Why not live in the slide house?

Happy Friday, Madison!

If you've ever dreamed of living in a house with three modes of inter-level transportation, do I have the listing for you.

This 6,113-square-foot home on the 5400 block of Lake Mendota Drive has not only a beautiful sloping staircase, but an elevator, and an indoor slide, proving that one can truly have it all — if you're willing to pay for it.

The West side abode sits next to Spring Harbor Beach Park and is listed on Zillow for a cool $4.25 million. But can you really put a price on memories made on an indoor slide?

— Hayley

🎟️ It's going to cost more to see UW's volleyball and women's hockey in 2022.

• The UW Athletic Board’s Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee voted in favor of the price increases and the full board will consider the proposal today.
• As the State Journal reports, if approved, the highest price of a volleyball season ticket will increase from about $7 per match to $20 and "will require a mandatory per-seat contribution for new chairback seats being installed this summer at the UW Field House." Women’s hockey season ticket prices will increase by $1 per game to $5.

🏖️ These beaches are closed due to water quality concerns.

• Public Health Madison and Dane County closed Memorial Union and Spring Harbor beaches Wednesday. The local health authority spotted blue-green algae blooms in lakes.
• All other Madison beaches remain open with the exception of BB Clarke, Esther, Verona Fireman’s Park Beach (opens Monday), and Troll Beach (which is expected to open Saturday). You can check the status of all the beaches monitored by PHMDC here.  

💸 The UW Board of Regents voted to extend the in-state tuition freeze.

• Tuition costs for the UW System's four-year universities has been frozen since 2013. Funding for the continued freeze comes from $25 million in allocated federal pandemic relief funds, WPR reports.
• The tuition freeze only applies to resident undergraduate students. Other costs, such as room and board fees, will increase.
• “Keeping our universities affordable and accessible is a priority, and thanks to the funding we received from Governor Evers, we are freezing tuition this coming academic year,” newly appointed UW System president Jay Rothman said in a statement. “Moving forward, it is critical we make the investments necessary to enhance the quality of education that makes the University of Wisconsin System attractive to students while maintaining affordability for Wisconsin families.”

🐟 Live fast, eat SASS.

• The owners of State Street mainstay Tutto Pasta are looking to expand their downtown presence with a new restaurant on the square.
• Cap Times reports the couple submitted a proposal last month to open SASS in the former location of Merci (10 W. Mifflin St, next to Rare).
• Since you're wondering, SASS stands for “sauce and shelled seafood." The menu will feature seafood dishes like crab and lobster as well as clams, mussels, scallops, and oysters by the pound or half-pound. They also plan to serve barbeque and lunch. (Ribs with a side of oysters? Why not?)

🚴 Get ready to get naked.

• Leave your shorts at home because the World Naked Bike Ride will return to Madison next weekend (June 18) for another day of, well, naked bike riding.
• The ride will begin at 11 a.m. that Saturday but, as Channel 3000 reports, the route won't be announced until about 24 hours beforehand. Participants are encouraged to wear as much or as little as they please and "any type of human-powered transportation is welcome — not just bikes."
• Some context: Madison has hosted a naked bike ride since 2010. The ride is meant to “celebrate selfhood and agency,” while also bringing awareness to humanity's dependence on petroleum-based products.

📎 City Council changed the process for approving development rezoning.

• Consider this story a deep cut in the world of city news, not super interesting in your day-to-day life, but impactful nonetheless. Madison's City Council voted 17-1 in favor of removing the public’s ability to petition against development rezoning.
• As the Cap Times reports, this move will likely "help reduce the work of city staffers who must review [the petitions], reduce the likelihood of delays in developments being approved, and promote equity in public input."

🍛 Your lunchtime read: Once a refugee, Afghan chef at UW Hospital makes award-winning dish for patient from Fort McCoy.

• Via WPR: "[Shekeba] Samadzada was born in Afghanistan. As a child, she went to Pakistan and later the United States as a refugee. So, when her supervisor approached her about what dish to make for an Afghan refugee patient who had come from Fort McCoy, she knew what could make them feel a little more at home."