collected in eight hours.” She's got a whole room in her house devoted to them. We're revisiting our conversation with her today to get her secrets on finding these treasures. This show originally aired March 14, 2023. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this March 12th episode: Doyenne Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Those same lawmakers also duke it out in an oyster eating contest. Hear more from VPM News' Jahd Khalil and Patrick Larsen.

In tonight's news... Metro Transit leaders gave a sneak peek of the new BRT route on Tuesday, as the new service is set to launch next month, The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is looking to the future, hoping to build a new museum on the Capitol Square, Our open records feature, Transparency Talk, adds one more to the team while talking body camera footage and a case before the State Supreme court on quasi-governmental corporations, Plus, what fishing for the Labor Day weekend and the Forward Madison football club competes for the Jägermeister Cup.

In our 7:30 half hour, we talk to State Senator Travis Hackworth -- who represents much of Southwest Virginia.  John and Senator Hackworth discuss issues important to the region, and his efforts to represent his district's interests on Capitol Square in Richmond.

Summertime in Madison is always such a treat, so City Cast Madison wants to maximize our time outdoors by enjoying live music at this year's Concerts on the Square series on the Capitol Square. This free weekly summer concert series, which kicks off this Wednesday, is organized by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and has been a staple Madison tradition since 1983. Host Bianca Martin sits down with Music Director of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Andrew Sewell to learn more about the programming, best practices, and impact of these concerts for music lovers. Sewell also shares about his most stressful and most memorable concert moment as he celebrates his 25th season as conductor of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.   VOTE for us in Madison Magazine's Best of Madison 2024 awards! City Cast Madison is up for best ‘Local Podcast' and our newsletter Madison Minutes is up for best ‘Local News Website'. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our great Wisconsin Cheese road trip continues! We caught up with iconic Wisconsin chefs Tory Miller of L'Etoile and Graze in Madison and Luke Zahm of Driftless Cafe in Viroqua about how they harness the power of Wisconsin Cheese to make distinctly local cuisine. We also talked with Ken Monteleone of the beloved Madison cheese shop Fromagination about selling craft cheese on the Capitol Square for over 17 years. And, we put our cheese-tasting skills to the test with American Cheese Society–certified cheese professional Shannon Berry. Finally, it's three things, Wisconsin cheese edition. This very special episode is supported by Wisconsin CheeseSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At the bottom of the 8 o'clock hour this Thursday, we hear from State Senator Glen Sturtevant.  John and Glen discuss the General Assembly budget session that will commence next week on Capitol Square.

Next up this AM, at the bottom of the 7 o'clock hour, is former State Senate President Pro Tempore and longtime Hobgood family friend John Chichester.  Given the wrangling between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Square about the state budget, Jim talks to "Uncle John" about his legislative negotiating experiences -- and his insights regarding the current situation.

At the bottom of the 7 o'clock hour, we check back in with our good friend, State Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle.  Senator McDougle talks to Gary about the aftermath of this week's Veto Session on Capitol Square -- and previews a May session that will occur to address state budget negotiations.

Mark Somerson from Columbus Business First has the latest local business news

Atop the 8 o'clock hour this Thursday AM, we hear from Delegate Terry Kilgore, who talks to John about the goings-on at the General Assembly Veto Session, which got underway yesterday on Capitol Square.

The Dane County Farmers Market is ready to return to the Capitol Square. As the largest producer only farmers market in America, it will be celebrating its 52nd year on the square.  “The Dane County Farmers Market was founded in September of 1972 with just five farmers set up on the Capitol Square,” says Jamie Bugel, Market Manager for the Dane County Farmers Market. “Now, with over 250 producers, it has grown to be a tradition in Madison.” The Dane County Farmers Market returns to the Capitol Square Saturday, April 13 starting at 6:15 a.m. Bugel says vendors will be there until about 1:45 p.m., but if you've got something specific you're shopping for - get there early, while supplies are available. This year, the State Street corner of the Capitol Square – West Mifflin Street and North Carroll Street – will be closed to vehicle traffic each Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. until the end of the market at 1:45 p.m. Customers who use vehicles to pick up large orders from that corner of the Square can do so before 8AM, or arrange an alternative pick up site with the farmer. Through early May, East Mifflin Street will also be closed to vehicle traffic due to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station construction. BRT station construction on West Main Street will also impact traffic, with only one lane available, so she recommends avoiding this area until construction is completed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dane County Farmers' Market is back on the Capitol Square this weekend. City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin finds out what's new at the market this season from DCFM manager Jamie Bugel. We also have some insider tips on how to navigate the crowds and we learn more about the newly expanded craft market.  Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Atop the 8 o'clock hour this AM, we hear from our delightful Lieutenant Governor, Winsome Sears, from her regularly scheduled monthly segment!  Principally, John and she discuss the ongoing budget wrangling between the parties on Capitol Square.

LINKS:Sponsor: My Own PACPod Virginia | PatreonLearn more about Jackleg MediaCheck out Black Virginia NewsIN THE NEWS:This week, Governor Glenn Youngkin stood outside the Capitol talking about a proposed sports arena in Alexandria -- speaking about it in the past tense. Leading the charge against the arena proposal is Senate Finance Committee Chairwoman L Louise Lucas, who says the deal is no good for taxpayers.In the era of Zoom, should state agencies and local advisory bodies be able to meet online? Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker has a bill that would expand the number of meetings that happen virtually, but opponents say this would remove an important facet of face-to-face public service.Republicans who want to restrict the right to an abortion say they are tired of people being used as props. Democrats say they don't want a bunch of old, white men making decisions about women's healthcare. With government divided, the two sides are canceling out each other this year. But abortion rights are expected to be a major topic of conversation next year, when lawmakers will consider an amendment to the Virginia Constitution.TRIVIA: What is the NEXT memorial to be added to Capitol Square? (Hint: planning is already underway, and Senate Clerk Susan Schaar gave the memorial a financial boost last week)At the Watercooler:- Former Richmond FOIA Officer Connie Clay is suing the City of Richmond, alleging she was fired after being blocked from doing her duties- Breaking down the bills Governor Youngkin has signed, vetoed, and amendedLearn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMedia

With a $1 billion manufacturing plant still in the offing in Chesterfield, Lego Group recently kicked off operations at a temporary product packaging facility elsewhere in the county; As the General Assembly prepares to convene for its 2024 session in its brand new building in Richmond next week, the state government is taking a closer look at the overall layout and development potential of Capitol Square; and as design work continues on its anchor baseball stadium, efforts to tee up the first phase of Richmond's Diamond District project are getting a funding boost from the city's Economic Development Authority.

As the Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin, or MEUW, celebrated its 95th birthday on October 18, 2023, the organization brought municipal utility leaders from across the state to the State Capitol to share the benefits of public power in their communities. The celebration culminated with a parade around the Capitol Square, with 81 utility bucket trucks showing their public power pride. This podcast episode features several short interviews conducted on-site during MEUW's day at the Capitol; a quick look at some of the communities represented in the public power bucket truck parade; and, the episode concludes with a sit-down interview with Richard Heinemann, a long-time energy attorney at Boardman Clark representing municipal utilities. **Energy nerds will not want to miss the long-form interview with Richard Heinemann starting at 15:30!** Episode Special Guests • Tim Heinrich, President and CEO, Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin • Jill Weiss, Utilities Director, Stoughton Utilities • George Morrissey, Director of Public Works, Cuba City • Richard Heinemann, Attorney, Boardman & Clark LLP Links from Episode October 2023 Issue of Live Lines Newsletter (MEUW Celebrates 95th Anniversary) https://www.meuw.org//Files/Live%20Lines/2023%20October%20Live%20Lines.pdf Map of Municipal Electric Utilities in Wisconsin https://www.meuw.org/map Electric Wire, Episode 29 - Rooted in Community: Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00s1H5MNYN0&t=592s Key Moments 1:35 – Interview with Tim Heinrich (MEUW) begins 6:19 – Interview with Jill Weiss (Stoughton Utilities) begins 9:00 – Public Power on Parade at the Capitol (about 3 mins 30 seconds) 12:48 -- Interview with George Morrissey (Cuba City) begins 15:30 – Interview with Richard Heinemann (Boardman Clark) begins 19:00 – Founding of municipal utilities/service territories 23:30 – Regulatory issues specific to municipal utilities 30:00 – “Pancaking”(or, stacking) of transmission rates 32:36 – Municipal utility regulation at the local level 36:15 – What is a joint action agency? 41:26 – How are municipal utilities funded? 43:25 – Is it possible to become a public power community today? 48:58 – Richard's “All the Power” answer

Curious Commonwealth recently received this question from an area resident: “Why, after all monuments to the Confederacy and Confederate leaders have been removed from Monument Ave., and other locations around Richmond, a statue of Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson remains on Capitol Square? This after the monument to former governor and segregationist Harry Byrd has been removed from same public square.” So, why is it still there? To submit your own question to our new series, visit vpm.org/curious!

Madison's Magical Market Presented by Terese Allen, Culinary Historian and writer Come join us as one of Wisconsin's most celebrated culinary historians and food writers, Terese Allen, takes us on a delicious journey into our nation's largest produce-only farmers' market, The Dane County Farmers' Market. Held in Madison's vast Capitol Square, this more than half-century old market has helped area agriculture flourish, and dramatically changed the character of food culture in the region. Terese will share all this and introduce us to the colorful farmers. Terese has also captured the full flavor off the market in her just-released (and 14th book), The Dane County Farmers' Market Cookbook, Local Foods, Global Flavors. The book offers 125 recipes. For a sampling, click link on this page. * * * Image BIOGRAPHY: Terese Allen has been called Wisconsin's “premier food writer” and “the keeper of its culinary heritage.” She has written scores of books and articles about the pleasures and benefits of regional foods, sustainable cooking and culinary folklore. She is author of The Dane County Farmers' Market Cookbook: Local Foods, Global Flavors, a tribute to one of the nation's largest and most renowned farmers markets. Among her other titles are: the prize-winning The Flavor of Wisconsin, an extensive history of food and cooking in the Badger State, with more than 450 recipes, The Flavor of Wisconsin for Kids, Wisconsin Local Foods Journal, Fresh Market Wisconsin, Wisconsin Hometown Flavor and The Ovens of Brittany Cookbook. Terese has been a food columnist for Edible Madison, Edible Door, Wisconsin Trails magazine, and Isthmus newspaper, among other publications, and is a co-founder and long-time leader of the Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW). She served for a decade as food editor for Organic Valley Family of Farms, and for fifteen years was a key leader of REAP Food Group, a cutting edge organization that fosters a sustainable food system in southern Wisconsin. She lives in Madison and on Washington Island. Recorded via Zoom on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 CONNECT WITH CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CHICAGO ✔ MEMBERSHIP https://culinaryhistorians.org/membership/ ✔ EMAIL LIST http://culinaryhistorians.org/join-our-email-list/ ✔ S U B S C R I B E https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ F A C E B O O K https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryHistoriansOfChicago ✔ PODCAST 2008 to Present https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts/ By Presenter https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts-by-presenter/ ✔ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ W E B S I T E https://www.CulinaryHistorians.org

The Wisconsin Historical Society's new headquarters will nearly double in size when its new history center opens on Wisconsin's Capitol Square in Madison. It will feature a traveling exhibition gallery, rooftop terrace and event space.

The Wisconsin Historical Society's new headquarters will nearly double in size when its new history center opens on Wisconsin's Capitol Square in Madison. It will feature a traveling exhibition gallery, rooftop terrace and event space.

There's another agribusiness merger in the works in Wisconsin.  Bob Bosold talks to Rob Larson who will be the CEO when Allied Coop and Provision Partners join forces as one in October. June Dairy Celebrations are about more than just food and fun - it's about consumer education too.  Sydney Flick is the coordinator for Cows on the Concourse, an annual event in downtown Madison on the Capitol Square.  Flick says of the estimated 20,000 attendees, it's estimated that 25% of visitors have never seen a cow, let alone had the chance to touch one.Strawberry producers are waiting on rain to help finish out their crop.  Julie Schoenberg is a strawberry grower outside of Poynette who still has confidence the crop will be more than adequate. Weather - it's all anyone in agriculture is talking about.  Between smoke from Canadian wildfires and the dry stretch of weather, meteorologists are busy! Pam Jahnke visits with Scott Berschback, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Green Bay, about how that forecast comes together.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dane County Farmers Market is ready to return to the Capitol Square. As the largest producer only farmers market in America, it will be celebrating its 51st year on the square. Jamie Bugel, Market Manager for the Dane County Farmers Market, explains how the farmers market got started and what attendees can expect this year. “The Dane County Farmers Market was founded in September of 1972 with just five farmers set up on the Capitol Square,” says Bugel. Now, with over 250 producers, it has grown to be a tradition in Madison.” Beginning Saturday, April 15, and running each Saturday through November 11, the Dane County Farmers' Market will host its weekly Saturday Market on the Square from 6:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The bagpipes were back on the Capitol Square last weekend for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. With the official holiday mere days away, how are you celebrating?  If you're Fitchburg alder Gabriella Gerhardt, you're trying to break the world record for “Largest Collection of Four-Leaf Clovers.” Four-leaf clovers are considered lucky due to their rarity. They're technically a genetic mutation of a common clover plant. Gerhardt already holds the records for “Most four-leaf clovers collected in one hour” and “Most four-leaf clovers collected in eight hours.” She's got a whole room in her house devoted to them. And she's joining us today to share her secrets about how to find these treasures. (When it's not snowing, that is...) Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Twitter and Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

IN THE NEWS:Almost a dozen House members are running for the Senate, so they are not running for reelection in their House districts. And more than a handful of other House members are not seeking reelection at all.When the House and Senate have different versions of the same bill, they send it into a committee of conference -- a way to get all the key players together and resolve differences. Those conference committees happen in secret. They are not open to the public or the press, and that's a lack of transparency that's worrisome to many.Delegate Ken Plum of Reston has seen it all, literally as the longest serving member of the House of Delegates. He's seen Democrats in power, Republicans in power and he even was around to witness the last gasp of the Byrd Machine. Michael had a chance to talk with Delegate Plum about his career before he retires.At the Watercooler:The firehouse primary for Jennifer McClellan's Senate seat, which features Dawn Adams, Alexsis Rodgers and Lamont BagbyNew leadership for the Virginia Capitol Correspondents AssociationTrivia: How many Confederate statues are CURRENTLY in Capitol Square?Learn more at http://linktr.ee/JacklegMediaSponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

