Another reason to vote

Happy Wednesday, Madison!

As if you needed another reason to vote, the City Clerk’s Office just revealed two new “I Voted” stickers that will be available for the civically engaged this fall.

Local high school sophomore Katina Maclin designed the artwork for the stickers as an intern in the City Clerk’s Office. Along with the “I Voted” stickers, she also designed posters and bookmarks for the city to use in its voter outreach efforts.

Make sure your registered and prepared to vote the upcoming primary election. You can check on your registration status and even see a sample ballot here.

— Hayley

⚖️ Let the lawsuits begin.

• Gov. Tony Evers and state Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Tuesday a new lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban.
• Some context: In 1849 and 1858 Wisconsin implemented laws banning doctors from performing abortions unless the pregnant person's life is in danger. The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision kept the 19th century laws from being enforced.
• The lawsuit argues that the 1849 ban has been superseded by other abortion laws the state enacted since the Roe decision. The suit also alleges the ban should be invalidated because it hasn't been used in the 50 years since Roe was decided.
• “Access to safe and legal abortion stopped in Wisconsin last Friday. With this lawsuit, we are fighting to restore reproductive freedom in Wisconsin,” Kaul said in a statement.
• Dig deeper: Wisconsin faces a ‘tangled series’ of abortion laws dating back to 1849 as it heads into a possible post-Roe future (Wisconsin Watch)

🏗️ So long and good night, 131 West Wilson.

• After months — and months — of legal battles, orders from the city, and an unresponsive owner, the saga of 131 West Wilson is coming to a close, for now.
• Earlier this week, the city's Plan Commission unanimously approved a demolition permit for the structure, the State Journal reports.
• How did we get here? The city forced the troubled 12-story downtown building to close at the end of 2021 due to structural concerns. The building would go on to re-open, then be forced to close twice more in the following months. In May, building owner Greg Rice said the building was “in danger of immediate collapse.” The city said this claim was unfounded but at the Plan Commission meeting this week building inspector Matt Tucker said the downtown structure “has reached the end of its useful lifespan.”
• What's next? The process to tear down the building could take months, the State Journal reports. Developers have proposed building a 14-story structure in its place with retail space and hundreds of apartments. Former building tenant Paisan’s is currently in a legal battle with the building's landlord and is searching for a new location for the restaurant.

😋 New faces in Madison's restaurant scene and beyond.

• There are more than a dozen new (and re-opened) restaurants that have entered the isthmus' dining scene this summer. The Cap Times put together a roundup of some of the fresh faces.
• Among the new spots are family friendly Turn Key (1344 E. Washington Ave. aka Pasqual’s former space), owned by the same trio behind Settle Down Tavern and Oz by Oz; Forward Craft and Coffee (2166 Atwood Ave.), and Taza (1900 Cayuga St., Middleton).

🎻 Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra broke ground on their new East Side facility.

• The new location will be home to state-of-the-art rehearsal spaces, performances, and kids' lessons.
• For the past two years the organization has operated out of satellite sites across the city, Channel3000 reports.
• The $33 million facility will be located at 1128 E. Washington Avenue and will be finished sometime in 2023.

🏈 Your ticket to Jump Around.

• Single game tickets are now available for UW-Madison's upcoming football season. The Badgers will kick off against Illinois State for their home opener Sept. 3.
• The south end zone of Camp Randall Stadium is currently undergoing a major renovation to add new premium seating and hospitality clubs. Construction is set to be completed in August.

🎨 Your lunchtime read: Sigra’s singular, indefatigable, otherworldly art.

• Via Tone Madison: "Somewhere between the Victorian comic opera of Gilbert And Sullivan and the abstract hip-hop of Doomtree’s Dessa lay the artistry of the mononymous Sigra, whose self-described “synthy experimental art pop” remains a singular element in the Madison music scene. Trained as a coloratura soprano in her early teens and drawn towards more pop-oriented songwriting in high school, Sigra is not one to be pigeonholed in her genre-fluid sensibility and multi-instrumentalist proficiencies."
• The local experimental pop artist, bassist, poet, and artisan will headline a show at Dark Horse ArtBar June 30.