Earlier today, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz e-mailed City Council members with information regarding the City’s negotiations with Fiore Company, partly in response to an open records request. In this email, he outlines four main issues that are currently being negotiated between the city and the Fiore/Irgens team. To read the full letter from the Mayor, see the Laptop City Hall post on these recent developments.
Add comment March 16th, 2010 Alicia
In celebration of the launch of Porchlight’s Madison Cares Campaign, the Madison Public Library has joined forces with Porchlight for a community read of The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez.
The Soloist is the remarkable story of the bond between a journalist and a mentally ill, homeless, classically trained musician in Los Angeles. “The Soloist is a great read,” says Porchlight executive director Steve Schooler. “More importantly, the main characters - Nathaniel and Steve - help us understand the intertwined issues of homelessness and mental health and inspire us to care more about the people who live in our midst.”
The Soloist is available both as a book and as a major motion picture starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. Community members can get involved by either reading or viewing The Soloist. Porchlight and Madison Public Library have developed an online Community Read Tool Kit that is available to all book clubs and individuals, and prepared book club kits with multiple copies of the book which are available for checkout from the library. Members of the community are invited to read the book, see the movie, and join a discussion—either at home with friends or at the library.
We will be holding seven book discussions at libraries around the city. Please join us for a conversation about this “unique yet universal” story.
Porchlight provides emergency shelter, food, employment services, counseling, and affordable transitional and permanent housing to homeless people in the Dane County area. Porchlight’s services are designed to foster independence and the transition into permanent housing and employment. For more information, visit their website.
Add comment March 12th, 2010 Tana
Help high-school students to take control of their financial futures! The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Education have teamed up to launch the National Financial Capability Challenge for 2010, an awards program designed to engage teachers in teaching personal financial fitness, and to increase the financial knowledge of high-school aged students across the country. Encourage your high-school teachers to register for the challenge by visiting challenge.treas.gov prior to March 14th.They’ll receive access to educational materials and a toolkit to help students prepare to make smart financial decisions. An online challenge exam can be administered anytime between March 15 - April 9, and top performers from all schools will be nationally recognized. Spread the word in your community by posting a flier, and ask your teachers to participate in the Challenge!
Looking for more information on personal finances for teens? Check out the Teen Finance Series, with information about savings, credit, debt, finding money for college, and more.
Add comment March 4th, 2010 Alicia
Attention all college-bound high school seniors & families! Do you need money for college?
The Urban League of Greater Madison and Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation are sponsoring a free hands-on workshop where you can receive help as you complete the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). No matter where you go to college, the FAFSA is the key to unlocking money for college-including federal grants (FREE money!) and low interest federal student loans. Don’t miss out!!
To fill out your FAFSA, you’ll need to bring your:
* Social Security number (or alien registration card)
* Driver’s license or equivalent
* 2009 federal tax returns (yours or your parents)
* 2008 federal tax returns if 2009 returns are not complete (yours or your parents)
* 2009 untaxed income record (yours or your parents)
* 2009 bank statements (yours or your parents)
* 2009 business and investment records (yours or your parents)
If you don’t have everything, bring what you can
Hosted by: Urban League of Greater Madison and Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation.
Seating is limited–please RSVP to Erin Broome at the contact information below.
When:
Wednesday, February 17
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where:
Urban League of Greater Madison
2222 South Park Street, Madison
2nd Floor, Madison Community Foundation Training Room
For more information contact Erin Broome, 608-729-1214, ebroome@ulgm.org
If you go, peek into the South Madison Branch Library’s new home on the first floor of the Urban League building, coming Fall 2010!
Add comment February 16th, 2010 Tana
Find resources at the library about African American history as well as featured programs and activities on our African American History Month page. You will also find local historical resources on the internet, tips on researching African American topics and local information pertaining to Madison and Dane County.
Add comment February 1st, 2010 Tana
The League of Women Voters of Dane County, a non-partisan, community-based organization committed to “reconnecting citizens with government, enhancing voter participation, including all voices in civic life, and strengthening the democratic process through reform” has just released their 2010 Spring Election Candidates’ Answers. The League of Women Voters of Dane County is not printing Candidates’ Answers for the Primary Spring 2010 election. Read up on the primary election (February 16) candidates at the LWVDC web site.
