🍎 How to help feed Madison

🚨 Police Find No Evidence To Back Whitehorse Allegations

• Madison police say they haven’t found any evidence to support allegations that a Whitehorse Middle School student had been physically and sexually assaulted by school staffers.
• The department’s Special Victims Unit investigated the allegations, which went viral last week on social media, and found evidence that directly contradicted the charges, police said. For example, while the assault allegedly occurred off campus, video placed both the student and the staffers at the school at the alleged time of the incident.
• Police said in a statement that the online allegations had sparked threats against school employees, and that they would fully investigate such threats. [Fox 47]

🍔 Union Corners Tavern Opens on East Side

• An upscale tavern has opened on Winnebago Street in the space that formerly housed Touch of Ukraine.
• Union Corners Tavern is owned by executive chef Jake Lawler and Mike Kull, an owner with Rare Steakhouse Group. The menu mixes Wisconsin favorites like cheese curds and smash burgers with more innovative spins on tavern fare, such as Asian dumpling tacos and a goat cheese and jam grilled cheese sandwich.
• Also, One Social Food Hall opened last weekend at 123 E. Wilson St., the first food hall to open in downtown Madison. Four of the seven food stalls in the hall, located in the One09 luxury apartment building, are now open, including a Neapolitan-style pizza place called Palio and a bar-food spot called Casey’s Tavern, as well as a full bar. [ 🔒 WSJ, Union Corners Tavern, Cap Times, One Social Food Hall]

🏗️ Mifflin Street Student Housing Project Delayed a Year

• Construction on a 10-story, 665-bed student apartment building on West Mifflin St. will be delayed by a year. The development, located next to the Kohl Center, will require the demolition of two smaller student apartment buildings.
• The developer, Trinitas Ventures of Indiana, won city approval in fall 2025 for the project. But the company now says construction will not start until next year, with the building ready for tenants in 2028. Trinitas has not said why work has been delayed. [ 🔒 WSJ]

As the federal shutdown enters its fifth week, food assistance benefits hang in the balance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture originally said it would stop issuing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits starting on Nov. 1. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay benefits out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s contingency fund, but the administration said it only plans to fulfill about half of benefits, and those funds will likely be delayed.

That will affect 700,000 Wisconsinites, including 65,000 in Dane County, who receive the benefits through Wisconsin’s FoodShare program. Gov. Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency and directed state agencies to do whatever they can to address the stoppage.

In Madison, here’s what you need to know if you are seeking food assistance help. And what to know if you would like to help others.

Where To Get Food Assistance Help

Public Health Madison & Dane County has assembled this list of food pantries throughout the Madison area, including nonprofits like the Goodman Community Center and local churches. To find a pantry near you, call 211, text your zip code to 898211, or visit 211now.org.

Some of the pantries require that you live in the pantry’s designated zip code, so check out the requirements ahead of time. You may also need to provide a photo ID for all adults in the household and your household income to determine eligibility.

There are other nutrition programs that can help out as well. The Dane County Senior Nutrition Program provides in-home pay-what-you-can meals for adults 60 and over. Many working families qualify for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program to provide both food and nutritional support. And parents with kids in the Madison Metropolitan School District can apply for free and reduced price breakfasts and lunches.

Madison and Dane County offer a “Double Dollars” program where recipients can get a dollar-for-dollar match on food stamps if they spend them at a local farmers’ market. Willy Street Co-op also participates in Double Dollars, and announced it would temporarily double its match, so SNAP recipients will get up to a $40 match for every $20 they spend.

Also, several Madison restaurants are offering free or pay-what-you-can meals during the federal shutdown, including Baked Wings, Ollie’s, and Just Veggiez.

Meet Polo! This 5-year-old bulldog mix sports a cute underbite and a friendly demeanor. He enjoys receiving pets and isn’t shy about asking for more. His previous family said that he’s crate-trained, does well riding in a car, and knows to sit, shake, come, and stay. (“Stay off the couch” is a tougher command to follow, especially when the couch looks comfy and he’s ready for a nap.)

He’s done well with kids, and is looking for a quiet, stable home where he can be spoiled by his new family with affection and treats.