I had no idea who our mayor was.
Yes, I knew generally of Satya Rhodes-Conway elected in 2019 and a strong supporter of bus rapid transit, affordable housing and combating climate change. I’ve watched her speak. I’ve even met her in person when she was a guest at one of Neil Heinen’s editorial board meetings pre-COVID-19.
Rhodes-Conway was generous with her trust, offering personal details of her upbringing and the joys and tragedies that have shaped her. She shared family photos and posed for a new portrait you’ll see on page 67.
I came away from the piece with a fuller image of who our mayor really is, and was instantly excited to know we were opening up that same window to readers.
Taking a reasonable first step, she
began to volunteer at WORT-FM (89.9), a Madison community radio station.
But then COVID-19 hit. While other plans were put on hold, Harbaugh still prioritized her DJing dreams. In fact, the pandemic gave her a chance to dive deeper into DJing than she had planned.
After driving four hours through Illinois to get purchase a turntable through Facebook Marketplace, Harbaugh spent hours practicing with her music of choice: polka records.
A survey of 2,000 Americans by OnePoll found that about two in three people said COVID-19 gave them more time to spend on hobbies and odd jobs. The average respondent spent six hours a week working on a hobby or small job they had been putting off.
City of Madison pushes to shut down community fridge Close Close Close
The city of Madison is pushing to shut down a community fridge on East Johnson street, citing violations of zoning policy. The fridge, which offers free food and drinks to food insecure Madisonians, is a grassroots initiative organized by residents in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Located just up the street from Burnie’s Rock Shop, the fridge has been in operation since last August. It started as a project by a group of employees at Troy Farms, a community-supported organic vegetable farm on the city’s north side.
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Gone are the days of ânot having timeâ to pick up a new hobby.
The pandemic has given us the gift of time to pick up activities that not only pass the time but also provide an escape from the tumultuous reality.
These hobbies come in many forms and some with many quirks. They range from woodworking to learning to DJ vinyl polka records to taking long, virtual walks around a city 5,500 miles away, but each provides comfort and intrigue despite the endless uncertainty of the pandemic.
A gift from the basement of a friendâs grandmother led me to learn how to sew. Sitting down at the 1941 but new-to-me sewing machine and using a foot pedal to stitch together face masks, tote bags and other garments provides a few minutes, or hours, of calm.