📝 MPD takes on hate

🚨 MPD Forms Hate Crime Task Force

• The Madison Police Department has created a new task force specifically to help identify and prevent hate crimes in the city. The task force includes members of MPD’s investigative, community outreach, and records units. The task force currently has a 90-day lifespan, after which it will undergo “a rigorous evaluation period.”
• The bigger picture: Hate crime charges have increased in Wisconsin recently. In 2023, MPD referred a hate crime enhancer 21 times to the District Attorney for charges. [City of Madison]

🥕 Missing the Farmers’ Market?

• It might be a bit chilly for a stroll around the Capitol Square but if you’re missing the buzz of the Dane County Farmers’ Market, you’re in luck. The Late Winter Market kicks off this weekend at Garver Feed Mill.
• The details: The market runs Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon and just like the classic summer market, shoppers can expect to find seasonal Wisconsin fruits, veggies, cheeses, and other specialty items. Hot tip: parking is limited at Garver but there are plenty of spots within walking distance and there are multiple bus lines that will get you there. [DCFM, WMTV]

❤️‍🩹 Local Business Owner Says ‘Thank You’ To First Responders

• As a marathon runner and owner of Bandung restaurant on Willy Street, Pram Adriansjach is used to intense situations. But after collapsing at the finish line of the Madison Marathon, Adriansjach is thankful for the first responders who saved his life. Members of the Madison Fire Department and SSM Health administered CPR and were able to get his heart beating normally again.
• “The community was super supportive in wishing us well. We only posted non-specific information about our closing, yet we were getting DMs in our social media wishing us well,” Adriansjach told Madison Magazine. “As I am recovering, they understand when the food comes out a little slower or that we have sporadic hours.” [Madison Magazine]

🧪 The End of Wednesday Nite @ the Lab

• After 17 years and 869 talks, the weekly UW-Madison science lecture series Wednesday Nite @ the Lab has come to an end. Why? Its founder and emcee Tom Zinnen retired and with that, the program lost funding.
• The weekly talks were held at the Biotechnology Center and aired on PBS Wisconsin. Zinnen launched the lecture series in 2006 after noticing a lack of science-focused events on campus. Its work helped make the research happening at UW-Madison more accessible to the public. [Isthmus]

Congratulations on making it through the first week of 2024! That wasn’t too bad, right? To celebrate, here’s a little dose of cuteness. Meet Stella. This curious girl is always up for a game of fetch and loves chasing snowflakes.

Do you have a floof to share with the Madison Minutes community? Fill out the form below!

WI Gets New Maps, UW Sacks Porn Star Chancellor, and Madison School Ditches Grades

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Molly Stentz and Hayley Sperling recap the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s move to toss out our voting maps, new attention on the former UW-La Crosse Chancellor’s porn hobby, and Madison East High School’s plan to phase out letter grades. Plus, driving tests are back!