The Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools will focus its efforts for the foreseeable future on the achievement gap and STEAM education, according to Executive Director Stephanie Hayden.

"We just felt that it was true to our mission and our vision for all schools to be successful, and so we knew the achievement gap had to be part of our focus moving forward," she said.

STEAM refers to the traditional STEM education -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- but  includes the arts.

A public meeting is set as part of the U.S. Postal Service study of possible consolidation of its Madison and Milwaukee processing and distribution operations.

The Postal Service is down $16 billion this past year, and a study at the Madison Processing and Distribution Center will focus on the possible consolidation of some Madison operations to the Milwaukee Processing and Distribution Center.

Postal Service officials cite declining mail volumes and the large financial deficits the decline has created as the reason for the study.

The meeting is scheduled for May 29 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Alliant Energy Center inside Exhibition Hall B.

Through an Area Mail Processing study, the Postal Service said it's examining the Madison plant's efficiency in order to decide whether the center should consolidate.

Emergency responders plan to assess response skills and train in a multi-agency drill Monday afternoon, organizers said. Due to the nearly four-hour exercise taking place near the Monona Terrace and Olin Park, traffic will be affected and public access to some areas will be restricted, organizers said.

The City of Madison and Dane County Metropolitan Medical Response System plans to conduct a training operation at Monona Terrace on John Nolen Drive from noon to 3:30 p.m., according to a news release.

Madison Fire Department Spokesman Eric Dahl said the drills will mean increased emergency response vehicle traffic throughout the exercise areas. He said eastbound John Nolen Drive will be reduced to one lane in the area in front of Monona Terrace for responder safety. Public parking and the bike trail at Monona Terrace will remain open during the drills, Dahl said.