Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How a $2 billion Beltline plan could reshape life in Madison

Also, don't miss ACT Practice Test (the New ACT) on the Madison Patch calendar

Saturday January 10th Patch AM
Saturday January 10th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Good day Madison! We're here again with what you need to know today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a $2 billion Beltline plan could reshape life in Madison
  • How close is Madison to its 15,000 new homes goal?
  • Madison mourns arts visionary and Overture Center benefactor Jerry Frautschi

Also on today's calendar: ACT Practice Test (the New ACT) and 8 more events.

Find out what's happening in Madisonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did one pirate say to the other? 🤔 (Answer below!)


Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Madisonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Saturday: Snow at times, 1-2", with a high of 34 and low of 21 degrees.
  • Sunday: Morning snow showers; breezy, temps: high: 30, low: 26.
  • Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 42 and low of 33 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. City weighs WisDOT proposal to expand the beltline (wortfm.org) — Madison’s Transportation Commission is weighing a massive WisDOT proposal to widen the Beltline, add flex lanes, and rebuild interchanges that could displace homes and businesses. Residents and an alder raised concerns about traffic, safety, climate impacts, and especially the risk to low-income neighborhoods, while also welcoming new bike and pedestrian connections. The city has not yet decided whether to support key parts of the plan.
   

2. Madison reports progress on affordable housing goals (fox47.com) — Madison is ramping up housing construction, finishing 2,328 new homes in 2025 and moving toward a goal of 15,000 by 2030, with more than 5,000 units still being built. City zoning changes and a focus on below-market-rate units aim to ease the housing crunch for local residents over the next few years.
   

3. Overture Center benefactor dies at 94 (channel3000.com) — Madison is mourning philanthropist Jerry Frautschi, whose record-setting $205 million gift built the Overture Center and helped define the city’s arts identity. His support, including a recent $10 million pledge, turned downtown into a cultural hub that continues to shape residents’ access to world-class performances and visual arts.
   

4. Madison East High School unveils lobby mural celebrating students and community (wkow.com) — Students at Madison East High School have transformed the school’s lobby with a new mural that celebrates East Madison’s diversity and values. Created with local artists, the artwork weaves in symbols of cultures, neighborhood parks, and social justice to welcome everyone who walks through the doors.
   

5. Jodi (Fink) Arneson (dailydodge.com) — Family and friends are mourning 62-year-old Jodi (Fink) Arneson, who passed away this week at Oakwood Health and Rehabilitation in Madison. A devoted Badger fan, longtime legal secretary, and animal lover, she is survived by close family including a sister living in Madison. Services will be held January 16 in Beaver Dam, with memorials suggested to the Dodge County Humane Society.
   


📸 Around Madison

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Madison

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📣 Madison Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

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  • Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Looking for a neighborhood in home day care for an easy going 2 (and half) year old.
    Days Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:30pm. Hope is for a current opening. Inviting interested parties to kindly reach out by DM! (Nextdoor Schroeder Rd)
  • Has anyone else who lives in the Briarwood Apartments complexes had their Amazon packages stolen after drop-off?
    A couple of mine were stolen from the mail area recently (Nextdoor Tenney-Lapham)
  • Mainstreet Ventures Restaurant Group posted a job opening for Porter in Madison. Apply here.
  • S&K Building Services posted a job opening for Window Cleaning Technician in Madison. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Madison here.

Ok Madison! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I sea you!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!


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