The city of Madison said Monday it has lifted the ban on outdoor burning.

The burn ban was issued last week because there was a high risk of brush fires starting due to the weather conditions.

The Madison Fire Department said the recent rainfall minimizes concern for outdoor burning in the city of Madison -- however the high winds should temporarily limit burning.

Given the rainfall, the city of Madison has lifted the ban, according to Bernadette Galvez of the Madison Fire Department.

Approved outdoor fireplaces and fire pits may now be used. Prairie and/or natural lawn burns, approved by permits, may also be conducted. 

More information about outdoor and open burning in Madison can be found at http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/documents/OutdoorandOpenBurningGuide.pdf.

ScooterCabs, a local business created by three University of Wisconsin-Madison grads, aims to provide an affordable alternative to taking a taxi home or driving under the influence. 

The service was created as an extra option for patrons that drive out to a bar or restaurant and have a few too many drinks.  The concept is similar to a taxi, except for one fundamental difference; the taxi is now the patron’s own vehicle.  There is no longer a need for patrons to abandon their vehicle at the bar or restaurant to make it home safely.

"With Wisconsin’s high rates of drunk driving, Madison seemed to have a need for this type of service," said owner Justin Sisley, "but even for the majority of people who would make the responsible decision to call a cab, our service provides a much more convenient option for them.  No more waiting around for a friend or cab to take you back to your car in the morning."

The city of Madison is launching a program to recycling holiday lights at its drop off locations at 1501 W. Badger Rd. and 4602 Sycamore Ave. Madison residents will be able to recycling their light strings during the month of December at no charge.

"We know that many residents are changing to new energy efficient LED holiday lights and have lots of older light strings they would like to dispose of," Madison recycling coordinator George Dreckmann said in a news release. "We are happy to provide them a recycling option for their old lights."

Madison will accept any light strings as well as old extension cords as part of the program. Residents who have older lights with large bulbs are asked to remove those bulbs. There is no need to remove bulbs from strings of mini lights.