Madison
West Mifflin Street residents and neighboring areas received a letter from Captain Mary Schauf of the Madison Police Department Wednesday morning stating that the Mifflin Street Block Party's official date is May 7.
The letter read the alternative April 30 date was suggested \far too late in the planning process"" and the MPD has already ""made extensive commitments for the May 7 date that cannot be undone.""
The letter said the city cannot bear the additional costs moving the date would accrue and asked residents to ""respect the impact of this event on the broader Madison community.""
The letter also read the city will allow ""latitude for noise on May 7 between the hours of 12 p.m. and 6 p.m."" However, amplified music outside of this designated period, including April 30, ""will be subject to applicable noise ordinances.""
The letter closed thanking its recipients for their cooperation in making the Mifflin Street Block Party a safe neighborhood event.
UW-MADISON
Madison's Metro Transit may be raising fares later this year.
According to NBC 15 news, a proposal to raise the basic fare from $1.50 to $1.65 was recently introduced.
The Metro's budget squeeze comes at a time when rising gasoline prices may encourage motorists to look to mass transit.
Metro Transit is under financial pressure from expenses which climb approximately 3 percent each year, including labor and diesel fuel.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told The Daily Cardinal that raising fares is the wrong strategy and that people look for alternatives to high gas prices. Cieslewicz added he wants Metro Transit to look for new money.
MADISON
A new resolution by the Board of Estimates Monday night called for a study to be completed this summer regarding the sale of garments in Madison that were made in sweatshops.
""The study would be done to determine if indeed the city currently contracts with any such companies,"" said Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
Verveer added skeptics of the resolution said they are not aware of companies that work with sweatshops, but they may be surprised.
Ald. Austin King, District 8, called the resolution a ""no-brainer"" adding that this resolution seeks to correct an oversight.
""There is no proof that businesses are using sweatshops, but that is because we haven't been paying attention,"" King said. ""I assumed that we had paid attention to this, but we haven't.""
King added that most of the uniforms in the city of Madison were made in countries where 99 percent of the garments made were produced in sweatshops.
