WGTD's The Morning Show with Greg Berg

For Kailyn Palomares's August visit to the Morning Show, we meet Kara DeLanty, who is Area Supervisor of Primates for the Milwaukee County Zoo. She works with a staff of ten zookeepers to care for 40 different animals representing 10 different primate species. We talk about how these animals are cared for, fed, and stimulated.

In honor of the 101st birthday of identical twins Norris and Ross McWhirter, the co-founders of the Guiness Book of World Records, we are resharing a 2008 interview with Tom Olmsted, author of "Getting into Guiness: One Man's Longest, Fastest, Highest Journey Inside the World's Most Famous Record Book." The book not only chronicles the history of the book, but also tells the story of the many people who have risked life and limb in order to secure their place in its pages. (Olmsted himself has managed to achieve two world records himself.).

This is an expanded version of the interview with saxophonist and composer Kirk Whalum that was heard on today's Morning Show. Whalum once again is the headline artist for the Harbor Park Jazz Rhythm and Blues Festival that is coming up this Saturday, August 15th. More information is available at mahonefoundation.org.

Tim Mahone and Teri Jacobsen preview the 2026 Harbor Park Jazz Rhythm and Blues Festival this Saturday, August 15th. The program also includes a short excerpt from a past interview with Grammy Award-winning artist Kirk Whalum, who is back as the headliner for this year's festival. (A longer version of that interview is available in a separate post.). More information about the festival is available at Mahonefoundation.org.

In honor of the Kenosha Kingfish once again making the playoffs in the Northwoods League, we're replaying this 2014 conversation with Jim Collins, author of "The Last Best League: One Summer, One Season, One Dream." Collins follows the exploits of the Chatham A's, one of the best teams in the Cape Cod League. The book is one of the best books ever written about minor league baseball. (The book was originally written back in 2004. The occasion of this interview was the re-release of the book in a 10th anniversary updated version.)

From 2019 - Jill Tietjen and Barbara Bridges, co-authors of "Hollywood Her Story: An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies." The book primarily examines the surprisingly significant presence of women directors and producers in the early years of the movie industry.

In memory of writer and advice columnist Margo Howard, who died earlier this summer, we are replaying a conversation from 2014 where we talked about her memoir "Eat, Drink, and Remarry: Confessions of a Serial Wife." Howard was a 3-time divorcee who, in her words, "finally got it right with husband #3." Howard's mother was Ann Landers. Howard was responsible for creating the Dear Prudence advice column.

This is the interview with Ellen Schutt, one of the Republicans squaring off in the August 11th Republican primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 11. (Interviews with the other two candidates are available in separate postings.).

This is the interview with Sandy Wiedmeyer, one of the Republicans facing off in the August 11th Republican primary for the Wisconsin State Senate District 11. (Interviews with the other two candidates are available in separate postings.).

This is the interview with Nick Polce, one of the Republicans squaring off in the August 11th Republican primary for the Wisconsin State Senate District 11. (Interviews with the other two Republicans are available in separate postings.)

We present interviews with Nick Polce, Sandy Wiedmeyer, and Ellen Schutt, who will be squaring off in the Republican primary on August 11th. The order of the broadcast was determined by the flip of a coin. (The two Democrats facing off in the Democratic primary were on yesterday's program.).

This is the interview with Steve Doelder, one of the Democrats squaring off in the August 11th Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 11. (We have an interview with the other candidate in a separate posting.).

This is the interview with Adam Duda, one of the Democrats squaring off in the August 11th Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 11. (We have an interview with the other candidate in a separate posting.).

We present interviews with Adam Duda and Steve Doelder, who will square off in the August 11th Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 11. The order of the broadcast was determined by a flip of a coin. (We will be presenting interviews with the three Republicans in the Republican primary on Friday's Morning Show.)

Today's program is a memorial tribute to Tom Vignieiri .... born and raised in Kenosha and an alum of Carthage College .... who went on to be the director of the Tanglewood Institute, the artistic administrator of the Handel and Haydn Society, and the music director/producer for NPR's "From the Top" .... as well as a prolific and highly-regarded composer. We are replaying a 2012 interview in which Tom talks about "From the Top" just as the program was added to Wisconsin Public Radio's broadcast schedule. (The program still airs over the classical music network of Wisconsin Public Radio on Sunday afternoons at 4:00- and more information is available at the program's website, fromthetop.org.) We follow the interview with recordings of two of Tom's most beautiful compositions: "To Sing," which was commissioned for the farewell of then-Carthage College president F. Gregory Campbell (text by Charles Anthony Silvestri) - and "An American Hymn," originally composed for symphony orchestra but heard here in a transcription for wind orchestra by Carthage College's Dr. James Ripley. You can hear more of Tom's music by visiting his website, tomvignieri.com. Tom passed away on July 30th.

