🌭 Brat summer is now brat autumn

🇺🇸 Kamala Comes To Town!

• Vice President Kamala Harris will bring her presidential campaign to Madison today to rally support in the battleground state. It is the eighth time Harris has been in Wisconsin this year.
• Join Hayley, Bianca, and myself as we talk about the week’s big stories on the City Cast Madison podcast’s Friday news roundup! [WMTV, City Cast Madison]

💰 Proposed County Budget Cuts Back on Capital Projects

• Dane County Executive Jamie Kuhn on Wednesday released a proposed 2025 budget totaling $903 million, a reduction of $34 million from the budget proposed last year by retired County Executive Joe Parisi.
• Saying it was a year of “tough choices,” Kuhn said the budget focuses on unmet community needs. The budget includes $90 million for capital projects, about half of what was approved for 2024. [Dane County, WSJ]

🚴‍♀️ Trek Sells BCycle to New Owner

• BCycle, the bike share company operating in Madison and 30 other cities, will soon be getting a new owner.
• Trek Bicycle Corporation, the Waterloo-based company that owns BCycle, announced it was selling the business to Bicycle Transit Center, a national company that runs ride-share bike systems in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. The sale is set to be finalized in October.
• BCycle has an all-electric bike fleet with 90 stations in Madison. The city has an operating agreement with BCycle that runs through 2030, and city officials say they expect the agreement will continue as before with the new owners. [Isthmus]

🎉 Black on State Block Party This Weekend

• The inaugural Black on State block party will celebrate the city’s Black businesses and creative community on Sunday, Sept. 22 from noon to 6 p.m. in the 400 to 600 blocks of State Street.
• The event will feature food, live music, artist demonstrations, vendors and more.
• Black on State is sponsored by Alkeme, a Madison company that hosts events where Black entrepreneurs and creatives can connect. Alkeme founder Ashley Moseberry said it was important to host an event in the city’s downtown business corridor, which hasn’t always been welcoming to the Black community.

Meet Pax! Pax is a gentle, sweet big-headed boy who gets around. He was adopted a decade ago from a rescue in Baltimore and has lived in DC, Denver, and Madison, as well as traveled across the country several times.

He’s had about nine lives, most recently testing the limits by sneaking some corn cobs for a midnight snack (shout out to Veterinary Emergency Group and UW Veterinary Care!). His favorite Madison culinary stops include turkey at Alimentari, popcorn at the Willy Street firehouse, and treats from the State Line Distillery sweeties.