📝 Can Madison’s housing market keep up?

🎸 The Summerfest Lineup Is Here

• The annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee released its massive 2024 lineup featuring Tyler Childers, Lil Uzi Vert, Maroon 5, Keith Urban, Mötley Crüe, MUNA, Cold War Kids, FLETCHER, and many, many more.
• In all, the festival features 600 total artists on 12 stages across three weekends, June 20-22, June 27-29, and July 4-6. [Summerfest]

📈 Dane County Is Growing

• New federal census data estimates that Dane County gained 14,000 new residents since early 2020 and continues to outpace past population projections. The latest numbers show a 2.5% population increase. The state as a whole added about 17,000 residents between 2020 and 2023, bringing Wisconsin’s total population to 5.9 million.
• As the state continues to grow, Madison and Dane County have struggled to keep up with the demand for housing, leading to higher rents and property values. Tune in to today’s episode of the City Cast Madison podcast, where host Bianca Martin and I dig into how this issue is unfolding on the West Side. [Wisconsin State Journal, Isthmus, City Cast Madison 🎧]

🔌 The Road To EVs

• This week, Gov. Tony Evers signed bi-partisan legislation that will pave the way to build a network of electric vehicle charging stations along the state’s interstate and major highways. Wisconsin will spend $78 million in federal funds on the project.
• Currently there are roughly 580 publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations in Wisconsin. The new project will add more than 60 stations and construction could begin as early as this fall. [Wisconsin Examiner]

🍣 A Place For Sushi Lovers

• The owners of Zen Ramen have opened an all-you-can-eat sushi and hibachi restaurant at West Towne Mall. The restaurant, aptly named Sushi Lover, offers tableside service with a menu filled with more than 100 items. [Madison Magazine]

Congrats to everyone for making it through the week! Here’s your treat — meet Marcie.

This cutie is a mix of Border Collie and Poodle (a BoCoPo perhaps?) with a whole lot of energy and a personality to match. As any good girl does, she loves playing fetch and socializing with her feline siblings (whether they like it or not).

West Side Housing Nightmare, Election Referenda, and Early Voting

It’s the Friday News Roundup! Host Bianca Martin and newsletter editor Hayley Sperling recap what’s behind the public outcry at this Tuesday’s city staff meeting on the city’s draft West Area Plan for housing growth. Plus, we round up what’s on Wisconsin’s 2024 spring election ballot and how to vote early.