As the 2012-13 school year quickly approaches, it's almost time for enrollment in the Madison Metropolitan School District.

This year, families can save time at their school enrollment day by enrolling online ahead of time.

"We are excited to begin a new school year and advance learning for all of our students," Superintendent Jane Belmore said in a news release. "As the enrollment process begins, we encourage families to use our online system to save time on enrollment day."

All families must attend enrollment day at their child's school, but they can save time by first using the district's online enrollment system, available starting Monday, Aug. 6, at www.mmsd.org/enroll. The district is also offering online payment for the first time this year.

Beginning Wednesday, June 6, at 6 a.m., the intersection of Charter Street and Spring Street will be closed, according to the city of Madison.

Work is expected to be completed and this intersection open to traffic by 6 p.m. on the same day.

Beginning Thursday, June 7, at 10 a.m., Mills Street will be closed north of Spring Street, officials said.

Work is expected to be completed and Mills Street open to traffic by 2 p.m. the same day.

The Southwest Bike Path should not be affected, but be aware that construction operations will be very close by, officials said.

This phase of the project consists of removal of unused railroad tracks at these two locations. Sanitary sewer will also be installed at the intersection of Charter Street and Spring Street.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian will highlight a conference next month marking the retirement of longtime University of Wisconsin-Madison professor John Witte.

Taylor Branch, best known for his landmark narrative history of the civil rights era, "America in the King Years," will speak on his research into college sports at noon on Saturday, June 9, at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.

He is part of a conference on "Issues for Universities in the 21st Century" that Witte organized as a farewell to his 40 years of teaching public affairs and political science.

Witte asked many of his former colleagues and students to participate in the conference by preparing papers on topics outside their normal research interests, but all focused on the future of higher education.