WORT Local News

Here's your local news for Thursday, September 18, 2025:We head to Rep. Francesca Hong's campaign launch party to find out what inspired her to run for governor,Consider the truth behind the old adage "it takes a village,"Get the details on the Room Tax Commission's looming structural deficit,Share a crash course on the U.S. Supreme Court's so-called "shadow docket,"Debut our new feature celebrating Madison's music scene,Explain why the art of sewing is always cool (not just when the New York Times says it is),And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, September 17, 2025:We head to Jefferson County for this year's Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival,Dissect the unsuccessful campaign to ban physical mail at the Dane County jail,Learn how a group of underclassmen brought a humorous internet trend to UW-Madison's Library Mall,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1963,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 16, 2025:We detail last night's debate over a proposal that would raise health care costs for Dane County employees,Hear what Wisconsin scholars and industry leaders have to say about Trump's tariff plan,Find out why the legal dispute over Wisconsin's administrative rulemaking process is far from over,Explain how the dairy industry is adapting to rising butterfat content in the milk supply,Wrap up our three-part series on fluoride in drinking water,Celebrate the unlikely survival of sandhill cranes,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, September 15, 2025:We find out how the county is preparing for a projected $31 million budget deficit,Learn how advocates and state lawmakers are working to spread awareness about cryptocurrency ATM scams,Meet Matt Wachter, Madison's Director of Planning, Community, and Economic Development,Consider the environmental impacts of data centers,Look back on the Irish Postal Workers Strike of 1922,Revisit two cinema classics,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, September 11, 2025:We'll outline Wisconsin Democrats' education agenda,Untangle Line 5's complicated legal history and find out what's next in the fight to stop Enbridge's proposed reroute of the pipeline,Delve into some of the Wisconsin Transparency Project's most recent cases,Break down where the fish are biting,Reflect on Forward Madison's frustrating (but still hopeful) season,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, September 10, 2025:We detail Madison leaders' latest proposal to promote more housing in the city,Learn how white nationalist groups are using so-called 'Active Clubs' to covertly spread their ideology,Outline the research that has a range of experts sounding the alarm on a ubiquitous insecticide,Welcome "Cardinal Call" back from summer break,Find out why containing wildfires is easier said than done,Travel back in time to 1965,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 9, 2025:We find out why a contingent of high school athletes showed up at yesterday's Board of Education meeting,Outline Wisconsin Republicans' education priorities,Hear the mission behind Wisconsin Public Education Network's transparency project,Explain the bovine breeding and nutrition practices behind a recent boom in cream production,Sit down with a local food photographer,Mark the start of the fall season at the Dane County Wildlife Rehabilitation Center,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, September 8, 2025:We head to a protest outside the Odana Road Social Security office,Consider the consequences of an increasingly corporatized and tech-focused higher education system,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Celebrate the birthday of "a lion in literature's forest,"Discuss some of the best snacks to eat with your evening cocktail,Review two new offerings on the small screen,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, September 4, 2025:We get the details on a package of bills that seeks to strengthen protections for the state's workforce,Find out who qualifies for backpay, after a discriminatory law blocked disabled Wisconsinites from collecting unemployment for over a decade,Learn more about Madison's Russian Folk Orchestra,Walk you through replacing a light fixture,Discuss the joys and dangers of being a collector,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, September 3, 2025:We get the details on a proposal that seeks to delay demolition of Madison's first city-sanctioned homeless encampment,Hear about Isthmus newspaper's open records request that, months later, is still waiting for a response from the city's independent police monitor,Learn how to approach solidarity work with self-care,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1965,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 2, 2025:We hear the mayor's capital spending priorities for next year,Outline what's on the Wisconsin Supreme Court's docket this week,Get the details on a bill that seeks to uncover the hidden cost of tariffs,Examine the science behind a recent drop in butter prices,Visit a homestyle Mexican restaurant on Madison's north side,Consider the ethics of rehabilitating invasive birds,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, August 28, 2025:We share an update on Bus Rapid Transit, nearly a year after the city launched its first route,Outline the long-term health consequences of tooth decay,Hear how the Wisconsin Transparency Project got started and where it's headed,Tell you the best fishing spots this Labor Day weekend,Learn how Forward Madison FC is fostering young talent,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, August 27, 2025:We'll outline