The Capital Times

Save the plate! Madison Burger Week is BACK 🍔 With patio weather approaching and the city ready to welcome spring, it's time to officially declare Madison's Best Burger. The Cap Times is proud to host this annual citywide celebration for the fifth year. @licarisbarandgrill pulled off a commanding repeat win in 2025 with the I'm On Fireball Burger, but it's another year and another chance for someone else to claim the trophy 🏆 Participating restaurants, bars or taverns may showcase a burger from their menu or concoct something new for diners to try. 🗳️ Throughout the week of May 15-22, as you’re tasting delicious burgers, you can vote daily for Madison’s best. The winner, based on your votes, will be announced on June 3. Are you with a restaurant or bar that wants to participate? Learn how at bit.ly/madisonburgerweek26 (link in bio), or send us a dm! 💚 Thank you to our sponsors, the @wisconsinbeefcouncil and @coorsbanquet , for helping make this event possible.

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🍔 Madison Burger Week feature 🍔 @thecooperstavern is participating in this year's Madison Burger Week, which runs now through Friday. Check out this tasty creation they have on the menu and in the running for Madison's Best Burger. 😍 Wisconsin Wellington Burger: A fresh-ground steak burger topped with crispy prosciutto, mushroom duxelles, Roth Grand Cru, rosemary aioli and onion jam on a toasted potato bun. Served with choice of chips, or greens with house balsamic vinaigrette. See the rest of the burger lineup and vote for your favorite once per day at bit.ly/madisonburgerweek26 (link in bio). 💚 Thank you to our sponsors, @wisconsinbeefcouncil and @coorsbanquet .

After years of delays, the @madpublicmarket now has an official grand opening date: July 23. Market CEO Keisha Harrison estimated that roughly half (14-16) of the market’s 28 main spaces will be open by that date in the building at 202 N. First St., with more likely under construction. The market wants to find “that perfect balance between getting the merchants up and going and letting them get their stride,” said market spokesman Matt Boatright-Simon, “while not diminishing the impact of a grand opening.” Some merchants will likely be open even sooner, and Harrison said the market will work with them to make that happen. “We’ll probably also have some pop-up market type events in the event space, and maybe outside of the parking lot and on the patio areas,” she said. From a grassroots effort by a group of farmers in the early 2000s to a nearly $24 million construction project beset, in recent years, by persistent delays, the Madison Public Market is intended to be both an economic driver and a community gathering space. The small leadership team emphasizes “equity through entrepreneurship.” “We have been compared to shopping malls and other private corporate organizations that look like us,” Harrison said. “But as a public market we don’t have the same goals as those for-profit entities. “The (Madison Public Market) Foundation is operating this public market to be an incubator for small businesses, to provide as much wraparound support as we can in helping them source whatever it is that they may need to run and maintain their businesses. We want to be a place where you get Madison-centered, Wisconsin-centered food and items. Other for-profit places don’t necessarily have that focus.” ➡️ Read more from @lindsayc608 at captimes.com. Photos by @ruthiehaugephotography .

Food Fight Guy kickin’ off MADISON BURGER WEEK 2026! …It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it 🍔😉🍔 We’ve got NINE restaurants in the running this year, so come on out and try as many burgers as you can—and VOTE for your favorite on the @captimesmadison website (link in profile)! Also thanks to @wisconsinbeefcouncil for being a big part of BURGER WEEK 2026! 🥩🍔🥩🍔🥩🍔 #burgerweek #madisonburgerweek #foodfightguy

At least 12 data centers have been proposed in Alliant Energy’s service area according to documents shared with state regulators, though the lack of details follows a pattern of transparency issues with these high-tech developments. Data centers have become a lightning rod issue in Wisconsin as tech companies eye developing them across the state. The large-scale facilities, which help power computer systems and artificial intelligence technology, have received pushback because of environmental and economic concerns, but also because proposed projects have emerged in secret, protected by nondisclosure agreements and redacted documents. Last week, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, which is the state’s utility regulating body, ruled in a case brought by Alliant to set the electric rates for a Meta data center in Beaver Dam. In the paperwork Alliant submitted in the case, the company was asked to list all requests it has received in 2025 to serve new data centers, including details about the potential development locations and costs. Alliant objected to the request, saying it was “compound, vague, overbroad, unduly burdensome, and disproportionate” to the case at hand, but ultimately provided a brief list of 12 proposals it had received. But a black rectangle is placed over the last two columns, redacting which cities the data centers could be in, and how many megawatts the facilities would require. The requests from data center customers are “in various stages of vetting and study,” Alliant wrote in the document, and argued that discussions between the company and potential data center customers weren’t relevant to the Beaver Dam rate case. Abby Novinska-Lois, executive director of Healthy Climate Wisconsin, a coalition of healthcare workers advocating for climate action, said the group closely follows data center developments in the state but did not have 12 proposals on its radar. “This is a great example of how many issues we have in transparency as it comes to data centers in Wisconsin, and why we need strong transparency policy and better guardrails to protect Wisconsinites,” Novinska-Lois said. ➡️ Read more from @oherken at captimes.com.