Back in early 1970s Madison, there was no farm-to-table movement. There was no farmers market downtown. The Capitol Square was a ghost town at night. There were no standards for organic, much less anything else. None of that dissuaded Odessa Piper. The pioneering chef cut her teeth at Ovens of Brittany, creating the famous gooey, caramelly Morning Bun pastries (waay before the cronut was a twinkle in anyone's eye, a heavenly mix of cinnamon roll and croissant was born). She went on to start L'Etoile restaurant, attracting national attention with her James Beard awards and showcase of the freshest food Madison had to offer. She was an early supporter of the Dane County Farmers Market, now one of the largest in the country. And she's never stopped dreaming of a more delicious future. Every Thursday, we're talking about food and all of the flavors that make Madison. And who better to start with than the woman who helped start it all… Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Twitter and Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the email newsletter from our friends at Madison Minutes .  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chief O'Brien, Hartbarger, and Frey discuss the upcoming Winter Symposium. Winter Symposium Join the Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association for the 2023 Winter Symposium on March 7-8, 2023! Registration http://www.ohiofirechiefs.com/aws/OFCA/pt/sp/symposium Hotel Information: The hotel information for the Sheraton Columbus at Capitol Square is listed below. Use our event name and reference number to arrange your hotel accommodations. Name of Event: Ohio Fire Chiefs Association Winter Symposium 2023 Reference #: M-NU5BYFA To make your hotel reservations online, http://www.ohiofirechiefs.com/aws/OFCA/pt/sp/symposium or you can also call Marriott reservations at (614) 365-4500 to make your hotel reservation over the phone. 2023 Winter Symposium Agenda Tuesday, March 7, 2023 1:00 PM - Welcome (Deputy Chief Rick Vober, OFCA Vice President) 1:00 PM - Listen, Learn, Lead! (Dr. Candace Ashby, IAAI-CFI, CFEI, CFII, CVFI, MIFireE, Battalion Chief, Indianapolis Fire Department) 3:30 PM - Legislative Update (OFCA Legislative Committee Chair, Chief Steve Agenbroad; OFCA Legislative Agent, Michelle Fitzgibbon) 4:00 PM - Conclusion 4:45 PM - Photo in front of the Ohio Statehouse 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM - Legislative Reception at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium Wednesday, March 8, 2023 7:30 AM - Breakfast 8:00 AM - Welcome 8:00 AM - Management vs. Leadership (Dr. Candace Ashby, IAAI-CFI, CFEI, CFII, CVFI, MIFireE, Battalion Chief, Indianapolis Fire Department) 9:30 AM - Types of Stress Experienced by First Responders (Dr. Kathleen M. Chard, Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Director of Trauma Recovery at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center) 11:30 AM - Conclusion About the Speakers: Dr. Candace Ashby - Dr. Candace Ashby has over 33 years of fire service experience and is a Battalion Chief with the Indianapolis Fire Department. Her educational background includes a Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership. She is President of Key Fire Investigations and ELITE Public Safety Consulting. Dr. Ashby enjoys making a positive impact on the fire service through coaching and mentoring fire officers in all areas of management and leadership. Dr. Kathleen M. Chard - Dr. Chard is the Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Director of Trauma Recovery Center at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. She is also a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director of the UC Health Stress Center at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Chard is an international expert on the assessment and treatment of stress related disorders including PTSD. Dr. Chard is an active researcher and she has received over 20 million dollars in funding to examine stress epidemiology, assessment and treatment in Veterans, first responders and civilians. She frequently provides trainings on the causes of stress, stress management and PTSD to first responders throughout the United States. Follow this link to learn more about the classes. http://www.ohiofirechiefs.com/aws/OFCA/pt/sp/symposium

Here's your local news for Thursday, November 17: As the city concludes its budget process, some residents remain concerned over a future greenway restoration project, Starbucks workers on the Capitol Square strike for union recognition amidst a national campaign on one of the chain's busiest days of the year, Walker-appointed Natural Resources Board member Fred Prehn is back in court over text records,Plus, OuttaDeeBox speaks with Renee Moe, CEO of the United Way of Dane County,Radio Chipstone explores stress relief through handiwork, And we hear a bit about the recently-passed MMSD budget.

Families across the state are gearing up for county fair season, but it's coming at an escalated cost this year.  Taylor Schaefer talks with Taylor Crouch, President of the WI Show Pig Association, about the extra expense families should prepare for if they're buying animals to exhibit at the fair. Dane County Farmers Market returns to the Capitol Square for its 50th season, Saturday.  Pam Jahnke visits with Jamie Bugel, market manager, about what shoppers can expect this early in the season.After the heavy winds that went through Wisconsin, there's some clean up that's going to happen around barnyards.  Ag plastics will be something that needs to be picked up.  Pam Jahnke talks with Price Murphy from Revolutions Company about a free program for farms that collects that ag plastic and recylces it. One week from today the Midwest Horse Fair returns to the Alliant Energy Center.  Megan Hanuszczak, general manager of the show, joins Pam Jahnke with the latest details on what to expect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

50 years and going strong!  That's the Dane County Farmers Market, which returns to the Capitol Square this weekend. Pam Jahnke talks with Dane Co. Farmers Market Manager, Jamie Bugel, about how they managed through the pandemic disruptions, and how vendors are preparing for a chilly start again this spring. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we hear from a non-traditional track athlete. During his time at the University of Norte Dame, Denes Veres threw shot putt. At one particular event, he threw a distance of 18.57 meters which earned him the school's record. That record held from the time he graduated in 2011 with a degree in Finance until April 2021. We spend a few minutes talking about the sport of Shot Putt. Denes explains that it is a 16 lb. steel ball. He clarifies the requirement for the windup. He educates me on how the measurement is taken. And we talk about what the record was before he set it and what it is now that it's been broken.Denes shares how it transitioned from a shot putter to Ironman. Several years ago, while living in Wisconsin it was announced that “Ironman was coming to town.” After learning that there was no chance of getting Robert Downey Jr's autograph, Denes signed up to volunteer for the late shift at the finish line in Capitol Square. It was there that 260 lb. Denes decided that he was too competitive not to try the sport of triathlon.Denes quickly learns that he will need a few things before getting started. His wife points out that he will need a bike and to learn to swim. Having been an assistant coach on a track team 2 years out of college he is reminded of something that he learned through that program, “Just showing up and doing the workouts will make your better.” We spend a few talking about the discipline that Denes has made recent progress in. Denes shares his recent Marathon finishing times, and he confesses that he is looking forward to seeing how his faster run translates to his overall race experience.Being someone how loves to analyze data, we talk about some technology that provides real-time feedback. And we compare recent swim start experiences. We eventually get around to talking bike and Denes makes a strong recommendation on a piece of equipment that can affect overall comfort on a long ride.

It’s the first day of the second week of 2022. Has anything significant happened yet? How have you fared in these initial days of a year that has 357 of them left after today? Are you hopeful for a reset after a tricky start to the year? All very good questions but not necessarily the topic of this installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a program that seeks to celebrate National Trivia Day on all of them while ensuring you’re more informed than you were before. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to Charlottesville Community Engagement.On today’s program:Governor-elect Youngkin will join other states led by Republican Governors in opposing President Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal employees The Omicron surge continues with one-day records set in Albemarle and Charlottesville With the General Assembly meeting in four days, more legislation is filed Clean-up continues after the winter storm of January 3First Patreon-fueled shout-out:With winter weather here, now is the time to think about keeping your family warm through the cold Virginia months. Make sure you are getting the most out of your home with help from your local energy nonprofit, LEAP. LEAP wants you and yours to keep comfortable all year round, and offers FREE home weatherization to income- and age-qualifying residents. If you’re age 60 or older, or have an annual household income of less than $74,950, you may qualify for a free energy assessment and home energy improvements such as insulation and air sealing. Sign up today to lower your energy bills, increase comfort, and reduce energy waste at home!Approaching the pandemic’s third yearThe pandemic continues but the next administration in Richmond will likely take a different approach to the current one. Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin on Friday announced that he and Attorney General Elect Jason Miyares plan to challenge the Biden administration’s imposition of mandates on federal employees. “After the January 15th inauguration, the Commonwealth of Virginia will quickly move to protect Virginians’ freedoms and challenge President Biden’s unlawful CMS, OSHA, and Head Start vaccine mandates,” reads the press release. “While we believe that the vaccine is a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19, we strongly believe that the Federal government cannot impose its will and restrict the freedoms of Americans.”Biden and his Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becarra, want to implement the mandate to increase the percentage of Americans who are fully vaccinated. The action has not gone into effect yet pending existing legal challenges. The form Youngkin’s legal challenge won’t be known for at least eight days, but the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday spent over three hours yesterday in argument on the same topic in two consolidated cases. See below for links. In the meantime, on January 7, the heaviest surge of COVID cases so far continues to test the health care system with trends towards hospitalization levels not seen since this time last year Dr. Reid Adams is the chief medical officer at the University of Virginia. “It is true we are feeling the same thing everywhere else in the state is feeling which is record number of COVID admissions,” Adams said. “We have been able to open additional COVID units to accommodate those patients.”Adams said so far, UVA has not had to implement any emergency procedures but operational teams are meeting every day. “We have had occasions where we’ve had to alter our elective surgical schedule,” Adams said. “Fortunately that’s been fairly modest and we’ve not had to close elective procedures to date.” As of yesterday, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association reported 3,103 patients in hospital with COVID, The record had been 3,201 on January 13, 2021 but today the VHHA set a new record with 3,478 patients currently hospitalized. Of those current hospitalizations, 558 were in intensive care units and 302 people were on ventilators.On Friday, the Virginia Department of Health updated their dashboard on COVID cases by vaccination status. Through December 25, “unvaccinated people developed COVID-19 at a rate 3.8 times that of fully vaccinated people, and 2.2 times that of partially vaccinated people.” At UVA Health, Adams estimates the number of unvaccinated patients who are hospitalized is between 75 to 80 percent. “Because we care for immunosuppressed patients, we are seeing those patients,” Adams said. “Organ transplants is a good example that are having COVID-related disease and requiring hospitalization but the vast, vast majority are still unvaccinated.” Dr. Bill Petri is an infectious disease expert at the University of Virginia. He said while there are more cases of people getting COVID who are vaccinated and boosted, the vaccine is still offering protection. “Protection from hospitalization is much better with the vaccines with or without the boosters, really,” Petri said. “What we’ve seen is that is being vaccinated in itself reduces your risk from being hospitalized or dying from COVID about ten-fold.”Both Dr. Adams and Dr. Petri gave examples of how the omicron variant seems to be less deadly and destructive as the delta variant. Here’s one of them from Dr. Petri. “One of the good pieces of news is that the omicron variant is less likely to infect the lungs and so we’re seeing less pneumonia than we were with the delta, so that’s one good piece of news,” Dr. Petri said. There won’t be any new data on the number of COVID-cases until Monday, as the Virginia Department of Health stopped reporting it seven days a week when the state of emergency ended. On Friday, VDH recorded 18,309 cases and the percent positivity increased further to 34.6 percent. The Blue Ridge Health District made up 410 of those cases. Albemarle County set its one day record on Thursday with 156 cases followed by 131 cases on Friday. Charlottesville set its record Friday with 140 cases. Other localities have also recently set one-day records. These numbers are likely undercounts as at-home kits are not reported to the Virginia Department of Health, and because of the effects of this week’s winter storm. This week, Governor Ralph Northam announced $5 million will be spent to create nine testing centers throughout Virginia, with the first opening at the Richmond International Raceway today in Caroline County. According to the release, one of these will be in Charlottesville at the existing facilities used by the Blue Ridge Health District. Governor-elect Youngkin will also appoint a new Commissioner of Health, choosing not to retain Dr. Norm Oliver in the position as the pandemic approaches its third year. Wendy Horton, UVA Health’s Chief Executive Officer, said she hopes for consistency. “I think it’s really important to really remain aligned as a Commonwealth and to really have public health and us all just really working together is my recommendation,” Horton said. “I think we do that well but I think it’s increasingly a team sport right now and I think all of us really have to be working together to really care for everyone across the state.” Youngkin will become the next Governor of Virginia a week from today. Resources:  Transcript of National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (audio)Transcript of Biden v. Missouri (audio)Storm clean-up continuesFriday’s winter storm didn’t pose much of a threat, at least as measured by whether the city trash trucks operated. They did. But many continue to be without power throughout the area with temperatures below freezing. Dominion Energy’s outage map now tracks individual projects versus wide swaths of land. The Central Virginia Electric Cooperative reports 3,339 customers without power from a total number of 38,307 customers. Albemarle County continues to offer warming centers today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The locations are Baker-Butler Elementary, Monticello High School, Greenwood Community Center, and Scottsville Community Center. Water, electricity, and wifi are available at all four, but showers are only available at the schools. Drinking water is also available at the fire departments in both Earlysville. Call 434-297-8415 or visit communityemergency.org for more information. If you’re reading this and you live in Charlottesville, you better have shoveled your public sidewalk by now. The official end of this week’s snowstorm has passed and city ordinance requires pathways in the public right of way to be clear as of 8 a.m. this morning.Two more Patreon-fueled shout-outsLet’s continue today with two more Patreon-fueled shout-outs. The first comes a long-time supporter who wants you to know:"Today is a great day to spread good cheer: reach out to an old friend, compliment a stranger, or pause for a moment of gratitude to savor a delight."The second comes from a more recent supporter who wants you to go out and read a local news story written by a local journalist. Whether it be the Daily Progress, Charlottesville Tomorrow, C-Ville Weekly, NBC29, CBS19, WINA, or some other place I’ve not mentioned - the community depends on a network of people writing about the community. Go learn about this place today! More General Assembly billsAs the General Assembly session looms, it will become much harder to list all of the pieces of legislation that are introduced. Until then, I hope to continue to bring you some of the highlights as I figure out what my strategy will be for covering the session while also keeping you up to date on local matters. Until then:Senator David Marsden (D-37) introduced a bill to terminate the Major Employment and Investment Project Site Planning Grant program in favor of the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program fund. (SB28)Marsden has another bill encouraging wellness programs to encourage customers get a COVID-19 vaccine. (SB42)Senator Barbara Favola (D-31) filed a bill extending the amount of time a locality’s Planning Commission has to make a recommendation on a Comprehensive Plan Amendment from 60 days to 100 days. (SB35)Favola has another bill that would allow localities to take action to enforce provisions of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant act (SB43)In a related bill, landlords would not be able to ban tenants from using their space to provide child-care. (SB69)The definition of “critically missing adult” would no longer have a requirement that abduction is involved under other legislation from Favola. (SB49)Senator Chap Petersen (D-34) would prohibit people from spending more than $20,000 on one candidate in a statewide or legislative race. (SB44)Senator Joe Morrissey has a similar bill that would increase that limit to $25,000. (SB111)Petersen has another bill that would prevent public utilities from donating to candidates or their political action committees. (SB45)People in quarantine would be able to petition for delays in legal proceedings related to that status, if another bill from Petersen makes it through. (SB46)Senator Mamie Locke (D-2) filed a bill to increase the limit on the amount of housing opportunity tax credits from $15 million to $150 million, and would end a projected 2026 sunset date for their use. (SB47)Senator Amanda Chase (R-11) filed a bill to require health care providers to dispense hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, two treatments for COVID that have not been proven to have any effect. (SB73)Chase has another bill that would prevent localities from regulating firearms in public places. (SB74)Chase would also repeal the ban on firearms and explosive devices in Capitol Square or within the Capitol of Virginia. (SB75)Senator Thomas Norment (R-3) has a bill that would prohibit the Virginia governor from appointing members of their family to a Secretarial position or chief of staff. (SB95)Norment has another bill related to the state marijuana tax that would redirect funds that are intended now to go to the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund. (SB107)Delegate Lee Ware (R-65) has filed a bill to create the Virginia Pandemic Response and Preparedness Council (HB87)Delegate Wendell Walker (R-23) filed a bill removing a clause that elementary and secondary school students can not be charged with disorderly conduct. (HB89)Delegate Joseph McNamara (R-8) filed legislation to exempt food and personal hygiene products from sales tax (HB90)He has another bill to require the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to study the effects of Daylight Savings Times. (HJ6)Delegate Christopher Head (R-17) filed a bill to create a central registry for complaints about elder abuse and neglect in the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. (HB98)Head has another bill that would allow a $2,000 tax credit for individuals or married persons for a stillborn child. (HB100)Incoming Delegate Karen Greenhalgh has another bill that would allow for health care providers to make prescriptions for “off-label” uses. (HB102)Greenhalgh has another bill that would allow educators to have a $500 tax credit, a provision that would also apply to parents or guardians who home-school. (HB103)Senator Emmett Hanger (R-24) has a bill that replace the charter for the Town of Grottoes. (SB99)Senator Joseph Morrissey (D-16) filed a bill eliminating mandatory minimum sentences. (SB104)In SB105, Morrissey has another bill that would make retroactive provisions adopted in the summer of 2020 that prevent police officers from pulling over motorists for certain offenses. In SB108, Morrissey would end the use of isolated confinement in Virginia’s correctional facilities. SB109 would allow parole for people imprisoned for crimes committed before they were 21, and have served least twenty years of their sentence.  SB110 is similar as is SB111.SB115 in update of the six-year capital plan for Virginia which includes new figures for projects at colleges and universities, including a Center for the Arts at the University of Virginia. More bills in Monday’s installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

