🗑️ Moving week dos and don’ts

🚨 Evers Declares State of Emergency Over Flooding

• After flash flooding in several Wisconsin communities over the weekend, Gov. Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency. Severe storms and record rainfall caused flooding, structural damage, and electrical outages throughout Wisconsin, including forcing the cancellation of the last day of the Wisconsin State Fair and the annual Ride the Drive event in Madison.
• Madison received 2.35 inches of rainfall Saturday and Sunday, which did flood some streets, but was a far cry from the 6.91 inches of rainfall that hit the Milwaukee area.
• Wisconsin Emergency Management is working with affected communities to assess damages and deploy resources. [News 3, City of Madison, 🔒 WSJ]

⚡ Cable Failure Caused Underground Fire

• An early investigation into the underground fire that occurred downtown Sunday has determined that a cable failure was at fault.
• Madison Gas and Electric says the cable failure also caused power outages that affected 7,600 customers, and first responders closed several downtown streets.
• What happened? Black smoke from underground and blown manhole covers were reported at 3:15 p.m. Sunday on the 300 block of W. Washington Ave. Power was restored and the hazard was under control by 6:30 p.m. [WMTV, News 3, Madison Fire Dept.]

🏥 ‘Treasure Trove’ of Health Data at Risk

• For 15 years, a UW-Madison institute has provided public health data that hospitals and health care organizations nationwide rely on. But the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps from the Population Health Institute’s days may be numbered.
• The primary funder for the project, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has decided to cease its support at the end of 2026. That means that the 2025 report will likely be the last one, institute officials said. The institute is looking for an alternate funding source, and asking the more than 700,000 people who use the project each year to share their experiences. [Cap Times, County Health Rankings]

August is moving time for much of Madison, when thousands of UW-Madison students shuffle from one apartment to the other. As they move, they shed a lot of stuff – an estimated 1 million pounds worth – which has given rise to “Hippie Christmas,” when thrifty scavengers hunt for treasures among the discarded junk.

City officials really don’t like the term “Hippie Christmas,” and they definitely hate seeing garbage piled up on the curb of Madison streets. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Madison recycling coordinator Bryan Johnson about the extra work the city puts in during moving season and the right to dispose of your unwanted trash.

Here are some tips for how to dispose of your unwanted stuff to make things as easy as possible for everyone, and how to have a little fun along the way.

Hitting the Streets

Every day until Aug. 22, the Streets Division will be performing extra collection duties in the downtown move-out zone. That includes extra crews to empty trash and recycling carts, and more large item pickups, for things like furniture and mattresses.

Some large items require large item work orders to be submitted in advance with the city. Such items mostly include appliances such as air conditioners and dehumidifiers, but also include tires and lawn mowers.

Hot (and Wet) Garbage

Everybody’s heard a story about somebody’s friend’s cousin who found a Prada bag or a pair of Beats headphones while scavenging on Hippie Christmas. In reality, it’s almost all garbage. That’s why it’s at the curb. And that’s before somebody’s dog relieved themselves on it or it got rained on (which it definitely did).

So, don’t scavenge. And if you’re moving and you have stuff that’s still usable, why not donate it to one of the many worthy causes around Madison? Some of them will even come out and pick it up for you.

Donate or Recycle

It’s a good idea to make a plan for moving, and figure out in advance what items you’re taking and what you’re getting rid of. That way, you can plan on donating and recycling usable items so that others can use them rather than kicking them to the curb.

But it’s not too late! TVs, printers, and other electronics can be taken to a designated city drop-off site, and there is no fee for dropping them off.

It’s a Hippie Christmas Miracle!

Once everything is moved in (or out), take a break and celebrate. On Aug. 15, Art + Literature Laboratory is holding “Hippie Christmas Fest,” which will have both live music and art as well as mutual aid organizations on-site, including organization sessions and free school supplies.

And Madison Children Museum’s Adult Swim on Aug. 15 has a “Moving Day” theme. Play the jumbo Tetris game, navigate an obstacle course, and learn about your renters’ rights from the Tenant Resource Center.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

This banner for the Nitty Gritty is hanging at Breese Stevens Field!

🎉 Congratulations to Wait N., Caroline T., and Cindi H. for being the first three people to guess correctly!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Do you know where these wheels are located? A few clues:

• It’s located (or actually just off) Park Street
• It’s NOT at a bike shop
• You might want to stop by for a dragon roll on your next bike ride!