🍔 Madison Burger Week kicks off TODAY 🍔 @hanks_madison is participating in this year's Madison Burger Week, which runs now through May 22. Check out this tasty creation they have on the menu and in the running for Madison's Best Burger. 🤤 Double Hank Burger: Two four-ounce beef smash patties, American cheese, caramelized onion, pickles and Hank’s Sauce. See the rest of the burger lineup and vote for your favorite once per day at bit.ly/madisonburgerweek26 (link in bio). 💚 Thank you to our sponsors, @wisconsinbeefcouncil and @coorsbanquet .

Last night we welcomed our largest crowd ever to Cooking with the Cap Times, featuring chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author @amyrosethielen . The event, held at @furnitureappliancemart , was hosted by food editor @lindsayc608 , and featured a bourbon tasting from @elijahcraig and a wine pairing from @leopolds_madison . This free event was open to Cap Times members, and attendees got to sample three dishes from Amy's cookbook, "Company." Want to come next time? Learn more about membership at the link in our bio. Photos by @arrowstarphotography .

The Wisconsin Senate late Wednesday rejected a bill to spend part of the state’s $2.5 billion surplus to increase school funding and provide economic relief to residents in the form of rebate checks and property tax cuts. The spending package, which Democratic Gov. Tony Evers called a "blockbuster deal," passed the Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday along party lines, with the four Democrats on the body voting against it. The Democrats were critical of the deal's use of the state's surplus, and said it wouldn't do enough to support schools long-term, while Republicans said it was a win they could accomplish right now with a divided government. The bill passed Wednesday in the Assembly, but all 15 Democrats in the Senate and three Republican senators voted against it, stunning Evers and its GOP supporters. The $1.8 billion deal came after months of negotiations that were first sparked by a desire from both sides of the aisle to lower property taxes. The package would have included a historic increase in the state’s special education reimbursement rate and more than $850 million in stimulus checks sent to Wisconsin residents to help them pay for rising costs. ➡️ Read more from @oherken at captimes.com.

🍔 Madison Burger Week feature 🍔 @centomadison is participating in this year's Madison Burger Week from May 15-22. Check out this tasty creation they'll have on the menu and in the running for Madison's Best Burger. 🤤 Hook & Heat Burger: An eight-ounce blend of Ney’s beef and corned beef, topped with Hook’s gorgonzola, bacon jalapeño jam, roasted Roma tomato, arugula and garlic aioli, on a sesame brioche bun. Served with a choice of fries or mixed greens salad. Get all the info and see the rest of the burger lineup at bit.ly/madisonburgerweek26 (link in bio). Voting starts TOMORROW, so get ready to start chomping! 💚 Thank you to our sponsors, @wisconsinbeefcouncil and @coorsbanquet .

After nearly four years at the helm of @uwmadison , @uwchancellor Jennifer Mnookin will soon leave to become president of @columbia in New York. Mnookin oversaw more than 51,000 students and 28,000 faculty and staff at the state’s preeminent research institution, which has a nearly $5 billion budget. How she performed depends on who you ask. The Cap Times interviewed a dozen students, faculty, staff and other community members about her tenure, as well as Mnookin herself. Some people praised Mnookin’s sharp, strategic mind, while others criticized her leadership and ability to connect with campus members. “It's definitely been a job filled with amazing opportunities and joy and hard days, too. That's OK. That's what I signed up for,” Mnookin said Monday during an interview with multiple journalists. ➡️ Read today’s cover story about Mnookin’s tenure at captimes.com, and stay tuned for more clips from her farewell interview. ✍️ @beckyjacobsthereporter 🎥 @ashleyisacommonname

🍔 Madison Burger Week feature 🍔 @quiveysgrove is participating in this year's Madison Burger Week from May 15-22. Check out this tasty creation they'll have on the menu and in the running for Madison's Best Burger. 🏔️ Quivey's Matterhorn Burger: Fresh ground local beef topped with melted Raclette cheese, dijonnaise, caramelized onions and schnitzel crusted fried pickles on a butter toasted Stalzy's bun, served with crispy French fries. Get all the info and see the rest of the burger lineup at bit.ly/madisonburgerweek26 (link in bio). 💚 Thank you to our sponsors, @wisconsinbeefcouncil and @coorsbanquet .