In a Madison Landmark Commission approved legislation that would help them mediate disputes between neighbors on directly adjacent historical properties at a meeting Wednesday.
The franchiser of Taco Bell announced today a lawsuit against the City of Madison, for the unfair denial of a liquor license, furthering the months long battle over alcohol sales at the restaurants new Cantina on State Street. The restaurant chain is claiming that their liquor license was unfairly denied on the grounds that weeks after their denial, the city issued a license to a similar establishment, Chen’s Dumpling House, across the street. Originally, the city’s Common Council originally approved the license, but it was then vetoed by Mayor Soglin, and did not garner enough votes for a veto-override. “The City’s approval of the Chen’s application proves there is no evidence or rational basis for the finding that granting Bell’s License Application would undermine public safety,” the complaint stated. Soglin vetoed the original application on the grounds of “public safety.” “[Issuing a license to this location would have] enormous costs for the residents of Madison and our city government by contributing to the alcohol related problems, downtown, potentially including violence and raising the cost of policing,” Soglin stated, according to the complaint. The lawsuit claims that Soglin’s evidence of alcohol related crime all occured on University Avenue, and therefore the denial of Taco Bell’s license was “arbitrary and capricious.” According to the complaint, various Madison Alders were concerned that the denial of Taco Bell’s license was arbitrary. “I don’t know how we can call ourselves ‘policy makers’ and vote [to uphold] the veto with the Mayor, because we would be making a decision with the absence of a policy at the detriment of a business, regardless of it it’s a national chain or whatever,” Alder Phair said, according to the complaint. Taco Bell is asking the city of Madison for the approval of their liquor license and “recoverable costs” for the revenue the restaurant would have made had the original license been approved.
Downtown Madison saw several crime incidents this past weekend, including a robbery in a Gilman Street apartment and a speeding ticket for the driver of a car that slid through the intersection of University Ave.
After 10 years in Madison’s downtown area, local music venue The Frequency will be closing on June 30. When Darwin Sampson started concert venue, he hoped the venue could act as a stepping stone for small local bands and occasionally host touring acts as they passed through Madison on their way to larger cities. “That’s the whole concept of The Frequency, it’s just that next step for that band in the basement that has aspirations to maybe up their game a little bit,” Sampson said.
According to data released by by the city last week, Madison real estate is becoming more expensive — especially if you live downtown. Property value citywide increased 7.4 percent between 2017 and 2018, according to the assessments, while residential property increased 6.8 percent. The assessment was conducted by the city assessor, who determines the property value around the city, specifically for the purpose of calculating property taxes.
Dane County announced on Tuesday their plans to fund the majority of a project to prevent waste runoff into county lakes under their Urban Water Quality Grant Program.
Urban agriculture is a very specific term defining a very broad field: agriculture, from gardening to raising livestock, in a city or suburb surrounding an urban space. It is a practice that has spread over time — but it all started in Madison.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is now accepting applications for farmers to participate in a research pilot program for industrial hemp after the state Legislature approved the program in November 2017.
For chefs, direct access to local farmers and local agriculture is an incredible asset. But for some chefs, specifically those new in town, learning about those resources can be difficult. Bonanno believes it’s important they know where to look.
When asked how he would describe the relationship between the city of Madison and the surrounding farms in a single word, Dane County Food Councilman Carl Chenoweth answered with just one word: “Opportunity.”
Madison’s Common Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Tuesday ordering the removal of two monuments honoring the Confederate soldiers buried in Forest Hill Cemetery on Madison’s west side.
The second reported sexual assault in two days allegedly occurred on Madison’s near East side Monday morning. An 18-year-old woman visiting Madison from New York alerted Madison police that she was assaulted on Ohio Street early Sunday morning.
Joining Milwaukee County and other municipalities, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced today that Dane County has hired law firms to assist the county in filing a federal lawsuit against drug manufacturers and distributors for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The epidemic has hit Dane County families hard, according to Parisi, with opioid deaths skyrocketing from 13 in 2000 to 85 in 2016. “Everyone has been affected by this crisis, and it’s only growing,” Parisi said.
City council members are scheduled to discuss a new liquor license for a proposed arcade bar on Willy Street at Tuesday’s meeting, but the plan has already divided local residents.
A sexual assault was reported on East Johnson Street next to Tenney Park early Saturday morning. According to the Madison Police Department, the incident occurred at the corner of East Johnson and Blair Street.
At a press conference Thursday, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin credited Tuesday’s election results to increased turnout among millennials and college students. To back up his claim, Soglin cited the change in turnout over predominantly student-populated wards in Madison from April 2014 elections to the ones on Tuesday.
In January, the Madison Police Department received 73 calls to service for The Beacon, a homeless day resource center in east Madison.
Madison officials and civil rights leaders hosted a commemorative rally Wednesday to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Greeted by a hometown crowd at the Goodman Community Center on Madison’s east side, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., focused on gun reform and the federal budget in his first town hall style meeting of the year. While Pocan supported many of the resources included within the budget bill, he said he could not in good faith vote for a bill without knowing what was included in its entirety.
Susan Crawford won the contested battle for Dane County Circuit Court Judge, Branch 1, while Gloria Reyes beat out incumbent Anna Moffit for seat one on the school board in the Wisconsin 2018 Spring Elections.
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