New Projects and Dedicated Volunteers Help Expand Dane County’s Newest Park

by Alan Cruz, age 17

On a recent summer evening, Simpson Street Free Press student reporters headed just south of Madison toward Oregon and Anderson Farm County Park. Pollinator gardens and the unveiling of public art attracted our attention to the park because we’ve been writing about those subjects this summer.

Established in 2014, Anderson Farm County Park is the newest park in the Dane County Parks system. At 310 acres, this is also one of our bigger parks. Anderson Farm Park is a mix of woodlands, agricultural fields, and a small prairie that was started in 2016. While the park is still being developed, new projects and new features are shaping up throughout this park.

We got to the park in time to see the unveiling of a new sculpture, which is located near the Union Road picnic area parking lot alongside the bike path. The sculpture honors the legacy of Gary Kalscheur, a long-time youth baseball coach and strong supporter of Anderson Farm County Park during its early days. [Read More]

Dream Ball Raises Scholarship Funds for Local Students

by Cristian Cruz

One of Madison’s signature events will take place on January 14th at Monona Terrace.

The “I Have a Dream” Ball honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And, after two years of gathering virtually, this year’s event will happen in person. The goal is to raise funds for college scholarships, which are awarded each spring.

For students at Simpson Street Free Press, this annual event is a tradition. We attend every year, and we look forward to it. The “I have a Dream” Ball is widely known as a truly fun event. There is good food, lots of interesting people, and a real sense of community and purpose. We think that’s because the people who attend know they are contributing to a great cause. [Read More]

New Land Purchase Will Protect Wildlife and Wetlands in Dane County

by Dulce Maria Vazquez, age 14

Groundswell Conservancy is a not-for-profit conservation group that recently bought 34 acres of wetland habitat in Dane County. The land is in the Town of Dunn near the Lower Mud Lake Natural Resource Area. This purchase will help groundswell achieve its mission of protecting wildlife habitats in Dane County and south-central Wisconsin.

Wetlands like the one recently purchased are areas that are flooded with water that can either be permanent or seasonal. These wetlands help manage floods, which is critical for the city of Madison's lakes. The landowners who sold the property wanted these lands to be protected.

Groundswell has to manage the property regularly to supply permanent habitat for ducks and other wildlife. The financing to obtain the land comes from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and a U.S Fish and Wildlife grant, which Ducks Unlimited administers. [Read More]

La Follette eSports Team Wins the High School State Championship

by Amare Smith, age 19

Similar to traditional sports, eSport involves players who like to compete and play games – except, eSport involves video games! The La Follette eSports team has been at the school for a little over two years. The Lancers eSports team competed in the high school state championship and recently won the competition. The game played was Super Smash Bros, a video game where players pick a character and fight against each other. Matthew Wright, the team captain, made a last-minute decision to choose a character other than his favorite, Captain Falcon, for the sudden death battle.

The CapTimes had a discussion with Wright on the State Championship and how he got involved with the team. Wright first heard about the group from word of mouth from his classmates and eventually met the coach, Mr. Pellien. Super Smash Bros was an addictive game and Wright progressively improved his skills with different characters as he played the game. Wright enjoyed attending practice and telling his teachers about it. He was an excellent student and didn’t fall behind in any of his subjects in school. To Wright, eSports was like a dream come true.

Competing in the state championship at Madison College was very special to Wright. The year before it happened, he went solo and was happy he made it to the top 16, but the team didn’t win first place. Either way, it was a great learning experience. He was happy to see the community and watch other people compete. Most importantly, Wright enjoyed his first time participating in a competition. This year, his second time around, he enjoyed how his team worked together and was able to secure first place. What Wright learned from his experience was the importance of teamwork and how it helps everyone improve their skills and communication. [Read More]

Open Meetings Violation Complaint Filed Against Belleville

by Sydney Steidl, age 16

A concerned citizen has accused the Village of Belleville of illegally meeting behind closed doors to consider and approve the sale of the Village’s former library in violation of the State’s Open Meetings Laws. The complaint, filed with the Dane County District Attorney’s office in early August, contained 10 separate allegations of open meetings violations.

The sale of the 6,300-square-foot building to a developer for $20,000 was approved as a result of closed meetings, despite the building being appraised at $210,000 only a year ago. This substantial difference has led many local residents to wonder what happened during the meetings and question the integrity of the deal.

One citizen, Jeff Larson, said he believes that other potential buyers would have offered more favorable terms for the library, and that this sale was not in the public’s best interest. “If the board believes this is such a great deal for the Village and its residents, why did it work so hard to hide information and prevent the public from sharing any input until after the decision was already made?” Larson said. [Read More]

City of Madison Continues to Make Progress in Composting Programs

by Mariama Bah, age 15

Citywide composting in Madison has had a challenging history, but supporters are still trying to make it a reality.

Compost is a mixture of decomposed organic matter typically used as fertilizer as it is high in nutrients for soil. Organic matter such as fruits and vegetables, grass clippings, and paper can be thrown into a pile and turned into compost. In turn, compost cuts methane emissions from landfills, conserves water, and reduces personal waste.

Madison has tried and failed to implement food composting programs. The city attempted to install curbside pick up services twice, but these programs quickly came to an end as food scraps were contaminated with non-organic materials like children's toys, coat hangers, and towels. [Read More]

New Transfer Options Available for Wisconsin Nursing Students

by Melanie Bautista, age 16

Madison Area Technical College (MATC) and the University of Wisconsin - Madison have come to an agreement to let transfer students from MATC with earned associates in nursing to earn a bachelor's degree at UW-Madison.

