🚌 Why Madison’s transit chief is leaving

❓ What’s Up With All Those One-Word Billboards?

• “Reason.” “Wander.” “Begin.” A series of cryptic billboards and signs with a single word on them have been popping up around Dane County, sparking curiosity and confusion.
• The signs are actually an independent art project called “DRIFT” created and financed by Thomas Ferrella, a local artist and jazz advocate. Ferrella rented 10 billboards and put a different word on each sign, calling them “single-word poems that act as a prologue.” The displays will be up through April 20. [🔒WSJ, Instagram]

🚌 Metro Head Leaving For Private Sector Job

• Justin Stuehrenberg, the general manager of Madison Metro Transit, is leaving the position for a job in the private sector. Stuehrenberg has led the department since March 2020, overseeing a series of major changes, including a route redesign and the launch of the bus rapid transit (BRT) program.
• Stuehrenberg will leave May 30, and the city will launch a nationwide search for his replacement. [City of Madison, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🚨 First Responders Refine Training After School Shootings

• After two school shootings in Dane County in 2024, first responders are building their skills when it comes to responding to active threats with new training sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
• Over 60 first responders will take part in the training, which includes 11 full-scale active shooter scenarios. Dane County is one of 19 agencies across the country taking part in the training. [WMTV]

Meet Mira! She’s a “cautious but comical” 12-year-old rescue who keeps her humans on their toes. One night, they’ll come home and she’ll flop down for a belly rub. Another night, they’ll come home and she’ll stare daggers at them as if they were burglars. Never a dull moment with Mira!