Podcasts about madisonians

Two Madison culinary talents are about to hit the big time — reality TV style. Vintage Brewing Company executive chef Jake Lawler will be making his television debut on “Yes, Chef!”, a new high-pressure cooking competition judged by culinary legends Martha Stewart and José Andrés that premieres April 28. Meanwhile, local software developer Daniel Freiburger is whipping up sweet treats on “The Great American Baking Show.” Host Bianca Martin chats with one of our favorite food pros, food and culture editor Lindsay Christians of the Cap Times, about what it means to see Madison's food scene represented on a national stage. Plus, we take a look back at other Madisonians who've been cooking on our screens recently. Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this April 24th episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST EatStreet - Save 15% on your next order with code CITYCAST District Council of Madison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Winter is over! Madisonians are coming out of hibernation and hungry for adventure.Sometimes those adventures carry late into the night. But after the sun sets and hunger kicks in, where can an adventurer get a bite to eat? In this episode, host Bianca Martin is joined by our Executive Producer, Hayley Sperling, and Emma Waldinger of Madison Magazine to go over our favorite late-night dining. From fanciful full meals to quick midnight bites, we've got you covered.  Mentioned on the show: Second dinner: Our guide to late-night dining [Madison Magazine] Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers.  Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March is almost here, which means spring is just around the corner and Madisonians are itching to emerge from their winter hibernation and dive into everything the city has to offer. In our monthly guide, the City Cast Madison team has recommendations on what to do, see, and eat in March. Host Bianca Martin has the scoop on film fest activities, newsletter editor Rob Thomas may have found his new favorite restaurant, and executive producer Hayley Sperling has the story on a new bookstore in town. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this February 27th episode here: Dane County Humane Society Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Friday news roundup, we're talking about workplace misconduct, political protests, and one of Madison's favorite pastimes — naming our city's heavy machinery. Wisconsin State Journal reporter Lucas Robinson joins the conversation to talk about his reporting on an investigation into the job performance of the Dane County Regional Airport's retiring director. Host Bianca Martin has an update on the fraud investigation happening at Goodman Community Center; and executive producer Hayley Sperling gives context to this week's political protest at the Capitol. Plus, it's time to vote for your favorite snow plow names! Mentioned on the show: Protesters in cities across the US rally against Trump's policies, Project 2025 and Elon Musk [AP] Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, we pay tribute to and appreciate a few Madisonians who passed away this year. Each one contributed to our community and lifted us all up. Over the hour, meet various people and WORT volunteers who we lost in 2024.  The post An Obit Special: People We Lost in 2024 appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

With the holidays on the horizon, many Madisonians are preparing for a massive family meal. But what if you don't want to do the cooking? Nicole Haase, freelance reporter with the Capital Times, has the scoop on which restaurants will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year for dine-in and take-and-bake options. Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this December 19th episode here: Jones Dairy Farm Alliance Francaise De Milwaukee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we close the book on 2024 and get ready for the new year, we turned to you to get a taste of what Madisonians hope to see in our fair city in 2025. What are your hopes for the new year? Perhaps a more diverse range of food options? Cleaner lakes? More time spent in the community? We heard from local leaders, business owners, and even the mayor to get their takes. Host Bianca Martin and executive producer Hayley Sperling reflect on the year and talk about their own resolutions. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this December 18th episode here: Jones Dairy Farm Alliance Francaise De Milwaukee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holiday season is often the biggest time of the year for new movie releases. But to see big blockbusters, Madisonians have to make a trip out to the suburbs. To get to scoop on where and what to watch, we turned to local film aficionado and our own Madison Minutes newsletter editor Rob Thomas. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this December 16th episode here: Jones Dairy Farm Alliance Francaise De Milwaukee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not every city has independent police oversight agencies with the power to subpoena, but Madison does. Empowering these agencies, though, takes resources—something the 2025 city budget won't be able to provide fully. Host Bianca Martin sits down with Greg Gelembiuk, data analyst at Madison's Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM), to discuss what makes Madison's police accountability agencies so unique and what these agencies need from their fellow Madisonians.  Mentioned on the show: Police Accountability Is at Stake in Madison's 2025 Budget [Tone Madison] Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this November 20th episode here: DesignCraft Advertising Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's your local news for Tuesday, November 19, 2024:We find out if Madisonians "flocked to State" this summer,Get the details on electric vehicle ownership in Wisconsin,Discuss the ethics complaint filed today against a former state Supreme Court justice,Examine the dairy industry's dependence on immigrant labor,Share how kitchen skills go hand-in-hand with early childhood education,Take a closer look at the peregrine falcon,And much more.

