The growing number of people outside because of warmer weather is leading to an increase in reports of vehicles nearly striking pedestrians in Madison.

Madison?s Traffic Engineering and Parking Department said some of the near misses have occurred on neighborhood business streets, like Monroe Street and Williamson Street.

Motorists are asked to be careful when traffic slows or stops and to figure out why the traffic slowed or stopped before passing. City officials said many pedestrian crashes occur when a pedestrian steps out from in front of a stopped vehicle as another driver is trying to pass.

Pedestrians are also asked to walk defensively and not to assume that motorists are watching them.

‘Listen to Your Mother’ founded by Madison blogger, humorist  

A Mother’s Day-themed production will feature local writers discussing the "real experience" of motherhood in their own words.

Fourteen local women will take the stage at the Barrymore Theatre Sunday for a performance the "Listen to Your Mother" group calls "giving Mother’s Day a microphone."

Listen to Your Mother is a live show with Madison-area writers reading their words founded by Ann Imig, a Madison blogger who describes herself online as a "stay-at-home humorist."

Tickets are $15 with a portion of proceeds supporting the Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, a Madison-based non-profit organization working against domestic violence.

A Madison man was sentenced Thursday to more than two years in prison on federal drug and gun charges.

Edlando Watson, 29, was charged with crack cocaine possession with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm as an unlawful marijuana user. He pleaded guilty in March and was sentenced Thursday to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Prosecutors said Watson was spotted in October 2012 at an apartment complex in Madison by a security officer who recognized him as having an outstanding warrant. Police responded and the officer said Watson fled when contact was attempted.

The officer and security officer chased Watson and said they saw him place something under a flower pot, which turned out to be a handgun. Watson was captured and police said they found marijuana, heroin and crack cocaine on him.