Water Damage Restoration in Madison, WI

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the person found dead in Lake Monona as a Madison man.

The agency said Collin Smith, 25, drowned in Lake Monona. The medical examiner pronounced Smith dead on May 23, and conducted a forensic examination on May 24.

Smith’s family said he was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and that he was loved and admired by so many.

“Collin’s spirit will live on through his parents and his 3 sisters, his beloved cat, his extended family, his coworkers, and the multitude of friends and acquaintances that were always a source of pride for him, and who will always be a valued treasure in his life,” the family of Collin Smith said.

“Collin always had an ability to explain things to others in a way that they understood. In doing so, he would often add his unique style and flare, but most of all, his quick wit and effusive sense of humor,” his family continued. “From an early age, Collin embraced the idea of ‘asking people for help in a way they want to help you’, and this is how he lived his life: by treating others with courtesy, by truly listening and thinking before he spoke, and by being kind and compassionate.”

His family thanked Bruce’s Legacy, the Wisconsin K9 SOS Search & Rescue, his friends and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.

Nonprofit search and recovery group Bruce’s Legacy also identified the recovered Lake Monona boater as Collin Smith on their website Sunday. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office, Bruce’s Legacy, K9 SOS, Wisconsin DNR and other groups helped with the search. Smith was recovered on Friday.

On their website, Bruce’s Legacy shared details of the search and what they had learned about the capsized catamaran.

During their initial briefing, Bruce’s Legacy said they learned that four men left from Olin Park Boat Launch- two were on a small sailboat and two were in a kayak attached by rope to the boat. There were only two life vests distributed among the four men, the organization said.

According to Bruce’s Legacy, strong winds capsized the sailboat causing all four men to fall into the water. One swam to shore, the other three took hold of the flooded kayak in three- to four-foot waves.

Smith was not able to hang on to the kayak. The other two men with life jackets were rescued by the Madison Fire Department.

The website post explained that on Friday, one of the men involved in the incident on the water returned to the area on the boat with Bruce’s Legacy to give a firsthand account of what happened. Bruce’s Legacy said that the information from the man caused them to expand their initial search area. Later that day, they recovered the boater’s body in 40 feet of water.

The organization offered its gratitude to everyone who helped with the search, the Smith family, Sgt. Kyle McNally of the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and other local groups for their support.

They also reminded people of the importance of wearing a life jacket and keeping it on while on the water.

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office and Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office are still investigating Smith’s death.

MADISON, Wis. — They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. For residents of Monroe Street, that sentiment is about to hit home as the vibrant Madison mural that has become a neighborhood landmark is set to come down in the next four to eight weeks.

Every morning Chris Spillman opens his curtains and is greeted by his neighbor across Monroe Street — “This big, beautiful mural: MADISON, and the bright colors.”

The mural, which faces Spillman’s window, was created in 2020 during the height of the pandemic — right when he moved in as well.

Local artist Liubov Szwako, better known as “Triangulador,” and University of Wisconsin-Madison graphic design lecturer Henrique Nardi were commissioned by the owner of Lauer Realty to transform the blank wall.

“She gave me free range,” Szwako said. “I wanted to go with something representative of the city, something really iconic that stands out.”

For the next three to four weeks they worked. Szwako painted a series of connected lines in purple, and in the form of a City of Madison flag. Nardi designed and painted the lettering.

Spillman watched it all from his window, taking pictures of the projector that they tried using in the beginning.

“It didn’t work, so he had to do it all by hand,” Szwako explained how Nardi painted the ornate typography.

Spillman watched it grow to life, while he grew into his own new space. “It's kind of cool to see it from inception to finish.”

Then, he saw how the vibrant brick wall cemented itself into the culture of Monroe Street.

“You would see people showing up and filming TikTok dances in front of it or taking student photos,” he said.

Coming from San Diego, Jon Prosnit and his family started their new life in Madison in front of the big blue MADISON. “When we first moved here, we have like a photo of our whole family in front of that mural.”

“I walk by this mural pretty much every day, between my house and my office,” Prosnit said. “I love it.”

Now residents of the Near West Side will have to start saying their goodbyes.

According to Szwako, the owner of Lauer Realty has to replace the bricks due to water damage and other structural issues — and does not have plans to put it back up.

