02.16.2024

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Today’s Forecast

28º | 3% chance of sleet | Sunrise 6:53 a.m. | Sunset 5:29 p.m.

Get to know your local cubers

Madisonians are totally square

A close up of a Rubik's Cube showing it's green, orange, red, and yellow sides..jpeg

Can you solve a Rubik’s cube in less than ten seconds? Neither can we. | Photo via Wikimedia Commons

If you solve a Rubik’s cube in a flash, sometimes you can get on “Good Morning America.” That’s what happened to Madison native Joshua Feran.

Feran is something of a Rubik’s Cube legend. He has his own YouTube channel. “I used to set state records at almost every competition I went to,” he says. “I was national champion in the clock event two years running.”

Asked about his arch rivals on the cube circuit he says he doesn’t have any, “Just friends.”

Feran’s friends will be at Monona Terrace this weekend for a Midwest Cubing Association competition. Yes, there are cubing associations. The Midwest organization aims to “help broaden and develop the cubing community.”

The details:

Place: Monona Terrace (meeting rooms M and N), 1 John Nolen Dr.
Date: Saturday, Feb. 17 and Sunday, Feb. 18
Time: Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

“I really like how accessible it is,” Feran says, whose mother got him his first cube as a kid. “It doesn’t cost a lot and everyone is friendly.”

Zeke Mackay will also be at this weekend’s competition and currently holds a Wisconsin state speed record in cube solving. He concurs. “The prevailing culture among cubers is to support and welcome each other regardless of speed or age.”

A young bearded man is sitting down competing in a Rubik's Cube speed competition.JPG — The Midwest Cubing Association has competitions all over the Midwest. | Photo via Zeke Mackay

The Rubik’s Cube is aged 50. Celebrating its anniversary this year, the 3D combination puzzle was invented by Ernő Rubik, a Hungarian professor of architecture. Over 450 million cubes have been sold worldwide, making it the world’s bestselling puzzle game.

Feran can solve a cube in less than 10 seconds. He once solved it behind his back...while skiing backward. He can do it with his feet.

Mackay’s on equal footing. He says, “Cubers are generally focused on improving their own times rather than competing against another.”

Both encourage Madisonians to visit Monona Terrace this weekend for the event. “It’s fun to watch,” Feran says. “It’s incredible to see how fast those problem solvers are.”

Asked

What was your favorite toy growing up?

Think: American Girl dolls, Lincoln Logs, Bop Its, Etch a Sketch.

Have fun

Events

Friday, Feb. 16

Madison Ballet: Love | Friday, Feb. 16-Sunday, Feb. 25 | Times vary | Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St., Madison | $40-$45 | See dance works exploring all the themes of love.
Joking Smokers Comedy Night | Friday, Feb. 16 | 8-10 p.m. | Knuckleheads Wellness, 1201 Regent St., Madison | $10 | Get silly by seeing some stellar local standup.

Saturday, Feb. 17

Bird and Nature Adventure | Saturday, Feb. 17 | 10 a.m. | Olbrich Park Sled Hill, 3301 Atwood Ave., Madison | Free | Learn about native Wisconsin wildflowers with your family and go home with some seeds to plant on your own.
Black Girl Magic Saturday | Saturday, Feb. 17 | 12-3 p.m. | Goodman Community Center, 214 Waubesa St., Madison | Celebrate Black History Month with food, crafts, and more.
Madison Carnaval| Saturday, Feb. 17 | 9 p.m.-12 a.m. | Majestic Madison, 115 King St., Madison | $20 | Some Brazilian culture comes to the heart of downtown Madison.

Sunday, Feb. 18

United Way Bluegrass Benefit | Sunday, Feb. 18 | 1 p.m. | The Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave., Madison | $5-$10 | Support the United Way by listening to some fine fiddling and boisterous banjo.
Winter Festival of Poetry | Sunday, Feb. 18 | 2 p.m. | Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111. S. Livingston St., Madison | Find fine poets in friendly confines.

