💸 Encampment is hitting Willy Street businesses

🪧 Mayor Says Cars at Encampment Will Be Towed: Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is asking protesters to voluntarily leave the memorial site at South Baldwin and Williamson streets, and that city workers will begin removing barricades and towing cars blocking the intersection. Rhodes-Conway said the city is working towards a “peaceful transition” that would reopen the area to traffic while building a permanent memorial for Corey Ruiz, who was killed by police at that location on July 22.

• The memorial has been impacting businesses in the area, many of whom say they support the mission of the protesters but say they are badly losing revenue as the protest enters its second week.
• The Williamson Marquette Business Alliance has set up a GoFundMe to support local businesses and employees in the area. [City of Madison, News 3, GoFundMe]

🏥 ‘Explosive Diarrhea’ Parasite Is Here: State health officials said at least 160 Wisconsinites have been infected, and three people hospitalized, by a parasitic disease that causes intestinal distress. Cyclospora is a parasite that infects humans through contaminated food such as berries or lettuce, and this summer federal officials are recording hundreds more cases than in previous years.

• Doctors and officials agree that washing fresh produce is the best way to prevent contracting the disease. Here are some more tips on safely buying and handling fresh produce. [WPR, News 3]

🏫 New Names For Cesar Chavez Elementary: Members of the public have suggested some new names for Cesar Chavez Elementary, which is being renamed following sexual assault allegations against the late labor leader. Maple Grove Elementary, Roberto G. Sánchez Elementary, and Ice Age Trail Elementary were the three most popular suggestions. [WMTV]

🍝 Italy Comes to Hilldale This September: North Italia, an Italian restaurant chain owned by The Cheesecake Factory, will open its first Wisconsin location at Hilldale on Sept. 2 in the space formerly occupied by Amara and Pasqual’s.

• Meanwhile, Marigold Kitchen announced it was temporarily closing dine-in service at its Willy Street offshoot, The Golden Counter, because of how the east side protests are affecting local businesses. Catering services are still available at the Willy Street location. [🔒WSJ, Instagram]

⚾ New Brewers Mural Coming to Fitchburg: Madison artist Emily Balsley, who created a great T-shirt design for the Brew Crew last season, is working on a new mural called “7th Inning Stretch” at McKee Farms Park. [Madison 365]

Everybody knows Madison is the capital of Wisconsin. And while the Capitol rotunda isn’t going anywhere soon, our state government has embarked on a long-term plan called Vision 2030 to reduce its physical footprint in downtown Madison.

Here’s why the state is implementing Vision 2030, and what downtown state-owned buildings might be transformed by the plan.

👀 What Is Vision 2030?

The first iteration of Vision 2030, released in May 2021, pointed out that the state is faced with aging infrastructure, staffing challenges, and a greater demand for digital rather than in-person services.

With employees increasingly working remotely following the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials said it was a good time to plan to sell off underused office space to both raise revenue and modernize how it operates. [Dept. of Administration]

🤔 What Was the Reaction?

In 2025, Republicans in the state Legislature passed a law that required any government employee who worked in an office before the pandemic to return to their desks. But Gov. Tony Evers vetoed it, pointing to the Vision 2030 plan. “State government is working smarter and faster than before,” Evers said at the time.

Like everything else it seems, Vision 2030 has come up in this year’s race for governor. Former Republican candidate and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann proposed moving agencies out of Madison and into more conservative parts of the state, while U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany said he was focused on rooting out “waste, fraud, and abuse” in state government, not what he called “rearranging the furniture.”

Among the Democratic candidates, including former Dept. of Administration head Joel Brennan, who actually helped develop Vision 2030, the focus has been on making sure state agencies are as effective as possible and that citizens across the state can access resources.

Madison business leaders, meanwhile, are effusive about the idea, noting that developers are eager to buy those in-demand properties from the state. [Cap Times, Wisconsin Watch, WKOW]

🚆 All Aboard!

The most high-profile example of these properties being sold is the former Department of Human Services building at 1 W. Wilson St. The 1930s Art Deco style building is being eyed as the site of a future Amtrak station for Madison when rail service returns to the city, which could be as early as 2030. The building would also hold retail and office space. [WPR]

👑 A Big Change on Webster Street

The state is proposing to accept a $12.6 million offer for two aging government buildings on South Webster Street near the Capitol Square. Father-and-son developers Brad and Mark Binkowski are hoping to turn the former General Executive Facility 2 and 3 buildings into two apartment buildings with a combined 300 to 400 units, along with commercial space and a large open area between the buildings. [ 🔒WSJ]