It's hard to miss the Cinn City Smash food truck. It's big, purple, and covered in cartoon art that, if you look closely, shows some of Madison's most iconic places. The truck has been in business for about a year, popping up at bars and festivals around town serving the unlikely combination of smash burgers and churros. And the people of Madison have been eating it up, literally. To get the scoop on what's made Cinn City such a smashing success, host Bianca Martin caught up with the truck's owners and long-time besties Rutger Schiesser and Maximus “Noodle” Perdomo. Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. 

We're less than 20 days away from the November election and it's a packed ballot. Last week, we focused on the candidates running for Dane County Executive. This week, we invited Cap Times state government reporter Andrew Bahl on the podcast to zoom in on some of the state legislative races Madisonians will vote on as well as the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. 

Here's your local news for Tuesday, October 15, 2024:We'll explore how school funding issues statewide could impact school nurses,Get the details on a new "Chad Vader" election PSA,Investigate proposed cuts to Madison's police oversight agencies,Talk with the data analyst for the Office of the Independent Monitor,Take a look at the United States' declining cattle population,Examine the recent pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protests on the UW-Madison campus,And much more.

From hurricanes to lotto winners, it's been a week full of news. Host Bianca Martin catches up with executive producer Hayley Sperling and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Rob Thomas to recap some top stories. This week, the team looks at the Madisonians stepping up to help with Hurricane Helene relief efforts, the city's spat with a Wisconsin congressman over a ballot error, and two UW-Madison graduate students are facing disciplinary actions for their alleged roles in the pro-Palestinian encampment that popped up on campus in the spring. Plus, is this one Kwik Trip especially lucky?

It's football season, which means on select Saturdays (and a couple Fridays) during the fall and winter, seas of red-and-white-clad humans flood the streets of Madison to cheer on the Badgers. The parties are bountiful, and each neighborhood does things a little differently. To get the scoop on how and where Madisonians tailgate, executive producer Hayley Sperling and host Bianca Martin chat with local DJ Nick Nice, who's helped bring the party to Regent Street for the past decade. Mentioned on the show How Wisconsin's 'Jump Around' became the best tradition in college football [ESPN] Being Bucky [IMDB] Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this September 10th episode here: NerdStreet Madison Public Library Jones Dairy Farm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's your local news for Wednesday, July 24, 2024:We ask Madisonians what they think about Biden's history-making announcement on Sunday,Find out why a local artist is declaring "I'm with her,"Honor the memory of two local activists,Broadcast the most in-depth weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1962,And much more.

Here's your local news for Monday, July 1, 2024:We find out why some Madisonians are opening up their yards to strangers' dogs,Check in with GOP leadership in Dane County ahead of the RNC,Get the details on dairy consumption trends,Mark an important anniversary in Wisconsin politics,Take a closer look at a popular cocktail,Review two new movies,And much more.

Though the Biden Administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration last May, many Madisonians still don't feel safe at public gatherings. Whether it's due to concerns around long COVID or complications from existing health conditions, many of Madison's events and spaces aren't accessible to them. Host Bianca Martin spoke with Tara Verma, the founder of an organization trying to change that. Clean Air 608 lends out HEPA air purifiers and CO2 monitors to Madison event organizers free of charge in hopes of creating safer events and keeping Madison COVID-conscious.  You can find Clean Air 608's Instagram here. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025 might be a rough year for Madison. The city says it is facing a projected $27 million budget shortfall and has to make hard decisions. Between a referendum to raise property taxes and cutting city services, the potential solutions elicit strong opinions, and the city's been trying to hear them all. Host Bianca Martin spoke with the President of the Common Council, Yannette Figueroa Cole, about what Madisonians say are the most critical services for them and how the council is approaching this moment. You can find more information about future budget events on the council's website. We're doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We'd be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it's only 7 minutes long. You'll be doing us a big favor. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card–and City Cast Madison swag. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In The 608 hosts Ben Anton and Asher Masino get the scoop on the new player in the ice cream game on Atwood Avenue. The new addition: the Sassy Scoop run by Madison eastsider Jele Magdalena. With a entrepreneurial spirit, Jele is less interested in the drama, and more interested in serving up some tasty treats for Madisonians heading down the bike path. Get advice on quick home fixes with the "Top Of The Hour Tip." Hear what's happening right now for buyers and sellers in the real estate market with the Market Update. Episode 6.5 - May 2024

Tana Elias has worked in almost every single branch of the Madison Public Library system. And after 30 years, she's made it to the top. She's set to take the helm as the new library director in just a few weeks. Among her goals? Get the other 58% of Madisonians a library card and help more kids learn to read.  Bianca Martin catches up with Tana to learn about her big plans for the future.  And did you miss this episode? Tana explains Five Things You Didn't Know Your Library Card Could Do

