🏘️ How to solve Madison’s housing crisis

🗳️ Evers Wants Special Session to End Gerrymandering

• Gov. Tony Evers called the GOP-controlled Legislature into a special session with the aim of passing a constitution amendment to end partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin.
• Gerrymandering occurs when elected leaders redraw voting maps to best protect their political interests, and for years Wisconsin was known nationwide for gerrymandered maps that favored GOP legislators. After the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down those maps in 2023, Evers signed legislation in 2024 creating fairer maps for the first time in a half-century.
• But Evers, who is retiring this year, said a constitutional amendment is needed to preserve the fair maps past the 2030 census. The special session will start April 14. [WPR, Marquette University]

🚨 Accused Poisoner Called Co-Defendant 300 Times From Jail

• In the latest twist on a bizarre case, a Madison man accused of poisoning two women allegedly made nearly 300 secret calls to his co-defendant using his jail-issued laptop.
• Paul Van Duyne is being held in the Dane County Jail on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree intentional homicide and stalking for allegedly trying to poison two women he dated with cyanide and other toxins, putting the substances in one woman’s water bottle and in another’s car vents.
• Court documents say he asked for a laptop in the jail to review his case, and then used the computer to create phone accounts to secretly call and text his current girlfriend and co-defendant, Andrea Whitaker, and her mother. He was under a court order not to have any contact with Whitaker, so the contacts could lead to additional charges and penalties. [WMTV]

🐔 Bird Flu Found in Dane County

• A case of avian influenza or bird flu has been found in a backyard poultry flock in Dane County, state agricultural officials said. The area has been quarantined, and the birds were euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.
• The case is the second found in Wisconsin this year and state and federal agricultural officials are working together to address the problem. [ 🔒WSJ]

🏘️ How Can Madison Keep Up With Its Housing Needs?

• The city’s recent 2025 Housing Snapshot captures some long-term forces that Madison has faced for a while – progress made in building new housing in the city, but challenges persisting in providing enough affordable housing to meet demand, with wide disparities in low-income rental housing in particular.
• What to do? On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin takes a deep dive into the issue with Justice Castañeda, executive director of Common Wealth Development, about what Madison is and should be doing. [City of Madison, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

As the Trump administration imposes a fuel blockade on Cuba and officials talk about overthrowing its government as it did in Venezuela, the future of the Cuban people has been especially personal to Madisonians.

For decades, Madison has had direct ties with the city of Camagüey as part of the Madison-Camagüey Sister City Association, with cultural exchange trips to the city and now, Cine Cubano, a new film series taking place monthly at the Cardinal Bar.

The next screening will be March 8 at 1 p.m. and, in honor of International Women’s Day, will be a double feature of movies celebrating Cuban women. “Hasta Cierto Punto (“Up To a Certain Point”) is a 1983 romantic drama, while “Lucia” is a 1968 drama that looks at three women named Lucia at different periods of Cuba’s history.

Tourism in Cuba is prohibited for U.S. citizens by the State Department, but short-term travel for other purposes is allowed. Here’s what you need to know about Camagüey.

🇨🇺 Where Is Camagüey?

Camagüey is the capital city of the province of the same name, Cuba’s largest province, with a population of over 333,000 people. It’s located in the central-eastern region of the country, and is known for its wide, flat savannahs, good for agricultural development. The province stretches to both the north and south coasts, and there are 120 kilometers of beaches – roughly a quarter of the beachfront in the entire country.

⚔️ When Was It Founded?

Camagüey was founded in 1514 as Santa Maria del Puerto del Principe (Puerto Principe), but was moved inland to the Indian village of Camagüey, and moved several times during civil strife in the next century, including being raided by pirates. Legend has it that the city’s maze-like design, with narrow, winding streets and hidden alleys, were designed to thwart the invading buccaneers.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

This photo is from the Mason Lounge!

🎉 Congratulations to Wait N., Janet C., and Julie R. for being the first three people to guess right!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Do you know where these are located? A few clues:

• It’s near the UW-Madison campus
• It’s an iconic breakfast spot
• Despite the name, there are plenty of things that the lactose-intolerant can enjoy there!