❄️ Early snow is stressing out snowplow drivers

❄️ Plow Drivers Are Already Feeling Snowed Under

• It’s only December, and the constant barrage of heavy snowfall over the past few weeks is really taking its toll on snow removal companies in southern Wisconsin.
• Snowplows have sometimes been working around the clock to clear streets and parking lots, and the constant stress is wearing not only on the drivers, but on their equipment as well.
• Leaders of the pack: One way to show your appreciation for Madison’s snowplow drivers is to get your hands on the newest snowplow trading cards. The cards are available through the streets division offices and at Madison Public Library locations while supplies last, and feature some of the fleet’s newest vehicles, including “Anne Pathaway” and “Plower to the People.” [WMTV, City of Madison, Instagram]

💸 Expect Sticker Shock From Dane County Fees in 2026

• Whether you’re parking at the airport, getting your vehicle registration renewed, or even dumping waste in the landfill, you’ll see an increase in the fees charged by Dane County next year.
• As the county deals with a $30 million budget shortfall, supervisors have approved hikes to fees across the board, including some fees that haven’t been raised since 2008. Vehicle registration will increase from $28 to $40, raising an estimated $3.7 million per year.
• Parking at Dane County Regional Airport will rise from $10 to $14 for up to 24 hours, and parking at Alliant Energy Center will go from $8 to $10 for vehicles. [ 🔒WSJ, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🚌 Surplus Funds Will Fill $5.75M Metro Transit Shortfall

• Madison will use over half of its budget surplus to cover a shortfall in the Metro Transit budget, caused by unanticipated increases in salaries and benefits and costs associated with Bus Rapid Transit.
• Metro started this year with a $77.4 million budget, but overestimated how much revenue would come in from rider fares. The city’s finance committee proposed using $5.75 million from the $10.6 million budget surplus to cover the difference. [ 🔒WSJ]

📆 What Do You Want To See in Madison in 2026?

• Believe it or not, 2026 is fast approaching. City Cast Madison is prepping a podcast episode looking ahead to the new year, and we want your input. What do you want to see happen in Madison in 2026? What problems do you want to see fixed? What triumphs do you want to be celebrated? What do Madisonians need to pay more attention to?
• Leave us a voicemail at (608) 318-3367 or send us an email at [email protected], and you may hear it in the episode!

State Street has always been changing, but maybe never more so than in the last five years. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Cap Times features reporter Ashley Rodriguez and City Cast Madison executive producer Hayley Sperling about how COVID-19, some big-ticket developments, and the rise of national chains have altered the character of Madison’s iconic thoroughfare.

Despite Target and other big chains, State Street is still dominated by locally-owned businesses, and remains a great place to shop for holiday gifts. (Nearly 80% of businesses in Madison’s Central Business Improvement District are locally owned!) Here are a few of our favorite State Street places to shop, ranging from some newbies to some stores that have been there for a half-century or more.

Men’s clothes: Jazzman (307 State Street)

Jazzman just celebrated 50 years of making Madison males look a little sharper, from high-end sport coats to selvedge jeans. Next door is Jazzman’s sister store, Duet, offering similarly fashionable styles for women.

Vinyl: B-Side Records (514 State Street)

It does an old vinylphile’s heart good to see this 43-year-old music store full of a new generation of college students perusing through new and used vinyl of every genre. The staff’s end-of-year best-of lists are always essential shopping guides.

T-shirts: Raygun (670 State Street)

This Midwestern chain, new to State Street, offers stylish and snarky T-shirts. They have a lot of clever shirts with Madison themes, including one that depicts the storefront of Paul’s Bookstore, which spent decades at the same location. (Editor’s note: Raygun has been an advertiser of the Madison Minutes newsletter.)

Beauty and grooming supplies: The Soap Opera (319 State Street)

This longtime favorite is like a spa day in a store, offering bath and beauty supplies including soaps, moisturizers, essential oils, and more. Warning: If you take your young children into The Soap Opera, you’ll have to buy them something from the store’s extensive collection of rubber duckies.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

It’s located near the City-County Building on Doty Street!

🎉 This was a hard one! Congratulations to Nancy W. and Tricia M. for being the only two readers to guess correctly!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Where is this sculpture located? A few clues:

• It’s on the UW-Madison campus
• It’s in a building where you could see a movie, eat cheese curds, go bowling, and then get a hotel room for the night to rest!
• Things won’t go ‘South’ if you guess right!

Thanks to Madison Minutes reader Vermilion O. for submitting this week’s photo! If you’ve got a photo that would make a good Where Is It?, send it to me at [email protected]