👻 There’s so much going on in October, it’s scary

🗳️ Former Ald. Juliana Bennett to Run for State Assembly

• Juliana Bennett, who previously served on the Madison City Council, announced she’ll run for the Wisconsin State Assembly seat being vacated by Rep. Francesca Hong, who is running for governor.
• Current Madison District 15 Ald. Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford has already announced her candidacy for the 76th District, which covers much of the isthmus and stretches into the north and east sides of Madison.
• 🎧 Dig deeper: As she was leaving municipal government this spring, Bennett went on the City Cast Madison podcast to give us the skinny on what the Madison City Council can (and can’t) do, and how best to stay connected to your representatives. [Tone Madison, 🎧City Cast Madison]

☕ East Wash. Starbucks Among 100+ Stores To Close

• The relatively new Starbucks coffee shop at the corner of East Washington Avenue and First Street has closed, part of over 100 to shutter nationwide.
• Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced Sept. 25 that it had identified locations that weren’t profitable or “unable to create the physical space customers and partners expect.” The closed Madison Starbucks was in a multi-use development that included Mint Mark restaurant and Tabby & Jack’s pet store.
• The store is not among the six Starbucks locations in Madison whose employees have voted to unionize in recent years. [WKOW]

💰 School Board Raises Its Pay but Balks at Health Insurance

• The Madison School Board voted unanimously to hike its pay from $8,000 to $15,000 annually. But they voted down a measure that would have made them eligible for employee health insurance.
• The board last boosted its pay from $4,200 to $8,000 a decade ago, and board members said the increase will encourage a more diverse crop of candidates to run for the board. But including health insurance for the seven members would cost the district nearly $200,000 a year, and district administrators said it might make board members ineligible to vote on measures involving health insurance. [Cap Times]

Feel an autumnal chill in the air? Me neither. But it’s still October, and there’s still plenty of spooky good times to be had. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, the gang talks about what they’re most looking forward to this month, from Middleton transforming itself into a beloved ‘00s TV show, a Norwegian (!) food cart, and, of course, lots of emo.

👻 Scary Stuff, Kids

Halloween is a time to curl up in the movie theater and watch a scary movie between your fingers. It seems like there’s a new horror flick in town every week – if you plan on catching them all, AMC Fitchburg is offering a “Slash Pass” where you can see six spooky movies for $66.66. Because 6 is the scariest number.

Closer to home, Flix Brewhouse has a different scary movie almost every night in October, including a “Brewfest” screening of “The Exorcist” (Oct. 14) with a three-beer curated menu, a family-friendly “Flix Jr.” screening of “Hotel Transylvania” (Oct. 18), and a “Fanfest” screening of “Ghostbusters” (Oct. 28) with a curated menu and a souvenir glass.

UW Cinematheque will be spending Halloween night on the open road with a rare 35mm print of 1985’s “The Hitcher” (Oct. 31). And while the Bartell Theatre is known for live stage productions, they’ve been booking more movies lately. Their spooky offerings include the Madison premiere of a new documentary about the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” called “Strange Journey” (Oct. 24) and a special horror/sci-fi themed edition of the Wisconsin 48 Hour Film Project (Oct. 25).

🔬 They Blinded Me With Science!

There’s nothing scary about science, Frankenstein excepted. The Wisconsin Science Festival aims to provoke curiosity rather than scares, returning Oct. 16-26, with over 50 events around Madison and another 200 statewide.

In Madison, the festival will kick off on the Capitol Square with a special edition of the Madison Night Market, Science on the Square (Oct. 16). Vendor tents and hands-on science demos will fill the square and the first four blocks of State Street.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

The sign is located at the Tip Top Tavern!

🎉 Congrats to Judi G., Jake L., and Kristin M. for being the first three people to guess correctly!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Where is this building? A few clues:

• It’s on the east side
• It is a space that is used by a business located next door.
• If you go “by the book,” you should be able to guess it!