🏗️ State St. construction accident under investigation

🛷 Is Cherokee Heights’ Sledding Hill Going Down?

• The hillside next to Cherokee Heights Middle School on Midvale Road has been a popular sledding destination for area families for years. But some residents are concerned that the construction of a new school will spell the end of the hill.
• One preliminary design for the $82 million school would push the new gym partially into the hillside. At an informational meeting last week, school officials and representatives from OPN Architects said they plan to preserve the hillside as best they can. [ 🔒WSJ]

👷 Authorities Investigate State Street Construction Accident

• Construction on the new Wisconsin History Center building has been paused while authorities investigate how a construction worker was seriously injured on the site last week.
• A Findorff construction worker at the site, located at the intersection of State and Fairchild Streets, was seriously injured after falling 50 feet from a massive beam. A crane dropped a 30,000-pound beam through several sublevels of construction, leaving another worker stranded on the crane in the air.
• The injured worker is reportedly in stable condition, and Findorff is working with safety officials to determine what caused the action. The new history center is expected to open in fall 2027. [WMTV]

📸 Critics Want UW-Madison Flock Cameras Out Of the Picture

• The presence of eight Flock Safety security cameras on the UW-Madison campus has drawn criticism from faculty members and privacy advocates.
• The cameras are intended to provide evidence to solve specific crimes, and are not used as general “surveillance” cameras, UW-Madison police said. But critics say Flock cameras, which include license plate readers, are subject to misuse and abuse. The Madison City Council has a ban on facial recognition technology and strict policies surrounding surveillance tech,, but that only applies to areas under the city police department’s jurisdiction, not on campus.
• 👁️ Look harder! On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Jon McCray Jones, a policy analyst at ACLU Wisconsin, about who’s watching Wisconsin and what we can do about it. [Daily Cardinal, 🎧City Cast Madison]

Black History Month turns 100 this year, and Madison organizations are going all out to celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black Americans and those of African descent.

Here’s your guide to what’s happening in Madison, from history lectures to live music, from art exhibitions to movies.

“Black Love: Rooted, Radiant, Revolutionary” at UW-Madison (all month)

This monthlong series celebrates Black love in all its forms, including a BLK PWR showcase of hip-hop arts (Feb. 10), a Valentine’s Day gala sponsored by the African Student Association (Feb. 14), and a “Do You Rap or Do You Tweet?” spoken word competition (Feb. 17).

“Kids in the Rotunda” at Overture Center (all month)

The free Saturday morning arts series for families celebrates Black art in February, including the African percussion of Drum Power (Feb. 7), a tribute to the music of New Orleans (Feb. 14), and the kid-friendly hip-hop of L.E.X. (Feb. 21).

“Celebrating Black History Month” at AMC Theatres (all month)

AMC Fitchburg 18 has a full slate of special screenings this month delving into the full range of the Black experience, from historical epics like “Ali” and “Glory” to contemporary dramas like “Get On the Bus” and “Fruitvale Station.”

“Dzigbodi Akyea Art Show” at Madison College (all month)

This annual exhibit at Madison College’s Truax Campus features the work of Black artists. This year’s theme, “She Carried Us: Legacies of Labor, Love and Liberation,” looks at the invisible labor of Black women both individually and collectively.”

“Step Afrika!’s The Migration” at Overture Hall (Feb. 4)

This dance troupe combines African percussive dance traditions with contemporary movement to bring to life artist Jacob Lawrence’s portraits of Black Americans moving from the South to the North during the Great Migration of the 1900s.

“Hoops and Heritage” at Madison College (Feb. 10)

The Madison College Wolfpack is leveling up its doubleheader against Milwaukee Area Technical College by making it a Black History Month celebration, including live DJs and a performance of The Black National Anthem by Zakiya Catlin.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

This sculpture is in the front window of Jazzman clothing store on State Street!

🎉 Congratulations to Wait N., Tricia M., and Alexander B. for being the first three people to guess right!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Do you know where this big rock is? A few clues:

• It’s on the far east side of Madison
• It’s at a place where you can get a lot of great things to eat
• Still don’t know where? Think globally!