🥘 Madison’s chef of the year is …

🏛️ Madison’s New Clerk Has Big City Election Experience

• Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway has appointed Lydia McComas to the city clerk position. She will begin her position Sept. 29.
• McComas previously managed election operations for more than 700,000 voters in Hennepin County, Minnesota, where she also oversaw election law compliance and training for poll workers.
• Some context: Madison’s former city clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned in April after nearly two decades in the position following an investigation into why 193 absentee ballots went uncounted in the November 2024 election. [City of Madison, WPR]

🧑‍🍳 What’s Cooking in Madison

• Madison Magazine shared a preview of its September issue and crowned a new top chef: Cadre’s Evan Dannells, whose cooking chops took him around the country for decades but was lured back to Madison by the Dane County Farmers Market.
• Dig deeper: On the Friday news roundup, the City Cast Madison team chimes in on Dannells’ new award, and shares a farewell to a favorite Willy Street restaurant. Plus, the team digs into a lawsuit against a former UW-Madison women’s basketball coach and why the airport is backing off plans for sound mitigation. [Madison Magazine, City Cast Madison 🎧]

🤿 Last Splash at Goodman

• Goodman Pool will close for the season after Sunday, Aug. 24 since most of its lifeguards are students and they’ll be heading back to school.
• If you’re sending your kids, a reminder that the pool recently implemented new guardian requirements for kids between the ages of 11-15, though there are a few spots available for a Youth Attendance Waiver.
• All other splash parks will be open through Sept. 1. [City of Madison]

Meet Jae Jae! His human says Jae Jae loves to lay in the sun coming through the window and is a snuggler who burrows under blankets year-round. Sounds like a nice life.

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