City Cast Madison
🦢 Why hundreds of swans invaded Madison lakes
December 15, 2025 · — Rob Thomas
Good morning, Madison! Did everybody get through the weekend’s cold temps okay? One species seems to love a Wisconsin winter — swans! Lake Monona and Mendota have been crowded with hundreds of trumpeter and tundra swans taking a pit stop on their way south for the winter. Wish we could come along, swans 🦢
What's CITY Talking About
⛪ Community Remembers Victims of Abundant Life Shooting
- It was one year ago this week that a shooter opened fire inside Abundant Life Christian School on Madison’s east side, killing several people and wounding others. The school has spent the last year learning to heal, with the support of neighbors and the broader Madison community.
- On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Cap Times reporter Erin McGroarty and Erin Gretzinger about the school’s long, hard journey, and how tragedy has brought people together. [Cap Times, 🎧City Cast Madison]
🚨 Person of Interest in Brown Shooting is From Wisconsin
- A 24-year-old man from Wisconsin is in custody as a person of interest in a shooting at Brown University Saturday in which two people were killed and nine others wounded.
- Col. Oscar Perez, the police chief of Providence, R.I., said that no one has yet been charged in the crime, but no one else is being sought by authorities. The man was taken into custody at a Hampton Inn about 20 miles from Providence. [WPR]
🍛 Taj Indian 2.0 Opens on Park Street
- For 16 years, Taj Indian restaurant on Park Street was a haven for diners looking for a chicken tikka masala or an extensive lunch buffet. Taj was displaced in 2019 by new development, but the family opened a new version Taj Indian Cuisine & Bar on Dec. 15.
- The new restaurant has opened in the former location of Borough Beer Company, and will serve cocktails as well as dishes inspired by bold North Indian flavors. Reservations are encouraged.
- Meanwhile, a new restaurant is in the works on Gilson Street in the Bay Creek neighborhood. Friends Applaud, opening in a location that previously housed two specialty beer taprooms, will have a cozy feel and the cuisine will be determined by what kind of kitchen city officials allow them to build in the space, the owners said. [Facebook, Isthmus]
🏘️ $14M Allocated to Build 425 New Rental Homes
- The Madison City Council earmarked $14 million from the Affordable Housing Fund to build 425 new rental homes across Madison, with more than 260 of them made permanently affordable for low-income residents.
- The funds will go to support homes in four projects — United Residence Senior Apartments, Yellowstone Senior Apartments, Ridgeway Senior Apartments, and Fair Oaks Apartments. [City of Madison]
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The 2025 End-of-Year Madison News Quiz!
A lot happened in Madison in 2025. How much do you remember? Take this end-of-year quiz and find out!
UW-Madison will create a new college devoted to what?
- Video game development
- Social media analysis
- Artificial intelligence
- Figuring out what “6-7” means
What To Do
Monday, Dec. 15
- 🏗️ Lego Night at Working Draft Beer Company
- 🎤 Music Open Mic at Delta Beer Lab
- 🎸 Open Jam: Music Industry Night at COPA (Community Organizations Promoting the Arts)
Sponsored Content
Local Teens Transform Classrooms - and Themselves
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📰 Extra! Extra! It was so gratifying to see so many of you become City Cast Madison Neighbors during our end-of-year membership drive last week! Welcome to Dan B., Andrew F., Brianne H., Paul T., Sheila K., Tara K. and Sofia J.! While the drive is over, we’ve still got some limited-edition City Cast Madison beanies, so if you join now we can still send you one! Thank you so much for your support!
Now, let’s get together and celebrate the holidays and three years of City Cast Madison! Join us at Gamma Ray Bar TOMORROW NIGHT. Meet the team, enjoy some snacks, maybe do some karaoke, and let’s party! 🥳
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