📝 Ready for Top Chef Wisconsin!?

🗳️ VP to Visit Madison Next Week

• Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Madison on Wednesday as part of a tour of top administration officials visiting the state ahead of the election.
• Harris will be highlighting the Biden administration’s efforts to promote union job growth and announce their “latest actions” to promote apprenticeships. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su will be joining her.
• The veep last visited Wisconsin in January and kicked off her nationwide tour focusing on abortion access in traditionally Republican Waukesha County. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

❤️‍🩹 Seniors Relying on Medicaid Facing Housing Crisis

• Senior citizens across the state are facing housing problems when their assisted living facilities reject Medicaid.
• Many seniors might prefer assisted living facilities because they allow them to be more independent than a traditional nursing home. However, many are finding that there are fewer protections in these facilities. Federal law prohibits nursing facilities from ousting residents who pay with Medicaid — but that is not the case for assisted living facilities.
• At least four Wisconsin assisted living homes relocated Medicaid-eligible residents between 2022 and 2023, according to reporting from WPR and the Washington Post.
• While the state is using temporary funds to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates to facilities, experts say broader changes are necessary to protect access to care. [Wisconsin Watch]

🪴 Madison Considering More Community Gardens, Greenhouses

• The City of Madison is considering a proposal to add urban agriculture as a secondary use to the property it buys for economic development, low-cost housing, and other city uses. Alds. Tag Evers and Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford authored the proposal.
• The city typically purchases land using its Land Banking Fund, holds the land for a proposed use, and then requests developer proposals, which would let developers add agricultural uses to the overall plan, which would include community and market gardens, greenhouses, hoop houses, and vertical farming.
• This policy change, however, would not open city-purchased properties for urban agricultural uses, or create competition between uses, such as between housing and urban agriculture. [Wisconsin State Journal]

🧑‍🍳 Top Chef Wisconsin is Almost Here!

• Mark your calendars for March 20 and get your saltiest and sauciest opinions ready as the multi-award-winning series will be featuring chefs vying for the top honors. This 21st season of the Bravo show was filmed in Madison and Milwaukee last August and September and will be highlighting the state’s culinary culture.
• For the first time in the show’s history, a professional chef working in Wisconsin has been cast in the show: Dan Jacobs, co-owner of DanDan and EsterEv in Milwaukee.
• Expect to see famous Wisconsinites guest judging and dining, including some well-known restauranteurs in Madison, including owner of L’Etoile Tory Miller, and co-owners of Fairchild Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger. The Harvey House owners Shaina Robbins and Joe Papach host a challenge at their restaurant. [Cap Times]
• 🎧 Plus: Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians will soon be on the City Cast Madison pod giving us a delicious preview of Top Chef Wisconsin!

Isn’t this adorable boy mesmerizing?! Meet Fotia, the sweet tabby son of Madison Minutes reader Gail P.

His name translates to fire in Greek, and best believe he is a big, bad boy! But like, the James Dean kind, obvs. The kind of bad boy who will just run away with your heart. Fotia loves food and humans but does not like dogs or other cats. In Fotia’s world, only one cat can be king ❤️‍🔥

Also, he’s an Insta star! Catch him on the ‘gram @Fotia_theFloof 😺

Madison’s Wacky Warm Weather, Housing Probs, and New School Boss

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin and Molly Stentz recap the weird-ass weather, the precarious state of affordable housing in Madison, and the deal for our new Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent. Plus, meet Phil Surkis, our new producer!