Free Mulch and Compost Available from Union Corners

Posted on November 8, 2012 by TheEastSider

Garden project ends to make way for expected development

Courtesy: http://deurbanization.com

Joe Mingle, leader of the Union Corners Garden project invites residents to take advantage of mulch and compost that will no longer be used for urban gardens at the Union Corners site. Joe writes that the huegelkultur beds installed by the Permaculture Guild did great despite the drought.

A good crop of lettuce was had in the Spring. But the extreme summer heat and drought took its tol and “working the raised beds on the cement slab was like gardening on some desolate moonscape.” Continue reading →

Capital City Bike Path Closure Starts this Month

Posted on November 7, 2012 by TheEastSider

Path across Starkweather Creek and eastward to close until March

The Capital City Trail will close at the end of November from Sugar Avenue to Walter Street until March 2013.

Contractors for the City of Madison will begin a project to stabilize the drainage ditch along the Capital City Path from Starkweather Creek to Walter Street in late-November, 2012 (Contract 6469). This work will require the path to be closed to all bicycle and pedestrian traffic from Sugar Avenue (Olbrich Gardens) to Walter Street. There will be a marked bicycle detour beginning at Fair Oaks Ave and continuing on Ivy St, the path in OB Sherry Park, Starkweather Drive and Hargrove St to Walter St. Continue reading →

Wireless Water Meters Info Table at Farmer’s Market

Posted on November 7, 2012 by TheEastSider

Photo courtesy: lottieanddoof.com

Whether it was a direct result of recent concerns about wireless water meters; the Madison Water Utility along with our Project H2O contractor, Corix Utilities, will have an informational table at the Dane County Farmer’s Market on the Capitol Square this Saturday November, 10^thfrom 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Continue reading →

Interview: District 2 Alder Bridget Maniaci

Posted on October 24, 2012 by TheEastSider

Madison District 2 Alder Bridget Maniaci. Courtesy: District2MadisonBlog

City of Madison District 2 Alder Bridget Maniaci decided politics was for her after observing then Mayor Dave Cieslewicz run for re-election while serving as his press intern.

After studying journalism for a time, Maniaci switched to politics, completing internships at the State Capitol and with Mayor Cieslewicz.

While exploring journalism she worked for the Capital Times, The Daily Cardinal, and WSUM-FM. Bridget is also pretty good at sailing, serving as Vice-Commodore of the UW Hoofers when she was a student.

Maniaci graduated from Sun Prairie High School in 2002 and the University of Wisconsin in 2007 with a degree in Political Science and Economics. She was elected to the Madison Common Council in 2009. Outspoken at times, according to some, but she is energetic about Madison. Maniaci has a rare command of local public policy, with facts, figures, and grounded analysis often at the tip of her tongue…

[jwplayer player=”1″ mediaid=”3627″]

Editor’s Note: When we talked with Ald. Maniaci, funding for ice rinks and lifeguards in the City Budget was still in doubt. The Board of Estimates restored that funding at its meeting on October 22, 2012; with Maniaci supporting an amendment to restore funding for lifeguards. The Budget still needs final approval from the Common Council, which will likely vote on it in November.

Live Blog Wrap: Foreign Policy Debate

Posted on October 22, 2012 by TheEastSider

Battle in Boca is last face-to-face matchup

President Obama and Governor Romney in the final debate of the 2012 election. Courtesy: C-Span.org

The debates are over and there were no real gotcha moments. It was an exercise in Romney agreeing with Obama but trying to make it sound like he failed. As CBS News’ Scott Pelley noted right after the debate, “It seemed like they both only came alive when they started talking about the economy.”

Both candidates pivoted back to the economy saying that a strong economy will help when it deals with the world. Its obvious that this election will come down to the economy and now its up to the political ads and surrogates….down the stretch they come! Continue reading →

Budget Cuts Could Sink B.B. Clarke Swimming Platform

Posted on October 21, 2012 by TheEastSider

Quality-of-life, big city priorities clash during budget process

B. B. Clarke Beach circa 1951. An early version of the diving platform can be seen. Later version paralleled the shore and were located approximately 150 yards off shore.

As the Madison Mayor Paul Soglin prepared his budget for the coming fiscal year he asked all departments to make a five percent cut in their operational budgets. At the Parks Department they arrived at those cuts in part by eliminating and consolidating some very popular services in some parks; specifically the elimination of nine seasonal ice rinks and focusing lifeguard services at regional beaches.

In a city known for year-round recreation probably the most sacred of activities is ice skating and swimming. It is almost a cruel irony that a community whose water-borne identity is intrinsic should have to cut back on this celebrated quality-of-life benefit. Continue reading →

New MNA Board Members Elected

Posted on October 20, 2012 by TheEastSider

Best-ever attended membership meeting covers a lot of ground

The 2012 MNA Membership Meeting was held at Marquette Elementary on October 18, 2012.

The Marquette Neighborhood Association Membership Meeting this past Thursday (October 18) was a celebration of both robust participation and an infusion of new blood. An estimated 50 members attended the meeting which included approval of the budget, election of new board members, awards, a presentation from Downtown Madison Incorporated (DMI), and a farewell from outgoing President Scott Thornton.

Before reflecting on his tenure as president, Thornton noted that the attendance at the meeting seemed to be the largest he has ever seen at a membership meeting. Present were stalwarts from the beginning of the organization as well as many new faces. Many enthusiastically ratified the work Thornton has done for the organization with a standing ovation. Continue reading →

Politics As Usual

Posted on October 11, 2012 by TheEastSider

WSB now features selected stories from the Chay Presents Storyteller Show

Every third Sunday the Chay Presents Comedy Night series features a Storyteller show based on a theme. The stories are told by mostly local comics, but also writers, performers, as well as significant and up and coming figures withing the community.

This Sunday (October 14) is the first Storyteller show at Chay’s new venue in the Atlas Improv space at 609 E Washington Avenue. The timely theme “Politics As Usual”, falls in the thick of the presidential debates. Willy Street Blog has attended the last two shows and will be featuring selected stories from those performances (the first is linked below), and hopefully more in the future.

Hear the stories from the August 16, 2012 show “One More Chance”

High Altitude Parachutist Ready to Take Last Step

Posted on October 9, 2012 by TheEastSider

Freefall record attempt postponed until Saturday

Felix Baumgartner is preparing to break 52 year-old freefall altitude and speed record. Courtesy: Red Bull Stratos

A project that has been ongoing since 2005 may soon culminate in a record-setting human freefall attempt from 120,000 feet above New Mexico. Felix Baumgartner has been working with Red Bull on the Red Bull Stratos project that will not only try and set a record but also test supersonic human limits through the air without a vehicle.

The reason there is a record is because someone has done it before. Joe Kittinger set the current record (102,000 feet) in 1960 while testing spacesuits for the American space program and high speed ejections from aircraft. Kittinger, who is consulting on the Stratos project, used a balloon to get to altitude; the same method Baumgartner will use. Continue reading →

Fresh Meat

Posted on October 4, 2012 by TheEastSider

Underground Food Collective to open butcher shop on Willy

Courtesy: Underground Food Collective

A traditional butcher shop will be opening at 811 Williamson street by the end of the month. The Underground Food Collective which offers catering, cured meats, and also operates the recently opened restaurant Forequarter on Johnson street; looks to offer meats supplied by farmers who take a caring approach to their animals and crops.

The location, which according to UFC was originally the Williamson Blacksmith building for which Williamson Street got its name, will also serve as a retail outlet for UFC’s other items such as jams, pickels, mustards, and krauts.

You can find out more information at UFC’s blog