📝 Goodbye, American Girl

🚒 MFD Saves the Day

• The Madison Fire Department diffused a tricky situation Thursday morning when an equipment operator managed to tip a machine used for snow plowing over the edge of a parking garage at Madison Yards.
• According to the fire department, the machine operator was attempting to dump a load of snow over the side of the parking ramp when it tipped off-balance and flipped over the side of the ramp. The driver was able to escape the vehicle safely and MFD used its Heavy Urban Rescue Team (HURT) to save the machine from falling over the edge. [MFD]

🗳️ Hovde Challenges Baldwin (Again)

• Local business man and multimillionaire Eric Hovde plans to officially enter the race against Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin next week. His candidacy would make him the first major Republican candidate to enter the race. Two candidates — both considered longshots — have already entered the race, they are Trempealeau County Supervisor Stacy Klein and 40-year-old college student and chair of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College Republicans Rejani Raveendran.
• Deja Vu? This isn’t the first time Hovde has tried to challenge Baldwin, who has held office since 2013. Hovde ran in 2012, but ultimately lost in a primary to former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
• His stances: Hovde is the CEO of a bank holding company and runs Hovde Properties, which owns and manages residential and commercial spaces across Madison. In the past he ran on a platform of reforming the tax code, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and speaking out against abortion. [Cap Times, PBS Wisconsin, WKOW]

⛔ American Girl to Close Middleton Office

• Toy maker Mattel announced it will close its American Girl office in Middleton this spring. The move will eliminate roughly 30 local jobs. The company's distribution center in DeForest won’t be impacted. The closure is part of a larger effort to centralize American Girl’s marketing, product design and development, PR, and creative services positions to its headquarters in California.
• American Girl is the second company this week with major local ties to announce a closure — Sheridan Wisconsin, formerly known as Webcrafters, announced it will close its Fordem Avenue printing plant and lay off 116 workers. The company was once owned by Jerry Frautschi, who’s known for his local philanthropy.
• Local connections: American Girl was founded in Middleton in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland, who also happens to be Frautschi’s spouse. The company was bought by Mattel 1998 for $770 million. Since then, Rowland has made significant financial contributions to various causes in Madison, including the Children's Museum and the Monona Terrace convention center in Downtown. [Channel 3000}

🥡 Your Lunchtime Listen: What to Expect at Ahan’s New & Larger Location

• Chef Jamie Brown-Soukaseume of Ahan was recently named Madison Magazine’s 2024 Chef of the Year. To celebrate, take a listen to City Cast Madison’s recent conversation with Brown-Soukaseume where she dishes on recipes, their recent move to Willy Street, and more. [Madison Magazine, City Cast Madison 🎧]

We’ve made it to Friday, which means it’s time for a little cuteness.

This week’s floof is for all of the Avatar: The Last Airbender fans out there. Meet Appa. This cutie is a Siamese lynx cat, and according to his human Shanae D., he’s a lover of love. In his free time, Appa loves snuggles, walking on a leash, and stealing food whenever possible.

New Maps, Fitchburg Cop Shop Controversy, and Madison’s Next School Leader

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Dylan Brogan, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap the latest in our epic quest to get new political maps, the controversy surrounding Fitchburg’s attempt to build a new police station, and the surprising search for a new leader for Madison schools.