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Welcome to the Nolen Shore Townhomes. This area is perfect for guests when they come to visit. Not only do you get the ease of access to all downtown Madison has to offer, but also excellent views of Lake Monona. All within just a few blocks of Capitol Square, downtown dog park, and Lake Monona. Downtown living at its finest! Today, You'll Learn: 0:00 - 0:24 331 West Wilson Street 1:20 - 1:34 Connecting with Mark Gladue Listen and Subscribe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gladuestoppedby/​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladuestoppedby/ The Gladue Team: https://www.gladuestoppedby.com/ #lauerrealty #gladuestoppedby #markgladue #marketreport #realestate #realtor #madisonwisconsin

Welcome to the Nolen Shore Townhomes. This area is perfect for guests when they come to visit. Not only do you get the ease of access to all downtown Madison has to offer, but also excellent views of Lake Monona. All within just a few blocks of Capitol Square, downtown dog park, and Lake Monona. Downtown living at its finest! Today, You'll Learn: 0:00 - 0:24 331 West Wilson Street 1:20 - 1:34 Connecting with Mark Gladue Listen and Subscribe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gladuestoppedby/​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladuestoppedby/ The Gladue Team: https://www.gladuestoppedby.com/ #lauerrealty #gladuestoppedby #markgladue #marketreport #realestate #realtor #madisonwisconsin

Here's your WORT Local News for Tuesday, September 21st, 2021: Madison's school board considers new student surveillance policies, Hans Christian Heg returns to the Capitol Square, Local election officials are caught in a tug-of-war between legislative Republicans and in the second half of the show, we learn the latest from the U-W campus, avoid bird-vehicle collisions and get a brief history of astronomy.

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June is here and it is time for National Dairy Month. Usually the Dane County Dairy Promotion Committee holds their Cows on the Concourse event at the beginning of the month to kick off the celebration. This year however, things will look different and you won't see any cows on the capitol square. Sydney Endres, Public Relations Co-Chair for the committee shares that certain components of the event will be held with the Dane County Dairy Breakfast on the Farm in August, and the event is planning to return in full next June. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's still hope that the Dane County Farmers Market will return to the Capitol Square soon. Jamie Bugel, Dane County Farmer's Market Co-Manager, says the current arrangement using the Alliant energy Center may change.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Virginia legislators recently accepted the governor’s substitute to a bill banning firearms on and near Capitol Square, as well as in state buildings. Lawmakers voted last year to ban firearms from the state Capitol. Senate Bill 1381, introduced by Sen. Adam P. Ebbin, D-Alexandria, will make it a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person to possess or transport a firearm or explosive material within Capitol Square and the surrounding area or buildings owned or leased by the commonwealth. Any person convicted of a Class 1 misdemeanor may face a sentence of up to 12 months in jail, a fine up...Article LinkSupport the show (http://henricocitizen.com/contribute)

Good morning, RVA! It’s 56 °F, and today looks great weatherwise. I mean, it is still a Monday and the air may still be filled with pollen, but you can expect temperate weather with highs in the 70s. I think that’s worth an “Enjoy!”.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 1,227 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 14 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 157 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 47, Henrico: 67, and Richmond: 43). Since this pandemic began, 1,245 people have died in the Richmond region. I don’t know how to do the math in Google Sheets, but the slope of the trend line for the last month of new reported cases would be a very small positive number. The seven-day average of cases continues to increase but pretty slowly—it sits at 1,486 at the moment, for what it’s worth.Over in vaccine world, here’s this week’s chart of total vaccine doses administered in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield along with the statewide number of doses received. I think we should start seeing the lack of Johnson & Johnson start to show up this week, that is unless an increase in Pfizer of Moderna masks it. Stay tuned! Also, only about two weeks in, and the graph of progress towards “local herd immunity” (which I’m still not sure is even a thing) shows us visibly closing the gap. We’re closing the gap statewide, too: Over three million Virginians, or 36.3% of the Commonwealth have gotten their first jab. We’re doing this thing!And the big news, which I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, is that the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts have moved into Phase 2 of the vaccine rollout. That means every single person aged 16 and up is now eligible for vaccination. If, for some reason you haven’t already, please go to vaccinate.virginia.gov and pre-register so you can get that jab! Read more about what Phase 2 means for Richmond and Henrico here.City Council will host their fourth budget work session today at 1:00 PM, and you can tune in live here or wait for me to put the audio up on The Boring Show. Today, the esteemed Bill Echelberger will continue his operating budget presentation and, assuming there’s time, dive into a similar analysis of the Capital Improvement Program. I’m telling you: If you skipped Budget Session #3 you missed out on one of the best budget presentations I’ve heard and that’s all because of Echelberger. While I do feel some sad feelings that this year’s budget season lacks the endless parade of department heads telling Council why they deserve to exist, I think I’ve learned more (so far) from the new Echelberger format. Also, and not entirely unrelated, Council will meet for their regularly scheduled meeting tonight at 6:00 PM. You can find that agenda here. The budget papers have show up on the agenda, which, in the past hasn’t meant a ton, but, according to this year’s budget calendar, tonight Council will hold a public hearing on the Mayor’s proposed budget. Do you have budget thoughts?? Surely! Today/tonight would be a time to send them Council’s way (but not the only time!).Chris Suarez has an interesting piece in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about some of the Black families who live in the area near the location of the proposed 4th District casino. I learned a lot from this piece—including that there may, or may not, be graves located within the proposed casino site. This quote in particular got me: “They’re trying to erase our history…They’re waiting for the right time…so that they can justify removing things. Now they’re interested in the land that was no good to them before—that’s how we got this land here. Now, it’s a commodity.”This full-page ad for bicycles in the May 4th, 1919 Richmond Times-Dispatch is SO cool! How about this pro-bike, anti-transit ad from a Richmond retailer, 100 years ago, also deep in a pandemic: “Germs love crowds but nobody else does. Why be crushed and trampled night and morning and pay for the privilege? On a bicycle seat there is always room. The air you breathe as you ride is clean, not burdened with infection. Make your trip to and from work something to look forward to with pleasure instead of dread.” Apparently a bicycle parade took place on May 7th from Capitol Square to “Reservoir”, which I think was Byrd Park. We should resurrect this tradition and do it again!Yet Another Civic Survey! The folks at RVAgreen 2050 need your feedback on the “RVAgreen 2050 roadmap which aims to achieve a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and help the community adapt to Richmond’s climate impacts.” As is their custom, they’ve put together a menu of ways to get involved, each requiring a different amount of your precious time. You can leave comments on the entire document, take the full community survey, or take the short community survey. I love this approach to digital engagement!How do people keep running over that Stop for People sign on Brookland Park Boulevard, you may ask? Via /r/rva, here’s a video of a handful of people taking left turns off of Richmond-Henrico Turnpike headed west on Brookland Park Boulevard and absolutely annihilating the sign with their cars. And if the sign were something else about that height that happened to be in the middle of a crosswalk, like, say, a kid? I’m thankful for these signs, and I’m thankful for how this one has provided physical evidence of how dangerous this intersection actually is.This morning’s longreadWhat Can I do? A Calculator.I know some folks take issue with Emily Oster, but I really enjoy her newsletter. This one from last week felt especially useful in how it compares coronarisks for vaccinated people to other risks we take on the day to day. Maybe y’all are already there, but I need to read about ten more things like this before I’m mentally ready to return to the world.People do not want to be unsafe. They do not want to be irresponsible. They want to think carefully about these choices and how to make them as safely as possible. But they are hard and confusing. As I thought about answering this questions, regular readers will be unsurprised to learn that I decided we needed…a framework! But then I realized that wasn’t quite enough. The complexity of these questions needed something more precise; basically, they needed a calculator. With actual numbers. So today I’m going to try to give you both: a framework (really, a simplification) which addresses some of your questions, and then a calculator for the rest.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.Picture of the Day

Ag Economist Dan Basse, President of AgResource, analyzes the big things to watch for as 2021 clicks along with Pam Jahnke. From china to dairy, they cover it all. The Dane County Farmers Market is looking to get back to the Capitol Square in downtown Madison sometime in 2021. Josh Scramlin visits with the market manager, Sarah Elliot, to talk about their plans for this season. Angie Horkan of the Wisconsin Beef Council talks with Pam Jahnke about what the beef industry has been up to in the latest edition of "Checkoff Chat." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Madison merchants "overwhelmingly support the campaign to turn State Street into a promenade," according to the city's longest serving and most popular alderman. "There absolutely is widespread support." Ald. Mike Verveer, who has represented Downtown Madison on the City Council for 26 years, tells Milfred and Hands on this week's episode of "Center Stage" that his Downtown constituents are excited, too, about turning "the state's most famous and illustrious street" into a walking mall without buses, similar to the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado. "Just as we closed State Street to all traffic on weekends last summer, I think we need to do the same this summer," Verveer tells our political podcaster. The city should "seriously consider" keeping all buses, cabs and emergency vehicles off the 400, 500 and 600 blocks of State Street on weekends this summer. General traffic has been forbidden from the street for decades. If removing the buses works well this summer and is supported by the public, the city could pursue federal money and potentially create a special tax district to draw revenue from new development on State Street to create a park on State Street with public art, cafes and greenery in the area that buses now dominate.  “We have to be very creative and think outside the box and try to figure out ways to get to ‘yes' and make this work,” Verveer says of offering more room for pedestrians on State Street on summer weekends this year. COVID-19 has made this the perfect time to create more public spaces outside, where the virus is less likely to spread. State Street also is hurting because of rioting last year. Milfred and Hands reject the suggestion by city transportation officials that turning State Street into a true pedestrian mall conflicts with bus rapid transit, the mayor's proposal for faster bus service. Buses could still stop at the cross streets of State Street to pick people up, and on the Capitol Square. Moreover, a trial of a pedestrian mall could occur at the bottom end of State Street this summer, where the fast buses aren't going to go anyway. Verveer credits the State Journal editorial board for exciting and encouraging the city to think big about State Street's future. Milfred discusses his conversation with the city fire marshal, who is open to the idea of creating a grand walkway along State Street that caters to people, rather than buses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With half a million now vaccinated, the number of Virginians who have succumbed to COVID-19 is now more than the population of Lexington… Last year, more than 160 Confederate monuments came down in the Old Dominion, and another monument to our racist past – a statue of Harry Byrd – will soon be removed from Capitol Square in Richmond… Child welfare advocates say the new state budget has good and bad news….

The state Senate gave final approval for the removal of the statue of Harry Byrd Senior from Capitol Square; Proposed amendments to the state budget bring mixed news for child welfare; Richmond is considering four proposals for a potential casino in the the area; and other local news stories.