We present interviews with Rick Bailey and Maria Elena Bisabarros, who will be squaring off in the August 11th Democratic primary for the Wisconsin State Assembly District 33. The order of the interview was determined by the flip of a coin. (We shared interviews with the two Republicans facing off in the Republican primary on yesterday's program.).

This is the interview with Maria Elena Bisabarros, one of the Democrats squaring off in the Aughust 11th Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 33. (We have an interview with the other candidate in a separate posting.).

This is the interview with Rick Bailey, one of the Democrats who will be facing off in the August 11th primary for the Wisconsin State Assembly District 33. (We have an interview with the other candidate in a separate posting.).

This is an interview with Rick Stacey, one of the Republicans in the upcoming August 11th primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 33. (We have an interview with the other Republican in a separate posting.)

This is the interview with Steve Wicklund, one of the Republicans in the upcoming August 11th primary for the Wisconsin State Assembly District 33. (We also have an interview with the other Republican in the race in a separate posting.)

We present interviews with Steve Wicklund and Rick Stacey, who are squaring off in the Republic primary for the August 11th Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 33. The order was determined by a flip of a coin. (We present the two Democrats in the Democratic primary on tomorrow's program.).

On July 30th, Barb Salvo died. She was a high-regarded science teacher at Washington Park High School in Racine for many years - and after retiring from Park, she worked with many of the science education majors at Carthage. During her years at Park, she was the faculty advisor for the school's science team, which was one of the finest in the state. This interview from spring of 1998 came shortly after the team won the state championship- which in turn qualified them for the National Science Olympiad. The interview is with Barb Salvo and with three students who were members of the science team: Jeremiah James, Amanda Schneider, and Nick Barootian.

Tom Vignieri, a Kenosha native and Carthage College alum, had an impressive and wide-ranging music career that included stints with the Handel-Haydn Society, the Tanglewood Institute, and public radio's "From the Top." He was also a prolific and highly-regarded composer. He died this past Thursday, July 30th. In his memory, we are replaying a Morning Show conversation from the fall of 2018, when he returned to Carthage to participate in a special concert in honor of Dr. Richard Sjoerdsma, a long-time member of the music faculty and one of his most treasured mentors. (We will also be replaying a 2012 conversation with Vignieri on Wednesday, August 5th.).

Today is the last day that Kevin and Julie Ervin are the co-owners of Frank's Diner, one of Kenosha's most beloved landmarks. (They have sold the diner to a longtime employee so they can retire.). In this interview from last year, Ervin outlines the 100-year history of the diner.

This is a brief interview with Bill Diekhoff, who was the choral director at Washington Park High School in Racine for many years. He is returning to Racine this weekend to sing a voice recital Saturday afternoon, 2:30, at Holy Communion Lutheran Church in Racine .... to celebrate his 90th birthday! The program includes arias by Donizetti and Bizet, songs by Sigmund Romberg and Rodger & Hammerstein, and much much more.

This is the interview we recorded with current Racine County Sherif Cary Madrigal ahead of the Republican primary on August 11th. (We also have an interview with her Republican challenger.).

This is the interview we recorded with Henry Perez ahead of the upcoming Republican primary on August 11th for Racine County Sheriff. (We also have an interview with the current sheriff whom Perez is challenging in the primary.).

Here are interviews with the two Republicans facing off in the Republican Primary for Racine County Sheriff on Tuesday, August 11th.: (The order of these interviews was determined by random draw). Heny Perez and Cary Madrigal. (Madrigal is the current sheriff. Perez is challenging her in the primary.). We are also posting each of these interviews separately.

We preview the 2026 Starving Artists Fair - coming up this Sunday, August 2nd, at the Dekoven Center - with Jayne Herring, coordinator of the fair, Sue Smith, current president of the Racine Art Guild, and past-president Jill Castillo. The fair this year will feature the work of 130 artists.

This is the interview we recorded with James Beller ahead of the upcoming Republican primary for Kenosha County Sheriff on August 11th. (We also have interviews with the other two candidates.).

This is the interview we recorded with Tony Gonzalez ahead of the upcoming Republican primary on August 11th for Kenosha County Sheriff. (We also have interviews with the other two candidates.).

This is the interview we recorded with current Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner ahead of the Republican primary on August 11th. (We also have interviews with his two challengers.)

Here are interviews with the three people facing off in the Republican Primary for Kenosha County Sheriff on Tuesday, August 11th: (the order of these interviews was determined by random draw)- David Zoerner, Tony Gonzalez, and James Beller. (Zoerner is the current sheriff. Gonzalez and Beller are challenging him in the Republican primary.). We are also posting each interview separately.

