
City Cast Madison
😱 What restaurant is for sale on Madison's FB Marketplace
July 14, 2026 · — Elizabeth Kauma
Good morning, Madison! The Wisconsin gubernatorial race is well under way and in today’s City Cast Madison podcast, we’re talking with Democratic candidate state Rep. Francesca Hong. She has represented Assembly District 76, which includes the isthmus, downtown, east, and north sides of Madison, but today we are asking her about her run for top dog of Wisconsin state government. We get down to the brass tacks on her policies on data centers, if the label “democratic socialist” will hurt her campaign, and what her plans would be to beat the Republican candidate if she wins the Aug. 11 primary.

What's CITY Talking About

💵 Campaign Finance Mistakes Lead to Firing
- Democratic gubernatorial candidate and current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez fired her campaign manager Kara Spencer over “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies in campaign finance filings." The Rodriguez campaign must turn in the next round of campaign finance reports to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission tomorrow.
- The campaign submitted the last round of campaign finance reports late. The reports were due by midnight on Jan. 15, but the campaign submitted their reports at 2:13 a.m. on Jan. 16, and then submitted two amended reports one at 3:23 a.m. and the next at 5:01 a.m.
- The Wisconsin State Journal identified what appears to be mistakes where several individuals are listed as donating the same amount multiple times with slight formatting differences between the entries. These reported donations put Rodriguez as the second most highly funded democratic candidate in the race at that time. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley led the field in donations but has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Rodriguez. [🔒Wisconsin State Journal, WisPolitics]
🚦John Nolen Drive Lane Shift Begins
- Traffic on John Nolen Drive moves to the new southbound lanes from the northbound lanes today. North Shore Drive will remain closed for two additional weeks.
- Attention bikers! Capital City Trail users will have to detour around Monona Bay since it’s closing from Lakeside Street to Broom Street. [Cap Times]
🚔 Former Madison Police Chief’s New Job
- Noble Wray, who served as Madison’s Police chief from 2004 to 2013, will sit on the recently created Wisconsin Commutations Board. Gov. Tony Evers made the board in early April to provide commutations, aka a modification of a criminal sentence, to reward positive growth from incarcerated people.
- Wray has experience with this area of the justice system from sitting on Ever’s Pardon Advisory Board from 2019-25. [Wisconsin Examiner]
⚖️ Shorewood Hills Village Board Taken to Court
- John Imes, the former Shorewood Hills Village board president, made a filing with the Dane County Circuit Court arguing for his reinstatement to the board. Imes was removed after the board found he “violated fiduciary duty and duty of honesty in conduct of public affairs” with regards to certain development proposals.
- Imes denies any wrongdoing and in his filing claims the board incorrectly used a law that allowed for removal of officials for “gross neglect of duty.” The village has until July 27 to file a response in court. [Cap Times]

Take Me Home Tuesday

Meet Kitty, a sweet girl, looking for her forever family. Kitty is a loving and loyal pup who would do best in a home without any men or children. She is a little nervous at first, but once she trusts you, she forms strong bonds with her people and has a lot of personality.
Kitty is also a member of the Lonely Hearts Club, meaning she has been at DCHS longer than the average pet, and therefore has her adoption fee waived.

What To Do
Tuesday, July 14
- 🍷 A Summer Night in Porto at Cooper’s Hawk Winery in Middleton
- 🌱 Badgers on Tap: Native Plants and Pollinators at One Social Food Hall
- ♣️ Euchre - Let's Play Cards at Starkweather Brewing Company
- 🐶 From Puppy to Purpose: Learn How to Become a Volunteer Trainer at WAGS
- 🎤 JINJER at The Sylvee
- 🎂 Kids 4-Day Summer Series: Great Kids Bake Week at Sur La Table (through July 17)
- 🧒 Lakeside Kids! - Mister Jim at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
- 🎶 Louka & Co at Mansion Hill Inn
- 🎤 Marisa Balistreri Quartet at North Street Cabaret
- 🎥 Our Parks on the Big Screen at The Barrymore Theatre
- 🐱🚌 Studio Ghibli Trivia at Delta Beer Lab
Wednesday, July 15
- 🧘 All Levels Yoga with Kelsey at Goodman Community Center
- 🎹 All request, sing along piano show at Ivory Room Piano Bar
- 🧠 Brain Builders with Heather at Madison Children's Museum
- 🎻 Concerts on the Square: Under Paris Skies at King Street Corner of Capitol Square
- 🤠 Lyle Lovett and his Small Large Band at Capitol Theater
- 🦋 Olbrich Garden's Blooming Butterflies Exhibit at Olbrich Botanical Gardens (through Aug. 9)
- 🎤 Open Mic | Open Stage at North Street Cabaret
- 🌱 Plants for Pollinators Garden Tour at University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
- ❓ Trivia Night at Working Draft Beer Company
📰 Extra! Extra! A facebook market place find to end them all! La Baguette Bakery at Cambridge Court Center on the west side is for sale for $300,000. The owners are ready to retire but don’t want the bakery to disappear after 25 years serving up sweets.
Free · Daily

