Your Daily Guide

🏥 Evers Vetoes Bill To Bar Medicaid For Undocumented Immigrants

• Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers spent Friday vetoing a host of Republican-backed bills, including one that would have prevented undocumented immigrants from receiving any public money for health care services.
• Evers said the bill addressed “problems they admit do not exist,” and served to promote divisive political rhetoric. He noted that undocumented immigrants already are barred from enrolling in BadgerCare under state law, although the bill’s Republican sponsors said they worried the Department of Health Services would try to change that.
• 🎧 Naughty or nice? Does Evers deserve to be on Santa’s naughty or nice list? On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin and Madison school board member Ali Muldrow hand out “naughty” or “nice” designations for Evers and several other local notables. If you weren’t planning on listening, you’d better think twice! [WPR, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🏗️ GiGi’s Playhouse Madison Breaks Ground in Fitchburg

• Construction began last week on a new “forever home” in Fitchburg for GiGi’s Playhouse. The Madison-area nonprofit provides a free therapeutic and education center for residents with Down syndrome, their families, and the broader community.
• The new, larger location on Botanical Drive will open in late summer or early fall 2026. In addition to providing more space to serve individuals, the Fitchburg center will be within 10 miles of 90% of the county’s population, officials said. [WMTV]

🎄Holiday Tree Lighters Save Volunteer’s Life

• The holiday lights that have decorated evergreen trees along University Avenue for decades are intended to be a symbol of community and caring for others. But that symbol became literal last month, when the group of volunteers who string the lights each year ended up saving the life of one of their own.
• On Nov. 1, the volunteers worried when Annie Gibneski didn’t show up to light the trees, and received a series of nonsensical texts from her. They went to her home, and discovered she was experiencing a rare neurological emergency, and called 911. Gibneski spent a week in the hospital, and doctors think she may have had a case of Mollaret meningitis.
• 🫶 Neighbors helping neighbors: We here at City Cast Madison love these stories of Madisonians stepping up and taking care of our neighbors. If you do too, our Neighbors program is another great way to bring the city a little closer together! [WMTV, City Cast]

Madison being a pretty active, health-conscious city, some people find that their ideal way to celebrate the holidays is to lace up their trainers or get on their bikes. Even though it may be cold out, there are still a bunch of active events coming up this December (actually, all of them on this Saturday, Dec. 13) for you to get your blood pumping, your feet moving and your heart all warm.

Also, it’s supposed to be cold this weekend, so double-check in advance to make sure these events aren’t postponed or cancelled!

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Badgerland Krampus Run

The goat demon known as Krampus has become a favorite of folks who find Santa Claus a little too squeaky clean. The annual “Dachusland Krampuslauf” celebrates the dark side of the season, as folks dress up as Krampus and other folklore figures and run from Library Mall, up State Street, and around the Capitol Square, before finishing up at Prost for a drink.

The organizers say it’s actually more of a “meander” than a run, but the sight of the child-eating Krampus will get your pulse racing, especially if you’re a naughty child.

🎅 Santa Cycle Rampage

If two wheels is more your thing, Wisconsin Bike Fed is sponsoring this annual ride. Show up at Breese Stevens Field at 10 a.m. in costume for some bike jousting and other fun pre-ride events, then hit the Madison streets to spread some holiday cheer. If you don’t plan on riding, check out the route map and cheer the riders on!

🍻 Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl

Only a Wisconsinite might see a pub crawl as a form of exercise, but this one’s for a good cause. Put on your ugliest holiday sweater and peruse some of Madison and Monona’s best watering holes. If you see a Marine at one of the bars, make a donation to Dane County Toys for Tots to get a raffle ticket. End the crawl at VFW Post 7591 at 5 p.m. for the raffle drawing.