🤔 What’s the most Madison thing you’ve done?

🚌 Union Sounds Alarm About Bus Maintenance Issues

• The union representing Madison bus drivers is warning about pervasive maintenance issues in Metro Transit’s fleet affecting daily routes.
• Teamsters Local 120 said in a statement there has been a consistent backlog of bus repairs and fleet inspections. Metro is expecting increased ridership this fall as UW-Madison students and Madison schoolchildren ride buses to and from school.
• Some context: The union, which represents 400 public transit workers, has been operating without a contract since Dec. 31. On February 20, drivers refused to take overtime to illustrate how Metro Transit depends on drivers working beyond their contracted hours. [WKOW]

🐈 Cats on Sale as DCHS Tries to ‘Clear the Shelter’

• As Dane County Humane Society faces more stray animals in need and a serious funding crisis, the national “Clear the Shelters” campaign in August aims to find homes for as many animals as possible.
• DCHS is offering reduced adoption rates for a different animal group each week. This week, cat adoptions are 50% off the regular price. In the 2024 “Clear the Shelters” campaign, DCHS was able to find homes for 315 animals.
• 🎧 Dig deeper: On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Amy Good, the humane society’s director of marketing and development, about the tough choices DCHS is facing amid budgetary shortfalls and uncertainty. [DCHS, WKOW, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🌳 Madison Wants To Give Its Mature Trees a Protective Hug

• Madison’s mature, sheltering trees are a big draw on many of its streets, and city officials want to keep it that way. New and stronger measures to protect Madison’s older trees were introduced at the City Council meeting on Aug. 5. City forestry officials say it can take generations to replace a mature tree that is cut down.
• The measures include increasing protection zones around such trees in construction areas, revoking or suspending contractor permits for tree protection violations, and establishing a tree replacement fund. [City of Madison]

In just their second season in existence, Madison’s summer collegiate softball team is in a bid for the championship title. This week, the Madison Night Mares are in the middle of a best-of-three series for the Northwoods League against the Minot Honey Bees. The two teams faced off 10 times in the regular season, with the Night Mares winning nine of those games.

Here’s a recap of how the Night Mares got here – and what to watch for in the playoffs.

Night Mares Dominate the Regular Season

The Madison team came out as the top seeded team in the league with an impressive 35 wins and 7 losses, including a 16-game winning streak in July. The Night Mares also claimed player of the year (Hilary Blomberg), pitcher of the year (Karlie McKenzie), and coach of the year (Lexi Godwin) in the league awards. Six Night Mares, including McKenzie and Blomberg, were also selected for the NWL Softball Postseason All-Star team.

First-year head coach Godwin told the Cap Times, “pitching has kind of been the separator for us." The team’s top pitcher McKenzie held a 10-0 record in regular season, while pitchers Paytn Monticelli and Kendall Weik both maintained impressive 7-1 records.

Godwin also credits the team’s dominance to strong hitters, including Blomberg, who leads the league with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. The fans have been rooting for their home team with an average attendance of about a thousand.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

This mural is located on the wall of Common Wealth Development on Willy Street!

🎉 Tough one this week! Congratulations to Nancy A., Chris V., and Kate L. for being the ONLY three people to get it right! Great job!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Do you know where this is located? A few clues:

• It’s located in the Capitol East neighborhood
• Even though it’s an ad for the Nitty Gritty, it’s not AT a Nitty Gritty
• If you’re a sports fan, getting this one right should be a “breeze”