Add comment January 28th, 2010 Alicia
The Dane County Job Service is holding a series of workshops at the Central Library aimed at assisting people get themselves ready for the job search. Called Diversify Your Approach to Employment, the workshops help you analyze your skills and market yourself in the best way possible for today’s job market. Sign-up for the classes online or call 266-6350. And, while you’re at it, register with the Job Center of Wisconsin.
Here’s the workshop schedule:
January 21 - 1-2:30 p.m. Diversify your Resume, 3-4:30 p.m. Marketing your Skills & Cover Letters
February 4 - 1-2:30 p.m. Transferable Skills: Identify Yours, 3-4:30 p.m. Develop a Formal Work-Search Plan
February 18 - 1-2:30 p.m. Diversify your Resume, 3-4:30 p.m. Marketing your Skills & Cover Letters
Add comment January 19th, 2010 terrymc
Is one of your intentions this year to work on a healthier you? SELF Magazine places Madison at #8 out of 100 in its November article, The Healthiest Places for Women. Madison was noted for having one of the lowest average body mass indexes, and cancer and disease mortality rates are about 15 percent lower than the national average. In addition, Madison women reported spending more time getting fit than any other city in the country.
Start 2010 off right and get fit by taking advantage of the City of Madison’s many beautiful cross country ski trails. Thirty kilometers of groomed trails await skiers in 6 Madison park locations. Trail difficulties range from easy to advanced. Don’t have your own skis? Rental skis are available at Elver Park and Odana Golf Course on the weekends.
A ski pass is required to use the facilities at Elver and Odana Golf Course. Fees are $6 for a daily pass and $24 for an annual pass. These passes are also good on Dane County Park trails. No pass is required at Owen Conservation Park, Turville Conservation Park, Monona Golf Course and South Cherokee Conservation Park, so you can ski for free at these locations.
Complete listings of ice skating, skiiing and sledding information are available online. Find more information about Madison winter fun in the latest issues of Madison Parks News and Madison Parks Magazine, and view a winter activities photography slideshow on flickr.
Add comment January 14th, 2010 Molly
Do you have a great idea for beautifying your neighborhood and bringing your vibrant community together? Check out the Department of Planning & Community & Economic Development Division’s 2010 Neighborhood Grant Program! Begun in 1999, this program has helped to fund over 200 neighborhood projects that have included many thousands of volunteer hours. Build a better community with Mini-Grants up to $2,000 and Full Grants over $2,000.
Projects are accepted in three separate categories: Community Enhancement, Neighborhood Leadership and Capacity Building, and Neighborhood Planning Grants. Neighborhood associations and planning councils, business associations, and other community organizations are eligible to apply for these grants.
Want to become involved? Save the date for these important meetings and deadlines:
Thursday, January 21, 6 - 7:30 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch Library - Grant Application Q&A Session (Call Linda Horvath at 267-1131 with questions.)
Monday, February 8 - Full-Grant Project Intent Forms Due
Monday, March 1 - Mini & Full Grant Applications Due (Must have submitted a Project Intent Form by 2/8 for Grants over $2,000)
For more full guidelines and applications, see the City of Madison Neighborhoods Grant Program information pages.
Add comment January 11th, 2010 Alicia
All Madison Public Library locations will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 18. You can still use the library when we’re closed: place holds in LINKcat, return items to our bookdrops, or use our 24/7 online reference service, AskAway. See our web site for more information on area celebrations or on Martin Luther King, Jr. or discover our recommended resources for African American History Month in February.
Join others in celebration of the life of Dr. King at the 25th Annual Madison-Dane County King Holiday Observance at the Overture Center Capital Theater at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 18. Former SCLC Education Director, Dorothy Cotton, who served under Dr. King’s direct supervision, will bring her message of hope on her first visit to Madison. Sponsored by the King Coalition and the Urban League of Greater Madison; see more information on Cotton and other ULGM sponsored events.
Add comment January 7th, 2010 Tana