Morning Update: Thursday, August 26

Good morning, Madison!
It's been a few days since I've had the chance to grace your inboxes and I'm so excited to be back. Big thanks to Sam who covered everything so smoothly while I was on vacation.
Today marks my first time sending our beloved Madison Minutes via our new platform Bulletin, so if anything looks a little wonky, please bear with me because I'm learning too.
Now, let's dive into the news.
— Hayley
🚌 A lack of bus drivers is forcing a change in school start times.
- The Madison Metropolitan School District is adjusting start and end times for many schools due to the lack of drivers.
- District spokesperson Tim LeMonds told reporters that the changes would only be temporary and the district hopes to be staffed up on drivers by the time second semester rolls around.
- Channel 3000 has a full list of the new start and end times for Madison's elementary, middle, and high schools.
🚨 Don't get scammed: Madison Police are not raising funds for injured officers.
- The Madison Police Department is warning residents of a fraudulent fundraising scam where a caller claimed to be collecting money for injured officers.
- According to an incident report, a Wisconsin resident received the call from a number with a 608 area code. MPD has reiterated that they are not involved in any telephone-based fundraising efforts.
🇱🇺 From Milwaukee to Luxembourg.
- President Joe Biden has picked Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to be the next U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.
- Barrett will still need Senate confirmation before taking on his new post and he will continue to serve as mayor of Milwaukee until then.
- According to WPR, Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson will serve as mayor in the time between Barrett's confirmation and a special election.
📚 Virtual learning will continue for some Madison students.
- MMSD's new virtual learning option for 6-12 graders received 452 applications. Of those, the district is offering 234 admissions, the Cap Times reports.
- The district launched the Madison Promise program in part because some students found they did well in the virtual environment, and to address ongoing health and safety concerns over in-person schooling.
- Earlier this year, the school board voted to allocate $840,000 in the budget to get the program started.
✈️ Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for takeoff.
- The Dane County Regional Airport is on the road to post-pandemic recovery as more non-stop flights are returning for service.
- The Cap Times reports that non-stop flights will soon be offered to Las Vegas and Miami, bringing the airport's total non-stop flight offering up to 15. Still short from its pre-COVID list of 24.
🎨 Madison's CultivARTE Collective is a space where Latin American art and culture can be appreciated and understood.
- The group is holding its first Latinx Art Festival on Aug. 28 from 1 - 6 p.m. in the Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church parking lot, Tone Madison reports.
- The festival is open to everyone, and admission is free. The goal with this, and the event's location, is to foster inclusivity and accessibility. The festival will showcase art in a variety of mediums with a focus on environmental themes.
⚽ Forward Madison ended its six-game unbeaten streak.
- The team took a 1-0 loss to North Carolina FC Wednesday and that's all we have to say about that.
📅 Your events calendar for today:
- Vaccine and Be Seen networking event hosted by the Greater Madison Area Chamber of Commerce. 8-10 a.m.
- Virtual luncheon with UW system interim president (and former Wisconsin governor) Tommy Thompson. Discussion expected to include the return to in-person classes and budgeting without the tuition freeze. 12-1 p.m. Free.
- “Crafternoon” at Garver Feed Mill. Purchase and make craft kits from Revel. 4-7 p.m. No entry fee.
- Cheese Camp hosted by Madison Eats Food Tours and Camp Trippalindee. Cheese tasting and education event. 5 p.m. $90 per person.
- 90s and 2000s cover tunes for throwback Thursday at Breakwater Monona. 5-8 p.m.
- Schitt’s creek trivia at the Sylvee Side Stage. Prizes for 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place and best dressed. 5:30 p.m.
- Madison Jazz Orchestra at Brinklounge Madison. 7:30-10:30 p.m.
One more thing...
❌ Don't reply to this email. We won't get your reply if you do. If you reply to the emails we send through Bulletin (our new email platform) they go to a strange black hole. I'm sure this will be fixed one day, but for now, do not reply directly to the email newsletters.
🟢 Do keep the conversation going by sending us feedback at contact@madisonminutes.com. We still want to hear from you! This is just a weird technical glitch. To get your message to us, start a new email (or forward this one with your note) to contact@madisonminutes.com.
![]() |
😺 Of course Ozzy and Billie have to make their Bulletin debut, too!