❄️ Woman in labor gets snowplow escort

🏀 Badgers Get No. 5 Seed in March Madness

• The UW-Madison Badgers got a No. 5 seed in the NCAA March Madness tournament, and will head to Portland, Oregon Thursday to play No. 12 seed High Point in the first round.
• It’s Wisconsin’s third consecutive trip to the tournament and comes after a good showing over the weekend at the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. The Badgers made it to the semifinals before losing 68-65 to top-seeded Michigan with a last-second basket. That performance inspired USA Today sports columnist Nancy Armour to call Wisconsin a “sleeper’ in this year’s March Madness. “Condolences to anyone who draws Wisconsin.” [Madison365, USA Today]

🍸 Mint Mark To Open a Rooftop Bar, The Perch

• Promising “cocktails and views,” Mint Mark said on social media that it will soon open a bar called the Perch on the sixth floor of its building at 1874 E. Washington Ave.
• As a result, the restaurant said that beginning April 13 it will no longer take reservations for fewer than six people, instead inviting those diners to wait for a table at the new bar. Mint Mark moved from its original location on Winnebago Street to its much larger location in 2024. [Instagram, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🐶 Animal Activists Arrested After Taking Dogs From Ridglan Farms

• Animal rights activists broke into a research and breeding facility in Blue Mounds on Sunday and took more than two dozen dogs. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said Monday that 20 of the protesters were arrested.
• Officials at Ridglan Farms said an estimated 50 to 60 protesters cut through a chain link fence and a locked gate, and attempted to access several buildings using sledgehammers, electric saws, and chainsaws.
• Ridglan Farms, which breeds beagles for scientific research, has been the target of lawsuits and complaints over animal welfare concerns for years. In a settlement with the county, the facility agreed to stop breeding dogs for research in July. [WMTV, WPR]

It’s a big year for classical music fans in Madison. This is John DeMain’s 32nd and final year as music director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. He has a new book, “Working With My Heroes: A Life in Music,” available today, and he’ll talk about it on March 24 at Madison Central Library for a Wisconsin Book Festival event.

DeMain came on the City Cast Madison podcast to talk to host Bianca Martin about his long career, and what he wants to accomplish before he finally sets down the baton.

Editor's note: the Madison Symphony Orchestra is a sponsor of City Cast Madison. This article and podcast was produced with complete editorial independence from advertisers.

The MSO is just one part of a symphony of classical music performances in Madison that take place in the biggest concert halls to the most intimate rooms. Here’s where to hear some of the most beautiful music the city has to offer.

Madison Symphony Orchestra

Now in its centennial year, the MSO is one of the best-regarded regional orchestras in the country. DeMain is world-renowned for his contributions to classical music, and the acoustics of the MSO’s home base in Overture Hall is the envy of many orchestras.

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

While the WCO is best known for its wildly popular “Concerts on the Square” series every summer, the orchestra conducted by Andrew Sewell (now in his 25th season as conductor) performs year-round in the Capitol Theater and elsewhere.

Madison Opera

Madison’s long-running professional opera company is staging three productions a year in Overture Hall (including last month’s world premiere of “Everlasting Faint”), as well as bringing opera to the masses with the free “Opera in the Park” in the summer.

Wisconsin Union Theater

For over a century the Wisconsin Union Directorate’s Performing Arts Committee has been booking touring classical and opera music acts into the theater, from masterpieces by Bach and Beethoven to new classical music. The Doric String Quarter comes to Shannon Hall on Sunday.

Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society

This long-running summer festival aims to make classical music accessible and just plain fun for audiences, such as last summer’s “fire”-themed series of concerts at Hamel Music Center.

Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras

WYSO has been instilling a lifelong love of classical music early in the lives of young Madisonians for decades. It’s expanded to include three full orchestras, two string orchestras, a percussion ensemble, and more.

Boo! Don’t be afraid of this sneaky apparition, Ghost! She’s an independent 2-year-old looking for a family who understands cat body language. She is very friendly and enjoys receiving attention on her terms. One moment, she might crawl into your lap, and the next she’s wrapping herself around your arm while you try to work at your computer (her version of a hug!).

She loves to play with a variety of toys and explore anything interesting — including people. She’s also a big fan of cat TV and window watching so she can keep an eye on the world outside. Ghost would do best in a home with no other animals or small children, and with a family who has experience with cat behavior and can help this curious girl thrive.