💔 Madison mourns civic leader Michael Johnson

🥳 Madison Public Market Finally Opens Its Doors

It’s the news that Madison has been waiting 20 years for. The Madison Public Market will open June 10 for the first of a series of pop-up events leading to an official grand opening on July 23. [ 🔒WSJ]

Here’s the details on what visitors can expect at the new public market.

📍 Where is it? The Madison Public Market is located at 202 North First St. in the TruStage Market Ready Hall. The building is the former home of the city’s fleet services building. [Madison Public Market]

🛍️ Who will be there? Madison Public Market CEO Keisha Harrison said that 24 vendors, including local producers, local farmers, and local makers, will be part of Wednesday’s pop-up, which will take place between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Pop-ups will continue every Wednesday.

🔨 Permanent home: Along with those pop-up vendors, another 15 businesses are in the midst of building out their spots to make a permanent home at the market.

Those permanent businesses include:

• Cinn City Smash
• Fortune Favors
• El Sabor de Puebla
• Little Tibet Market & Cafe
• Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream
• Isthmus Yarns
• QB’s Magnetic Creations
• Melly Mell’s
• The Chowpati
• Cervato
• Ancestral Tribe Custom Apparel
• Artworking
• Caracas Empanadas y Mas
• Love U Candle Madison
• Unique Hair Accessories & More

🎉 Why a pop-up? Public Market officials say they’re hosting the pop-ups in part because they know there’s so much anticipation in Madison about the market. Several projected opening dates have come and gone over the past couple of years as the project has been delayed, and Harrison has promised all along that the project will be worth the wait. [🎧City Cast Madison]

On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks about the market’s soft opening with executive producer Hayley Sperling and Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians. Lindsay also talks about her recent investigation into a Madison art nonprofit, and the three talk about the unexpected passing of Boys & Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson (more on that below). [ 🎧 City Cast Madison, Cap Times]

💔 Boys & Girls Club CEO Michael Johnson Dies: Michael Johnson, the CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Dane County for the past 17 years, died unexpectedly Sunday at the age of 50.

• During his tenure, Johnson raised over $50 million for the organization’s programs, drawing big-name celebrities to the nonprofit’s annual All White Party. The nonprofit also opened the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center in 2023 to train young people in the trades and entrepreneurship. [Madison365]

🏗️ Vacant State Street Building Could Finally Be Developed: A six-story building at 122 State St. that has been empty since the 2010s may finally get a new life. JD McCormick Properties wants to redevelop the property, which was vacated years ago to make way for a since-abandoned boutique hotel project, into commercial space and apartments. [ 🔒WSJ]

👰 Getting Hitched? It’ll Cost Ya More: Marriage license fees are going up $30 to $150. Facing a $15 million budget deficit, the Dane County Board approved the hike on June 4, the first license increase in over a decade. [Cap Times]

📷 Dane County Sheriff Covers Up Flock Cameras: With Dane County ending its contract with Flock license plate cameras over privacy concerns, Sheriff Kalvin Barrett covered up the 26 cameras on county land. Flock was supposed to take down the cameras by the end of May.

• Dig deeper: Why is Flock so controversial? [Fox 47, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🗳️ Madison Official Taken Off Election Duty After Misplacing Ballots: A Madison deputy clerk has been reassigned to non-election duties over 23 ballots that arrived late in April’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The Wisconsin Elections Commission ordered that those ballots not be counted, but the decision was overturned in court. [VoteBeat]

Meet Mister Moose! He’s an energetic pup who loves playing fetch, romping around the yard and enjoying his toys. He’s treat-motivated and sits like a pro.

He’s also almost 50 pounds, and DCHS staff and volunteers have been working with him to keep his paws on the ground when he gets excited. He’s looking for a home with no small children, cats or other critters, and a loving family who keep working with him on his positive reinforcement while showing him with adventures and love.