|
| What Madison's Talking About |
|  | The Essen Haus on Wilson Street will apparently survive for another Oktoberfest. (Essen Haus) |
| 🍻 Essen Haus Won’t Get the Boot After All | - Essen Haus, a long-time German bar and restaurant that has been marked for demolition multiple times as part of a Wilson Street redevelopment plan, will survive after all.
- In August 2024, the city approved plans for an Eau Claire developer to buy up properties in the 500 block of East Wilson Street, including the Essen Haus and neighboring Come Back In, and replace them with apartments and a hotel.
- But those plans are now dead, and the Essen Haus owners are upgrading the space in the hopes of luring back customers who had assumed the bar was kaput. [ 🔒WSJ]
| | 🚌 Abandoned Bus Transfer Point Could Give Way to Apartments | | | 💸 DoorDash Delivered $2M in Lobbying Money to State Capitol | - Corporations and special interest groups spent $47 million in 2025 to lobby Wisconsin lawmakers, a 10-year-high, according to a Cap Times investigation.
- While usual suspects like Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and the Wisconsin Hospital Association were in the top 10, by far and away the biggest spender was the food delivery company DoorDash.
- DoorDash spent over $2 million and 250 hours lobbying lawmakers, primarily in favor of a bill that would exempt gig workers (like DoorDash drivers) from minimum wage and workers’ compensation laws. The bill passed the Republican-controlled Legislature but was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. [Cap Times]
|
|
|
|
| | | The sizzling Los Angeles Guitar Quartet has left audiences cheering around the globe. “They will blow you away,” says Guitar Player Magazine. Now, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet joins the Madison Symphony for Rodrigo’s breathtaking Concerto for Four Guitars. | | Tickets start at just $22 – Get yours now at madisonsymphony.org or call 608-258-4141. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Overture Hall, experience the brilliance of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet live in concert with your Madison Symphony Orchestra. |
|
|
|
| Reader Tips On How To Beat High Gas Prices |
|  | Are you willing to pay over five bucks a gallon for premium gasoline? (Rob Thomas / City Cast Madison) |
| It’s been over a month since the United States and Israel launched a war with Iran, and drivers are feeling it at the gas pump. According to AAA, the average price of a regular gallon of gas in Dane County is $3.87 a gallon. That’s 60 cents higher than it was a year ago and almost a dollar higher than a month ago. | | We shared some tips recently on how you can beat sticker shock at the pump and we asked our readers to share some suggestions of their own for beating high gas prices. Here’s what we heard back and thanks to everyone who contributed! | | “Kwik Trip has a rewards program and you can choose 5 cents off a gallon as your reward for every 15 visits. You can stack them. And if you have the app on your phone, you can earn at least one extra visit per day for watching a dumb commercial video (which I watch on the bus, of course).” – Sarah F. | | “I work with RoundTrip Greater Madison, a public program here in Dane County that helps people swap solo car trips for other options. The program actually dates back to the 1970s, when it started during the oil crisis to encourage ridesharing — so it’s especially relevant right now. Thought it might be helpful to flag us as a local resource your audience could check out.” – Kayla H. | | “Not really a fuel-saving tip per se, but if you have the means to sell your gas car and replace it with a used EV, your fuel cost will go way down immediately! Electricity rates are much cheaper (even per-mile) than gas and also much more stable. | EVs also require less maintenance, can be ‘fueled’ nightly at home avoiding gas station stops, are quieter, more fun to drive, and reduce carbon emissions. Plus, by going with a used EV, you don't have to deal with the steep depreciation of a new car. Modern EV batteries are exceeding longevity expectations, too, so you don't have to worry about it being like an old cell phone whose battery is worn out after a few years.” – Dan S. | |
|
|
|
| | | Meet Cowboy! Cowboy can be a little nervous meeting new people, but once he warms up, he’s a friendly, wiggly, goofy guy who leans in for pets. Cowboy is energetic and loves to go for walks and run around the yards. He also enjoyed fence running with another dog, but introductions should be done slowly. | | This nearly 50-pound pup might be a little too rowdy for small kids. He’s looking to ride off into the sunset with a family who will work with him on his positive reinforcement training, while also spoiling him with fun adventures, companionship, and love. Cowboy is ready to lasso your heart so stop by to meet him! | | |
|
|
|
|
| | | If you're planning a new roof in Madison this year, there's a different way to go solar. Solar shingles generate clean energy while blending directly into the roof itself, upgrading curb appeal and preserving roof integrity. See what our solar roofs look like on real Madison homes at https://www.sunvaultroofing.com/why-solar. |
|
|
|
📰 Extra! Extra! If you’ve gotten an email recently from a city or county official demanding a payment, you might want to double-check its legitimacy. The FBI is warning citizens that scammers have been soliciting fraudulent payments for planning and zoning applications and permits. | | The scammers use publicly available information to seem legit, and request payments via wire transfer, peer-to-peer sites like Paypal, or crypto. Legitimate fees would never be accepted through those methods, city officials say 🤑 |
| |
|
|
|
