12.20.2023

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Today’s Forecast

35º | Cloudy | 15% chance of sleet | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 4:39 p.m.

Meet your NEIGH-bors

Have you HERD about Madison’s four-legged patrol?

Madison Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit Horses.jpg

Currently, there are six horses with badges, all part of the Madison Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit. | Photo via Madison Police Department

Molly Jean Thomson, of the Madison Police Department, was on the north side on patrol. Residents came out to greet her and mentioned that a neighbor, who wasn’t very mobile, would like to meet the patrol. Thomson agreed. The neighbors pointed to the house and Thomson went right up to the front door. “She came out,” Thomson said, “and met Bubba. It clearly made her very happy.”

Bubba is a horse. A Percheron/Clydesdale cross, he’s 21 years old and part of Madison’s Mounted Patrol Unit. He weighs nearly a ton and has “a goofy kid horsenality and love to play basketball.”

There are six horses in the unit:

Bubba
Cooper
Doctor B
Spirit
Thor
Torres

“Torres is my go-to partner,” Thomson said. Torres is a 17 year old Friesian. “He is a bit of a worry wart, but is very eager to partner with his human and get the job done.”

🐴 What do they do?

A horse’s job might seem like an antiquated notion for today’s police forces. There are no longer Wild West bandits outside the saloon that the local constable has to gallop to any longer, a cowboy hat perched proudly on their head.

Police horses are primarily used for crowd management. “We are about 10 feet tall when up on our horses, so we can see for city blocks and notice changes in crowd behavior,” Thomson said, part of the mounted patrol the last eight years.

Madison Police Department Mounted Patrol at a Madison event.JPG — Horses are effective in crowd management. | Photo via Madison Police Department

For Thomson, much of the satisfaction in her job comes from when she’s on patrol and the community comes up to meet the horses, like Torres. When Thomson leaves, the neighbors gathered there continue to talk and share news, an important aspect of building community. “We didn’t do anything special other than just show up with our four-legged partners.”

🏇 How do they join the team?

Madison’s police horses live at The Horse First Farm in Brooklyn. They come from private sellers all over the region.

Once purchased, the horses go through a rigorous training program and get their badges after a two-year probationary period.

There's more to this tail

Events

Wednesday, Dec. 20

Madison Jazz Jam | Wednesday, Dec. 20 | 6-9:30 p.m. | COPA, 2841 Index Rd., Madison | Price | Bebop over to COPA for a night of free flowing jazz.
Give and Take Away Comedy Show | Wednesday, Dec. 20 | 7:30-8:30 p.m. | Gib’s, 1380 Williamson St., Madison | $10 | Laugh it up with comics from Madison, Milwaukee, and further afield.

Thursday, Dec. 21

Messy Art with Laurie: Jingle Bell Painting | Thursday, Dec. 21 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St., Madison | Free with admission | Fingers will be daubed with green and red as kids make jingle bells.
Winter Solstice Night Walk | Thursday, Dec. 21 | 4-5:30 p.m. | UW-Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison | Free | Spend a little time in nature on the shortest day of the year.

Friday, Dec. 22

Camp Pawprint Day Camp | Friday, Dec. 22 | 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Dane County Humane Society, 5132 Voges Rd., Madison | $80-$95 | Keep your child learning while they’re not in school with shelter tours, crafts, and animal interactions.
Endswell, Sheep, Good News Dudes, & Mordecai | Friday, Dec. 22 | 8 p.m. | High Noon Saloon, 701 E. Washington Ave., Madison | $10-$13 | Listen to local talented songsters at a saloon.