With half a million now vaccinated, the number of Virginians who have succumbed to COVID-19 is now more than the population of Lexington… Last year, more than 160 Confederate monuments came down in the Old Dominion, and another monument to our racist past – a statue of Harry Byrd – will soon be removed from Capitol Square in Richmond… Child welfare advocates say the new state budget has good and bad news….

The Virginia Department of Education will issue guidance this month to help school districts better look after transgender and non-binary students; The state Senate passed a bill that would ban guns from Capitol Square and surrounding state buildings; the G3 program to support community college students taking classes in high demand fields gets a second chance; and other local news stories.

Rising concern over the safety of lawmakers and the public is causing lawmakers to reconsider where guns are allowed near the state Capitol. Michael Pope reports.

Why it could be awhile before you get your COVID-19 vaccine in Henrico; the county experiences its fourth straight day of rising daily case counts; Henrico Police need your help to locate a missing woman and learn more about an Eastern Henrico shooting; and the Virginia House of Delegates is considering removing a statue of a former governor from Capitol Square.(Today's Henrico Hews Minute is brought to you by Henrico County's "Spread the Love' Valentine's Day car campaign for seniors.)Support the show (http://www.henricocitizen.com/contribute)

While no armed protestors were charged with violating the city's gun ban on Capitol Square, Mayor Levar Stoney said the low turnout proves the ban is working; A new legislative proposal would ban firearms from being carried in polling locations; a Navy SEAL faces more than 22 years in prison for manslaughter; and other local news stories.

Additional security measures are being put in place around Capitol Square and state buildings in downtown Richmond ahead of planned protests; Governor Ralph Northam gave his third and final State of the Commonwealth last night; Health departments in the Richmond region will begin their next phase of vaccinations next week; and other local news stories.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 32 °F, and today looks like a bright and sunshiney day. Expect highs in the mid 50s and a brief but full sense of wellbeing.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 4,561 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 84 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 391 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 126, Henrico: 171, and Richmond: 94). Since this pandemic began, 599 people have died in the Richmond region. That’s two straight days with new case numbers under 5,000—which is “good”—but, as per always, Monday and Tuesday case count numbers are typically lower than the rest of the week. Check back tomorrow to see if this mini trend holds. As for hospitalizations and deaths, both have increased at a pretty steady rate since at least November with a few peaks and troughs along the way. Yesterday, the state posted an especially dire peak and reported 84 deaths—the most ever in a single day. The seven-day average of coronavirus deaths in Virginia has hit 40.9, and at this rate, using more Stupid Math, now tops this list of leading causes of death in Virginia. Locally, we’ve seen 99 people die from this disease since December 11th. That’s a dark set of sentences, but they’re important, and I hope they inspire you to think more about Swiss cheese and how you can add on a couple additional layers of mitigation strategies to keep you and yours safe.As the virus continues to burn through our communities, and with no new guidance from the Governor or President (scoff!), local institutions are left to figure it out for themselves—which, honestly, has been the story for most of the pandemic. Yesterday, VCU announced that they’ll still begin the spring semester on January 25th, but they’re moving almost all classes virtual. As far as I can tell, UR is still heading toward an in-person semester, but look at their process for moving into the dorms. Probably seems normal for students at this point, but, dang. Henrico County Public Schools pushed their in-person start date back again, to “some point in February” although Tom Lappas at the Henrico Citizen says there’s some confusion about why. Then, down in Chesterfield, their School Board just voted to bring elementary school students back on February 1st, reports Jessica Nocera in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. As you can see, everyone’s doing their own thing, which sounds suboptimal to me. That said, I really do believe everyone’s doing their best to balance one hundred and one simultaneous terrible consequences while trying to chart their own best path forward. It’s complicated, and it sucks.Here’s a fun opportunity—fun, I guess, if you’re the type of person that subscribes to this email. In his latest newsletter RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras says that they just learned the District will receive $54.6 million from the latest federal stimulus package. They can spend it kind of however they want, but it is one-time money so probably best not to hire new folks or create new on-going programs. Here’s the fun part, to quote from his email: “On Tuesday, I’m scheduled to present a draft budget for the 2021–22 academic year to the School Board. As you can imagine, today’s news has prompted me to rework a few things. As I do so, I’d love to hear from you. Put simply, knowing everything outlined above about how the stimulus can be used, what would you prioritize for next year? Feel free to email me at jkamras@rvaschools.net!” Selfishly, I want to suggest renovating the basketball and tennis courts between Henderson Middle and John Marshall High. But, honestly, you could probably dump the entire $54.6 million into capital projects to make our school buildings more hospitable to students (aka $54.6 million of boring but critical HVAC work).The General Assembly kicks off their 2021 session today! It’s that time of year where I valiantly attempt to understand how state government works, get overwhelmed, give up, and feel bad about myself. Hooray! To get me through it, I will lean heavily on the work of folks like Ned Oliver at the Virginia Mercury, who’s got a good piece today on the Democrats' legislative priorities. Related to the session’s kickoff, Michael Martz at the RTD says the Department of General Services denied some permits for Lobby Day (this coming Monday) and will “close Capitol Square in the coming days as we take steps to secure the grounds.” The Governor will deliver his State of the Commonwealth Address tonight at 7:00 PM, and you can probably stream it from any of the local news stations.Whoa: The James River Park System hit 2 million visitors in 2020. JRPS is so dang rad, and we are lucky to have it. I hope the City will use these massive turnout numbers as reason to increase funding, staff, support, or whatever else Parks & Rec feels like they need.Remember! The House will introduce—and probably vote on—Articles of Impeachment today. By this evening we could have a twice-impeached president. As this process hurtles forward, more and more Republicans have started to come out either in direct support of impeachment or at least in support of the process.This morning’s longreadThe Debate About School Safety Is No Longer RelevantAnother article in The Atlantic by local Elliot Haspel. This one brings up an interesting question: Are we even having the right discussions about reopening schools? Good context for some of the paragraphs above.The reason for the shortages isn’t intransigent teachers’ unions or unreasonable fear; it’s simply that the virus is too widely spread. Upwards of 200,000 new COVID-19 cases are reported most days, and Anthony Fauci recently warned that January numbers will likely look even bleaker. The new viral variant, if it takes hold in the U.S., may worsen matters further. With so much spread, a significant number of teachers, nurses, bus drivers, food-service workers, custodians, and other staff in any given district will inevitably catch COVID-19 or be exposed, week after week. That’s bad enough on its own, and depending on a district’s particular policies for quarantining contacts (for instance, whether everyone in a building with a positive case must isolate, versus only those who had direct contact with the infected individual), a further multiplier effect can exacerbate the consequences for staffing.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

UVa’s Medical Center bans most visitors due to the threat of COVID-19… As the General Assembly convenes, one measure might tighten oversight of Dominion Energy, but dealing with the pandemic will likely dominate much of the session… Meanwhile, officials will close Capitol Square in Richmond to the public on Monday, that’s traditionally a day for constituents to lobby lawmakers, known as “lobby day”….

UVa’s Medical Center bans most visitors due to the threat of COVID-19… As the General Assembly convenes, one measure might tighten oversight of Dominion Energy, but dealing with the pandemic will likely dominate much of the session… Meanwhile, officials will close Capitol Square in Richmond to the public on Monday, that’s traditionally a day for constituents to lobby lawmakers, known as “lobby day”….

Here's your WORT Local News for Wednesday, November 18th, 2020: The Trump campaign requests a partial ballot recount in Milwaukee and Dane Counties, Madison leaders loosen cannabis restrictions and approve a new redevelopment project on Capitol Square, we take a deep dive into upcoming redistricting and in the second half we get the latest in local government, the most comprehensive weather forecast on the air and look back at the headlines from November, 1965.

This week on Mel & Floyd: A Discussion of the Bizarre Sex Lives of Moles; More Evidence-Free Allegations of Election Malfeasance, Reflections on Inaccurate Polling; Election Irregularities in the Voting for New Zealand’s Favorite Bird; Call & Response Car Horns on Capitol Square; Military Dolphins & Robot Wolves; And Other Random Topics; Subscribe to the […] The post Only the Moles Will Survive appeared first on WORT 89.9 FM.

Sly feels when Jordan King destroyed the Police Memorial on the Capitol Square, it was just as bad as desecrating a cemetary.

Milfred and Hands ask Sheri Carter, Madison's first black female City Council president, about race, police, protesters and what white people in the capital city don't understand about the African American experience here. "The civil rights movement never ended," she says, recalling growing up in Madison with what today would be described as helicopter parents on the South Side. Her parents came here in the 1950s from Louisiana, and her father called Madison "a breath of fresh air" in comparison. But Madison still has stark disparities that Carter wants to address. And in recent weeks, protests over the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, have led large protests on State Street in Madison, late-night looting, the toppling of statues on the Capitol Square, and senseless violence. A strong leader during turbulent times, Carter has a knack for pulling people together. But she has no plans to run for mayor anytime soon (though she dodged a question about Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway.)  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has said he wants to turn Capitol Square into its own entity, separate from the city of Columbus, in retaliation for damage done to the statehouse during demonstrations in recent weeks. At the city level, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and the local Fraternal Order of Police remain far apart on an agreement to enact policing reforms.

Milfred and Hands interview former Madison Landmarks Commission leader Stuart Levitan on the fate of a $125 million development on the Capitol Square. Despite the coronavirus crisis, lots of big projects continue to make their way through the city's elaborate approval process. Urban Land Interests' proposal will require demolishing a historic building -- but one that already was ruined by renovations in the 1970s. Levitan predicts whether ULI's project for a glass and stone tower set back and rising along North Pinckney Street will clear the Landmarks Commission and Madison City Council. Milfred tries to make Levitan cry. Hands describes how Levitan helped inform his cartoon caricature of Madison's quintessential ponytailed liberal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Voice of Reason in a city of chaos. Weekday afternoons on 1310 WIBA Madison. 2PM – Brian Schimming fills in for Vicki, who calls in live from the protests happening at the state capitol building 2:30 – State Senator Van Wanggaard joins Brian to go over how we got to the point where we are now 3PM – Brian gets an update from Vicki at the protest 3:30 – Rick Essenberg, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, joins the program to discuss legal opposition to Governor Evers' orders 4PM – Brian gets an update from Vicki at the protest 4:30 – Brian talks about problems with absentee ballot voting

In today's Midday podcast, Stephanie Hoff and Pat Poblete discuss the ongoing protest at Capitol Square, elected officials pushing back on Gov. Tony Evers' Safer at Home order and how law enforcement is handling the order.

During any other year, farmers and vendors would pour onto the Capitol Square this Saturday for the first outdoor market of the Dane County Farmers Market season. But in light of the coronavirus, the state government has revoked permits for all uses of the square, so the market season is indefinitely postponed. On today's show, Lindsay and Chris get an update from market manager Sarah Elliot on the changes they're making and how people can support local farms until the market makes its triumphant return. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Babylon Bee podcast, editor-in-chief Kyle Mann and creative director Ethan Nicolle discuss this week's stories like the media hyping up a white nationalist rally which turned out to be a peaceful gun rights protest, a Bernie Sanders staffer getting caught preaching the benefits of gulags, and Nancy Pelosi catching flack for handing out commemorative pens to celebrate a somber day of impeachment. In the subscriber portion, Kyle, Ethan and producer Dan discuss the deaths of Christopher Tolkien, the death of Rush lyricist and master drummer Neil Peart, and talk about how much money a gang of known criminals is telling you they want to take from you. Doug TenNapel, a friend of the Bee, has a new Earthworm Jim Kickstarter. Pre-order the new Babylon Bee Best-Of Coffee Table Book coming in 2020! Show Outline Introduction - Kyle and Ethan talk about Ethan’s proficiency with a mandolin slicer, hilarious Amazon reviews, and how Disneyland is getting old for Kyle’s kids. Kyle tells Ethan he is as beautiful and perfect as a Trump phone call. Story 1 - Media Offers Thoughts And Prayers That Someone Would Start Some Violence At Gun Rights Rally VA government is considering several gun control measures such as: a return to Virginia’s one-handgun-per-month purchase policy; red flag laws; and universal background checks for all gun sales except those among immediate family members, through inheritance or antiques. Big media and blue checkmarks hyped up the protest rally as a "white nationalist rally" and militias and insurrectionists who were going to be threatening. See Ben Collins' now-deleted tweet or this montage of CNN and MSNBC for example. "They're not coming to peacefully protest. They are coming to intimidate and cause harm," Gov Northam said declaring a state of emergency and banning all carrying of guns in the capital square. 22,000 gun rights activists showed up and finished peacefully. They even cleaned up after themselves.   People were openly and legally carrying firearms, including AR-style rifles, outside the gun-free Capitol Square. Story 2 - Bernie Sanders Clarifies His Gulags Will Be Democratic Gulags Project Veritas (James O’Keefe, a conservative political activist) releases undercover video of one of Bernie Sanders’ “top tier Iowa organizer” Staffer Kyle Jurek saying cities [will] burn” if President Donald Trump is re-elected, “free education” policies to “teach you how to not be a "flowerbed"-ing nazi.”; 'There is a reason Stalin had Gulags'; 'Expect violent reaction' for speech. If Bernie doesn't get nomination "Milwaukee will burn"... Project Veritas says they have more clips of more people too. The video has millions of views, almost zero coverage in mainstream media, and zero comment from Sanders campaign. Story 3 - Pelosi Releases Limited-Edition Replica Of Dentures Worn During Trump Impeachment 'They claim it's a somber, serious occasion they're heartbroken over...and then they pass out impeachment-signing pens with special cases.' The pens look like they are especially engraved, with gold, and were brought out on silver platters of some kind. Hate Mail - We got a special flowerbed-filled hate mail this week that trashed us and our audience. Topic of the Week - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Race MLK Jr was the most visible spokesperson for civil rights through non-violent protest movements inspired by Mohatma Ghandi/India Independence.  1955 organized Montgomery bus protest after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. Fought against desegregation and for voter’s rights In 1963 March on Washington gave his 'I Have A Dream' speech In 1964 won the nobel peace prize. Was investigated and spied on by the government for his supposed communist sympathies Assassinated in Memphis, TN in 1968. Joe Carter of TGC has 9 things you need to know about him.  Dr. Robert Gagnon points out some of the controvery in modern evangelical circles regarding whether we should we praise King while condemning Trump. Is MLK cancelled?  Conservatives and leftists both try to make MLK Jr supports their views on social justice, economics, or affirmative action. What does the Bible say about race? What did MLK’s speech actually say ( we read from lengethier sections) "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." “Unearned suffering is redemptive.” Ethan also mentions Man’s Search For Meaning What are some principles we can apply to the race issue to cut through the noise Balancing caring for the oppressed and not pushing victim narrative Who gains from all the racial conflict? Who Ioses if the outrage stops. Paid-subscriber portion Story 1 - Peter Jackson To Honor Christopher Tolkien With 578-Film Adaptation Of 'The Silmarillion' Christopher Tolkien died at age 95 this past week. Anything Middle Earth that came out after JRRT published LOTR is because of his son Christopher’s editing and publishing them.  Peter Jackson made 3 whole movies out of the children’s book The Hobbit for some reason. Christopher didn’t like the LOTR movies (action movies for teenagers) He edited and posthumously published his father's work on The Silmarillion, Children of Húrin, Fall of Gondolin, Beren and Lúthien, and much more. Story 2 - Warning: Gang Of Known Criminals Holds Meeting To Discuss How Much Of Your Money To Steal National Review has a list of all their spending plans in the context of national debt hitting $28 Trillion by end of decade before their ideas are put in place. Democrats try to say the costs are offset by savings elsewhere Taking all of these proposals together, Democrats would increase federal spending by around $40 trillion over the next ten years. To put that in perspective, the federal government will take in approximately $3.3 trillion in taxes this year and spend $4.1 trillion this year. Story 3 - Church Drummers To Play 70-Minute Solos In Honor Of Neil Peart This Sunday Rush lyricist and master drummer Neil Peart died at age 67 this past week.  Become a paid subscriber at https://babylonbee.com/plans

