🏗️ Three more apartment buildings planned for east side

🛠️ More Madison College Students Are Getting Into the Trades

• Careers in remodeling, construction, and other fields where you work with your hands are getting more and more popular with Madison College students. So much so that the school has unveiled its new building to house those programs on the Truax Campus.
• The new $10.3 million, 30,000 square foot building unveiled last week will give the college room for more students, more workspaces, and the option to add night classes next year. [Madison 365]

👁️ WisconsinEye Says It Will Go Dark Without Funding

• WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network, a nonprofit that functions as sort of a C-Span for Wisconsin government, will go dark Dec. 15 due to a lack of funding.
• In addition to stopping the broadcast of government meetings and press conferences, WisconsinEye will take its archive of 30,000 hours of previous content recorded since 2007 offline. The nonprofit relies entirely on private support, and says if it gets enough funding to cover its $887,000 operational budget, it will go back on the air for one year. If it raises $250,000, it will return for the first quarter of 2026, but will need to seek more funding. [WisEye, Fox6]

🏗️ Milwaukee Street Property Could House Three Apartment Buildings

• A five-acre property on Milwaukee Street on Madison’s east side could be the site of 250 new apartments under a proposal advanced last week by the Plan Commission.
• The plan would be to subdivide and rezone the property to build three apartment buildings overall. The site is located just to the east of the 67-acre Voit Farm, which will be redeveloped into a neighborhood with another 1,100 properties.
• The city council is scheduled to vote on the proposal this week. [ 🔒WSJ]

Sure, sure, Black Friday is this week. But also coming up is Small Business Saturday, a reminder that shopping local this holiday season is the best way to support Madison businesses (and often the way to find the best gifts).

And businesses often don’t come much smaller than the vendors and artisans at Madison’s many holiday markets. Here’s a rundown of some of the most fun holiday markets in Madison this season:

Dane County Holiday Markets

The Dane County Farmers’ Market hosts its holiday market on almost every Saturday between now and Dec. 20 at Monona Terrace Convention Center. Over 60 vendors will have festive food on sale.

Madison Makers Market Black Friday

Give the big-box stores a rest and check out this fun event on Nov. 28, hosted by State Line Distillery, Working Draft Beer and six other east side establishments. There’s over 100 vendors, so hit one spot or take a crawl on the Makers Map to hit all eight!

Downtown Madison Holiday Open House

Downtown businesses on State Street and the Capitol Square jump into the holiday spirit Nov. 28 to 30, with shopping specials, live music, kids’ events, and of course, a visit from Santa.

Vitruvian Farms Craft Fair

Head up to McFarland on Nov. 29 for this craft fair on the farm, with toys, jewelry, and more all crafted by farm employees.

Winter Holiday Bodega Market

Come to Breese Stevens Field on Nov. 29 for Small Business Saturday. Not only will there be a variety of artisans selling their wares, but there’ll be kids activities, a performance by TubaChristmas, and even an actual reindeer!

Holiday Craftacular

Garver Feed Mill will host the annual craft event on Nov. 30, featuring a variety of artisans and craftspeople selling handmade jewelry, crocheted toys, and other goodies.