the next steps for a proposal that seeks to strengthen Madison's tree protections,Find out why Madison finance leaders expect the city's operating expenses to go up nearly $24 million next year,Meet Michael Haas, Madison's City Attorney and interim City Clerk,Discuss how labor unions can push back on Trump's authoritarian power grab,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1963,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, August 26, 2025:We get the details on MMSD's performance objectives for the next academic year,Find out how a new bill would preserve funding for Wisconsin's decades-old conservation program,Consider the potential consequences of USDA's new "reorganization plan,"Examine a recent drop in cheddar prices,Sit down with the owner of Kia's Kitchen,Learn how wildlife rehabilitators take care of injured raptors,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, August 25, 2025:We find out why prison reform advocates say there's still time for Governor Evers to follow through on his campaign promises,Get the details on a new lawsuit that's fighting to secure Wisconsin youth's "right to a stable climate,"Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Remember one of the youngest peace ambassadors in American history,Discuss some popular hangover cures,Review two films about the past,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, August 21, 2025:We find out why the Trump regime's order extending the life of a Michigan coal plant could have financial and environmental costs here in Wisconsin,Meet the city of Madison's Sustainability and Resilience Manager,Share sounds and stories from last Sunday's Ukrainian Fest,Hear the mission behind tomorrow's tech recycling event at Warner Park,Explore the joys and trials of caregiving,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, August 20, 2025:We get the details on a bill that state Democrats say would help families with back-to-school costs,Hear a research institute's plan to make a small town in Rock County self-sufficient by the end of this century,Find out how Kevin Price's loved ones are continuing their fight for justice, one year after he was shot by a Fitchburg police officer,Meet a community organizer in Milwaukee who's helping people find common ground on polarizing issues,Outline the facts behind a movement that seeks to ban fluoride in drinking water,Travel back in time to 1969,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, August 19, 2025:We learn how Senator Tammy Baldwin is fighting back against the Trump regime's bid to dismantle the Department of Education,Outline a Wisconsin-based manufacturing company's role in the genocide of Palestinians,Consider the environmental impacts of the data centers cropping up all over the countryside,Visit a comfort-food hotspot in downtown Madison,Learn how to identify mourning doves by more than just their distinctive song,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, August 18, 2025:We'll find out how the Madison Clerk's Office has to change its election processes following an order from state officials,Meet the three finalists in the running to serve as Madison's next chief of police,Look forward to a new women's soccer team coming to Breese Stevens Field,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Mark the anniversary of a CIA-sponsored coup in Iran,Teach you how to make a popular cocktail,Review a new documentary,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, August 14, 2025:We find out why reducing Willy Street to two lanes could improve traffic safety on the troubled thoroughfare,Meet Yang Tao, director of Madison's Traffic Engineering Division,Consider how Fred Prehn's recent loss in appeals court could impact future open records cases,Tell you where the fish are biting,Check in on Madison's Flamingos,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, August 13, 2025:We head to the Triangle in downtown Madison for a groundbreaking ceremony,Find out why voting rights advocates are calling the governor's veto on Friday a win for democracy,Share pro-democracy lessons from the climate movement,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1967,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, August 12, 2025:We find out why Madison's Plan Commission delayed action yesterday on an ordinance that would strengthen tree protections,Learn how much Madison school board members are compensated compared to other local electeds,Outline the promising signs and ongoing challenges in Madison's housing market,Discuss the unexpected agricultural benefits of sauerkraut juice,Meet a local spice blender,Share some fun facts about chimney swifts,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, August 11, 2025:We head to Central Library to make a fake cake,Get the details on the long history of personnel issues in Madison's Department of Civil Rights,Sit down with a state lawmaker who wants Wisconsin to investigate the epidemic of violence against Black women,Share the true story behind a deadly cholera outbreak in 1832 Philadelphia,Taste-test another cocktail,Review two new features,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, August 7, 2025:We get the details on yesterday's failed outdoor warning siren test,Meet Madison's new Director of Transportation Christof Spieler,Sit down with the conductor of UW-Madison's Russian Folk Orchestra,Consider the potential pitfalls of AI interpreters in the courtroom,Discuss the art of mending textiles,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, August 6, 2025:We find how out the city's Community Development Division wants to invest in crisis prevention services in 2026,Meet three