🤔 5 cheat codes for living well in Madison

🫶 Messages of Support Greet Returning ALCS Students

• As students and staff returned to Abundant Life Christian School Friday for the first time since the Dec. 16 school shooting, they were flooded with messages of support.
• Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, UW Badgers football coach Luke Fickell, and Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes recorded video messages of support. “I know it’s a difficult time,” Evers said in his message. “You can do it. I know you can do it.”
• Barnes said Thursday that investigators are looking at a “significant amount of evidence,” including 21 shell casings recovered at the scene. They are also looking at suspect shooter Samantha Rupnow’s online activity for clues as to a possible motive. [WMTV, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🏘️ Mayor Says Zoning Changes Will Boost Housing Growth

• Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway introduced a package of zoning changes she says will support building housing of all types to keep up with demand in fast-growing Madison, in particular giving more options for homeowners building or modifying single-family homes.
• The changes include more flexibility in placing an attached garage, more flexibility where units are arranged in two- and three-story buildings, and streamlining the review process for demolition permits.
• The packages will be introduced at Tuesday’s Madison City Council meeting. [City of Madison]

🗳️ New Election, New Opponent For Melissa Agard

• Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, who won a special election in November to serve out the remainder of retiring executive Joe Parisi’s term, will face a new challenger in the April 1 election for a full term.
• DeForest resident Stephen Ratzlaff announced his candidacy last week, saying he is running on the sole issue of lowering property taxes. Ratzlaff ran for a state Assembly seat in 2020 and 2021 and garnered less than 5% of the vote in both races. [Cap Times]

True confession: When I first moved to Madison, I thought that Old Sauk Road was actually named “Old Sock Road.” While you are probably smarter than I am, there’s a lot of things to learn when you move to a new city that the locals already seem to know.

Listen to the City Cast Madison podcast today as host Bianca Martin, producer Jade Iseri-Ramos, and I discuss our favorite “life hacks” that will make living in Madison much more successful for you. Here’s a few hacks that both newcomers and longtime residents could benefit from.

🚙 Highway M

Speaking of roads, if you’re driving in Madison, you often have to drive from the east side of town to the west side, or vice versa. It feels like there are only two options – drive through downtown or go around on the Beltline.

But there’s a third option to consider: County Highway M. Looping north around Lake Mendota and past Governor Nelson State Park, it can be a lifesaver to avoid traffic in the more heavily-traveled parts of Madison. And it’s also a lovely rural drive.

🚲 Bike Elevator at Monona Terrace

Here’s another traffic life hack, this time for cyclists. You’re biking up the Capital City Bike Trail up John Nolen Drive, and want to head to the Capitol Square, maybe for Concerts on the Square or the farmers’ market. But there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to get there without having to cross John Nolen and taking a bunch of narrow one-way streets uphill.

But there is! Monona Terrace has a dedicated exterior bike elevator. Walk your bike in, hit the Level 5 button and it’ll take you up to Olin Terrace, where you can then bike down MLK Blvd. Easy peasy!

🚻 Downtown Public Bathrooms

If you’re downtown (especially with young kids), you may find yourself with the need to find a public bathroom to use. Monona Terrace, Overture Center, the Madison Public Library’s Central Branch, and of course the Capitol all have accessible (and quite beautiful) restrooms for public use.