Restaurant closing, teachers rallying, traffic update

⛅ Today's weather: Mostly sunny. High: 63° Low: 42°

Good morning, Madison!

It's Monday and we've got plenty of ground to cover this morning so let's get right to it.

— Hayley

🛑 PSA: Part of West Gilman will be closed today.

• The city announced starting today at 8 a.m. West Gilman Street will be closed to through traffic until "approximately 5:00 p.m." This includes the north sidewalk, both parking lanes, and the travel lane. The sidewalk on the south side of the street will remain open.

🐘 Wisconsin Republicans didn't endorse any candidate for the party’s gubernatorial primary.

• More than 1,500 delegates, candidates, and activists gathered in Middleton Saturday for the party’s annual state convention. No gubernatorial candidate received the 60% of votes needed for the party's endorsement, but former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch came the closest with 54.6%, Cap Times reports.
• None of the party’s lieutenant governor candidates received enough support for an endorsement either.
• The primary is Aug. 9.

🍕 Roman Candle on Willy Street is closing.

• The original Roman Candle Pizza on Williamson Street will close this week, the State Journal reports.
• After two years in the red, owner Brewer Stouffer said it was time to call it quits, citing staffing issues and rising costs stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The restaurant's last day will be May 27. If you're looking for Roman Candle pizza in the future, the Middleton restaurant will remain open.

✍️ Four people submitted resumes to fill City Council's District 20 vacancy.

• Following Ald. Christian Albouras' resignation, whose last day was May 20, the city has received four applications to fill the role.
• The applicants will be interviewed this week and a final recommendation will be made June 7. Whoever fills the vacancy will hold the position until of interim District 20 Alder until April 18, 2023. You can check out the four candidates' resumes here.

📣 The Madison Teachers Union will rally tonight for better wages.

• Some context: Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI), the union that represents MMSD teachers, has been vocally opposed to MMSD’s draft budget for the 2022-23 school year.
• MTI is demanding: A 4.7% cost-of-living wage adjustment (the district proposed a 2% raise); A $5 increase to all educational assistant and security assistant salary schedules; Increase substitute pay rates; Include annual salaries with step increases on teacher contracts.
• The rally is tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Doyle Administration Building (545 W. Dayton St.).
• Related reading: MMSD apologizes for teacher contracts with incorrect salary information (Channel 3000)
• Related listen: District Will Not Disclose Salaries To Madison Teachers Before Requiring Contract Signatures (WORT)

🚧 The saga of 131 West Wilson continues.

• The owners of 131 W. Wilson — the office building that houses Paisan's — have submitted their request for a demolition permit saying the building is in danger of immediate collapse.
• According to the State Journal, Downtown Ald. Mike Verveer favors the demolition but says the owners are being "hyperbolic" in their request, also noting that if anyone is to blame for the building's deterioration, it's the owners themselves.
• If you'll recall, the building has closed and re-opened multiple times since Fall 2021 due to concerns surrounding its structural integrity. The building's tenants are currently embroiled in a legal battle with the owner. Developers have proposed tearing down the building and constructing a 14-story mixed-use building on the site with roughly 250 apartments.

📚 Your lunchtime read: Common Ground with nipinet landsem.

• From Madison Commons: "nipinet landsem is the first artist and educator in-residence for the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. The position was created this year to foster communication between the district and the Madison community and to bring attention to water, a resource landsem says many take for granted. landsem also co-owns giige, an indigenous and queer-owned tattoo collective in Madison. They are a descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota, an identity which informs their art and activism. landsem has lived in Madison for about six years, having moved here after graduating from Marquette University with a degree in linguistics."

📅 Events

Monday, May 23

• Book Release: A Dog Lover's Guide to Hiking Wisconsin's State Parks at Leopold's Books Bar Caffè. The dog signs book, too. 6 p.m. Free.
• Author Talk: Kwame Onwuachi. In his first cookbook, Kwame Onwuachi shares the dishes of his America. Free copies will be given to all attendees. 7 p.m. Free.

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