💰UW just got one of its biggest donations ever

💰 New UW Engineering Building Gets $75M Donation

• Madison-area philanthropists and brothers Marv and Jeff Levy will give $75 million towards the new College of Engineering building on the UW-Madison campus, the university announced Wednesday.
• The donation will cover half of the $150 million in private money the university hopes to raise for the project, which will cost $347 million and has secured $197 million in funding from the state. It’s one of the largest donations in university history and the biggest ever for the College of Engineering.
• The building will be the second on campus to bear the Levy name, named after their late brother Phil. Construction on the new Irving and Dorothy Levy College of Letters and Science building, named for their parents, is currently underway. [UW Madison, WSJ]

🏗️ Mayor Unveils $418M Capital Budget

• Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway unveiled a $418 million capital budget Tuesday. The budget includes $158 million for a north-south Bus Rapid Transit line, $46 million for a public works facility on the far west side, and $18 million in infrastructure improvements to Regent St.
• Rhodes-Conway said the budget reduces borrowing for the city at a time when a $22 million operating fund referendum is on the ballot in November. Next month, the city will release two versions of the 2025 operating budget – one that maintains existing services if the referendum passes, and one with $6 million in cuts if the referendum fails. [City of Madison, Cap Times]

🍝 Benvenuto’s Closes in Fitchburg

• Benvenuto’s, a staple of Italian dining in the Madison area for over 20 years, announced on its website Tuesday that it was immediately closing its Fitchburg location on McKee Road.
• Owner Brian Dominick said that the 12,000-square-foot size of the Fitchburg’s location was out of step with today’s trends, with real estate taxes, utilities and staffing costs rising. He'll focus on smaller, more intimate restaurants, like the one in Middleton that is half the size of the Fitchburg spot.