Having lived, gone to college and worked in Virginia, and as a firm believer in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, I had made plans a while ago to attend the gun rights rally in Richmond, VA to stand with others in the defense of our civil rights. Then the liberal mainstream media began their sensational fear-mongering about this peaceful rally (which has been held for years). Compounded to this was Virginia Governor Ralph Northam cowardly declaring a State of Emergency which banned guns in the area where the rally normally took place. The worldwide hype tried to scare people from going for fears of violence, but it didn't work. Over 22,000 normal American gun rights supporters filled the streets--it was safe (especially where I was, in the armed section!), peaceful and there was great camaraderie. In this episode, I take you along to the rally and interview some participants on their thoughts. Afterwards, I stop by a local gun shop to interview the owner on his thoughts. Watch the video of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYri5AX4600. https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/01/va-gun-rally-has-started-its-huge-here-are-20-pics-and-videos/ VA gun rally has started – it’s huge – here are 20 pics and videos https://www.richmond.com/news/local/photos-scenes-from-the-gun-rights-rally-at-capitol-square/collection_9dba409a-4f0d-57ee-93eb-5da72a50ebbe.html PHOTOS: Scenes from the gun-rights rally at Capitol Square in Richmond https://www.richmond.com/news/local/gun-rights-rally-draws-to-virginia-capitol-no-violence-one/article_d865335d-638c-5d57-945c-51828d43e32d.html Gun-rights rally draws 22,000 to Virginia Capitol; no violence, one arrest reported https://vcdl.org/ Virginia Citizens Defense League https://www.fsmunitions.com/ First Strike Munitions Re my one side of my sign that said, "Guns protect us from gulags and Bernie Bros", watch these Project Veritas Action undercover videos to understand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsUAvh_PCWA Sanders Campaign Part 1; Field Organizer "F**king Cities Burn" if Trump Re-Elected https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3PWDNkLliE PART II: Sanders Staffer “There Are Things More Important Than the Rule of Law in USA” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImH8AjZrEcY Part 3: 2nd Bernie Staffer "I'll straight up get armed" "Guillotine the rich" ——— Follow Gayle Trotter– WEBSITE: GayleTrotter.com TWITTER: @GayleTrotter FACEBOOK: facebook.com/gayle.s.trotter INSTAGRAM: @gayle_trotter Subscribe to Gayle’s show on her YouTube Channel: youtube.com/gayletrotterrightindc Listen to The Gayle Trotter Show on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Google Play, TuneIn, Stitcher Support: patreon.com/gayletrotter Voice-Over Artist: Rick Regan: voice123.com/rickregan/

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's gun ban on the capitol grounds during January 20th's Lobby Day activities is being challenged in court by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, which says the governor doesn't have the authority to enact the ban. VCDL President Phillip Van Cleave joins Cam with the latest developments.

* Guest: Stewart Rhodes – Founder and President of Oath Keepers – Guardians of the Republic – OathKeepers.org. * Virginia Democratic Gov. Northam will declare emergency to ban guns from Capitol Square ahead of pro-2A rally – TheBlaze.com. * Virginia governor declares ‘state of emergency’ as militias prepare to march on Richmond – Jared Harris, The Western Journal. * Gun Grab in Virginia Would Spark Next Civil War – Infowars. * Of course, these rules don’t apply to the armed state employees who will confront the protesters. * With the massive protest less than a week away, all eyes are on Virginia. * Warning Of Violence Before Rally In Virginia – NYT. * Guest: Bryan Rust – Over the past 50 years, Rust Coins has been working to educate customers about precious metals – RustCoinAndGift.com. * Gun groups: Virginia Democrats want violence to disrupt, ‘smear’ gun control protest – Paul Bedard. * From fringe to force: How a gun rights advocate from Chesterfield made his mark. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/loving-liberty/support

Good morning, RVA! It’s 34 °F, and we could see temperatures hit 60 °F today. Highs tomorrow and Sunday could be in the 70s. Just another mid-January weekend here in Richmond.Water coolerThe New York Times has a list of 52 places to go (in the world) in 2020 and Richmond, Virginia makes the list. Of course, because it’s the NYT, they cannot resist making a capital of the Confederacy reference. Most of the blurb focuses on Rumors of War and breweries, which seems about right.I pick on Scott’s Addition a bunch and how it’s a garbage neighborhood lacking the sorts of basic infrastructure a neighborhood needs—things like, oh, I dunno, sidewalks and street lights. All of my garbagetalk means I’m required to fill out this Greater Scott’s Addition Redevelopment Study Survey from the Department of Planning and Development Review. You should fill it out, too, and you have until January 12th to do so. I will say that I am frustrated by the question that literally mentions “complete streets” and then forces me to choose whether I want to improve safety and connections for just TWO of bus riders, people on bikes, or pedestrians. Like, complete streets means safe and easy travel for completely everyone and all modes!Del. Wendell Walker, Republican (!) from Lynchburg, has submitted a bill calling for the removal of the Harry F. Byrd Sr. Statue from Capitol Square. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a few more details

In Episode 57 of District of Conservation, Gabriella dissects the gun control bills that will be heard in Virginia's General Assembly come January and why they won't stop crimes but rather criminalize law-abiding gun owners in the state. She also offers three ways to be proactive and fight back these bad bills. SHOW NOTES: HB 2 Firearm transfershttps://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB2 DOJ study https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/suficspi16.pdf HB9 Stolen firearms -24 hour penalty https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB9 SB 12 Like HB2 https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB12 SB 13 Capitol Square gun ban https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB13 SB 14 - Ban of trigger activator https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB14 SB 15: Ban carrying weapons in buildings owned by the Commonwealth (government buildings): https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB15 Virginia Beach shooting victim considered taking gun to work over concerns about colleague, lawyer says: https://www.pilotonline.com/news/virginia-beach-mass-shooting/article_3843db5c-8b9e-11e9-b87f-e3e87b2a3b42.html SB 16: Assault weapons ban (most semi-auto would be banned too) https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB16 SB 18: Universal background check bill & penalty for 18 and under https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB18 SB 22: Reinstates one handgun a month purchase ban: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB22 SB 35: Gun bans in permitted areas: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB35 2020 Lobby Day: https://www.facebook.com/events/virginia-general-assembly/vcdl-lobby-day-1202020-8am/569703807124705/

This week in our podcast The Wrap, we discuss plans for the last undeveloped corner of Capitol Square downtown and Otterbein's big day when the Democratic debate shined the national spotlight on the small college. We also looked at the newest medical marijuana dispensary opening in Columbus and discussed Bob Evans Restaurants' plans for the future. Check back weekly for our regular review of the week's top stories.

This week in our podcast The Wrap, we discuss plans for the last undeveloped corner of Capitol Square downtown and Otterbein's big day when the Democratic debate shined the national spotlight on the small college. We also looked at the newest medical marijuana dispensary opening in Columbus and discussed Bob Evans Restaurants' plans for the future. Check back weekly for our regular review of the week's top stories.

The third suspected victim in the Mad City Murders, was 18 year old Julie Ann Hall. She had just moved to Madison two months earlier, after studying for a short time at a technical school . For the previous month and a half she worked as a library assistant in the archives section at the Wisconsin historical society of Madison. Friday, June 16th of 1978, was the last time Julie would be seen alive. That night she went on a date with a male friend at a bar just off the east side of Capitol Square in downtown Madison. It wasn't until the first day of summer, June 21st 1978, when a farmer would make a shocking discovery as he was tending to his land. www.searchingforclosure.com

The third suspected victim in the Mad City Murders, was 18 year old Julie Ann Hall. She had just moved to Madison two months earlier, after studying for a short time at a technical school . For the previous month and a half she worked as a library assistant in the archives section at the Wisconsin historical society of Madison. Friday, June 16th of 1978, was the last time Julie would be seen alive. That night she went on a date with a male friend at a bar just off the east side of Capitol Square in downtown Madison. It wasn't until the first day of summer, June 21st 1978, when a farmer would make a shocking discovery as he was tending to his land. www.searchingforclosure.com

