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A new committee is looking to get ahead of data centers in Dane County. They're trying to make a roadmap for local communities, and their work will continue through 2026. New from me in your favorite local newspaper, @isthmusmadison.bsky.social! isthmus.com/news/news/wh...

new: Dane County Flock data has, per sharing agreements made by the sheriff's office, been shared with law enforcement agencies in 7 states (as far as Tennessee). That's raising concern among cybersecurity and civil liberties advocates. @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/do...

Hong Kong Café, Choles Floral could be demolished for 113-unit apartment building on Regent Street @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/Re...

Incumbent Dane County judge Ben Jones led last night's primary with a 17-point lead. Challenger Huma Ahsan tells me she plans to make up the difference by April 7 with grassroots campaigning: "We are the Mamdani of this whole campaign." @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/hu...

source request: If you or anyone you know has received an invite to the new Harry Styles album listening party in Madison, shoot me a DM!

As opposition to data centers in Wisconsin grows, Democrats propose statewide moratorium via @henry-redman.bsky.social wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/02/12/d...

College athletes’ NIL deals would be exempt from public records law under a bill supported by UW-Madison and recently introduced in Wisconsin. Universities have scrambled to keep such records private, citing "competitive interests." @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/co...

Madison mayor: paying damages for uncounted votes sets a dangerous precedent @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/ma...

A Dec. Tom Tiffany campaign ad contains irregularities that “point toward an AI-generated video,” an AI expert told @liamberan.bsky.social of @isthmusmadison.bsky.social. But it contains no disclaimer that generative AI was used, as is required by Wisconsin law. isthmus.com/news/news/di...

SCOOP: An ad for Tom Tiffany's gov campaign contains anomalies that "point to an AI-generated video," per a UW expert. But the ad doesn't contain a disclaimer required by state law. Tiffany's campaign didn't respond to a request for comment. @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/di...

NEWS: DeForest says it will drop controversial $12 billion data center plan. The village president had said the board had known about the project for only weeks, but @tomkertschernews.bsky.social obtained records showing it had been discussed for months. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/defo...

What is the Madison doing to prepare for ICE? One option the mayor's office is currently examining: "Options for restricting the use of city-owned property for federal enforcement purposes available within local, state and federal law." @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/wh...

The College Republicans of Wisconsin began the July filing period with $3,100 in the bank. They headed into 2026 with $1 million, thanks to two $500k donations from conservative megadonors and Illinois residents Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein. isthmus.com/news/news/co...

Enjoyed this piece by Brittany Carloni via @wisconsinwatch.org about the WisEye shutdown and how neighboring state legislatures handle recording/archiving floor and committee proceedings. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

There's a lot of talk around what to do with data centers in WI. Here's a piece overviewing different proposals in the statehouse and the moratorium that was just enacted here in Madison. @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/sh...

inbox: Madison's city council is launching a newsletter on "topics being considered by the Common Council, opportunities to engage with alders, and other timely updates." Will summarize introduction items and give info from city staff on current legislative discussions.

There's an election on April 7 in Madison, with a primary on Feb. 17. Here's who's running for what, by @liamberan.bsky.social: isthmus.com/news/news/wh...

scoop: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says new federal guidelines may make a widely-supported breast cancer screening bill unnecessary, telling @isthmusmadison.bsky.social he's "looking into whether or not Wisconsin has to do it." Advocates for the bill disagree. isthmus.com/news/news/vo...

If you're wondering why Wisconsin Supreme Court elections are breaking national records for campaign spending, watch our new video explainer. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/12/wisc...

Always read @mirandadunlap.bsky.social, who has a particular knack for finding and telling stories about people who are building community. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/12/wisc...

"So far, no current or former residents have returned to jail or prison. And two women once estranged from their families have been reunited with them since leaving the house." isthmus.com/news/news/ex... (via @liamberan.bsky.social)

NEWS: Madison's mayor and 10 alders are proposing a one-year moratorium on data center construction at the city council tonight. If enacted, it would make the city one of the largest in the U.S. to adopt such a ban. @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/ma...

Wisconsin Supreme Court elections have drawn an ‘obscene’ amount of spending. Here’s why & what can be done about it. Loose campaign finance laws, lax recusal rules, a purple electorate and the spring election cycle help explain record spending on these races. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/12/wisc...

