🗳️ Former city clerk ripped over ballot snafu

💸 UW Proposes Tuition Hike For In-State Undergrads

• Tuition at University of Wisconsin schools for undergraduates living in the state would rise by as much as 5 % under a proposal that UW President Jay Rothman will ask the UW Board of Regents to approve on July 10.
• The hike would include a 4 percent increase for all schools, and individual schools would have the option to increase tuition an additional 1 percent. Every system school except UW-Green Bay has indicated they would implement that increase.
• It would be the third tuition increase since a decade-long tuition freeze ended in 2023, and comes just after Gov. Tony Evers signed a state budget that included more than $256 million for the university system. [WPR]

☕ The Victory Coffee Shop Will Reopen After Fire

• After being closed for nine months following a fire, The Victory coffee shop on Madison’s east side plans to reopen July 12.
• On Sept. 15, 2024, an electrical fire started in the apartment above the coffee shop at 2710 Atwood Ave. Four people and two cats were displaced, and the building suffered severe damage.
• Owner Patrick Downey said the cafe will largely look the same, although he took the opportunity to refinish the 115-year-old building’s floors and replace the tin ceiling. The new Victory will also feature a deli case as the cafe expands its food offerings. [ 🔒 WSJ, WMTV]

🗳️ Report Blasts City Officials Over Ballot Snafu

• The Wisconsin Elections Commission completed its investigation into how 200 absentee ballots submitted by Madison voters in the November 5 election went uncounted.
• The report sharply criticized former Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl for failing to properly train and oversee staff, and failing to promptly notify officials after the uncounted ballots were discovered. "The lack of action by the City Clerk with regard to the found ballots is astonishing," the commissioners wrote.
• Witzel-Behl was placed on administrative leave and later resigned. City Attorney and Acting Clerk Michael Haas said officials are reviewing the report, and have already added safeguards to ensure the mishap doesn’t happen again. [Ch. 3000]

Every Wisconsin resident thinks they know what a supper club is. But ask them to define it, or tell you whether a restaurant does or doesn’t qualify, and it might spark a serious debate.

To help settle the arguments, Madison Magazine editor-in-chief Andrea Behling asked her readers to come up with a list of “essential supper club criteria.” City Cast Madison podcast host Bianca Martin talked to Behling about what readers came up with, from wood paneling to French onion soup.

Here’s a list of Madison-area restaurants that definitely qualify for supper club status:

Mariner’s Inn

You’ve only got until Aug. 30 to try this half-century-old restaurant on Lake Mendota, as the two sons who inherited the spot from their parents are retiring. In addition to Canadian walleye and salmon Florentine, the Mariner’s Inn prides itself on perfectly aged and seasoned steaks.

Tornado Club Steak House

Behling wrote that she knew within the first few seconds of entering this iconic restaurant that it qualified as a supper club. Hit the restaurant for a perfectly cooked ribeye or a shrimp cocktail, or crowd at the bar for the perfect martini.

Toby’s Supper Club

A step inside this far east side spot is like a trip back in time, from the complimentary relish tray and bread bowls to the cheese curds “fried until the cheese screams to escape.” The key lime pie martini is the club’s signature cocktail.

Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club

Madison’s oldest supper club was the subject of some controversy earlier this year for some behind-the-scenes ownership drama. Back under family ownership, the north side restaurant prides itself on traditions like bacon-wrapped steak filets and the Friday fish fry.

Each week, City Cast Madison Neighbors get to shout out their favorite local people, places, and things on the podcast and in the Madison Minutes newsletter.

📣 Tad M. said that during these hot summer days, there’s nothing like Ice Cream Social. “Bringing something fresh and new to a city that knows how to do its ice cream!”

📣 Ru O. wanted to shout out the work being done by Trans Medical Mutual Aid, which provides information and resources to transgender people seeking life-saving gender-affirming health care.

📣 Dick B. shouted out Working Draft Beer Company for hosting unique events like last month's Czech Fest!

If you’ve got a local business, nonprofit, or other cool Madison thing that you think deserves a shoutout, why not become a City Cast Madison Neighbor yourself? We’d love to have your support!