artists participating in this year's Land Art Installation in Verona,Learn how community-building can stop the spread of disinformation,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1965,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, August 5, 2025:We get the details on Wisconsin's first confirmed measles cases of the year,Gear up for student move-out week with some advice from Madison's recycling coordinator,Find out why a federal appeals court ruled against UW-Madison in a social media standards lawsuit,Outline the hidden costs of manure digesters,Learn how a local business is bringing the art of tortilla-making to the Midwest,Explain why opossums can be especially tricky patients,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, August 4, 2025:We find out what Governor Evers has to say about partisan redistricting ahead of the midterms,Outline a proposed ordinance that seeks to strengthen Madison's tree protections,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Commemorate a recent labor organizing victory in Washington state,Taste-test another popular cocktail,Review two features,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, July 31, 2025:We hear a pro-democracy watchdog's solution for partisan gerrymandering,Find out why many university faculty in Wisconsin are avoiding politically contentious topics,Meet Matt Mikolajewski, director of Madison's Economic Development Division,Prepare for a change in leadership at the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council,Share advice on where to cast your fishing line this weekend,Check in on Madison's Flamingos,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, July 30, 2025:We'll find out why DoorDash and Uber are lobbying in favor of a bill headed to Governor Evers' desk,Get the latest news from Madison's CARES program,Learn how Madison area colleges support students who are struggling to afford basic necessities,Share lessons in solidarity from the Act Up movement,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1969,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, July 29, 2025:We get the details on Madison's mid-year budget outlook,Outline some of the city's latest planning decisions,Find out how some Wisconsin county sheriffs are participating in federal immigration enforcement,Explain how Trump's tariff plan could affect your grocery bill,Offer some ideas about how to cook when you're on vacation,Share some heartwarming reunion stories from the Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, July 28, 2025:We share an update on Rep. Shelia Stubbs' fight to establish a statewide task force on missing and murdered Black women,Find out why Wisconsin's new budget could lead to a financial gap in 2027,Learn more about what went wrong at the Madison Clerk's Office last fall,Commemorate the first recorded strike in North America,Teach you how to make a popular cocktail,Review two movies,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, July 24, 2025:We share a big update on the 2026 gubernatorial race,Get the details on Marquette Law School's latest national poll,Hear state Democrats' plan to prevent partisan spending of taxpayer dollars,Uncover the world of Soviet-era samizdat with a UW-Madison alum,Outline the pros and cons of solar power,Head to the Amish Quilt and Consignment Auction,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, July 23, 2025:We hear Senator Baldwin's plan to lower the cost of housing, child care, and household goods,Explain how you can weigh in on phase one of the Madison LakeWay project,Hear Dr. Donald Wuebbles' climate change predictions for the Great Lakes region,Discuss the power of interfaith activism,Travel back in time to 1962,Get the scoop on the 2025 Lumberjack World Championships,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, July 22, 2025:We detail the city's latest "Vision Zero" rollout,Learn how Madison is using neighborhood-specific data to identify areas of need,Outline the dairy industry's reliance on immigrant labor,Meet the minds behind a local, vegan donut business,Explore the many forms of bird migration,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, July 21, 2025:We find out how state election officials are responding to the "confluence of errors" at the Madison Clerk's Office that left 193 absentee ballots uncounted last November,Consider the use of AI in the newsroom after a recent snafu at the Wisconsin State Journal,Dig into an unusual, election-related request from the U.S. Department of Justice,Commemorate the day that a whistleblower exposed the Tuskegee Syphilis Study,Taste-test another shot,Review two new documentaries,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, July 17, 2025:We learn how much private attorneys are paid in the Legislature's partisan battles with the governor,Detail a habitat restoration effort that's improving critical wetlands in Green Bay,Meet Madison City Assessor Michelle Drea,Tackle some especially tricky questions about Wisconsin's open government laws,Share advice on where to cast your fishing line this weekend,Celebrate Forward Madison's recent hometown victory,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, July 16, 2025:We detail the history behind a controversial proposal that dominated yesterday's city council meeting,Get some safety recommendations from local public health officials, following the recent spike in drug overdoses,Investigate online rental scams,Learn how an independent journalist is covering immigration issues in Baltimore,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1969,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, July 15, 2025:We share an update