After losing farmers’ market access when government food assistance switched from paper to plastic forms of payment, last year Madison electronic FoodShare redemption at farmers’ markets reached its highest dollar amount yet.

ScooterCabs, a local business created by three University of Wisconsin-Madison grads, aims to provide an affordable alternative to taking a taxi home or driving under the influence. 

The service was created as an extra option for patrons that drive out to a bar or restaurant and have a few too many drinks.  The concept is similar to a taxi, except for one fundamental difference; the taxi is now the patron’s own vehicle.  There is no longer a need for patrons to abandon their vehicle at the bar or restaurant to make it home safely.

"With Wisconsin’s high rates of drunk driving, Madison seemed to have a need for this type of service," said owner Justin Sisley, "but even for the majority of people who would make the responsible decision to call a cab, our service provides a much more convenient option for them.  No more waiting around for a friend or cab to take you back to your car in the morning."

The city of Madison will be expanding the list of materials that it will accept in its curbside recycling program beginning Jan. 1. The changes are possible because of a new recycling processing contract the city has signed with Pellitteri Waste Systems of Madison.

"We are very excited about our new recycling contract," Madison recycling coordinator George Dreckmann said in a news release. "In addition to expanding the list of materials that Madison residents can put in their green recycling carts, we were able to negotiate a lower fee for sorting and selling our material. This lower fee will save taxpayers $173,470 per year."

Madison residents will now be able to add the following material to their recycling carts;