📝 The buzz around Lola’s

🚫 Downtown Street Closure of Note

• East Wilson Street will be fully closed to traffic between South Pinckney Street and King Street starting Friday, Jan. 5. Why? Construction.
• The closure is expected to last until late Sunday night. The Metro Transit bus stop in the area will also be closed. [City of Madison]

💣 Bomb Threat Hoax at Capitol

• The Wisconsin State Capitol was one of several statehouses across the country that received bomb threats Wednesday morning. Threatening emails were also sent to state capitols in Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Montana. Federal officials investigated and quickly deemed the threats a hoax. [Channel 3000]

🏳️‍🌈 Remembering a Wisconsin Drag Icon

• Acclaimed local drag performer Tempest Heat has died at 41. They won many titles as a performer including Miss Gay Madison 2023 and were a regular at FIVE Nightclub. Tempest Heat was the drag persona of Jonathan Carthell Hughlett, who was a champion for Black, gay, and drag history in Wisconsin. [WPR, Instagram]

🔎 Your Lunchtime Read: Why is Madison a hub for race fraud?

• “The revelation around [Kay] LeClaire’s true identity was particularly hurtful because of how deeply integrated they were in a number of Madison communities. Claiming Indigenous heritage—specifically Métis, Oneida, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and two-spirit identities—granted them access to a paid residency with UW-Madison, collaborations with the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters, and even a seat on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women task force. Overall, they accrued over $60,000 for their involvement in local initiatives, much of which was collected from their salary at giige. While LeClaire has since stepped down from these positions, their damage is long lasting.” [Tone Madison]

Why This ‘Trashy-Fancy’ Lounge Has the Northside Buzzing

Madison’s northside is buzzing. And one new lounge is breathing fire into the normal January doldrums. Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge on Sherman Avenue features comfort food from around the world. It’s a tavern, a jazz cafe and cocktail lounge all in one. Their motto? “A hi-fi love letter to the low brow.“