By Lisa Respers France, CNN (CNN) — Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on “American Idol” in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47. “We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased. At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details,” the post reads. “We ask for your prayers for her family and close-knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time. Mandisa was a voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life’s challenges all around the w ..read more

Freedom Inc. hosted the kickoff event of the “Taking Root”/SEARR Tour on April 11, screening the four-part docuseries “Taking Root,” produced by VietLead and its co-executive director, Lan Dinh. Viet Lead is a grassroots community organization in Philadelphia and South Jersey that strives for community self-determination, social justice, and cultural resilience. This was the first of many screenings that will take place worldwide throughout 2024. Directed by Oanh Nhi-Nguyen, “Taking Root” documents the failed resettlement of Hmong, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Lao refugees to Philadelphia, Pa ..read more

Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development (LOUD), Overture Center for the Arts, and Madison Symphony Orchestra are partnering to host the 10th annual Latino Art Fair May 3-4 as the annual event expands to two days to celebrate the Cinco de Mayo weekend. The Latino Art Fair was started back in the day to showcase the richness of the Latino culture in south central Wisconsin and to engage the greater Madison community in celebrating its affinity for the arts. Over the years it has grown quite a bit incorporating more and more Latinx artists from throughout the area. “I want to acknow ..read more

Listen now: The Madison Common Council met Tuesday for the first time since we reported allegations of domestic abuse against one of its members – allegations he has repeatedly denied. This week, we have a recap of that meeting, which included some contentious discussion of a resolution of support for survivors of domestic abuse. We also get updates on the next chapter for beloved Vietnamese restaurant Ha Long Bay, and Mt. Zion Baptist Church’s new building project. Plus, Yee Leng Xiong joins us from Marathon County to get us up to speed on his campaign to become the first Hmong American mem ..read more

The naming process for Southside Elementary School has restarted, the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) has announced. Southside Elementary, formerly Allis Elementary, serves predominantly students of color and is located at 501 E. Badger Road, just off the Beltline’s Rimrock Road. The school has temporarily been called “Southside” as a placeholder when it first opened in August 2023 with the understanding that naming efforts would eventually resume and a permanent replacement would be chosen at a future, to-be-determined date. Naming work began in the winter of 2023, while the buil ..read more

Listen now: Step into the vibrant beats and powerful narratives of Milwaukee’s hip-hop scene with the visionary Aldermen Khalif Rani, freshly inducted into the Milwaukee Hip Hop Museum. This episode is a heartfelt homage to the man behind America’s first Hip Hop Week, a movement that resonates far beyond entertainment, knitting the community together with threads of tradition, support, and empowerment. We reminisce about the electric energy of the first event graced by DJ Kool Herc and how KKhalif’sdream blossomed into a phenomenon, fostering celebration and change within the local African-A ..read more

By Zoe Sottile, Rebekah Riess and Eric Levenson, CNN (CNN) — Additional human remains believed to be of Sade Robinson, the 19-year-old college student who went missing earlier this month following a first date, have washed ashore on a Lake Michigan beach in Wisconsin, according to a Thursday update from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. A torso and an arm were found by a citizen walking a remote tree-lined beach at 7:37 a.m. Thursday, the sheriff’s office said. The gruesome discoveries come weeks after Robinson, a student at Milwaukee Area Technical College, went on a first date with 33 ..read more

University of Wisconsin men’s basketball junior guard Chucky Hepburn has informed the UW staff he plans to enter the transfer portal, according to multiple sources. Hepburn has started all 103 games he has played at Wisconsin in his career. This past season, Hepburn averaged 9.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and was once again named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. He was also named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. Hepburn joins guard A.J. Storr in leaving the Badgers. Storr has reportedly transferred to Kansas ..read more

Fauzia Qureshi has started her role as executive director of the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, an organization founded in 2019 to empower the Muslim community and its allies in civics, democracy and related issues. The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance (WMCA), which organizes voters and engages with elected officials to advance Muslim rights at the local, state, and federal levels, made the announcement via press release on Thursday. “We are thrilled to welcome Fauzia Qureshi to the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance family,” said Maqsood Khan, president of the board of directors, in a statemen ..read more

Mt. Zion Baptist Church opened its doors to the community to let them hear more about its latest project to expand facilities to meet growing community needs. Mt. Zion, the largest African-American congregation in Madison, presented its current project on Wednesday afternoon to build a new Family Life Center after starkly outgrowing its capacity and the needs of the community. The project was envisioned back in the 1960s but there was a push to finally build it around 2008, but the state of the economy caused the expansion to take a back seat. Now debt-free with the mortgage paid off as of 20 ..read more