Your Daily Guide

⛈️ Madison Cleans Up After Severe Storms

Local businesses and officials are still assessing the damage after the storms that swept through Dane County Monday and Tuesday, bringing winds as high as 60 miles per hour and baseball-sized hail.

• Roofs ripped off: Two businesses near the Beltline had parts of their roofs ripped off by the storms early Tuesday morning. Fierce winds hit Office Furniture Used & New and KitchenCrest Cabinets Wisconsin, both on Nob Hill Road, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. [ 🔒WSJ]
• Long-term parking, long-term damage: Hundreds of cars parked in the surface lots at Dane County Regional Airport were damaged by hail, with smashed windshields and dented bodies. [WKOW]
• Was your property damaged? Dane County Executive Melissa Agard said on Instagram that residents whose property was damaged should contact their insurance provider as soon as possible. She also said that scam artists often follow in the wake of major storms, and residents should verify contractors with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and be wary of anybody going door-to-door offering quick fixes. [Instagram]
• ‘A serious final gasp’: After a sunny Thursday, southern Wisconsin is again under enhanced risks of severe weather Friday afternoon into evening. ““This is one final gasp, but it's going to be a serious final gasp,” National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Gehring told the State Journal. Meteorologists are concerned about damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rain that, combined with precipitation earlier this week, increases the risk of flash flooding. [ 🔒WSJ]
• Be prepared: Listen to our conversation with Andrew Beckett, Dane County Emergency Management’s emergency communications and outreach manager, about how to stay safe during extreme weather. The city of Madison has some valuable tips as well. [ 🎧City Cast Madison, City of Madison]
• 🎧 Dig deeper: On the City Cast Madison podcast today, we talk about weathering this week’s storms, as well as a big shakeup in UW-Madison athletics, and some pushback against the plans to expand Olbrich Gardens. Plus, in our members-only segment, we talk about the wildest crime story of the week! [ 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🚨Señor Machetes owner still held by ICE: Noel Quintana, the owner of Señor Machetes restaurant in downtown Madison, is still being held by federal immigration agents despite two big legal victories. Quintana, who has been a legal U.S. resident since 2002, was arrested on Jan. 24, and is currently being held in an Indiana correctional facility. [Cap Times]

🐶 Activists plan another beagle ‘rescue’: A group of animal rights activists say they are planning to bring 2,000 people to a Blue Mounds beagle breeding and testing facility this weekend to take possession of 1,900 dogs. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said his deputies will be on site at Ridglan Farms and are urging the activists not to break the law. [ 🔒WSJ]

😀 Board game store, escape rooms to close: Madison will get a little less fun in a few weeks. I’m Board Games announced it is closing its board game store on Monroe Street, although the Middleton and Sun Prairie stores will stay open.

Meanwhile, the owners of Escape This escape rooms on East Wilson Street said their business will close at the end of April to make way for a boutique hotel. (If you can make it in before they close, I highly recommend the “Lost Friday Weekend” room.) [In Business, Escape This]

🌼 A buttercup invasion?: UW-Madison researchers are warning that a new invasive plant, the fig buttercup, is spreading across the Upper Midwest. Over time, the flowers form dense carpets, crowding out wildflowers and reducing the quality and diversity of natural areas. [WKOW]