Saturday, Dec. 23

Open to Grow: A Public Health & DAMA Collaboration | Saturday, Dec. 23 | 12-6 p.m. | Garver Feed Mill, 3241 Garver Green, Madison | Free | Learn about the recent Community Health Assessment with your community and check out a cool new mural in the process.
Badger State Wrestling Invitational | Saturday, Dec. 23 | All day | Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Wy., Madison | Wrestle your way into Alliant Energy Center to watch wrestlers wrestle.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Civic

The Lake Monona waterfront is one step closer to looking dramatically different. A special city committee unanimously approved a draft master plan of what the lakefront might become. It includes a broad plaza, an amphitheater, grand stairways, and more. Final decisions should be made by mid-April. (Wisconsin State Journal)

Health

UW Health is requiring patients, staff, and visitors to mask up while in clinics. The new policy comes after an increase in respiratory illnesses, like flu, RSV, and COVID-19, in Dane County. (WKOW)

Eat

Lanes are clogged with people eager for one last treat from Lane’s Bakery. It will close for good this Sunday, Dec. 24, unless someone buys it. The family-owned bakery has become a Madison institution, having been in business for 69 years. (Wisconsin State Journal)

Edu

Indigenous students from any of Wisconsin’s 11 tribes will be able to attend UW-Madison for free beginning next fall. The Wisconsin Tribal Education Promise program will use private donations and other internal funding to cover expenses for undergraduates on top of any other scholarships and grants they’ve earned. (Associated Press)

Sports

We’re putting on knit hats lately, but keep those ball caps close. The Madison Mallards recently announced their 2024 season schedule. The season runs from May 28 to Aug. 9 with a total of 38 home games at Warner Park. (Fox 47)

Traffic

There’s seemingly a Kwik Trip at every exit ramp. Soon, there may be more. The nation’s best gas station plans to create more than 500 jobs by 2027 through a $151 million expansion of its Wisconsin operations. (WMTV)

Closing

The Monona Terrace is set to close Jan. 9-Jan. 26 for renovations and restorations. The list of facility improvements and renovations includes a refresh of the building’s signature carpeting, resurfacing kitchen flooring, and painting throughout the building. (Channel 3000)

Civic

Check out a copy of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and “Die Hard” on DVD soon. The Madison Public Library will be closed Dec. 24 and 25, as well as on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Libraries will reopen the following Tuesdays with regular hours.

Drink

A “Dry January” beverage festival is coming to Madison for the first time on Jan. 13 at The Bur Oak. Following successful installments in Milwaukee, “N/A Day” will allow Madisonians to sample more than 50 products in the non-alcoholic drink market. (Tone Madison)

Arts

Following up with the funnies

"Live Comedy" sign over Comedy on State, in front of Orpheus Theatre sign.

Live comedy, breathe comedy. | Photo by @comedyonstate

Earlier this week, City Editor Jonathan wrote about Madison’s famous comedians and asked readers what local comedians we should be paying attention to now.

Readers’ picks:

Hannah Berner
This former UW-Madison tennis star is now a comedy star. Variety named her one of the “Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2023.”

Charlie Kojis, recommended by Amy K.
Performing stand-up since 2014, he’s opened for the likes of Tig Notaro, Nate Bargatze, and Michael Che. He jokes about polio, cold weather, and cast iron pans.

Pete Lee, recommended by Vicki A. and Zach B.
“From Janesville…close enough!,” Vicki said of Lee, who has been on “The Tonight Show” and hosts his own segment on Nickelodeon’s “Nicktoons”.

Will Santino, recommended by Laura M.
He’s gotten his cartoons published in The New Yorker, and has since branched out to video sketches and developing stand-up material.

The Buy

The Buy 12.20.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

An Apple Watch Series 9 — because the smartwatch is about to get much harder to find. Starting tomorrow, Apple will pull this smartwatch version from its website due to a patent dispute, with in-store purchases ending Sunday, Dec. 24. Other retailers may continue to sell the model until a final decision is made on an import ban. (Forbes)

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Jonathan

From the editor

With most every vacation I’ve taken with my daughter, we do our best to get a horseback ride in. It looks like there are plenty of opportunities for that nearby.

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