Milfred and Hands lament Madison's utopian disdain for lower-cost apartments being proposed for the lower part of a Downtown tower a block off the Capitol Square. The Madison City Council is confusing affordable housing with high-rise penthouses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I give an update in the Jayme Closs case before going on to cover the history of one of the coooooolest cemeteries in Wisconsin - Forest Hill in Madison. Come learn about the northernmost Confederate cemetery, effigy mounds, and some willllddd history - oh, and make sure to visit the FB page for pics! Resources Jayme Closs Today show snippet Patterson guilty plea Forest Hill wiki Parks page Haunted Madison Forest Hill Cemetery guide Confederate Rest removed A Biographical Guide to Forest Hill Cemetery: The Ordinary and Famous Women and Men Who Shaped Madison and the World (Amazon) This Podcast Will Kill You Transcript Welcome back to the Spooky Sconnie Podcast - the podcast that talks about everything, spooky, funky, criminal and weird in the state of Wisconsin. Before I dive into this week's topic, I wanted to give an update because I'm recording this right now on Wednesday the 27th and that means Jake Patterson who abducted Jayme Closs and killed her parents in October of 2018 was just arraigned and pled guilty to charges. So I wanted to talk a little bit about that before I dive into today's topic. Upon entering the court, he was crying and sniffling as he answered the judge's questions. He pled guilty to the three charges against him, which was killing Jayme's father, killing Jayme's mother, and then kidnapping Jayme. Um, the murders bring with them a life sentence while the kidnapping charge could be up to 40 years. So he's basically facing, um, two life sentences and an extra 40 years. ----more---- It seems as though from what I've read, that he struck a plea deal in this case, which means that, um, no other charges during the time that he had Jayme in his possession will be brought up as well as he won't be charged with armed burglary, which was part of this as well. So, um, for people wondering if Jayme had undergone any sexual violence with him, we still don't know. My guess is, again probably, but at this point they don't want to put her through talking about that. And I would say rightly so. Um, he, as I said, pled guilty to all those three counts and will be sentenced on May 24th. As he was being led out of the court, he said "bye, Jayme." She was not in the courtroom. I, I'm sure that he wants to think that she's watching, but her family has been shielding her from basically all of the coverage around this case. Over the weekend of the 16th here, um, he had a call with WCCO, which is, um, uh, a local news station, I believe out of Minneapolis with one of their reporters that also made the Today Show. And I wanted to give a little bit of an update about that. Um, he said that he knew he wasn't supposed to talk to the reporters but he didn't care. Um, and that he doesn't want to cause any more harm, which to be frank, I think talking to the reporters and basically coming into people's living rooms is causing more harm. But that's just me. He talked about that he wants to talk to her [Jayme] but knows he can't. He loves her. Um, which, uh, Gail on the today show mentioned after the, um, snippet about this aired that she hoped that Jayme's family and people that she was close with were still shielding her from, um, the news and, and making it so she wasn't watching things like the Today Show when the stuff will randomly pop up because of how jarring that could be. And, um, I think that was rightly so. And, and just as an Fyi, I have linked to the youtube video of this news snippet. Um, Gail is laughing at the beginning of it because they were talking about something funny in the previous segment. She's not laughing about this. There were a lot of youtube comments - context, people. He - Patterson - said that while he had Jayme in his custody, they spent time talking about stuff, playing games, watching TV and cooking and that just about everything that they ate was home, home cooked. Um, obviously as you can guess with wanting to not, you know, tell everybody that he has a kidnapped girl in his possession. About that same day on the 16th, Elizabeth Smart - famous kidnapping survivor - talked here in Wisconsin in Barron where Jayme grew up and in her hometown. She talked a lot about how to help Jayme heal but also how to heal as a community. Um, and I think I've talked about this before in the, in the minisodes about this case, but Elizabeth Smart got abducted when I was young and, um, her constant work around not only kidnapping, not only healing from trauma, but also around how the sex negative culture that we have makes it even tougher on victims and survivors is just fascinating. And I have goosebumps right now because, um, it matches up so well with the work I do, um, in the, in the sex ed world. So it just makes me happy. Elizabeth Smart also talked about respecting Jayme's privacy and avoiding really tough questions. So again, I really feel like this comes back to don't ask her if she was on the receiving end of any sexual violence during this, uh, 88 day kidnapping and being held against her will. So that's the update for Jayme's case. And, um, hopefully here we will have a very quick sentencing and there won't be any issues to let Jake off because motherfucker does not need to be anywhere outside of the jail right now. I generally want to like move towards restorative justice and things like that, but when people can't even tell you why they abducted someone, there's still a part of me that says, "Nope, that's too scary." Um, that's obviously something I'm working on and I think something we all need to work on. But, um, when it's a a white boy, I also don't feel that sad about it to be frank. Um, but that's a topic for another day. So for today's episode we're actually talking about a cemetery here in Madison. It is Forest Hill Cemetery and it's actually one of the first US national cemeteries established here in Wisconsin. It's located at one Speedway Road, which basically serves as a junction between Mineral Point Road - which is on the west side for the most part - and campus. So like the Regent Street area that goes, you know, right down by LaBahn arena where the badgers just brought home the national championship in women's Ice Hockey and I'm fawning all over. Um, and um, yeah, the Kohl Center where the Badgers men's hockey team plays. Um, but also like Camp Randall and some other spaces. So this is a pretty well traveled area. Um, it's right by one of the high schools. It's, it's fairly well known. So if you've been to Wisconsin and you're remembering a very, very large cemetery that covers both sides of a road, it's probably Forest Hill. It's often described as a romantic or rural cemetery. Um, the rural cemetery movement really drew upon like English garden landscape styles that were really, really popular. Um, especially the late 18 hundreds, like middle to late 18 hundreds here in the states. About the same time that, um, you know, we were turning the corner into the 19 hundreds. There were concerns about the aesthetic around like this rural cemetery thing. Um, and there wasn't any uniformity around gravestone markings and headstones. So people would make these grand elaborate things on top of their graves and in their families' plot area. And, um, of course, you know, at that point the people that ran Forest Hill couldn't turn around and say, okay, we need to get rid of those. Um, but they do have some areas now where it's just flat markers and it just makes maintenance easier. There's not this constant like one upmanship and, um, just tends to be a newer area for, for people who've been buried far more recently. Um, they also really wanted to use like soft lines. And so when you go and you see the landscaping around the cemetery, it's really beautiful and, um, it feels rural while at the same time, you know, you can hear cars and the distance, you don't feel like scared rural. That makes sense. Um, but instead you're just kind of in this very nice space that turns almost into its own world, which I think is powerful. Um, and also beautiful. The graveyard contains just about everybody from Catholics to Lutherans to Jews, um, and more, but we especially have a very large Hmong population. So the Mung are an ethnic group originally from, um, this kind of region between China and Southeast Asia. And there were a lot of Hmong people who came over to Wisconsin in general as refugees during the Vietnam War. Um, and, uh, you know, were coming from Vietnam and China to come seek space here to be safe. So there's a very large Hmong population throughout the state, but especially, um, as we start looking at graveyards and things, there's a lot more diversity than I think people think Wisconsin would have, especially here in Madison, right, with the university and people really making homes here after that. The first burials of settlers slash colonizers here in Madison happened on Bascom Hill. And like, if you watch, um, you know, college football games, you'll usually see Bascom hill, um, when it's featured on like national TV. So it's this big hill with like the snazzy White House look in building at the top of it. And sometimes it's decorated with flamingos. There's a history about that. We'll get into it in a later date. But, um, so, so it's really like a very main point of campus. State Street is a street that you, um, you can't drive down. It's just like a pedestrian street with a lot of shops and restaurants and that kind of runs straight into the hill, um, which then goes up into a different part of campus. And um, further on the other side of that hill is really more of like ag buildings and um, vet buildings and even the medical building cause the hospital's much further down from the hill. But let's get back to this right now that I've given you a mental layout. So basically this hill's right in the middle of campus and I'll talk more about it on its own because the UW is definitely going to get its own very long episode. There were a few other cemeteries around the city located around, um, spaces we know now as like North Carroll Street or even where the Saint Mary's hospital currently is, which is further down on Park Street. But uh, that, that also just reminds me never to go there. Um, it's a Catholic hospital and there's a lot of problems with it anyway. But, um, I think it's kind of a, an interesting thing to have a hospital basically built on where a graveyard used to be but of course there are houses and stuff built there too. Um, anyway, downtown Madison and much of campus itself lies on an isthmus and I hate saying this word cause I feel like I have like a slight lisp and so it makes it hard to say isthmus - whatever. It's i s t h m u s. As defined by Wikipedia, an isthmus is "a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated." So it's like a land bridge and, here in Madison, the isthmus is between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. There's only one other city built on an isthmus and that's Seattle. So fun fact there - between being on the isthmus and having a very rapidly growing population, they were looking locally to establish a more formal cemetery and to push it more towards the outskirts of town. Not only was that a pretty common thing at the time, it also pushed the cemetery to further away from the lakes and the isthmus itself. So you wouldn't run into things like major flooding that might bring up bodies and stuff like that. Um, this last summer we had terrible flooding and now that all of the snow is melting, um, it's, it's definitely not as bad as it was over the summer. Um, cause we had a couple of days of torrential downpour, but a lot of the water spaces are very, very, very, very high almost to the road. Again, the first official village cemetery was established in 1847 near what is now Orin Park, which is really close to, um, this area that we're talking about. In the mid 1850s, a committee was formed to search for a more appropriate site to really create, as I said, like an official, um, cemetery for the city and, and some surrounding areas as well. So they chose the current site, which was at that point on the very far west side. Um, and they bought in original 80 acres of land for about $10,000 from John and Mary, right in 1857 and they had actually obtained the land from James Duane Doty who had gotten it from Alanson Sweet who was a territorial council member from Milwaukee that really led the fight to make Madison, um, the Capitol of the state, which is kind of cool. We'll get into that at some point too. Um, this is definitely like the nerdiest stuff and I get way too excited about it. Um, so this area is about two and a half miles away from the state Capitol building, which, um, to go back to Bascom hill and that layout Bascom hill flows into state street and state street goes right up to the Capitol building. So it all flows really cool. Um, but is very far to walk. Um, many of Forest Hill's earliest like graves were re burials from other graveyards around the city, including spaces like Orton Park. And they're actually at the time that they bought this, this large plot of land, there were still people using it for agricultural purposes. And so the transition to really fully using it as a cemetery was gradual. Um, and it wasn't until 1861 that the common council and asked the cemetery committee to, um, you know, not allow people to keep farm animals in the cemetery, which is wild to me to think of like, you're just going to like have a picnic by your dead relative and there's a cow. It just feels like the most Wisconsin thing. By five years later, um, the Wisconin State Journal had written about a group of men who were just covered with, um, like horses and plows and other farming material, planting potatoes in unoccupied parts of the cemetery. Um, you know, people that live nearby still continued to use the land for their own purposes, for planting crops, for planting a garden, um, up until basically they were phased out by like the cemetery growing or people catching on, which I think is hilarious. During the 1860s, the city made a lot of improvements because they had sold a lot of plots. And so they added things like fences and a gate, um, a receiving vault, which allows people to, um, be held in a space where they're not going to stink everything up while it's winter and there's too much snow or the ground is too frozen to actually bury them. So something that actually happens a lot here in Wisconsin is you'll see somebody dies in say November and then they're not buried till April because everything's frozen. And even then, sometimes April's a stretch. So, uh, that's something that was really important at this point in time for them to install and, um, get a lot of use out of. They also planted some new trees and some nice shrubbery and, and other miscellaneous, um, gardening goodies throughout the space of the cemetery to really make it feel, um, you know, going back to the beginning, like this romantic, earthy, beautiful space. Um, at that point, they also decided that they, you know, they recognized that people with different faiths might want to be buried in their own sections. And so they offered sections to some of the Jewish congregations locally, which they accepted and purchased a section on the southwest side of the cemetery and, um, to Catholics and the Catholics and the Roman Catholic society had declined. And then turned around a couple of years later and purchased, um, 25 acres from the city, which is now the Resurrection Cemetery, which is basically the other side of the road, um, from Forest Hill, which is fun. It's still basically there. So again, like mid 18 hundreds, people would get in their carriages on Sunday afternoons and go out to the cemeteries for picnics. And this may sound really weird, but that was actually part of what they wanted picnics to be at that point in time, was to be this space where you could go and have this nice park atmosphere, but also be able to go be with and remember and honor your loved ones. So, you know, um, uh, kind of anecdotal example could be, um, when I was little I would go visit my great grandmother's grave, um, back in the Pacific northwest and we would get ice cream cones, which were some of her favorite things. We would like go out on day trips and drive around and get ice cream Collins and look at the pretty nature around us. Um, so you know, I'd like go sit there and eat ice cream cone and like talk to her. Right. And it's just like an anecdotal example, but there are many other people who might bring their whole families to visit, you know, their late mother or late father and really kind of spend time there in that space with them, which I think is really cool. And I kind of hope we get back to not just cause I want to eat ice cream in a cemetery. I just like, I think it's really cool. I mean, I don't mind eating ice cream in a cemetery. I could eat ice cream anywhere. Well, almost anywhere a morgue would be terrifyin. So the people who had access to carriages were really the well to do and this became a pretty good sign of wealth and of social status if you could like be seen at the cemetery eating sandwiches. Um, and it wasn't until about the late 18 hundreds, so 1897 when they actually extended the street car tracks from downtown to the entrance of Forest Hill. And um, it allowed a lot more people to be able to go and visit their loved ones and you know, do picnics if they wanted or, or just sit and visit and honor them, which I think is really cool. Um, the, let's get back to the civil war because that's about to happen. It really became a turning point for how we used cemeteries here in the states. And you know, looking at the demographics of who died. I think that's a pretty important thing we look at here in Madison. Um, as a city we sent two thirds of men age 20 to 45 off to war. And that was a larger population than any other city in Wisconsin, probably because we had a lot of younger people and about 24% of those men died in service, which means just about everyone here in Madison would have lost a loved one, whether it was a family member or a friend. And honoring those people became something really important, um, not only locally but nationally. Um, it became far less of "let's go to the cemetery on a picnic to honor Papa" and more "Let's go visit our brother John who died and mourn and bring all of those feelings with us." It wasn't so much about spending time and honoring in a maybe jovial way or a comforting way as it was looking back on the loss of the sorrow of that time period. And that's where, where everything really started to shift with cemetery use. Within, um, Forest Hill itself, there's the Soldier's Lot where about 240 union soldiers are buried as well as the Confederate Rest plot, which holds 140 prisoners of war. And we will get to that shortly. Well, kind of shortly. Um, Memorial Day, um, or as it was called way early on, 'decoration day' was first observed here in Madison in 1868 and they had a parade from the center of the town to the cemetery to adorn the graves and talk and honor people who had fallen. In 1878, they constructed a chapel, Caitlin Chapel, Catlin Chapel. Sometimes I can't read what I wrote. I think it's Catlin, c, a, t, l, i, n. And they built it new their cemetery entrance and it became a space for people to come and worship. Um, and it really kind of signaled along with the street car being built within the next couple of decades. It really signaled even more change from um, what the cemetery had been one at first started to really becoming something that was public and not exclusive. Going back to the streetcar thing, since we're there about timeline wise, the current cemetery office was actually built as a street car station, um, which I think is absolutely fantastic. And it was built in 1908, so about a decade after the street cars started to really, you know, help hold crowds and help provide shelter for people waiting for the street car back and all of that stuff. In the 1920s, the city purchased an additional two tracts of land bordering Forest Hill. There's 20 acres from the Zwerg farm and 60 acres from the Wingra Land Company. Now the, um, land from the farm has been incorporated into the cemetery. There's dead people in it. Um, and then the land from Wingra has actually been leased to a golf course since 1927 - the Glen Way Golf course, which is nine holes. Um, and a lot of people who have enjoyed golfing in general like to find plots in a duration sections like very close to the green so that they could conceivably like watch golf. It's just fantastic. The land itself hasn't really changed since this time. So, um, Forest Hill cemetery itself is about 75 acres right now. Madison was also figuring out, um, how to handle people who are using the cemetery for a sexy purposes, um, at probably because of the fact that it was so much more accessible at this point. A lot of young couples, and this was not a Madison specific thing. This is something that also happened nationwide, but a lot of young couples would sneak off to the cemetery after dark because no one would be there to go neck and snug and whatnot. And I mean, you think about it, it's a gorgeous space. Yes, there's headstones and dead people, but like there's pretty, there's trees. It's very naturey. Um, it's all kind of makes sense honestly. And this just represented, you know, one more new thing that was happening. Um, and, and having people who had enough extra time to be all like, sneak off and make out, especially teenagers, um, having teenagers who weren't at, at, um, like working out in the fields all day and were instead like in school and then maybe at jobs, um, give them a lot more time to go do the dippidy in the cemetery. Many local commissions really tried to regulate this new, uh, recreational purpose. And they would do things like charge admission fees or um, if they hadn't had gates install gates or have people who kind of kept the grounds in the evenings to like chase kids off, which I think is kind of fascinating. Um, in 1910 to back up a smudge, there was a booklet released called "Rules and Regulations of Forest Hill Cemetery." And some of the stuff I read really tied that into this notion of having to like push back against kids doing it. Um, but part of this booklet talks about hours at admission and you know, tells you you can't pick any of the shrubbery or flowers and you can't ride or drive faster than you walk. You can't be drunk or drinking. You shouldn't be resting in spaces that don't belong to you. And, um, you shouldn't be like walking over dead people, which might be my favorite one. Um, I really try hard to like not walk over dead people's spots anyway. So when I read that, I was like, Ooh, it's me. I'm a big nerd. Um, unfortunately a lot of the pushback against, you know, kids and, and people coming to use the graveyard area for different purposes, um, I think helped contribute to the fact that now cemeteries are lonely and sad and sure, you