📝 Your guide to the WI Book Festival

🤑 More Money For the Public Market

• When higher-than-expected construction bids came in for building Madison’s Public Market, the future of the project — which is more than a decade in the making — was once again called into question. City Council voted this week to allocate an additional $1.6 million to close the funding gap. [Wisconsin State Journal]
• Now, the future of the market hinges on further support from Dane County, which will vote Thursday on borrowing $1 million to help finance the project. The city has until Oct. 24 to accept a bid and move forward with the project, which has an anticipated opening of 2025. [Channel 3000]

🛍️ Last Call For Night Market

• Tonight is the last night market of the 2023 season and it’s a special one. The folks at the Wisconsin Science Festival and Madison Night Market are teaming up to host Science on the Square. The event will feature exhibits, STEM-themed activities, and of course, market vendors up and down State Street. [Downtown Madison Inc.]

💟 Domestic Violence-Related Deaths Rise

• Wisconsin set a record for the number of homicides and suicides related to domestic violence in 2022. A report from End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, which has tracked domestic violence deaths in the state since 2000, found 96 deaths related to domestic violence in Wisconsin last year (this includes both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence). That figure represents a 20% increase from 2021. [WPR]
• Take action: In honor of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, DAIS is hosting a community fair Oct. 22 to promote safety, peace, justice, and hope with family-friendly activities and entertainment. [DAIS]
• Get help: Anyone experiencing domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or contact a local victim service provider. [End Abuse WI]

💸 Flying Out of MSN?

• A new study from LendingTree comparing domestic airfare at the 100 busiest airports in the country found ticket prices at the Dane County Regional Airport have faced some of the biggest spikes in recent years. [LendingTree]
• The average cost of a domestic flight out of the Dane County Regional Airport came with a price tag of $537.70. The only other airport with an average domestic ticket cost over $500 was the Ted Stevens Anchorage International in Alaska. [Cap Times]

Thursday, Oct. 19

• Amyl and the Sniffers at The Sylvee
• Broadway Rave at Majestic Theatre
• Le Vent du Nord at Garver Feed Mill
• Music Bingo at Starkweather Brewing Company
• Science on the Square/Madison Night Market Fusion at Downtown Madison
• Stop Light Observations at High Noon Saloon
• U.S. Marine Band Concert at Hamel Music Center
• Wisconsin Book Festival at multiple locations
• Wisconsin Science Festival at multiple locations
• Words with Nerds at Crucible

How Madison Can Get Better School Lunches

According to UW-Madison professor Jennifer Gaddis, most kids don’t eat school lunch in Madison. She studies school lunch programs across the country, including ours. It’s a problem because kids need healthy food to grow and learn. But Madison schools don’t have the kitchens, staff or money to make fresh meals from scratch every day. And last year, complaints piled in about the food.