This week on Madison365, we covered new restaurant and arts ventures, a key public health board decision, Black History Month programming, free workforce resources, and several notable sports milestones — along with community partnerships and upcoming cultural events. Here’s your Week in Review.

This week, we have the (more or less) final update on the proposed harm reduction center on Madison's East Side. Turns out, the organization recommended to get $2.4 million to run it listed a bunch of partnerships and collaborations with organziations that never agreed to be partners or collaborate -- a fact we exclusively reported this week. The Board of Health ultimately rejected the contract. On the podcast today, we go through the details and dig into just how problematic it is for white leaders to claim more connection to Black and brown communities than nthey actually have.

Then, well-known Ho-Chunk chef Elena Terry is finally opening a brick and mortar restaurant at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Omar Waheed spoke with her and catches us up on her plans.

Next up, Madison seventh-grader Iliyan Hoskins is just back from his first international judo competition, where he won a bronze medal for Team USA at the Pan American Judo Championships in Lima, Peru. He and his mom Ivanka join the show to educate Rob about the sport, recap the Pan Am championship, and talk about his Olympic Dreams.

This episode of Black Oxygen launches the new season on community care with guest Dr. Courtney Hayward of the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association. Hayward shares her journey from growing up in poverty and Head Start to becoming a statewide anti-poverty advocate and lobbyist. The conversation explores collective care as resistance, the realities of working poverty in Wisconsin, covert racism, funding threats to key programs, and how advocacy and solidarity — not charity — can strengthen communities and drive real change.

Ho-Chunk chef Elena Terry to open new restaurant Tall Grass at MMoCA — Chef Elena Terry will open a new Indigenous-focused restaurant, Tall Grass, inside the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

Board of Health rejects harm reduction center contract; staff advocates assessment of needs — After we reported that the org recommended to run a new home reduction center made several false claims in its proposal, the Board of Health declined to approve the contract and instead directed staff to further evaluate community needs.

Madison Senior Center to host Black History Month festival — The Madison Senior Center will hold a Black History Month festival featuring performances, exhibits and community activities.

Looking for work? Here’s how Wisconsin’s job centers will help you — for free — Wisconsin job centers offer no-cost services including career counseling, training support and job search assistance

“It’s for the next generation”: History-making Badgers, Olympic hockey star Laila Edwards is embracing trailblazer status — Olympic hockey standout Laila Edwards reflects on her record-setting path and the responsibility she feels as a role model.

Mingos add defender Jaylen Shannon — Forward Madison FC has signed defender Jaylen Shannon to strengthen its back line ahead of the upcoming season.

Madison teen judoka Iliyan Hoskins takes bronze at first international competition — Madison teenager Iliyan Hoskins earned a bronze medal in his first international judo competition.

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