on the search for the next chief of the Madison Police Department,Learn how a local nonprofit is fighting to preserve and improve the Yahara River watershed,Explore the complexities of national milk pricing,Sit down with Madison Sourdough's bread manager,Celebrate a big milestone at the Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, July 14, 2025:We consider the community-building power of public art,Learn how federal Medicaid cuts could impact a Wisconsin nonprofit that serves people with disabilities,Detail Wisconsin high schoolers' rising participation in dual enrollment programs,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Celebrate George McGovern's birthday,Taste-test a Jelly Donut shot,Review two new features,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, July 10, 2025:We find out why the Sierra Club of Wisconsin is collecting thousands of origami fish,Learn about Big Tobacco's connection to a new state statute restricting the sale of e-cigarettes,Debut our new feature "Global Currents, Local Ripples,"Hear criticism of the state budget from a leftist perspective,Meet an artist who carves love and loss into stone,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, July 9, 2025:We share the latest on a housing package that's headed to the full city council next week,Honor the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday,Find out why environmental advocates are celebrating yesterday's ruling in the state Supreme Court,Learn how a stand-up comic is using laughter to defend democracy,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1964,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, July 8, 2025:We check the progress on a parole program that's taken the Department of Corrections eleven years - and counting - to implement,Learn how today's decision from the state Supreme Court secures Wisconsin's ban on conversion therapy,Look at a legal fight over a dairy farmer who refuses to own a gun,Find out how some new signs in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore reflect the Trump administration's attempts to rewrite history,Describe what it takes to rehabilitate sick and injured blue jays,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, July 7, 2025:We put Wisconsin's new budget under the microscope, with help from WisPolitics editor JR Ross and two child care advocates,Take a look at the University of Wisconsin's military spending,Remember the 1834 abolitionist riot in New York City,Teach you how to make a popular cocktail,Review two new movies,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, July 3, 2025:We explain why the governor rushed to sign Wisconsin's next budget,Outline an amendment that's heading back to Madison's Police Civilian Oversight Board for the sixth time,Meet Madison Public Library Director Tana Elias,Discuss some recent changes to Wisconsin's Public Records Guide,Share the best spots to cast your fishing line this holiday weekend,Celebrate the Flamingos' long-awaited victory,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, July 2, 2025:We outline some state budget amendments rejected in the Senate's marathon floor session today,Find out how UW Health nurses are continuing their fight for collective bargaining rights,Check in with Planned Parenthood after today's victory in the state Supreme Court,Consider journalism's role in democracy,Travel back in time to 1968,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, July 1, 2025:We outline the latest partisan debate over the state budget,Consider the future of communications at the Dane County jail,Share some dairy industry updates,Meet a local ice cream maker,Celebrate one of nature's tiniest travelers,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, June 30, 2025:We find out why victim service providers are sounding the alarm on the Legislature's proposed state budget,Join this weekend's Queer Liberation March,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Hear a radical historian's take on Independence Day,Review two movies,And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, June 26, 2025:We attend a city budget engagement session at the Black Business Hub,Hear the details on a health care bill that got unanimous support in both chambers of the state Legislature,Meet city of Madison Human Resources Director Erin Hillson,Find out why police oversight advocates are sounding the alarm on a proposal headed to the city council,Explain why you need building permits,Watch a face take shape in clay,And much more.

Here's your local news for Wednesday, June 25, 2025:We get the details on a bid to revitalize the western corner of Capitol Square,Hear the pros and cons of a proposed low-income housing development on Verona Road,Brave the heat to participate in a flax processing demonstration,Share lessons in solidarity from the Act Up movement,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1966,And much more.

Here's your local news for Tuesday, June 24, 2025:We hear how federal decision making could impact the city of Madison,Check in with environmental advocates after today's win in the state Supreme Court,Discuss the skyrocketing price of beef,Find out why AARP Wisconsin supports expanding housing options,Get a baby season update from the Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, June 23, 2025:We explain why Senate Republicans stripped funding allocations last week from a handful of bipartisan bills,Discuss the state budget with a pair of veteran journalists,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Celebrate a trailblazing author's birthday,Teach you how to make a summertime cocktail,Review two very different films,And much more.