The program BSN @Home was created in 1996 to address shortage of bachelor-degree nurses. According to David Wahlberg at the Wisconsin State Journal, “Wisconsin could face a shortage of about 11,000 nurses by the year 2030.” The agreement between both colleges will allow a smoother transition into online courses for the nursing program and for current nurses who want to pursue a higher position in the medical field. With COVID-19 occurring, nursing jobs have been in high demand; 10 percent of nursing positions have become unoccupied.

The highest role in healthcare, nursing assistant, has a vacancy of 17.2 percent, higher than previous years. Turina Bakken, a provost of MATC, says, “ This new nursing agreement adds to that legacy as we work together to meet the critical nursing demand in our communities and create meaningful career options for our collective students.” This makes the nursing pathway much smoother. [Read More]

Land Purchase in Western Dane County Provides Public Access to Morton Forest

by Hiba Al-Quraishi, age 14

A generous gift from a private landowner made 22 years ago is prompting new conservation action in Dane County.

In 1999, 120 acres of Morton Forest were deeded to Dane County by Steve Morton, a retired chemist, and environmentalist. The land is about 2.5 miles south of the Town of Mazomanie. To create better access to Morton Forest, Dane County now plans to purchase 65 acres of land in the Village of Black Earth.

Similar to Morton Forest, this new piece of land in Black Earth has amazing vistas, as well as small farmlands, a stone quarry, and rock outcroppings. [Read More]

When Exploring Dane County’s Sugar River, Keep and Eye Out for Invasive Species

by Dayanara Flores Gonzalez, age 14

The Sugar River, also known as The Upper Sugar River Watershed, is located in Dane County and flows all the way down to the Rock River.

The Upper Sugar River Watershed Association works to protect the river from invasive species that can harm or push out native species and damage the ecosystem. Many rare and endangered native plants found in the river and its nearby wetlands are threatened. Most wetland animals depend on these native plants for food and shelter.

Some native species can disappear if a watershed loses its healthy wetlands. Recreational uses of wetlands include trapping, fishing, bird watching, and nature study. Healthy wetlands can help with keeping the water clean and safe for wildlife. Healthy wetlands also help control and prevent floods. [Read More]

Land Purchase Creates New Ice Age Trail Park

by Moises A. Hernandez, age 17

One of only eleven National Scenic Trails, the Ice Age Trail highlights unique beauty seen on a thousand-mile footpath in Wisconsin. The trail stretches from St. Croix Falls in Polk County to Sturgeon Bay in Door County and travels through 30 counties, including the County of Dane. That is where the county and both the Cities of Madison and Verona have proposed to pay $2.7 million for land that would fulfill connections missing in the trail.

This parcel is about 40 acres and is located west of Madison in a quickly-growing area that is covered by a forest containing mature oak. It is “a wonderful example of glacial geology,” according to the Director of Land Conservation for the Ice Age Trail Alliance, Kevin Thusius.

“The glacier ended right here and it left behind glacial till—a lot of rock and debris that created a nice hill,” he said. This parcel of land includes examples of landscape features like kettle ponds—where a piece of ice was left after the glacier melted away. A study completed in 2019 said the trail is used by about 2.3 million people each year, a number that has certainly “increased significantly since,” according to Thusius. [Read More]

Martin Luther King, Jr “I Have a Dream”
Event Supports Local Scholarships

by Josepha Da Costa, age 16

The annual “I Have a Dream” Ball is scheduled for January 15, 2022. This year’s event will again take place virtually. As always, the I Have Dream Ball will raise money to fund scholarships for local high school seniors and college students. And, as always, this cherished Madison tradition is organized and sponsored by the dedicated volunteers of Women in Focus.

My name is Josepha Da Costa and I am a junior at La Follette High School. I am also a teen editor at Simpson Street Free Press. I have attended the Women in Focus Ball with my Simpson Street colleagues several times over the years going back to when I was in 6th grade. [Read More]

Two-year-old Red Panda Finds New Home at Vilas Zoo

by Dilma Attidekou, age 8

There is a new red panda that has come to the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin. His name is Bandit and he is a very active two-year-old.

After two months of processing, Bandit arrived at the zoo from Ohio in early June. He had to undergo a few health checks and quarantine before he was allowed to be introduced to the public.

Tai, the female red panda at the zoo, and Bandit are slowly starting to get to know each other. Bandit is showing his curious personality by climbing trees and exploring his new home. Bandit was brought to Madison to join Tai after Tarei, another red panda at the zoo, died last year at the age of 19. [Read More]

Where Is the Sugar River?

by Dulce Maria Vazquez, age 13

The Sugar River runs throughout southern Wisconsin and ultimately feeds into the Rock River in Illinois. The start of its main branch is located in Mount Horeb in Dane County, close to Madison, Fitchburg, and Verona.

One of the Sugar River’s biggest feeder streams is Badger Mill Creek. The creek also begins in Madison and runs through Verona and Fitchburg. It finally reaches, and merges with, the Sugar River near Highway 151.

The Sugar River’s other note-worthy tributaries are the West Branch of the Sugar River and Mount Vernon Creek, which help make up the Upper Sugar River Watershed. The Upper Sugar River Watershed encompasses the section of the Sugar River that lies upstream of Bellville, Wisconsin. The whole watershed reaches across about 500,000 acres, or 760 square miles, of southern Wisconsin and the northern part of Illinois. [Read More]