anyone being like “this is not who we are” should perhaps read more history

I gotta admit, appealing to renters is very savvy on a pure vote-getting level. But I'm struggling to understand how exempting new construction from rent-hike caps would play out, especially in Madison where housing policy is mostly "frantically mash the supply button"

@captimes.com · 2d ago

Madison City Council member Ellen Zhang, who is a student at UW-Madison, said the proposed policy changes would "change the game" for students.

The story we keep hearing about body cameras in Madison skips over a lot of context. I explore the last couple years of this process in the latest issue of my subscriber-supported newsletter, Yahara Flyer.

After more than a decade, MPD's plan for body cameras is still sketchy

The story we tell ourselves about bodycams. Also, apples.

yaharaflyer.com

Police agencies are hardly the only gov't agencies that pull this kind of thing, but they are the most brazen about it. They should literally not be allowed to have their own PR teams and should not have control of their own records. The benefit to media and society in general would be massive

Freedom of the Press Foundation@freedom.press · last wk.

"For small newsrooms, a $2.5 million invoice is effectively a gag order that was never actually about covering costs, but bullying the requester to drop their inquiry," FPF's @laurenleharper.bsky.social writes in @theintercept.com More on ransoms for public records:

Cenobites. That's it. That's the bleet.

Flight 002 of Yahara Flyer is out! I wrote more about police bodycams. @jesseraub.online wrote about apples. Hoping to get the print edition distributed by this evening at @giantjonesbrewing.bsky.social, Cool Bikes North, @roomofonesownbooks.bsky.social, and @4starvideo.bsky.social

After more than a decade, MPD's plan for body cameras is still sketchy

The story we tell ourselves about bodycams. Also, apples.

yaharaflyer.com

The Wisconsin State Journal editorial has been tripping over itself to argue for the virtues of police body cameras. One recent claim was so misleading and unsupported that I up and wrote a letter to the editor archive.ph/QuBk7

I spoke to a local reporter recently who said Flock follows the "typical cycle" of coverage--regurgitating glowing press releases, then skepticism, then covering the outrage. Reminder: You don't have to take police or companies' word for how safe, effective, or cool tech is even if its new.

"Selling Safety": A Journalist's Guide to Covering Police Technology

selling_safety.pdf

eff.org

Pushing toward the finish line on Yahara Flyer 002, due out October 1. It's more yelling about body cameras. Incredibly annoying bodycam stuff keeps happening so I keep having to revise. Also @jesseraub.online—excuse me, JR Appleman—will have a fall treat for you subscribe/support: yaharaflyer.com

The first edition of Yahara Flyer is up. Print copies will be available by tomorrow at @giantjonesbrewing.bsky.social and Cool Bikes North. Read/subscribe/support here!

Madison's body-camera discourse and the endless cry of "if only"

The bodycam discussion is pointedly not about preventing police from killing more people.

yaharaflyer.com

Putting the finishing touches on the first issue of Yahara Flyer. If you haven't subscribed yet, now's the time :) Also there was a problem that blocked free subscriptions but I've fixed that

Scott Gordon@scottgordonwi.bsky.social · 2mo ago

OK I am launching a very minimal monthly newsletter about Madison. First issue is due out September 1. Some details here, subscribe and support to start the cranes a-croakin'! And other, even more tantalizing details TBD!

If there is a dumb way to die from a fall in a video game, I absolutely will find it. In Witcher 3 I died falling from a scaffold DURING THE TUTORIAL. But I mostly just find it funny tbh

Aftermath@aftermath.site · 2mo ago

I hate fall damage aftermath.site/i-hate-fall-da...

Paid subscriptions should be working now :)

Scott Gordon@scottgordonwi.bsky.social · 2mo ago

OK I am launching a very minimal monthly newsletter about Madison. First issue is due out September 1. Some details here, subscribe and support to start the cranes a-croakin'! And other, even more tantalizing details TBD!

OK I am launching a very minimal monthly newsletter about Madison. First issue is due out September 1. Some details here, subscribe and support to start the cranes a-croakin'! And other, even more tantalizing details TBD!

Yahara Flyer

Madison can have one page of alternative media per month.

yaharaflyer.com

I mean yeah, he acts that way if you ask him a single question he doesn't like tonemadison.com/articles/an-...

Erica C. Barnett@ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Um holy shit - Police Chief Shon Barnes got PISSED at @soseaemerald.bsky.social reporter Connor Nash when Nash asked about my reporting that Barnes is out of town a lot; Barnes said, "No YOU listen!" and then angrily said my "reports are WRONG." My reporting is based on his schedule.

