Plus, St. Mary’s nurses accuse bosses of union busting ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Monday, May 11 

Your Daily Guide

Good morning, Madison! Urban Triage CEO Brandi Grayson has been in the news lately. But those headlines don’t tell the full story. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Grayson about her work, what she wants Madison to know about her recent arrest, and the state of being a Black woman leader in Madison 🎤

PODCAST

Why Is Madison So Obsessed With Brandi Grayson?

What Madison's Talking About

A building with white columns on a lawn strewn with leaves.

Finals week descended into chaos at UW-Madison when a worldwide security breach took down the software that the university uses to administer exams. (Richard Hurd / Wikimedia Commons)

💻 Worldwide Hack Hits UW in the Middle of Finals

  • As if final exams aren’t stressful enough, UW-Madison had to deal with a worldwide computer hack last week that shut down Canvas, the software students use to take online exams and submit assignments.
  • A cybercriminal group called ShinyHunters took Canvas offline on Thursday afternoon, right before the last day of finals. UW-Madison provost John Zumbrunnen urged professors to find alternative means of grading if necessary, such as basing a final grade on already-completed work. Grading deadlines were extended to May 14. [Daily Cardinal, TechCrunch]

🧑‍⚕️ St. Mary’s Nurses Allege Widespread Union Busting

  • Some nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s charge that they’ve felt threatened by management days after filing for a union election.
  • The nurses say they’ve been told they could be put on unpaid suspension if they wear union-supporting badge holders or buttons while at work. They’ve also been told they can’t talk about the union efforts while at work, and union fliers posted around the hospital have been torn down.
  • Nurses filed paperwork on May 1 to unionize with SEIU Wisconsin, saying they’re fighting for improved staffing levels at the hospital. [Cap Times]

🗳️ Will Shorewood Hills President Get Ousted?

  • The Shorewood Hills Village Board will vote May 12 on whether to remove President John Imes from his position after months of dissension among village residents.
  • Much of the acrimony stems from recent development deals, including the purchase of the Lodgic building on University Avenue to be used as the new Village Hall. The complaints allege that Imes did not disclose conflicts of interest related to the sale, and that he used private email accounts for official business.
  • A complaint by two residents, including board member Brian Utschig, alleges “gross neglect of duty” by Imes, which would open the door for Imes to be immediately removed under a rarely-used state law. Imes has denied the allegations. [Cap Times]

🏫 UW System Names Interim President

  • The UW Board of Regents named Renée Wachter, chancellor of UW-Superior, as the interim president of the Universities of Wisconsin.
  • Wachter will start on May 18 to succeed Jay Rothman, who was fired by the board in April.
  • She has led UW-Superior since 2011, making her the most senior chancellor in the UW System.
  • The board is also convening a 25-member search committee to look for a permanent president. That committee includes UW-Madison provost John Zumbrunnen. [Universities of Wisconsin]
Display ad for Overture Center for the Arts

Design your perfect 2026/27 Overture Presents subscription!

Every performance is a chance to connect. With a Make Your Own subscription, select three or more Overture Presents performances that reflect the genres and artists you enjoy. You’ll also unlock special savings and early access to purchase single tickets for Broadway and additional Overture Presents shows.

  • Buy 3-4 shows, get a 15% discount
  • Buy 5 or more shows, get a 20% discount
  • Lock in these discounts for additional ticket purchases.

Subscribe today at overture.org!

What To Do

Monday, May 11

Tuesday, May 12

More Madison Events

📰 Extra! Extra! While Madison is talking about restricting downtown activity, Philadelphia is talking about staying open later. On this week’s episode of City Cast’s national podcast Your City Could Be Better, CEO David Plotz talks to City Cast Philadelphia host Trenae Nuri about Philly’s experiment to let bars stay open until 4 a.m. this June and July. Should Madison do the same? 🍻

— Rob Thomas

mailtoyoutubeinstagramtiktok