🍜 Willy Street’s getting a new Laotian spot

🗑️ The Future of Waste is Coming to Dane County

• Dane County will break ground next spring on a $36 million “sustainability campus” on the Southwest Side that will focus on recycling and diverting waste from a future landfill located nearby.
• The campus will include a 20,000-square-foot "waste education center" and business park aimed at finding new solutions for waste, including new uses for many of the raw materials currently going to the dump. Dane County residents produced 450,000 tons of waste every year. [ 🔒 WSJ]

🍜 Willy Street Spot Will Once Again Be A Laotian Restaurant

• Longtime foodies fondly remember the building on 1146 Williamson Street as home for Lao Laan-Xang for 25 years before it closed in 2022. Now the spot will come full circle as a new Laotian lunch spot, Sern Sapp,, replacing Willy Street Eats.
• Owned by Ounprason “Son” Inthachith, whose family runs the original Lao Laan-Xang on Atwood Avenue, the restaurant will feature a mix of Laotian favorites and Southeast Asian dishes. The name “Sern Sapp” roughly translates to “enjoy your food.” (Madison Magazine)

🔌 County Pursues Charger Plan Despite Funding Doubts

• Even though the Trump administration has frozen aid for building new electric car charging stations, the Dane County’s Office of Energy and Climate Change still wants to increase the number of EV stations in the county.
• The office wants to build 60 to 70 new stations across the county, funded by a $13.2 million federal grant awarded last summer by the Biden administration. The county has funding for the initial planning phase, but not to buy or install equipment. Wisconsin is currently part of a multistate lawsuit against the administration for the funding freeze. [Cap Times]

Jazz is a musical genre that most people think of experiencing in a cool little club, and Madison certainly has its share of cool little clubs, including Cafe CODA and North Street Cabaret. But the Madison Jazz Festival, running through June 15, is a chance to experience jazz in all sorts of places in all sorts of ways, including free shows in Madison parks and on the Memorial Union Terrace.

On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to festival organizers Kate Schwartz and Jolynne Roorda about their vision for the festival. She also talks to festival headliner Arturo O’Farrill, whose Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble will close the festival on the Terrace Sunday, on how jazz feeds his soul.

Here’s all you need to know to enjoy this year’s Madison Jazz Festival:

The Big Stages

The festival builds to a crescendo this weekend, taking over the UW Memorial Union Terrace outdoor stage on Saturday and Sunday for 10 free performances. On Saturday, the headliner at 7 p.m. is Chicago saxophone legend Isaiah Collier and his ensemble, the Chosen Few. Also playing Sunday are Camille Thurman and Darrell Green Quartet at 5 p.m., and La Combi at 9 p.m.

While Collier represents an American jazz tradition that goes back to John Coltrane, Sunday’s headliner celebrates another strain of the genre. O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble will get the Terrace moving at 7 p.m. Sunday, preceded by Kal Bergendahl Project at 3 p.m., and Melanie Charles with Ignabu at 5 p.m.

The Small Clubs

On Wednesday, the North Street Cabaret will be swinging with the sounds of the Sweet Tooth Jazz Band, playing both originals and classic tunes. And on Thursday, Chicago’s DC & the Love, a band steeped in the Windy City’s jazz and blues heritage, will play a free show at Cafe CODA.

On this Take Me Home Tuesday, meet Piper! She’s a nine-month-old pup who, as you might suspect, is full of zip and enjoys zooming around the yard and playing with toys. She can be shy around new people, but becomes friendly once she gets comfortable.

She’s looking for a family comprised of teens and older humans who will work with her on her positive reinforcement training and a fenced-in yard that would be helpful for letting her get her energy out. She is spooked by cars and car rides, so a home in a less-trafficked area is ideal.