Madison friends: If I launch a monthly, locally focused newsletter—with the caveat that it would be *very* minimal and might only last a few issues—would you read it and would you be willing to subscribe for $5/$10 per month?

The header photo of this is just an incredible encapsulation of Madison, Wisconsin in the 2020s 🎯

Madison protesters shut down Capitol concert after police shoot, kill man with knife

One officer fired shots, although a total of four officers were involved in the incident and have been placed on leave.

wpr.org

Scott Gordon: Despite Act 10, unions were able to deal a blow to a surveillance state that is gaining traction in Wisconsin and in the nation.

Opinion | UW-Madison's unions were key to Flock camera removal

Scott Gordon: Despite Act 10, unions were able to deal a blow to a surveillance state that is gaining traction in Wisconsin and in the nation.

captimes.com

Good. The "drug-soaked mail" panic is so immensely harmful and no self-respecting journalist should take it at face value

Firestorm Books@firestorm.coop · 3mo ago

Hell yeah we are

help keep the tone archives up! support weird ambient music! exclaim things on the internet!

Scott Gordon@scottgordonwi.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Also I'm paying for the hosting etc. out of pocket now and probably til I croak, so if you want to help me with that you can buy my weird ambient EP shrimpranch.bandcamp.com/album/finger...

The new Tone Madison archive site is up. We're still working out various bugs/design problems/the usual pesky migration issues, so if you see something that doesn't look right... eh, don't bug me about it just yet lol tonemadison.com

Tone Madison@tonemadison.bsky.social · 6mo ago

In our final Microtones, current and former editors—@scottgordonwi.bsky.social, @stinadale.bsky.social, @stevenmps.bsky.social, @nothingunfinished.bsky.social, Oona Mackesey-Green, and Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez—reflect on Tone Madison's life and legacy. Thanks for reading, 2014–2026.

Reason one million bajillion for having robust (and actually public) public arts funding: It would make the local cultural scene less dependent on sketchy vanity projects like this

@captimes.com · 4mo ago

Madison Public Art Project, a private nonprofit, aims to uplift artists and beautify the city. Artists say the process could be better.

How anyone falls for this guy’s flopsweat-soaked gimmicks is beyond me

E Mills 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🍉@millbot.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Look. I was gonna keep my mouth shut about this guy because he's mostly your run-of-the-mill narcissistic jerk. But then he went and decided to run for governor and people on the left are still supporting his obnoxious grifting ass so it was time to write about it. #wipolitics

It would be nearly impossible to say something more wrong about the governing body of a public institution (from the Journal Sentinel version of the same op-ed archive.ph/toM6F). Astonishing

PROFS@profsuwmadison.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Former UW System President Jay Rothman writes that the Board of Regents is too big to be effective and that Board members should have senior management experience at substantial organizations and know the difference between oversight and management. He also opposes the political appointment process.

It’s always horseshit o’clock somewhere

404 Media@404media.co · 5mo ago

Residents of Dunwoody, Georgia are furious about the city's surveillance contract with Flock. Do their elected officials care?

“But the sheriff lamented that the board ‘elected, once again, to reduce funding for the sheriff’s office.’” OK. That’s how cutting a budget item works. If you don’t have another specific thing to allocate it to, you don’t just get to keep the money around for whatever

Dane County pulls funding for Flock license plate cameras

Dane County supervisors have cut off funding for automatic license plate cameras, citing concerns about privacy and about how that data is shared.

wpr.org

Thursday night!

Scott Gordon@scottgordonwi.bsky.social · 6mo ago

If you work at UW-Madison and are categorized as University Staff, you have a union! And we’re having a happy hour on Thursday, April 23 at the Terrace, 5 to 7 pm! Any and all campus workers are welcome—bring a friend or a coworker!

Working on some live stuff in this vein, aka mole man plugs his bangy paddle into the durned ol computer

Scott Gordon@scottgordonwi.bsky.social · 8mo ago

I am putting out an EP tomorrow for Bandcamp Friday. Guitar and synth sampled and arranged into smeary ambient pieces. Mastered by @angelhairaudio.bsky.social, cover art by the wonderful Derrick Buisch

lmao

The Associated Press@apnews.com · 6mo ago

BREAKING: A jury finds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had an anticompetitive monopoly over big concert venues.

If you work at UW-Madison and are categorized as University Staff, you have a union! And we’re having a happy hour on Thursday, April 23 at the Terrace, 5 to 7 pm! Any and all campus workers are welcome—bring a friend or a coworker!