“Unfortunately, the brick, once you paint it, it stops it from breathing and creates some effects on it,” he said.

When he broke the news on social media, dozens were in dismay.

“It’s certainly a marker,” Prosnit said. “I hope they do some ways to like to add some more, to add more color to this neighborhood.”

But Szwako, known for his other street art and murals around town, said it’s part of the experience.

“It's not necessarily that I will not miss it. It's more like, a lot of my work is very transient,” he said. “Maybe you'll see it the next day, maybe you won't see it. So a lot of my work is very temporary.”

“A lot of the way I paint and I go about things is about just being — being in the moment, experiencing the moment, soaking in the moment,” Szwako said.

But Spillman said it'll be strange opening up the curtain, and not seeing his old friend across the street.

“It's always brightened up, just looking out the window, walking through the neighborhood,” he said. “It'll be sadly missed because it's a beautiful mural.”

To celebrate the mural, Szwako is doing a giveaway of one of his original framed paintings and a visit to his studio, for anyone who submits their own creative pictures with the mural. More information can be found on his social media pages.

The Badgers will play a neutral site exhibition game against Southeastern Conference program Oklahoma on Oct. 24 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Athletics announced Thursday. It's the first time in program history Wisconsin will play a high-major opponent in front of fans in the preseason.

It's also yet another game in the Milwaukee area for the Badgers — the second straight year they'll play in the city after falling 88-74 in their annual matchup with Marquette at Fiserv Forum last season.

"This is a great opportunity for our program to take on a Power-Four team in our backyard in an exhibition setting," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said in a release. "It will be a terrific first test for us in late October. We know we have a lot of Badger fans and alums in Milwaukee and we're excited for them to get an early look at our team."

Wisconsin, which has a 60-4 record all-time in exhibition games, typically plays exhibitions against schools in the UW system — it's past five matchups have come against UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse. Gard has in the past hosted fundraiser events for his cancer foundation, Garding Against Cancer, at the in-state school facing Wisconsin in the exhibition.

That in-state exhibition is still planned, but a rule change to a restriction that previously limited teams to one preseason competition played in front of fans allowed the Badgers to schedule the matchup with the Sooners.

Wisconsin played a closed scrimmage against Northern Iowa last season, so the Oklahoma game effectively takes the place of that for the upcoming season.

The Badgers have played the Sooners 10 times, with their most recent meeting coming in the 2018 Battle 4 Atlantis. Wisconsin holds a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series, winning five of the past six matchups.

MADISON, Wis. – The Mini WI project continues to spread joy, five years after a Madison artist started the mission.

It’s a uniquely Madison experience to open up a mini library and find a mini trinket, and behind it is an artist who’s made his mark in the community.

“People will stop me sometimes on the street and go, 'Are you the mini-Capitol guy?' And I just have to embrace that,” said artist, Ken Fager.

Ken Fager is the creator behind the iconic Capitol, well, the mini-Capitol. He started the Mini WI project in 2020, where he hides his petite creations around town.

“I wanted to build community and reinforce random acts of kindness, which we all definitely needed during the pandemic,” said Fager.

He says the project began by accident. He originally purchased a 3D printer to build a camera part, but he needed practice with the machine, so he started designing small Capitols.

“They kept on piling up on my desk. So, I just decided one day I'm going to distribute them, and it really took off,” said Fager.

Ken has gained popularity on social media from the project, creating new designs and finding new spots to hide them. Even though he hasn't made a dime from the Mini WI’s he’s still hiding them because of how they make the finders feel.

“When I first found it, I felt kind of surprised and also, like, a little proud of myself because I wasn't even going out intentionally finding one,” said Mini WI finder, Patrick Frazier.

Patrick Frazier found a Mini WI robin at the bottom of the Lady Forward statue by the Capitol.

“The smallest things I feel like are often the things that bring us the most joy,” said Frazier.

Five years and more than 6,000 hidden gems later, Fager is still hiding his designs– a mini mission, making a huge impact.

“I continue to spread little random acts of kindness around town, because it's something that I want to see more of in my life — more spontaneous, adding more joy, more happiness, and I need to will that into the world,” said Fager.

The Mini WI project is sustained by donations.

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