City Cast Madison
🗳️ Former Alder Brian Bedford running for mayor
August 26, 2026 · – Rob Thomas
Good morning, Madison! We’re so grateful to you for reading and listening to City Cast Madison, and the kind words many of you have shared during a tough time in Madison news:
If those words resonate with how you’re feeling, this would be a great time to jump in and support our work as a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You get great member perks like Neighborhood Shoutouts, a member-exclusive events newsletter, member events and more. But more importantly, you’ll know that you’re providing some of the fuel that keeps us going, day after day ⛽
What's CITY Talking About
💬 Alders Grill City Leaders on Encampment: For three hours Monday, Madison City Council members asked city officials, including Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Police Chief John Patterson, a myriad of questions related to how the city handled the encampment that grew on Williamson Street in the wake of the Corey Ruiz shooting.
- Rhodes-Conway said the decision was made early in the process to close the encampment. The full meeting is available to watch on the city’s YouTube page. [News 3, YouTube]
We did not raid the encampment. We reopened a public city street... Ultimately, I'm the mayor. It was my decision
🗳️ Former Alder Brian Benford Running For Mayor: Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway has a new challenger as she seeks a third term in 2027 – community activist and former Madison alder Brian Benford. Benford, who currently serves as a success coach for the UW-Madison Odyssey Project, said he is campaigning on a platform of racial and economic justice in the wake of the Corey Ruiz killing. [Madison365]
🏫 School Board Renames Three Elementary Schools: Students heading to three Madison schools next week will find the buildings have new names. On Monday, the Madison School Board okayed renaming Cesar Chavez Elementary as Robert G. Sanchez Elementary, Charles Lindbergh Elementary as Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Elementary, and Conrad A. Elvehjem Elementary as Ada Deer Elementary. [News 3]
🏗️ West Side Redevelopment Plan Causes Concern: A developer wants to raze a three-story office building near West Towne Mall to build a five-building, 570-unit apartment complex. But neighbors and the area’s city council representative, Ald. Joann Pritchett, are concerned about how the project would impact traffic safety in the area. [Cap Times]
🎥 UW Cinematheque Movie Series Heats Up: After a horror movie of a summer in which their entire program was wiped out by building issues, the free UW Cinematheque film series returns this week to Vilas Hall. The series kicks off Thursday with filmmaker Joe Swanberg’s new film “The Sun Never Sets” with Swanberg joining in person for a post-show Q&A. The season also includes challenging films from indie distributor Zeitgeist Studios, a retrospective of Indian filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli, and new prints and restorations of classic films.
- 🍿 Get Your Popcorn! On the City Cast Madison podcast today, it’s a creative producer double feature as myself and Jade Iseri-Ramos talk movies! We dish on the Cinematheque schedule, chat about recent movies we’ve seen, and remember the best movies with Madison ties. [UW Madison News, UW Cinematheque, 🎧City Cast Madison]
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Where Is It?
⬆️ Last Week’s Photo
This is one of the cool new restrooms at the Madison Public Market!
🎉 Congratulations to Wait N., Kaylee J. and Sarah D. for being the first three people to guess correctly!
⬇️ This Week’s Photo
Where are these taps located? A few clues:
- It’s located downtown
- It’s an iconic restaurant that’s been around for over a half-century
- Ironically, the menu does not include the food item in its name!
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What To Do
Wednesday, Aug. 26
- 🧘 All Levels Yoga with Kelsey at Goodman Community Center
- 🎹 All request, sing along piano show at Ivory Room Piano Bar
- 📚 Facts in the Stacks Trivia Night at Fitchburg Public Library
- 🧶 Fiber Fun with Laurie at Madison Children's Museum
- 💰 Music Bingo Wednesdays! at Baked Wings & Things
- ❓ Premier Trivia at Delta Beer Lab
- 🥵 Saunaday Aufguss Ritual at Saunaday
- 🙏 Strong and Centered at Ether Wellness
- 🧑🦯 Walking Stick Woodworking at Madison Senior Center
Thursday, Aug. 27
- 🧘 All Levels Yoga with Ann at Goodman Community Center
- 🍸 An Evening Around the World at Lyric Apartments
- 🖼️ Extended Play at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
- 🎉 Focused Interruption's Inaugural Gala at Atwood Music Hall
- 🧒 Free Thursday Evenings at Madison Children's Museum
- 🚣 Full Moon Paddle at Wingra Boats
- 🎶 Father Leroy String Band at Craftsman Table & Tap
- 🚶 Architectural Walking Tour at Orton Park
📰 Extra! Extra! It’s like “Ben Hur,” but with zany costumes and major buzz. Red Bull is bringing its chariot race to Madison for the first time on Oct. 17. Teams of four will race down Langdon Street in front of the Memorial Union in homemade, non-motorized chariots. If you want to join the fun, register by Sept. 21 🏁
Free · Daily