😃 You know who’s happy? Madison.

⚖️ State Supreme Court Hopefuls Get Testy in Sole Debate

• Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel drew sharp differences in their only debate Wednesday ahead of the April 1 election.
• Each accused the other of being too partisan to serve on the court – Crawford is backed by liberals, while Schimel is backed by conservatives. They talked about issues the court is likely to rule on, including the state’s 1848 abortion ban and the Act 10 restriction on public sector collective bargaining.
• The race is already the most expensive state court race in U.S. history, with several mega donors dropping millions into the campaigns. Crawford has sought to tie Schimel to billionaire Elon Musk, whose political action committee has spent $6 million on the race so far. [WPR, WisPolitics]

🛝 Madison Parks Say ‘Gimme Shelter’!

• Three Madison parks across the city will get new shelters this year. Country Grove Park on the southwest side will get a $1.3 million shelter with restrooms and a covered picnic area, while Tenney Park downtown will get a $1.2 million beach shelter.
• But the biggest is a $3.5 million year-round shelter at Door Creek Park on the far east side. It will have an enclosed space featuring a gas fireplace and a kitchen that residents can reserve. [Cap Times]

🗳️ City Council Candidate Might Be Ineligible Because Of Bad Info

• Nino Amato may not be able to run for a city council seat in the April 1 election and he blames the city clerk’s office for giving him erroneous information. Amato, a former council member, is planning to move into District 19, and said he was told by city officials that he could relocate into the district he would represent within 30 days of the election.
• In fact, state law requires a candidate to live in the district at least 28 days before the election. Amato called the clerk’s bad advice a “major screwup,” although officials say it’s up to the candidate to know the law.
• 🎧 Dig deeper: Amato’s complaint is the latest bit of bad news for the clerk’s office. On the Friday news roundup on the City Cast Madison podcast, we talk about turmoil at the office, where Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl was placed on leave. We also get into the federal investigation of antisemitism claims against UW-Madison, and what’s going on in town for St. Patrick’s Day. [ 🔒WSJ, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

Meet Tippi! She’s a cat who loves the warmth, having been rescued by her humans in Los Angeles two winters ago and moved to Madison. But she loves a Wisconsin winter, because it means she can lounge in front of the fireplace!