Friday, Feb. 17
Madison concert promotion company Frank Productions announces that it has purchased the High Noon Saloon from owner Cathy Dethmers.
Saturday, Feb. 18
Madison’s beloved “Funky Drummer” Clyde Stubblefield dies at age 73 from kidney disease. The legendary musician is mourned by fans and friends far and wide and will receive an honorary degree from UW-Madison on May 12. See story, page 30.
Sunday, Feb. 19
Four men are injured in an early-morning shooting at a gas station near East Towne Mall; police believe the incident may be gang-related.
Tuesday, Feb. 21
State Rep. Bob Gannon (R-West Bend) says children who end up in solitary confinement at the state’s youth prison have “earned the opportunity” because of their behavior and suggests they should be prosecuted as adults, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. Wonder if he supports waterboarding them?
Incumbent Tony Evers handily wins the three-way primary race for state superintendent with 69.8 percent of the vote statewide. He receives three times more votes than his nearest rival, Lowell Holtz, who will compete against Evers in the April 4 general election.
Madison school board candidates Ali Muldrow and Kate Toews are the top two finishers for one board seat, advancing to the general election. In the other board race, incumbent Ed Hughes and challenger Nicki Vander Meulen move on to the general election.
Although statewide voter turnout in Tuesday’s primary was just 8 percent, almost 20 percent of Madison voters cast ballots. Props to voters at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church on the near west side, with a 46.2 percent turnout.
Wednesday, Feb. 22
Ed Garvey, the iconic labor rights advocate and attorney who founded Fighting Bob Fest, dies in a Verona nursing home. The 76-year-old had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Gov. Scott Walker’s “once-in-a-lifetime” evangelical Christian cruise to Alaska is canceled “due to scheduling issues,” the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.