know, bringing in the civil war and bringing in the sorrow from that time period forward and all the wars we had sense definitely plays a part. And, um, one of the things I was reading also talked about cars playing apart. You know, a lot of people when they go visit graveyards, they might just stop in their car and not get out, especially if it's like a shit day weather wise. But I really think a lot of it was this pushback and I don't know if there's any way that they could have done it differently, but it's just something to think about I guess. Hmm. Forest Hill's landscape, architecture, and building program shifted to really incorporate new design ideas. Um, the mausoleum was built in 1916 which offered, you know, above ground burials. And it's a really nice space. It's like right across from the chapel. It's, it's really pretty. Um, and then they eventually, um, as I said had adopted the notion of having flat grave markers in a, at least one part of the cemetery. One of the cool things is that there're a lot of effigy mounds within the cemetery. So let's talk about effigy mounds for a minute. Long before Forrest Hill became like this premiere big cemetery, it was a cemetery already. Um, Native American and Indigenous people had been using the space for effigy mounds for a really long time. And these mounds remind all of us, right, that this land was a sacred spot already and it wasn't white people coming in that made it sacred. You can explore effigy mounds in this area and, and honestly, all throughout the state. Um, and there's different sections, which is, is cool. Um, most of the effigy mounds are within section 35, but, but you can get hints and um, you might be able to see where there may have been one in the past. It's really unfortunate - for really long time, people didn't think of effigy mounds is the thing or just thought it was a hill or give a shit cause it was Native Americans and indigenous people. Um, so unfortunately there is a lot of effigy mounds that have been destroyed, um, even if just partially so, which is so sad, but a lot of them have been preserved. Um, and we'll talk a little bit more about that. Join me on our effigy mound journey. So effigy mounds were built between the years 700 and 1200 CE by Native Americans and indigenous people. And they were built, you know, on the land that is now part of Wisconsin. Earlier mounds tended to be, um, connical or geometric. So they were shapes but not necessarily the same way as, um, you know, the effigy mounds as they are now. I feel like that didn't make any sense. It's like if you look up here, I meds, right? Some of them are step pyramids and some of them are triangular pyramids and step ones usually came earlier. And it seems to be that like once people figured out how to make the triangular ones, they shifted to that. Um, or if they had the resources to do that, they shifted to that. It's kind of the same idea with the effigy mounds. So at first they might've just been a little mound and then they grew into, now if you look at it from far away, it looks like a Jaguar, which is pretty cool. The term effigy really refers to the fact that they were built in shapes of animals. Um, and they were usually constructed around sites that already had earlier mounds, which is really neat. Kind of keeping those spaces together, recognizing that you'd already created a sacred area and really kind of filling it out and telling a story with the shapes you were making. People who built the effigy mounds during the late woodland period, which is where we were at in Wisconsin, and that was happening, excuse me. Um, really obtained a lot of resources by hunting and gathering. Um, so you may find things like corn near an effigy mound. You may find things like clay pots near an effigy mound or in an effigy mound. Um, and the effigy mounds themselves were burial spaces. Um, they were really meant to serve as this really cool decorative way to bury your dead. And archeologists have found no other significant burial grounds by the late woodland people who lived where we now know as Wisconsin. So really these effigy mounds were the primary way they buried and honored their dead. Effigy mounds typically contain one body or might have several. Um, it all depends on how large the mound is and shape and stuff. Some mounds had no bodies at all and that winds up bringing up concerns about, well, was this already disturbed at some point? Did they forget to put a body in there or what was the other purpose of this mound? I will do a whole episode about effigy mounds at some point, but um, the basic way they usually created them was they would dig the shape they wanted and then place the dead and whatever objects they wanted that person to have with them and then create the rest of the shape on top. So it's really like building a hill, um, which is really cool. I think, I don't know. I'm a nerd. Mounds began to be excavated and preserved, um, probably around the mid 19 hundreds. Um, and now let's become a really big part of Wisconsin. And a part of our tradition has been preserving Native American and indigenous spaces as much as we can and talking about them and learning about them and sharing that knowledge with others, which I think is cool. So let's talk about the confederates. Hooray. Not really. Um, so as I said earlier, there's a section of the cemetery that's known as Confederate Rest and there's about 140 confederate prisoners of war who died while in confinement and a union camp here in Madison in 1862. The bulk of the soldiers were a part of the first Alabama and from tree regimen or supporting that regiment during fights. And they had just moved from, I think it was Ohio, back into Illinois when they got caught up in a 23 day fight and then were captured by General John Pope and Commodore Andrew Foote. 5,000 of the prisoners of war were sent to different areas. So some were sent to like a Saint Louis for example. And then about a thousand of them came up to camp Randall. You might be saying right now like "wait, Camp Randall is where the Badgers play football!" Yeah. So it used to be a training camp for soldiers mostly during the civil war and it wasn't well equipped at all in general, but it was especially shit - shittily equipped to be a holding facility prison. On April 19th, 881 confederates arrived and on the 25th, another 275 came, the leader group actually came by boat, um, because they were incredibly sick and would not have been able to do the journey by rail that the earlier group had done. Within two days of the second group coming, 10 of the confederates had died. Most of the soldiers who would die did so due to wounds they had sustained during the fights, um, due to infections due to malarial fever. Um, who knows whether it was like it actually anything related to that, like malaria or anything like that at all? I think it was just fever. Um, so again, infection and then some sort of condition that caused diarrhea. There wasn't great, um, maintenance within camp Randall. So one of the things that they're worried about like cholera or something like that that was passed through stools and then, you know, hung out in spaces where you're drinking water. Yeah, it's great - shit water. After 140 soldiers had died, those who were left were transferred to Camp Douglas in Chicago. The state journal kept a record of deaths that happen day to day, which is Kinda cool. Um, on May 3rd, they posted the following under the headline of Death of Prisoners at Camp Randall: "There is a great mortality in the Prisoners Hospital at Camp Randall. Rumors are prevalent of gross neglect in respect to medical and other attendance, and of inattention to the ordinary hospital alleviations and to sanitary rules. We have not visited the hospital, and cannot vouch for these current reports. It is to be hoped that means will be adopted to spare needless suffering, and to provide, as far as possible, for the comfort and restoration of the sick." (book, part 2, 393) So clearly it wasn't on in great shape. Um, and we'll never know for sure. I think what a lot of these folks actually died of. Germ theory was not prevalent at the point, uh, that the civil war happened. And so there just wasn't knowledge about how we spread germs and all of that. Um, and there's some really great podcast episodes around that topic from the podcast called This Podcast Will Kill You. It's fantastic. It's nerdy. It's about epidemiology and diseases and pandemics and it's fantastic - and it's led by two chicks. So please go listen to it cause it's a great podcast. In the confederate section, there is a grave just in front of it and it belongs to a woman named Alice Whiting Waterman. She was born in the south and moved to Madison in 1868. She was widowed and didn't have any relatives, so she really didn't know what to do with her time to be quite frank and she became really interested in the neglected graves because they weren't well kept as you can imagine, because they're prisoners of war, so she spent the next 25 years of her life, the the year she had left taking care of that space and beautifying it and making it look better, cleaning it up so you could see the tombstones getting tombstones for those who didn't have them. Governor Lucius Fairchild also assisted in the effort, likely due to having fought in the war himself, but he's also often left out of the narrative and all of the blame is placed on Waterman. I don't know who knows what the full story is, but seems like uh, a lot of it gets placed on her because they don't want to associate Fairchild with it. I don't know. Anyway, the movement really was Waterman's baby. She referred to them as her 'boys' and really took ownership of essentially her kinfolk having grown up in the south. And when she died, she asked it to be buried with them. So they did what they could and buried her in front of them. We're going to get into some interesting things with this. Uh, but first let's boop ahead to 1872 and For memorial day that year, this space really served as a space of reconciliation. Um, that year, Governor Cadwallader C Washburn - who had been a union general at Vicksburg and elsewhere, but that was his big battle - spoke, and this goes on for a minute, so I'm sorry, but it's pretty great: "I would not have these ceremonies perpetuated for the purpose of keeping alive resentments of dividing a people that ought to be united, but only to remind us of the priceless value of our glorious union, and our obligations to those who sacrificed their lives to uphold and maintain it and to the near and dear ones they have left behind. Here, almost side by side, and in one silent bed, are laid not only those who sacrificed their lives to preserve - but also those to destroy our fair fabric of governance. Misguided as the last were, you wage no war with lifeless clay and your resentments stop with the grave. Let us then after we shall have decked the graves of our brave defenders, scattering pansies, forget-me-nots and the 'rosemary of rememberance,' nowt forget the lowly bed of those who sleep so far away from their once happy and sunny homes." (book, part 2, 398) I'm about to get into why this is bullshit, but first, let's hear what the newspaper has to say about this whole shenanigans: "After the graves of the Union soldiers had been handsomely and befittingly decorated, Governor Washburn stepped to the front, with more courage than has ever been shown on these occasions, asking volunteers to go with him to scatter flowers over the graves of the rebel dead who reposed nearby. No one can go beyond us in renouncing the cause of secession in all its forms, but we say Governor Washburn's conduct yesterday was that of a high-minded, magnanimous solider - of one who dared to sustain his professions by his public acts - and show charity for the erring and misguided 'boys in gray,' who like our own soldiers were brave beyond parallel, though sadly in the wrong. So little an act as this will do more to wipe out the asperities of the war than we can estimate. We can say it with credit to the old soldiers present that the Governor was not without a following in his work of merciful charity. All the officers of the day, chaplains, and veterans of a hundred battlefields joining in strewing the graves of the rebel dead." (book, part 2, 398) So it was either really easy to forgive and forget during this time period or this is the whitest thing I've ever heard. I can see in that time period right, going, okay, we're done. Things are getting better. But the fact that people thought it was actually getting better at that time period without recognizing that, slavery just shifted. And that black people still didn't have the right to vote from in most places. And in the small places they did have the right to vote, they were often bullied and threatened and harmed if they did. So like from a white person's perspective - Sure. Let's forgive and forget. And these little boys were wrong. They just made an Oopsie. I'm sorry. Fuck all y'all. No And it just gets better. Are you ready for this? So you know, from the 1872 up to 2000, people would still come and decorate that area with confederate flags. And it was only when a couple of people complained that they went, 'oh, I guess we should stop that.' Now let's fast forward to last October because of all of the stuff that has happened in fairly recent history with white supremacists and racists bigots re using the confederate flag and reasserting their, um, loyalty to those who led the confederate army and everything they stood for. Um, you know, there was a question about what the fuck do we do with the spot. And in October, 2018 the Madison City Council had convos about this. They were like, what the fuck do we do? They voted 16 to two to destroy the marker with the list of buried prisoners, which overturned the landmarks commission, um, who had denied a permit to remove the marker. The marker was built in 1906. Like, okay, it is historical, but do we need it and do we need everything that says, oh, proud boys, these are great? Um, no, we don't. The eradication of that plaque was seen as some people within the city government as some sort of reparation. Um, I don't think it's that, but it was supported by a number of people and a number of organizations throughout the city, state and even nationally, um, including like the Equal Opportunities Commission here in Madison. The Dane County Historical Society was pissed. Um, the editorial board of the Wisconsin State Journal was pissed because this is the northern most confederate graveyard. And I get that. I get that there's history, but we don't need to celebrate people who did terrible things. Um, then I think that if you're going to war for the confederacy, we can't excuse that. When I was in eighth grade, we had conversations about, 'oh well Robert E. Lee didn't really like slavery. He just didn't think black people were people, so that's why he fought on that side' as if that's somehow excused it and I'm sorry. No, it doesn't. As of January, the monument was removed and it was given to the local veterans museum. They didn't do damage to the monument, the cemetery grounds. Um, and uh, I'm going to talk about this interview and I'll put the link in the resources notes. I always do that. Um, but I, I think it paints a good picture of this. Michael Telzrow, the director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, said the marker is in crates at the state archive preservation facility on Madison's Near East side. He said there are no current plans for its exhibition either now or in the near future. It's highly unlikely that it would ever be permanently displayed. The museum, which is that 30 West Mifflin Street on the Capitol Square, accepted it because of the connections between that memorial and the union veterans from Wisconsin because there were a lot of veterans here that helped raise money for that marker, um, and things like that. So that's part of why they decided to take it and I think they also just wanted to get the shit done with, to be honest. Um, not all of the monument's gone. So there's a base of the structure that kind of acts as a fence around the plots themselves and it was going to be way too costly to get a permit to take that out. Um, it's made from granite, it weighs like over 4,000 pounds, so it's just not, um, something that's worth it at this point. Instead, they took like the two top portions off and brought that to the state archives preservation facility on Thornton Avenue. The top most portion listed 132 of the names of the soldiers who died at the camp when it was used as the military base. The middle section stated erected in loving memory by the United daughters of confederacy to Mrs Alice Whiting Waterman and her boys - a reference to again Waterman - and nothing's inscribed in the base. So in August, 2017, mayor Paul saw Glen, (who's running again, dear God. Why?) ordered that a smaller stone marker and plaque be removed. And that monument that was placed in 1982 described the dead as "Valliant confederate soldiers" and "unsung heroes." And that came right after, um, the protest around the statue in Virginia and um, the death of Heather Heyer. Is that her last name? Oh, Shit. I think it is. Y'All know what I'm talking about. It's okay. Um, yeah, so that's the big stuff with this area. Um, some notable residents include Steve and Babcock who, um, helped revolutionize dairy production. I mean, this is Wisconsin. Kathryn Clarenbach, who was one of the founders of the National Organization for Women (NOW) who I unfortunately need to point out are TERF. Um, if you've not encountered the term TERF, it stands for Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist. Um, I've also seen people write it as fart and I can't remember everything it stands for it cause I laughed too much. Um, I can't remember. But the point is that, um, as we're doing feminist stuff, there's a lot of people who want to exclude people who are trans in some way. And um, let me put my sex educator hat on. Being cisgender just means you assigned or you, you're identity aligns with your assigned sex slash gender at birth. So you're born, you have a penis, they call you a boy. Um, and you know, fast forward 30 years later, you're still cool with being a dude. Then you're cisgender. Transgender people don't identify that way. And actually there's a lot of science to back this up. I won't get into a lot of it because that's a whole different section of a podcast, right? But the fact of the matter is science shows that, excuse me, our brains align far more with our identities then, I dunno, our genitals do. And the reason I talk about this is I am trans. Trans is not just being one gender and wanting to go to a different gender. It's not just going through, um, hormone replacement therapy or, um, going through surgeries. Sometimes it's just, um, your state of being. So for me, I am what is known as gender fluid. And what that means is that some days I wake up and I want to be super femme and pretty and paint my nails and maybe be called a slut and have my hair pulled. And um, just enjoy that. Right. And there are some days where I wake up (usually after watching ghost adventures, not really), but I wake up and I'm like, yeah, dude, Bro. Ah, and I get like really aggro and I'm very masculine and other days I'm somewhere in between and aren't just me. And there's not a good way to put a finger on that, but organizations that are TERFy in nature don't want people like me involved. They don't want people who were assigned as boys at birth who are now women to be involved in their organization. And that's fucking bullshit. Um, also Matilda S Howell who started the first kindergarten and fighting Bob La Follette who we will talk about later. I promise - there's so much to talk about. Since the early two thousands, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum has sponsored an annual talking spirits, tore that runs for a week, each October. It's really cool. Um, groups walk throughout the cemetery with a guide and they stopped for the little vignettes that are performed by actors that you know, are all dressed up and I'm representing kind of civil war era people. So in 2013, um, for example, they had someone portray a woman whose two sons were a part of the iron brigade and had died and how she was handling things and all of this stuff is really heavily researched and they actually base it on like real life, which I love. It's brought like 1600 school kids and, um, several hundred people from the community and it's just really fun. Um, if you go at night, you have candles. It's just, it's nice. I like it. Um, so I couldn't find a ton about it being haunted, but there's just a couple of things. Um, you know, of course the people who were moved from other cemeteries to here, um, maybe their spirits are wandering and lost. Of course, there's also, you know, concerns about, people within the confederate plot and haunting and, and being upset that they're stuck up here in the north or that they lost. Um, and then there were other people who were buried in unmarked graves. There's actually a, a large section in one of the books that I read, um, where people are just kind of lost to time. Nobody knows who's there, just really sad. And I did find something about, um, they think there might be people hearing baby's crying, but I also saw that on a similar, um, similarly named cemetery in another part of the state. So I can't say for sure, but I love this graveyard. It's one of my favorite places to go. And I'm that bitch that grew up going to graveyards. Sorry. Sorry about it. Um, and I just love seeing the ornate, beautiful statues and remembrances of family members. Um, I love walking through and recognizing names that are now names of buildings on the UW campus. Um, and I love in the fall, the way the sunlight hits the trees just right and it creates this very etherial lighting. It's just beautiful. I've got a couple of really fun pictures I've taken, so I'll put some of those, um, in the show notes for y'all to take a look at. It's beautiful there. I love it. And if you ever have the chance to come to Madison, especially in the fall, um, stop at Forest Hill Cemetery. Explore and you'll never know who you'll run into. Maybe me. [goofy spooky laughter] That's it for this episode. Next episode we're going to be talking about Earth Day, so stay tuned to that because Earth Day was started by a Wisconsinite and it's amazing. Have a great and wonderful fortnight! You just listened to the Spooky Sconnie podcast. It is produced every two weeks by me, Kirsten Schultz. The intro, outro music is from Purple Plant. You can find show notes and more over at spookysconnie.podbean.com, including a transcript in case you missed anything. Take a minute and rate and subscribe if you can. You'll help more people see the show by rating and you won't miss a single episode if you subscribe, and that's pretty dope. You can support the show over at patreon.com/spookysconniepodcast and you can email me anything you'd like me to know at spookysconniepodcast@gmail.com. Meantime, sleep tight. Don't let the badgers bite. Bye.

