October 2020

MIDDLETON– The Middleton Economic Relief Loan (MERL) program, offered to businesses within the Middleton city limits, passed its final hurdle on Thursday when the application became available at the Middleton Area Development Corporation’s (MADC) website. MADC and the city teamed up to offer low interest loans after surveys indicated need and the program made its way through the Middleton Common Council. 

The one-page application is pretty straightforward and at a press conference in front of City Hall last week, Kevin Mahaney, MADC President, said applicants will need to provide the following:

Two years tax returns

Current interim financial statement for 2020

The business owner’s guarantee of repayment.

“Business owners do not find that to be burdensome,” Mahaney said. He added that we now have a better perspective of the impact of COVID-19 and feels the loans are “important to businesses and the local community.”

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council reviewed the results of a survey conducted by the Commission on Youth to assess the needs of youth and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commission on Youth member Jeff Rogers presented the survey findings and committee recommendations to the council. The survey received 108 responses total, four of which were from students.

Rogers said the survey indicates that youth are struggling as well as their parents. Children are yearning for in-person socializing while parents cite a lack of affordable childcare options.

“Our community is struggling, they are having a very difficult time and it is not just the children, it’s the parents,” Rogers said. “We have to think about this as a family.”

The three greatest areas of concern from respondents are education, health and socialization. Rogers said families would like more opportunities for in-person socializing but are concerned about safety.

MIDDLETON–A group of Middleton Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) parents registered a committee to recall school board members Bob Hesselbein and Minza Karim on Oct. 8. Hesselbein and Karim are two of the five board members who voted to continue virtual learning at the board’s regular meeting on Sept. 28.

One of the group’s organizers, Angela Rachidi, said the committee has nearly 300 members, and 575 signatures as of the past weekend.

“We are distributing the recall petition signature sheets to this network and asking them to obtain signatures from qualified electors in their neighborhoods and networks. We also have a team of people in each school district area planning signature drives in public spaces. The response so far has been overwhelming,” she said.

She added that there are those involved with the committee that are willing to step up and run if the petition receives enough signatures.

The Big Eight Conference announced on Monday it would not have an official conference winter sports season.

That doesn’t mean winter sports are dead at Middleton High School, though.

Far from.

Although the Big Eight member schools have determined conference competition for winter sports will not occur, in-person practices, games, and workouts may be allowed to occur as adopted by member schools and following public health recommendations.  

On Monday night, Middleton athletic director Jamie Sims said he still hopes to begin winter sports practices as scheduled, in accordance with Public Health Madison Dane County (PHMDC) guidance. Sims was meeting with his winter coaches Tuesday night to discuss plans for getting student-athletes back in the building.

There’s no guarantee Middleton’s teams would be able to play games later this winter. But getting practices going would be a good start to eventually making that happen.