We speak with former Racine Poet Laureate Debra Hall about how she fell in love with poetry, the daily routine she follows that helps her write every single day, and her newly published chapbook "What the Current Cannot Swallow." This collection of poems stems from a difficult period in her life when her husband was seriously stricken while the two of them were flying to Italy for vacation. The poems in this collection reflect on various aspects of their ordeal that eventually culminated in her husband's death. We also share information about the search for new poets laureate for Kenosha and Racine ... and about a fundraiser for the program that will be happening at The White Lilac in Kenosha on September 20th.

From 2021- Writer Matthew Paul Turner talks about the experience of completing Rachel Held Evans's children's book "What is God Like?," which was left incomplete at her untimely death in 2019 at the age of 37.

From 2015- Kristy Woodson Harvey talks about her debut novel "Dear Carolina."

We talk with Colleen Walker, director of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" that's being performed the next two weekends. at Badger High School by Christian Performing Arts.

From 2024- Jonathan Scott, author of "Into the Groove: The History of Sound from Tin Foil to Vinyl."

We talk about Regenerative Farming with Amy Greil, executive director of the Kenosha Community Foundation - Paul Maggio, owner/operator of Starry Nights Farm in Kenosha County and leader of the Kenosha Regenerative Producers Group - and Ken Stock, a family farmer in Jefferson County and a staff member for Glacierland Resource Conservation and Development, a non-profit that works with farmers who would like to engage in regenerative practices.

Because so much of northern hemisphere is experiencing record-breaking heat waves this summer, we are replaying this interview with Eric Klinenberg, author of "Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago." The book examines the devastating heat wave in July 1995 when hundreds of people in Chicago perished from the heat. Klinenberg did a careful study of where in the city people were more apt to perish from the heat- and why. (This interview was recorded in 2002.)

As a memorial to Frank Egerton - a beloved Professor Emeritus from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and devoted community activist who died on July 14th at the age of 90 - we are replaying a 2022 Morning Show conversation where he talks about his book "Gun Crazy America: A History and Critique of our Gun Culture."

Part One- Dan Werb, author of "Our Wild Familiars: How Animals are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World." The book examines the ways in which more and more wild animals are living within urban settings. Werb examines special instances of this- the raccoons of Toronto, the rats of New York City, the bats of Boston, and more. Part Two:- from 2009- Michael D'Orso, author of "Plundering Paradise: The Hand of Man on the Galapagos Islands."

From 2004- Patrick J. Kiger, author of "Poplorica: A Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions and Lore that Shaped Modern America."

From 2005 - Maria Housden, author of "Unraveled: The True Story of a Woman who Dared to Become a Different Kind of Mother."

In anticipation of Sunday afternoon's championship match between Spain and Argentina for the FIFA World Cup, we are replaying an interview from earlier this year with Nick Greene, author of "How to Watch Soccer like a Genius."

Ceiridwen Terrill, author of "Part Wild: One Woman's Journey with a Creature Caught Between the Worlds of Wolves and Dogs." Terrill adopted a wolfdog- part husky and part gray wolf. The experience of living with and working with it helped her understand the differences between wild animals and domesticated animals ... and how the distinction can sometimes be difficult to delineate.

We speak with Joycelyn Fish, director of marketing and development at the Racine Theatre Guild, who is serving as stage director for the RTG's summer main stage show: "Dad's Season Tickets," a Green Bay Packers-themed musical.

We reconnect with Antiques Appraiser Mark Moran (formerly of the PBS series "Antiques Roadshow" - who is doing an antiques appraisal program at Salem Lakes Community Library this coming Saturday, July 18th. This is a free event, but pre-registration is an absolute requirement for anyone who wants to bring something to be appraised. Spectators are welcome to come and observe. Our conversation includes an overview of the world of antiques. The program is actually a combination of a recently-recorded interview and an earlier interview recorded in 2015.

We talk about the recent 13-day trip to New York City led by Herschel Kruger and Maureen Chavez-Kruger from Carthage College's theater faculty,. Also joining us: Anna Riess, Chase Portner and Madison Jones, three of the 20+ students who participated in the trip. The students attended a plethora of plays and musicals and also took in some of the major sights in NYC.

From 2002 - In a followup to yesterday's interview with astronaut Malcolm Scott Carpenter, we speak with his daughter, Kris Stoever, who collaborated with her father on his memoir "For Spacious Skies: The Uncommon Journey of a Mercury Astronaut." This is the first time that this interview has been shared with listeners.

From 2002 - Astronaut Malcolm Scott Carpenter talks about his memoir "For Spacious Skies- The Uncommon Journey of a Mercury Astronaut." Carpenter was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. He was the second American astronaut (after John Glenn) to orbit the earth.