It's our first live episode! In this episode recorded at Brocach on the Capitol Square, Jessie talks with strategists behind the Democratic and GOP gubernatorial campaigns for an election post-mortem. Support the show.

The summer is almost over, but that doesn’t mean Madison is slowing down! Badger football is back, and as fans are out in force, you can expect to see Neil and Caleb crisscrossing the city to capture the excitement! The Taste of Madison is happening September 1st at the Capital, the Madison Ironman race is coming up, and the Madison Food Tournament is down to the final four contestants! If you are new to the area or have lived here a long time, listen to this episode of the I Love Madison show! The hosts are back with their usual antics, local attractions, and upcoming events! Badgers football is back! Badger football is back in full swing, so Caleb and Neil are planning to Capture as much of the excitement as possible via the Vlog! The guys would love to tailgate with you, and you can be sure Caleb will have the camera rolling! As of right now, the Badgers are ranked 3rd in the nation, so it’s shaping up to be an amazing season! The MKE misfits are coming to Madison The first I Love Madison was hosted at the AC hotel a few weeks ago, and it was a great success! If you missed that one, the guys are planning another one in September (dates and location to be announced). In the meantime, Quentin Allums, a LinkedIn Influencer, and storyteller from Milwaukee is hosting a meetup September 5th at the Starting Block! This will be a great time to connect with the Madison community, so don’t miss it! You can check out the ILM social channels for more information! Check out the Taste of Madison, September 1st at the capital! Held since 1983, the Taste is MFI’s flagship event, with over 80 restaurants, 3 entertainment stages, 27 beverage stands, and NEW THIS YEAR Lambeau Field Live drawing over 250,000 to the Capitol Square over Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. There is no charge for admission or entertainment. Taste of Madison raises over $60,000 annually for local non-profit and charitable organizations. The Madison food tournament is down to the final four! After a long battle to find the best fish fry in Madison, there are four contenders left in the running! Toby’s Supper Club will face off against the Oakcrest Tavern, and Jordan’s will face off against Daly’s. The final voting will take place over this next week, and the winners will be announced in two weeks! If you are looking for some amazing fish fry, check out these four places around Madison and cast your vote! Outline of This Episode [1:30] Badgers Football is back! If you tailgate, we might Vlog at your location! [3:30] We had the first Madison meetup at the AC hotel! [5:00] MKE Misfits is coming to town September 5th, at the Starting Block! Check out the post on Neil or Caleb’s LinkedIn for more information! [7:45] Work in your strengths...Caleb’s strength is NOT Golf (Stay tuned for the Vlog) [13:15] The Taste of Madison is coming up! [17:15] Badger football is back! [18:00] Madison Food Tournament: Final Four - Toby’s vs. Oakcrest, Jordan’s vs. Dalys Resources & People Mentioned Before16.org Tasteofmadison.com Camp Randall Stadium Daly’s Bar and Grill Jordan’s Big 10 Pub Toby’s Supper Club Oak Crest Tavern Text the word “ILoveMadison” to 44222 and get all the updates from I Love Madison! This Episode’s Sponsors: Chris Reese of American Family Insurance Abbey Wentland of Fairway MortgageCopyright 2017 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. NMLS#2289. 4750 S. Biltmore Lane, Madison, WI 53718, 1-877-699-0353. Other restrictions and limitations may apply. All rights reserved. Kelly Roettger of UniKern Studio Connect With Neil facebook.com/ilovemadisonshow.com instagram.com/ilovemadisonshow twitter.com/neilmathweg linkedin.com/in/neilmathweg

Welcome to another great episode of the I Love Madison show! Neil Mathweg and Caleb Jahr are back in the studio to bring you the best that Madison has to offer! If you live in Madison, you will recognize all the great events that are mentioned, like Concerts on the Square, the Madison Crossfit Games, Art Fair On the Square and many more! You will also recognize a few places mentioned, like Graze and Metcalf Market. If you are new to the area, this show will provide all the inspiration you need to get out and explore Madison! The CrossFit games will be here till 2021! The Madison Sports Commission just hosted a press conference to announce that the Crossfit Games will continue to be hosted right here in Madison through 2021! Neil Mathweg and Caleb Jahr were on site (with their tiny little cameras) to capture this exciting news, which you can see on the I Love Madison Vlog! Last year, the Crossfit Games brought $12 Million in revenue to the greater Madison area, so the fact that they are extending their stay means even more awesomeness in the Madison area! It also means Caleb will be running around the city doing pushups, in an effort to get jacked! Stay tuned, more video updates to follow... Where can you find Madison’s best fish fry? For this segment of the Madison Food Tournament, the team is on the search for the best fish fry in the city! Everyone knows where to get their favorite cheese curds (after all, that’s a Madison staple), but Neil and Caleb pointed out that they don’t even know how many places around the city serve fish fry, so it’s hard to know where to start! If you are a fish fry fanatic, they are taking recommendations for this round of the Madison Food Tournament! You can share on all their social channels, they would be glad to hear from you! Concerts on the square Madison has an amazing fine arts community to explore and enjoy, including Concerts on the Square, a highly popular free summer series Concerts on the Square in Madison’s Capitol Square that reaches more than 245,000 people across Dane, Columbia, Jefferson, Waukesha, and Sauk counties. Each month there are new artists to enjoy! Check out the link in the resources section for more information! Game of Magnets & Art Fair on The Square If you have not started playing the Madison Game of magnets, you are about to miss out on a sweet swag bag filled with all sorts of cool stuff! You can stop by Metcalfe’s Market and ask for an I Love Madison magnet to get you started. Once you have that magnet, check out the ILM social facebook page to register it! If you are looking for more summer fun, One of the Midwest's most popular and highly regarded outdoor celebrations of the arts will return to the Capitol Square July 14 and 15, 2018 as MMoCA presents the 60th annual Art Fair on the Square. With its mix of music, entertainment, and outdoor dining, as well as nearly 500 artists exhibiting paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, jewelry, handmade clothing and accessories, and fine craft, the fair draws nearly 200,000 visitors to Madison's Capitol Square. Outline of This Episode [0:30] The Crossfit Games are extending their stay here in Madison! [4:30] The host vs. host challenge is escalating! [12:30] Neil and Caleb recap Concerts on the Square [19:00] Go to Metcalfe’s Market to start playing the Madison Game of Magnets! [19:30] The Madison Food Tournament ROUND 3 is about to begin! [26:00] Art fair on the square is coming up! [30:30] Subscribe and like us on YouTube and Facebook Resources & People Mentioned Concerts on the Square Metcalfe’s Market Heritage Tavern Avenue Bar Tipsy Cow Graze I Love Madison YouTube Channel Text the word “ILoveMadison” to 44222 and get all the updates from I Love Madison! This Episode’s Sponsors: Chris Reese of American Family Insurance Abbey Wentland of Fairway MortgageCopyright 2017 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. NMLS#2289. 4750 S. Biltmore Lane, Madison, WI 53718, 1-877-699-0353. Other restrictions and limitations may apply. All rights reserved. Kelly Roettger of UniKern Studio Connect With Neil facebook.com/ilovemadisonshow.com instagram.com/ilovemadisonshow twitter.com/neilmathweg linkedin.com/in/neilmathweg

65 food carts applied to the City of Madison's review process last fall, angling for a prime spot on the Capitol Square or the UW-Madison campus. On this week's podcast, street vending coordinator Meghan Blake-Horst talks about training for food cart reviewers and some exciting new carts this season, including Nani (Chinese), Caracas Arepas (Venezuelan) and a daytime slot for Marimar on Wheels (Mexican). Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers, joins the show.A former C.I.A. officer suspected by investigators of helping China dismantle United States spying operations and identify informants has been arrested. The reported collapse of the US spy network in China is described by the New York Times as one of the American government’s worst intelligence failures in recent years.A newly drafted United States nuclear strategy that has been sent to President Trump for approval will permit an expanded use of nuclear weapons. This document is called the Nuclear Posture Review. The following is a 30-minute except interview on the issue of nuclear weapons. The program was recorded one week ago in the studio of Radio Sputnik. Brian and John speak with Greg Mello, the executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group, and Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear.House Republicans are proposing another stopgap spending measure that would ignore Democratic concerns over DACA, but would fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, for the next six years. They look at whether the Democrats will be forced to choose children over immigrants to get a budget deal. Dr. Scott Tyson, the CEO of Pediatrics South and an advocate for the right to healthcare, joins the show.For 16 years, fighting in Afghanistan between US troops and the Taliban has stopped when winter descends. Under the new rules of engagement for the third US president to administer the Afghanistan war, the US and Afghan forces conducted an average of 15 airstrikes a day this December, compared with an average of 2 last December. Ann Wright, a retired United States Army colonel and former U.S. State Department official in Afghanistan, who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq, join Brian and John.The value of the dollar is down more than 15 percent versus the euro in the past six months, making exports cheaper and imports more expensive. It also could fuel inflation and prolong the stock market rally. But is this a bubble, and are the Trump Administration’s policies just kicking the can down the road? Daniel Sankey, a financial policy analyst, and Steve Keen, the author of “Debunking Economics” and the world’s first crowdfunded economist, join the show.Momentum is building for the outdoor Virginia Prison Reform Rally to be held from 2-3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Bell Tower on Capitol Square in Richmond, Virgnia. Margaret Breslau, Chairperson of the Coalition for Justice, joins Brian and John.On the same day that he refused to answer questions before the House Intelligence Committee, former White House senior advisor Steve Bannon was subpoenaed to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller’s grand jury. He has now reportedly agreed to an interview with Mueller rather than testify. They look at whether Bannon is a witness or a target. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of “The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War” joins the show.

When John Freyer spoke at TEDxRVA, he was the only speaker to roll a large tricycle bike onto the stage while drinking ice water from a blue Mason jar. John’s many projects have appeared in many places, from New York City galleries to the Richmond Street Art Festival. Recently, he even took his fancy bike and Recovery Roast coffee to the Capitol Square and shared a cup with Governor Terry McAullife. His work involves performance, film and video, photography, and social practice. He also teaches at VCU and mentors and advises groups that support college students who are in recovery from addiction. At any one moment, it seems, he has five things going. But the connection is always the thing.

This Is What I Ate finds Italian sandwich perfection at an East Coast style Deli right off the Capitol Square!! The post This Is What I Ate – Cassetta Kitchen appeared first on WORT 89.9 FM.

When John Freyer spoke at TEDxRVA, he was the only speaker to roll a large tricycle bike onto the stage while drinking ice water from a blue Mason jar. John's many projects have appeared in many places, from New York City galleries to the Richmond Street Art Festival. Recently, he even took his fancy bike and Recovery Roast coffee to the Capitol Square and shared a cup with Governor Terry McAullife. His work involves performance, film and video, photography, and social practice. He also teaches at VCU and mentors and advises groups that support college students who are in recovery from addiction. At any one moment, it seems, he has five things going. But the connection is always the thing.