Happy #GivingNewsDay! Please consider a contribution to @isthmusmadison.bsky.social to support in-depth coverage on topics important to Madison and Wisconsin; donations through Dec. 31 will be matched twice. We appreciate your support. isthmus.com/news/news/gi...

Imperial Garden to remain after property owner scraps apartment plans @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/im...

Also in this story: news about a meeting tomorrow calling for the village board president’s resignation. “What concerns me most is the broader tone this has taken on. The rising level of personal attacks and mistrust is not reflective of how Shorewood Hills has traditionally governed,” he says.

There’s tension in Shorewood Hills at present, including resident backlash to two proposed single family homes. “We do not want to destroy the character of this village. Anything that is done under the old ordinance will lead to that.” @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/sh...

I could add "local" to this. It's NewsMatch season, which means donations to lots of nonprofit news orgs will be matched. isthmus.com/support

Meeting Wednesday night in a room holding the radio station’s vast vinyl record collection, WORT-FM’s board of directors heard heated feedback from volunteers upset at the loss of two longtime staffers and other decisions made without consulting or informing them. isthmus.com/news/wort-ra...

"Vos did not respond to multiple requests for comment." isthmus.com/news/news/ad... (via @liamberan.bsky.social)

new from @isthmusmadison.bsky.social last night: Advocates for a bill that would expand insurance coverage of breast cancer screenings say that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is blocking a vote on the legislation over objections from insurance companies. isthmus.com/news/news/ad...

scoop: Vos is blocking breast cancer screening bill over objections from insurance companies, advocates say @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/ad...

After losing $112,000 in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Madison community radio station WORT-FM laid off two of its seven full-time staffers this week. Lauren Hafeman via @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/wo...

Madison's Turkish ice cream goes viral Lauren Hafeman via @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/food-drink/m...

Three finalists with backgrounds in police oversight are vying to be the interim director of Madison’s embattled police oversight agency. @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/me...

In what’s becoming an annual tradition, Madison’s city council passed a $453 million operating budget Tuesday evening alongside heated debate on whether to continue funding for the city’s embattled police oversight mechanism. @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/ma...

It's Madison Budget Night(s)! Starting now! www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/co... Capital Budget (stuff we build/buy): www.cityofmadison.com/finance/budg... Operating Budget (mostly staff): www.cityofmadison.com/finance/budg...

Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate @francescahong.bsky.social says Zohran Mamdani's win "gives me a lot of hope." Hong's campaign, like Mamdani's, centers issues facing working class voters. But WI is not NYC — can a democratic socialist win a purple state? isthmus.com/news/news/ca...

The data is likely not salvageable, says a city engineer. “It was giving speeds over 100 miles an hour, just completely off for like one day. Then you look at different days, it looks correct, and then another day it'll be way off." More from @liamberan.bsky.social: isthmus.com/news/news/ma...

A radar malfunction means an $18,500 pilot study in Madison to collect speed data on Willy Street collected no usable data on vehicle speed. The data is likely not salvageable, a city traffic engineer told me. @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/ma...

How much energy would it take to operate a 600-acre data center proposed for the town of Vienna? "About two-and-a-half times the electricity that all of Dane County uses currently," says the director of Dane County’s Office of Energy and Climate Change. isthmus.com/news/vienna-...

A proposed Vienna data center could use 2.5x the energy consumption of Dane County, the county's Office of Energy and Climate Change director told @liamberan.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/vienna-...

Vienna data center could use 2.5x the energy consumption of Dane County, says official @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/vienna-...

Madison Common Council tonight unanimously approved a new Street Tree Ordinance that allows for a possible revocation of permits if developers harm city owned street trees. This was discussed extensively at Plan Commission. bsky.app/profile/ther... www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/co...

Madison mayor’s 2026 budget: No cuts; funding for new library, homeless shelter @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/ma...

breaking: Madison's independent police monitor has resigned, after a troubled nearly three-year tenure. @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/ma...

Why is the city of Madison spending $14,000 on a ‘regional music brand?’ @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/arts/music/w...

Inside the City-County Building last night, you could hear chants from protesters demanding alders reconsider the shutdown of the homeless encampment on Dairy Drive. The council's president says it would be "too little, too late." @isthmusmadison.bsky.social isthmus.com/news/news/pr...

UW-Madison is changing its financial aid process. Here's what to know. (@wisconsinwatch.org / @captimes.com) wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/wisc...