Morning Update

Tuesday newsday

A looming strike, baby lemurs, and Curd Fest. Here's what you need to know about Madison today.

In this newsletter

Happy Tuesday, Madison!

Let's dive right into it today, shall we?

— Hayley

📣 CUNA employees are preparing to strike this week.

Unionized workers at Madison’s CUNA Mutual Group plan to strike Friday if they can't reach an agreement with their employer.
Union members say the company has refused to bargain in good faith over issues like healthcare, pensions, wages, and outsourcing. CUNA canceled sessions with mediators this week, WKOW reports.
Some context: CUNA is one of Madison's largest employers with a local workforce of roughly 1,750. Of those employees, 450 are union members.
Related: CUNA workers raise money and pressure ahead of a looming strike deadline (Tone Madison)

😷 What the end of the Covid-19 public health emergency means for Madison.

The White House officially ended the nationwide Covid-19 public health emergency last week, which means the end of state and federal aid to combat the pandemic.
Vaccines: Currently, more than 60% of Wisconsinites have completed their primary Covid-19 vaccine series. But only 20% of residents have gotten an updated booster, according to Department of Health Services data. Public Health Madison & Dane County still provides free Covid-19 vaccines and boosters at their office and mobile clinics.
Testing: PHMDC's free testing clinic on Park Street has closed. You can still buy tests in stores, pharmacies, and online. Free tests are available through the state's Say Yes! Covid Test program, which will continue until supplies run out.
Treatment: The state offers free telehealth appointments for Wisconsinites to receive antiviral treatments such as Paxlovid and Lagevrio through the end of the year.

🍼 Baby animal break!

Henry Vilas Zoo has announced the arrival of three critically endangered black-and-white ruffed lemurs. Their mom Morombe gave birth just three days after her 13 birthday on April 25.
All three babies — two females and one male — weighed roughly the size of medium tomatoes at the time of their birth. So smol.

🧀 10 years of Curd Fest.

Curd Fest will be back at Breese Stevens Field Aug. 13 for its 10-year anniversary.
Curd Fest is free and features a wide variety and interpretations of fried and fresh cheese curds, this year even includes a vegan option.
Aside from curds, the festival will feature yard games, curd eating contests, and more.

🚼 Your lunchtime read: The view from a best-case pregnancy.

Via Tone Madison: Diane responded to Tone Madison and Madison Minutes' family planning survey conducted in August 2022 and wrote at length about the experience of going through her first pregnancy when the Dobbs decision was released. She agreed to speak in depth about her experience with Tone Madison for this series.

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🎙️ Today on City Cast Madison

Madison Police Chief Wants Body Cams

The Madison Police Department is one of the largest local law enforcement agencies in the country that hasn’t embraced body-worn cameras. Chief Shon Barnes calls body cams a “must” for the department and has been working on a 90-day pilot program to test out the technology. Eventually, Barnes hopes body cams are standard issue for Madison police officers.

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