
City Cast Madison
🌭 Badgers race Wienermobiles at Indy 500
May 20, 2026
Good morning, Madison! When I think about the work done by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, it reminds me of those old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials. “You got your poetry in my science!” “You got your science in my poetry!”
Turns out that the arts and the sciences are two great tastes that taste great together, enhancing our understanding and appreciation of the human condition and the natural world. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Tiffany Rodriguez-Lee, the academy’s director of arts and fellows, about the academy’s mission.
They also talk about the academy’s biggest event of the year, an evening with former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. Guess who will be talking to Harjo at the Overture Center Playhouse on Thursday night? Our own Bianca Martin! In-person tickets are almost sold out, so get yours now. If you can’t make it, enjoy the livestream at home! ✍️

What's CITY Talking About

🚸 Kids Rule, Grownups Drool on Jenifer Street
- Kids biking or walking to Marquette Elementary School this week pretty much have Jenifer Street to themselves, thanks to a new pilot program that’s part of the new School Street Pilot Project to improve safety and traffic.
- Jenifer Street between Thornton Avenue and Rogers Street will be closed to through traffic for an hour before and after school to allow students to walk or bike to school safely. Motorists will have to find alternate routes from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mondays and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. the rest of the week.
- After school ends on June 10, the city will assess the success of the program and consider bringing it back in the fall or expanding it to other schools. [City of Madison]
🚨 Police Monitor Decries Arrest of School Board Member
- Madison’s independent police monitor pushed back against the findings of an internal police department review which determined that the arrest of Madison School Board member Maia Pearson did not violate any policies or procedures.
- On December 19, police arrested Pearson and Urban Triage CEO Brandi Grayson over a parking dispute near the Majestic Theatre. Pearson was the passenger in the vehicle, and has pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
- Aeiramique Glass, interim head of the Office of the Independent Police Monitor said police failed to properly communicate commands or charges to Pearson before using force to arrest her, and also used obscene language. Even where their actions did not technically violate policy, Glass said they were “unacceptable.”
- Madison Police Chief John Patterson told the Cap Times he would reopen the investigation after learning of the allegations of foul language. Grayson was on the City Cast Madison podcast recently to detail her version of events. [Madison365, Cap Times, 🎧 City Cast Madison]
If someone can call the police and the police do not seek the truth, then the most vulnerable among us bear the greatest risk. Being a passenger in a car is not a crime. Recording law enforcement is not a crime. Asking an officer to explain what they are doing, and why they are doing it, is not a crime.
👋 Shorewood Hills Removes President From Leadership
- In another twist in the ongoing turmoil that has engulfed Shorewood Hills village government, trustees narrowly voted to remove President John Imes from his leadership role.
- The vote stems from a long-running dispute over a now-rejected plan to purchase the Lodgic Building on Marshall Court to use as the new village hall. Imes’ critics have accused him of failing to disclose conflicts of interest in the proposed sale, which Imes has denied.
- Trustees weighed hundreds of pages of evidence in a five-plus-hours meeting last week before voting to oust Imes for “gross neglect of duty.” Imes’ attorney, Erin Deeley, said his team is considering a legal challenge against the board. [Cap Times]
Sponsored Content

Your Broadway connection starts here
This season, Broadway lights up Overture Hall, bringing us together in ways only live theater can. Each performance fills the stage with inspiring moments and unforgettable standing ovations, sparking connection among family, friends and fellow theatergoers. With a subscription, enjoy the guaranteed lowest ticket price, flexible payment plans and priority access to seats and added performances. Join us next season and create memories that last long after the final bow. Subscribe today at overture.org!

Where Is It?

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo
It’s located at the Chocolate Shoppe on Atwood Avenue!
🎉 Congratulations to Judi G., Jennifer H. and Tricia M. for being the first three people to guess correctly!
⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Do you know where this is located? A few clues:
- It’s on the near west side
- It’s located close to a major free family attraction
- It’s a great place to get a gyro for yourself and an Elmo’s sandwich for your kids!

What To Do
Wednesday, May 20
- 🧘 All Levels Yoga with Kelsey at Goodman Community Center
- 🎹 All request, sing along piano show at Ivory Room Piano Bar
- 🎤 Anberlin at Atwood Music Hall
- 🔭 Badgers on Tap: ASTRONOMY at Young Blood Beer Company - North Street
- 🎤 The Deslondes at High Noon Saloon
- 🤠 FOOT Dairyland Cowboys & Cowgirls at Olin Park
- 💻 Getting Mentioned by AI: Separating Snake Oil from Sound Advice at Dreambank
- 🍕 Giant Jones Pizza Night with ORIGIN Breads at Giant Jones Brewing
- 🧒 Music Time with Tim at Madison Children's Museum
- 🎤 Open Mic | Open Stage at North Street Cabaret
Thursday, May 21
- 🎸 Compound at The Annex
- 🧀 Fromagination's Women in Cheese-making Class at The Park Hotel
- 🎚️ GLOBAL GROOVES with EVAN WOODWARD at Lola's
- ✍️ Inhabiting Home on Earth: An Evening with Joy Harjo at Overture Center Playhouse
- 😆 Jacqueline Novak at Majestic Theatre
- 🎺 Michael Hackett Quartet "Setting Standards" at North Street Cabaret
- 🎭 Noises Off at Bartell Theatre (through May 30)
- 😆 Sam Tallent at Comedy on State (through May 23)
- 🇧🇷 Samba Night at Working Draft Beer Company
- 😆 Words with Nerds: 4-Year Anniversary Edition with Eeland Stribling at Crucible
📰 Extra! Extra! Normally I don’t like to see people hot-doggin’ on the road, but in the case of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, I’ll make an exception. All six Wienermobiles will race Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the “Wienie 500,” and two UW-Madison alum known as “Bun-length Ben” and “Bologna Bridget” will have pole position in the “Chi-dog” mobile repping the Midwest.
The wiener-takes-all race starts at 1 p.m. on FOX. Between this and Brat Fest, it’s going to be a real sausage fest this Memorial Day Weekend! 🌭

Free · Daily
