| | What Madison's Talking About |
| | | 🚌 Road Closures, Reduced Bus Service For Juneteenth | - Several streets will be closed on June 20 for the annual Juneteenth parade and celebration. South Park Street will be closed between West Wingra Drive and West Badger Road between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for the parade route. Meanwhile, streets surrounding Penn Park, including Fisher Street and Dane Street, will be closed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Meanwhile, due to June 19 being a holiday, Metro Transit buses will run on a Saturday schedule on Friday. [City of Madison, Metro]
| | 🖥️ UW-Madison Declares 2026 ‘The Year of AI Readiness’ | - In an effort to educate and promote the “thoughtful use of AI,” UW-Madison declared 2026 “The Year of AI Readiness and Competency.”
- What does that mean? The campus-wide announcement reflects UW’s growing investment in artificial intelligence, including the hiring of 50 new faculty members for the new College of Computing and AI.
- The university has also created a new working group that will recommend appropriate use of AI, establish guardrails in its use, and review campus policies for AI governance. [Daily Cardinal, UW-Madison]
| | 🚨 Police Chief Pushes for Body-Worn Cameras | - With the city’s 2027 preliminary budget process already under way, Madison Police Chief John Patterson said he would like to see funding for body-worn police cameras included in that budget.
- Cameras have been debated in city government for years, and a pilot program in 2024 was not followed up on. Calling cameras an “essential tool,” Patterson is recommending a phased-in approach, introducing cameras to the North precinct next year and expanding citywide over three years. The Madison Police Department is currently one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the Midwest that doesn’t use body cameras.
- Meanwhile, some city officials, including Madison City Council President Sabrina Madison, are calling for an “urgent review” of the case of Richard Lee Johnson, who died in police custody in December 2024. A report from the city’s Independent Police Monitor said police were responsible for Johnson’s death. [WKOW, 🔒 WSJ, City of Madison, WPR, 🎧 City Cast Madison]
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| | The Best Ice Cream in Madison |
|  | The exterior of Ice Cream Social may seem a little vanilla, but inside are a bunch of delicious and creative flavors. (Rob Thomas / Madison Minutes) |
| There’s no shortage of ice cream in Madison – we are in the Dairy State, after all. But with so many options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. | | We’re happy to help. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, the team did the hard work of trying 10 different flavors of locally-made ice cream (and custard!) and ranking them by taste, texture, and originality. No need to thank us. | |
We also put out the call to our readers and listeners to tell us your favorite ice cream. And, boy, did you deliver. Think of this as our cone-clave.
| | | - Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company was founded in 1962. After more than 60 years in business, the company now has nine ice cream parlors and a manufacturing plant in Madison.
- Flavors to try: Based on reader reaction, Chocolate Shoppe is clearly the people’s choice. This @#$% Just Got Serious (a fave of Instagram user @stringsandthings83, Exhausted Parent (which one of our Instagram followers, @latlong.shop, said they were “feeling seen” by), and Blue Moon Oat Cream (it’s vegan!). Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett also backed the Blue Moon.
- Reader Gretta W. said Door County Cherry is “very seasonal and just the best.” Susan S. loves Zanzibar Chocolate, while Carol R. goes for London Fog.
| | - Ice Cream Social started as an Instagram project meant to raise money for Madison organizations fighting for social and racial equity. The page exploded in popularity, often selling out quickly. The brand opened a brick-and-mortar location in March 2022 on University Ave.
- Flavors to try: Cherry Styles, Movie Theatre Trash Can, Chocolate Buttermilk. Pro-tip: You can get a flight of flavors for the days when you just can’t decide.
- Readers Jeff M. and Gretchen N. praised Ice Cream Social for its interesting and delicious flavors. And Jacque M. noted that a great ice cream experience is about more than just the ice cream. “Their homemade gluten-free waffle cones are the bomb—crispy, flavorful, and the perfect match for their rich, creamy scoops.”
| | - The combination ice cream shop and cafe is a fairly recent addition to downtown’s food scene. Aside from ice cream and other sweet treats, the shop also offers breakfast and lunch items.
- Flavors to try: Fig & Honey, Blueberry Honey Lavender, Chocolate Hazelnut. The team loved their Thai Tea flavor.
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| | | | One of the cool perks of being a City Cast Madison Neighbor is getting the chance to shout out something in Madison that you love. Maybe it’s a business, or a nonprofit, or an event that you think your neighbors ought to know about. Our members tell us, and we share their Neighborhood Shoutouts on the podcast and in the newsletter! | | 📣 Olivia B. wanted to shout out November Project Madison! “I'm a long-time member, and I'd love to share a shoutout for the free fitness community I've been part of since 2016. November Project Madison hosts free outdoor circuit workouts that combine bodyweight exercises with walking or running. | | “We meet on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:28 a.m. on campus and downtown — all year long, rain, shine, or blizzard. Come for the workout, stay for the good vibes, sunrises, and connection.” | | 📣 Tara P. thinks you should know about Working Draft Brewery’s Samba Night – which is tonight! "Everyone involved with Samba Night one Thursday a month — Working Draft Brewery, the band Saideira Pagode, and the Madison Brazilian community make it a party!” | | We also have some new brand-new City Cast Madison Neighbors to welcome! Welcome aboard to Martha K., Karen L., Douglas A., and Autumn S. Thanks for your support, and we can’t wait to hear your Neighborhood Shoutouts! | |
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| | | – Rob Thomas | ✏️ Thanks to City Cast Madison executive producer Hayley Sperling for editing this week’s newsletter and writing today's story on local ice cream! |
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