Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How Madison’s Capitol squeezes a 30-foot holiday tree through one door

Make time for Madison Area Concert Handbells presents: Snowed In! - A Christmas Concert on the Madison Patch calendar

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Sunday December 14th Patch AM
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Morning Madison! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How Madison’s Capitol squeezes a 30-foot holiday tree through one door
  • How did Madison land among America’s top ten most caring cities?
  • Planning your first ice fishing trip from Madison next winter?

Also on today's calendar: Madison Area Concert Handbells presents: Snowed In! - A Christmas Concert and 9 more events.

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

Today's riddle: Jimmy, did you crash on your bike again? You’ve lost a tooth! 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

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

  • Sunday: Turning cloudy and very cold, with a high of 8 and low of 4 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
  • Monday: Not as cold, temps: high: 26, low: 14.
  • Tuesday: Mostly cloudy and not as cold, with a high of 37 and low of 27 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Standing tall in the rotunda: The 2025 Wisconsin State Capitol holiday tree (madisoncommons.org) — You can visit the towering 2025 holiday tree now brightening the Wisconsin State Capitol rotunda in downtown Madison, decorated with thousands of student-made ornaments from across the state. This year’s “Learning Tree” theme honors teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and other school staff, tying into Gov. Tony Evers’ Year of the Kid initiative and drawing school groups to Madison for festive field trips and the recent lighting ceremony.
   

2. Madison, Wisconsin Named Top 10 Most Caring City For 2026 (103wjod.com) — Madison just earned national recognition as the 10th most caring city in America for 2026, according to a new WalletHub study. The ranking highlights local generosity, volunteer hours, and especially how much Madison teachers care for students’ wellbeing. Milwaukee also scored well in certain categories, but Madison led Wisconsin by landing in the overall top ten.
   

3. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources anounces 2026 Free Fishing Weekend dates (wearegreenbay.com) — Mark your calendar if you’re an angler in or around Madison: Wisconsin’s DNR has set Winter Free Fishing Weekend for January 17–18, 2026, with no license required statewide. Families can try ice fishing on most waters, though officials stress checking local ice conditions, following hook-and-line rules, and heeding any consumption advisories before keeping their catch.
   

4. Wisconsin congressional map lawsuits may not resolve by midterms (fox6now.com) — Madison is again at the center of Wisconsin’s redistricting fight, with two lawsuits over the state’s Republican-favoring congressional map now likely to be decided only after the 2026 midterms. Judges meeting just blocks from the Capitol weighed Democratic and bipartisan challenges that could eventually reshape how competitive Wisconsin’s eight U.S. House districts are.
   

📸 Around Madison

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Madison

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📣 Madison Shout Outs!

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Foxfires.
    The write-up accompanying this pic on Astronomy Picture of the Day is charming. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251212.html (Nextdoor Oakbridge)
  • US 51 North is closed from East Tower Road to Bible CP Road due to an accident, with congestion on inbound John Nolen between North Shore Drive and Olin Avenue.
    5:51PM on Dec 12: Traffic is closed on US 51 Northbound from East Tower Road to Bible Church Road in McFarland due to an accident. (Nextdoor )
  • Porchlight's Emergency Men's Drop-In Shelter expects 350 guests Saturday night because of the cold temperatures - 100 more than its normal capacity... (X: WKOW)
  • Starting today, the @wistatepatrol and law enforcement agencies across the state are working extra patrols watching for impaired drivers. The holiday... (X: WisconsinDOT)
  • CBRE Group, Inc. posted a job opening for Lease Admin Supervisor (Eastern Region) in Madison. Apply here.
  • TJX Companies, Inc. posted a job opening for Front End Coordinator 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 didn’t lose a tooth, Mom. It’s right here in my pocket.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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