🛣️ Big changes coming to John Nolen Drive

💰 Should Madison Have Lobbied Harder for State Funding?

• The city of Madison has put a $22 million referendum on the ballot, but some critics contend that city officials should have tried harder to convince GOP legislators to release more state funding to the city.
• Milwaukee received significantly more state funding than before in a 2023 “shared revenue” deal with the Legislature. In fact, Madison was given a smaller increase per capita than virtually every other city in the state. [Cap Times]

🛣️ Big Changes Coming to John Nolen Drive

• John Nolen Drive is set for a major renovation starting in late 2025 that will affect traffic for the next few years.
• City officials outlined plans for renovations along a 1.5-mile stretch of the roadway from Broom Street to Olin Avenue. The project will involve building six bridges across the causeway and putting cyclists and pedestrians on separate pathways.
• Between November 2025 and August 2026, the road will be reduced to one lane in either direction. The Capital City Bike Trail will also have a major detour from August 2026 to June 2027, rerouting cyclists around Monona Bay. [WKOW]

🎸 Jack White Plays Surprise Show at High Noon

• Jack White, the rock singer/guitarist and co-founder of the White Stripes, played a surprise show Thursday night at the 300-person capacity High Noon Saloon.
• While White is a big enough musician to headline festivals like Lollapalooza, he’s been playing small clubs like the High Noon on his current tour to support his new album “No Name.”
• The show was announced Thursday morning; tickets went on sale at 1 p.m. for $125 each and sold out within minutes. [ 🔒 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Every week, “Friday Floof” normally showcases one Madison Minutes reader’s adorable pet. But this week, I’m hijacking the Floof to showcase one of my own dogs, Zoe! Zoe is a 5-year-old husky-chihuahua mix who is an absolute angel.

She loves going to the dog park, playing with her sister Misty (featured in a previous Floof), and helping out around the house by cleaning out yogurt containers to get them ready for recycling. Thanks Zoe!