 |  | | From Neil Heinen: In 2025, who would we name Madison streets after? Poet Allen Ginsberg envisioned the year 2025 in his 1994 poem "City Lights City," in which he named streets and landmarks after other poets. It got me thinking: Who are the Madisonians who spark our imaginations, challenge and inspire us, see and reflect us, for better or for worse? There are among us so many thinkers, artists, writers, dreamers and doers. I think we miss opportunities to acknowledge what really matters in our civic togetherness. We're too focused on the wrong things. So, no politicians please, past or present. No city leaders anointed by other city leaders. Our generous philanthropists already get their due elsewhere, as they should." | | | |  | | 🏠 Affording rent is an 'impossiblity' for nearly half in Madison
Someone earning the state minimum wage of $7.25 per hour would have to work 168.5 hours per week to afford Madison's median rent ($1,466). There are only 168 hours in a week. We took a look at a recent city report to see where Madison is at on addressing housing affordability and availability. Read more
🚧 Can New Glarus project mirror success seen in Paoli?
A restoration is underway involving the New Glarus Hotel and Restaurant, which will include the introduction of a Swiss supper club-inspired eatery, The Yodel Room. The project, which also includes eight new hotel suites, hopes to emulate the success of similar project, Seven Acre Dairy Co. Read more
☔ Madison loses local weather forecasters
WKOW in Madison is one of the stations that will lose its local weather forecasters after parent company Allen Media Group decided to implement coverage coming from the Atlanta-based hub of The Weather Channel (also owned by Allen Media Group). The change does not affect the local weather team of our sister station, News 3 Now. Read more
💫 Coming soon to a sky near you
With 2025 just starting, what notable night-sky displays should be on our collective radar? We reached out to Jim Lattis, Director at UW Space Place, to find out. This year will bring Wisconsinites a full lunar eclipse, a summer meteor shower and — just maybe — the return of "the Blaze Star." Read more
🦕 A local team discovers a brand new dinosaur
I can't believe more people aren't talking about this: A field crew from one of our local museums, UW Geology, found not just a new dinosaur species, but the oldest dinosaur ever discovered in the northern hemisphere. Seriously, read more.
| |  |  | | | The nail artist and general manager at The Shop creates manicure magic for her clients. It feels almost reductive to call some of the nail sets Clark creates "manicures." Clark uses each nail as a canvas, creating tiny, temporary art exhibits. | | | | | | Women have been taking the stage to crack jokes since at least the early 1900s, particularly during times when their joining the workforce was frowned upon. The Woman's Club of Madison combined humor, arts, and activism to pioneer civic reforms in an era when women's voices were often sidelined. | | | | | | In our January 2004 issue, then-Madison Magazine publisher Jenifer Winiger paid tribute to former Editor Brian Howell, who died of lung cancer in November 2003 at the age of 53. For six years, the late Madison Magazine editor was so very good at what he did — and so much fun to be around. | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | | |
