Your Daily Guide

After two terms in office, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway will not be running for a third term despite announcing a campaign bid in July. In a statement, she said she reversed her decision due to “credible threats" to her safety and personal attacks on her character. On today's episode of City Cast Madison, Mayor Rhodes-Conway talks to executive producer Hayley Sperling about those threats, some of her more controversial decisions as Mayor, and her successes. Below are some highlights from the conversation, edited for length and clarity.

On Threats

On Not Visiting The Corey Ruiz Memorial and Encampment

On Her Wins

Mayor Rhodes-Conway also explained her decision to send police officers to clear up the Corey Ruiz encampment and gives her take on what Madison needs from her successor.

🎓 WI College Admission Law’s Unintended Consequences: The Wisconsin Guarantee makes it so any Wisconsin student whose GPA places them in the top 5% of their class is accepted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and those in the top 10% are admitted to all other UW colleges. The Cap Times found that in districts where schools use unweighted GPAs, so more challenging accelerated classes like APs are calculated similarly to traditional classes, students are disincentivized to take the more challenging classes. Madison is one of those districts. [Universities of Wisconsin, Cap Times]

⛸️ No Ice Skating at Vilas Park Lagoon? It is a possibility. The county’s decision not to cut weeds at Lake Wingra could lower the quality of ice in the lagoon according to Madison’s parks division. The county is not doing it anymore because the lake is healthier and has less invasive plants, but the extra leaves in the ice can cause it to melt faster or unevenly. [🔒 Wisconsin State Journal]

💵 Budget Amendments Propose More Money to Police Oversight and Election Staffing: Madison’s Finance Committee is calling for an investigator to support the independent police monitor and a new clerk’s office employee before the 2028 presidential election. These additions would cost the city almost $200,000 more than Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway proposed in her 2027 budget. [🔒Wisconsin State Journal]

⚖️ No Charges in Madison Fraternity Hazing Case: Dane County prosecutors aren’t bringing any charges related to the September hazing incident at Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at UW-Madison. The hazing incident garnered national attention after the police found 30 partially clothed men in the frat house basement covered in condiments, food, and other fluids. [Cap Times, WPR]

🍽️ New Mediterranean Food Truck: Arab-ish is serving twists on Mediterranean food all around the Madison area. The owner and chef told The Cap Times that his menu items, like a gyro with Mexican chorizo, are inspired by different parts of his life. The truck doesn’t have a fixed location, but you can see where they are on their Instagram. [Cap Times, Instagram]