Monday, Feb. 19

Service Industry Night | Monday, Feb. 19 | 4-8 p.m. | Delta Beer Lab, 167 E. Badger Rd., Madison | Free | Do you work in service, hospitality, education, or healthcare? Get a discount on a well-deserved pint.

Tuesday, Feb. 20

Winter Social | Tuesday, Feb. 20 | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | Element Labs, 5510 Element Way, Madison | $5-$15 | Take a tour of the new Elements Labs at University Research Park. Drinks and light snacks will be had.
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine | Tuesday, Feb. 20 | 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., Madison | $8-$72 | Listen to Schumann, Brahms, and more from one of Europe’s top-tier orchestras.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Community

As the Dane County Sheriff’s Office plans to participate in a body-worn camera project, a public meeting has been set to provide information about the recording tool. The meeting will take place at Middleton’s town hall (7555 Old Sauk Rd.) on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6 p.m. (DeForest Times Tribune)

Weather

Wisconsin’s first-ever February tornado last week has prompted Dane County to make changes to its outdoor warning sirens strategy. Siren tests will now take place every month. Previously, the sirens were not tested from December through February. Sirens will also now be active when a warning is ongoing. (Channel 3000)

Civic

Thanks to $16 million in federal funding, Madison broke ground at 3901 Hanson Rd. for a facility to support the city’s new electric bus fleet. It will be used to store buses and for bus maintenance and repairs. The building is scheduled to be completed by fall.

Travel

We’re going to Disney World. Breeze Airways now offers non-stop flights from Madison to Orlando. Prices for this route start at $59 for one-way if you purchase by Feb. 19 for travel from Feb. 26 to Aug. 30. Check out our guide on Dane County Regional Airport before you go. (WMTV)

Environment

A recent study by CommercialCafe ranked Madison No. 2 among mid-sized US cities for green commuting. The results were based on key metrics such as the prevalence of pedestrian and bicycle commuters, green infrastructure, and carpooling initiatives. (In Business)

Sports

Five Sun Prairie skaters are going to nationals. Eloise Blaschka, Mac Meyer, Claire Jesberger, Hannah Paulin, and De’Laci Froese are headed to Las Vegas later this month for the 2024 US Synchronized Skating Championship. If you want to hit the ice, Monona’s outdoor Lake Ridge Bank River Rink is open. (Sun Prairie Star)

Ranked

Madison’s Summit Credit Union was recently named by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions. Newsweek analyzed nearly 10,000 institutions and based the findings on 35,000 customer interviews and more than 149 million online reviews. (In Business)

Shop

Vroom, vroom... that’s your signal to head to the Harley-Davidson® Museum in Milwaukee. The museum campus is home to two premium retail experiences: The Harley-Davidson® Shop + The H-D® Factory Outlet. Plan your visit.*

Kids

Word nerds, unite

How do you spell champion, Madison?

A close up of a page in a dictionary with a magnifying glass placed atop it.jpeg

38 local children are competing in the All-City spelling bee this weekend. | Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Things will be buzzing at Mitby Theater on Madison College’s Traux Campus this Saturday. That’s because 38 champion spellers from Madison’s public and private schools will be competing in the annual All-City Spelling Bee.

The top three spellers at the bee will represent Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) 2 in the statewide competition. That competition, the Badger State Spelling Bee, will be held on Saturday, March 15, also at Mitby Theater.

From there, the top two state spellers will travel to Washington, DC for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, taking place on May 28. Last year’s national champion, Dev Shah, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, won $50,000, plus gifts and prizes.

Come out to the theater and support the young spellers. The action starts at 9 a.m.

The room will be filled with J-O-C-U-N-D-I-T-Y, jocundity.

The Buy

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Jonathan

From the editor

I get a lot of groans from my kids when I talk to them. I don’t take it too seriously.

Anyway, with all these local spelling bees coming soon, I wanted to let you know that I once swallowed a dictionary. It gave me thesaurus throat I’ve ever had.

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