🦩 Does downtown need a 28-foot flamingo?

🦩 Does Downtown Madison Need a Gigantic Flamingo?

• Four whimsical new projects are finalists for a public art display on Hawthorne Court, that narrow alley between Lake and Frances Streets by the revamped State Street Campus Garage.
• A couple of designers opted to put a bird on it. Matthew Mazzotta’s idea is for a 28-foot flamingo statue, while StudioKCA’s “Cheerio” features two giant robins and a bench that looks like a collection of blue robin’s eggs. StudioKCA’s other proposal resembles a collection of giant Post-It notes, while Area C Projects’ proposal is a more abstract, vine-like sculpture that would crawl across the alley walls, with animated patterns of colored light.
• The artists will present their proposals to brighten up Hawthorne Court at a virtual meeting on Feb. 23, and residents can give feedback until March 9. [City of Madison]

🏛️ Rep. Robin Vos Won’t Seek Reelection

• Wisconsin’s longest-serving Assembly speaker Republican Rep. Robin Vos announced Thursday he won’t run again this fall. Vos has served in the Assembly for more than two decades and spent 13 years leading the legislative house as speaker.
• In a speech from the Assembly floor, Vos shared he suffered a heart attack last November, which factored into his decision not to run again.
• A highly divisive figure, Vos has been a force in the Legislature for Wisconsin’s Republican party, having even sometimes been referred to as a “shadow governor.”
• In a statement, Gov. Evers said, “The Speaker’s retirement marks the end of an era in Wisconsin politics, and I’m grateful to have served as governor during Speaker Vos’ tenure. Although we’ve disagreed more often than we didn’t, I respect his candor, his ability to navigate complex policies and conversations, and his unrivaled passion for politics.” [Cap Times, Governor’s office]

🚌 Madison Wants To Buy 16 New Hybrid Buses

• Madison Metro Transit is planning to use money from a federal grant to buy 16 new hybrid buses for its fleet in 2026.
• A $17.4 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Grant Program will be used to replace existing diesel Metro buses with the new hybrids, cutting emissions.
• The new buses will be 40% more energy efficient than the diesel buses, Metro officials said. Once in operation, the buses would be used on local, fixed routes, not the city-spanning Bus Rapid Transit routes. [Cap Times, City Cast Madison]

📚 UW-Madison Libraries Cut Ties With Its Donor Group

• Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries is an organization that has supported the university libraries for nearly 80 years, including providing volunteers to run its popular biannual Friends’ book sales and hosting fundraising events.
• But UW-Madison Libraries severed its relationship with the group in January following a legal review over whether the Friends qualified as a nonprofit or an “Associated Affiliated Organization.” The investigation determined that it qualified as affiliated organization, which means it would need to have a written agreement with the university, something it hasn’t had before and something that the libraries don’t intend on doing.
• The Friends currently have $1.4 million raised for the libraries and Friends Board President Ken Frazier said the group needs to figure out how to disburse it, since the university will no longer accept funds directly following the disaffiliation. [Daily Cardinal]

Meet Princess Mochi Kittay! As the name implies, she’s mistress of the house, and she prefers what she prefers, which is backside pats - if she comes to you and demands it. She also likes chasing any insects that find their way inside the windows, scratching cloth furniture, and trying her best at acrobatics/balancing on the lofted railing (where last October she slipped and hit her right hind paw and broke it).

She loves to keep one of her people company while he paints. AND, if you happen to have an empty box laying around, she will be sure to take a looksy. And maybe a sitsy at well.