🚆 Will an Amtrak station come to Wilson Street?

🚆 Madison Wants Its Amtrak Station on Wllson Street

• City officials want Amtrak rail service to return to Madison along the existing rail lines running along John Nolen Drive, with a station on Wilson Street.
• That’s the takeaway from a draft of the long-awaited Madison Passenger Rail Station Study that will be presented to the Transportation Commission later today. Madison hasn’t had Amtrak since the 1970s, but regular service could return by 2032 if planning by state transportation officials and Amtrak stays on track, and city officials want to be ready with their recommendations.
• The city considered eight possible locations for a train station, and decided that a Wilson Street station would be ideal for bringing people downtown, and would capitalize on the Lake Monona redevelopment project. [ 🔒 WSJ]

⚖️ City Wants Suit Over Uncounted Ballots Dismissed

• Madison attorneys want a Dane County judge to dismiss a class action suit filed against the city over 193 ballots that went uncounted last November.
• The suit by liberal law firm Law Forward alleged multiple mistakes were made by the city clerk’s office, and that the city failed to address the errors properly in the weeks after the Nov. 5 election, which disenfranchised voters. Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned last spring, and the clerk’s office tightened procedures about how absentee ballots are handled.
• The city’s attorney argued that the voters should have filed a formal complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, not filed a lawsuit in state court. [ 🔒 WSJ]

🚌 Planners Revise North-South BRT Route

• Madison planners unveiled a new plan for a north-south Bus Rapid Transit route in response to complaints from some residents.
• The north-south route includes nine miles of new BRT lanes and 23 new stations, running from Fitchburg to the city’s north side, and shares 3.5 miles with the existing east-west BRT route. The original plan received pushback from some residents and business owners, with a petition to add more parking on Park Street receiving nearly 2,000 signatures. [Cap Times]

Winter is coming, as they say on “Game of Thrones,” and Wisconsin residents want to be ready. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to home maintenance expert Mercury Stardust about tips to get your house or apartment ready for the colder months.

Here’s a few more tips about what to do in the case of an emergency and tips for conserving energy and costs this winter.

What to know about water

In case of an emergency, know where the water shut off valve is located in your home. To avoid pipes freezing, follow these tips from the Madison Water Utility.

If a pipe bursts in your home and you can’t shut your water off, contact the Water Utility. Call 608-266-4665 for after-hours emergencies. If you smell natural gas, leave immediately and call Madison Gas and Electric at 608-252-1111.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

This sign is from Bill’s Key Shop on University Avenue!

🎉 Congratulations to Jeremiah C., Kristin M. and Scott Z. for being the first three people to guess correctly!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Where can you see this? A few clues:

• It’s downtown
• It’s at a place that was supposed to be torn down, but still keeps on serving!
• If you don’t get it right, I’ll give you the “boot”!