You may have heard the phrase, “Not In My Backyard,” or NIMBY. It's often used – negatively – to describe neighbors who don't want development in their neighborhood, whether it's a new apartment building or affordable housing. Meaning that many of us support changes in principle, until it potentially affects our own neighborhood. Some Madisonians are worried that Madison is growing and changing too fast, and their neighborhoods will become too crowded or full of traffic.  But Will Ochowicz says that more Madisonians should say YIMBY, or “Yes In My Backyard” in order to help ease the city's housing crisis. As in: Yes, we want more development. Yes, we want more housing to be built. He's started a grassroots group called Madison is for People to rally for changes to Madison's zoning laws. Dylan Brogan sat down with Will to learn what's motivating him. Editor's Note: After we recorded this interview, the Madison City Council voted to change its zoning code to allow for more housing density. You can now build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) on lots with small apartment buildings, and not just single-family homes.  This can mean creating additional living space within an existing building – like a garage, attic, or basement – or building a separate structure on the same lot. ADUs are limited to 900 square feet and no more than two bedrooms. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap Tuesday's election in Wisconsin, including the nearly 50,000 democratic voters who chose “uninstructed” and the 100,000 republican voters who picked anyone but Trump. And why did some Madisonians have to vote outside in the snow at Rennebohm Park and what is the city doing about it? We have answers! Plus, the UW system will now offer employees six weeks of family leave. Mentioned on the show: ✅Wisconsin Presidential Primary Election Results [AP]

Artist Marlon Hall would like to invite you to a dinner party. But he has one rule: you absolutely cannot talk about what you do for a living. He invites diverse groups of people to join together over a meal and connect as humans, in the spirit of community. He designs and creates physical doors made of native wood around which the dinner parties gather. He's hosted dozens of these dinner parties across the country and is now inviting Madisonians to join him for a community-wide dinner party on May 5th. What's it all about? Bianca Martin talks to Marlon about the Mosaic Dinner Party movement and his time as UW-Madison's spring artist-in-residence.  Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's your local news for Thursday, March 21, 2024:We have an update - and the results of an open records request - on Madison's F-35 listening sessions,Learn how federal funding could bring high-speed internet to Wisconsin's underserved communities,Interview a Dane County board candidate,Hear more from leadership at Boys and Girls Club of Dane County,Take a deep dive into Renaissance textiles,And much more.

There's a new peer support group for people who've served time in prison or jail and are now rebuilding their lives back in Madison society. It's called Build Up and it's run by Aaron Hicks and Frank Davis, through a partnership between The Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development and UW-Madison.  Bianca Martin talks to Aaron about why life after prison can be harder than you might think — and how to break the cycle of incarceration.     Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time in the show's history, Top Chef will feature an entire season based on Wisconsin food. The reality TV show brings working chefs from around the country to compete in a series of high-stakes competitions, and this season was filmed in Madison and Milwaukee. It launches next week on March 20.  For Cap Times Food Editor Lindsay Christians, this is her Super Bowl. Bianca Martin talks to Lindsay about what a show like Top Chef can do for local restaurants, the Madisonians who appear on screen, and how this all came to be.    Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Madison is one step closer to the long-awaited Amtrak train that would connect the city to Milwaukee and Minneapolis. The city's transportation department has decided on eight potential sites where a new Madison Amtrak station could be located. Host Bianca Martin sits down with transportation planner Liz Callin to get an update on the efforts and how Madisonians can give feedback on the proposed train station sites.  The city is holding two upcoming public feedback meetings for the passenger rail station study: —Tuesday, Jan. 30 from 5-7 p.m. at the Madison Municipal Building, room 215  —Tuesday, Feb. 6 from 6-7:30 p.m. online. You can register here. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 24,000 lives have been lost in Gaza since the war began more than a hundred days ago. That's more than the entire population of Middleton, Wisconsin. Here in Madison, protestors have staged rallies at the State Capitol and on the UW campus, while activist groups urge lawmakers to demand a ceasefire. One of those groups is the Madison Rafah Sister City Project. For decades, they've worked to provide humanitarian assistance to people in Rafah and the rest of Gaza. Host Bianca Martin speaks with Barb Olson, the project's coordinator, to hear about her organization's efforts and how concerned Madisonians can help.  Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway was in Dubai in December to attend the world's largest climate conference. For the first time, mayors around the world were formally invited to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the COP28, to share ideas for tackling climate change locally. It's a shift toward recognizing that while nations argue over global climate agreements, many cities are quietly leading the way in finding ways to cool the planet.  Bianca Martin catches up with the Mayor to learn why she went, what came out of it, and what Madisonians can do about our changing climate.  Ways you can help: 

With the year coming to a close, what are your hopes and dreams for the city of Madison in 2024?Maybe it's more late night food options? Less traffic? More bike lanes? Here at City Cast Madison, we definitely have some thoughts on the matter. Host Bianca Martin is joined by Madison Minutes newsletter editor Hayley Sperling to reflect on the year and chat through some of their 2024 resolutions for Madison.  Mentioned on the show: You can listen to our resolutions episode from 2023. And check your voter registration status. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Booker, owner of Booker Botanicals, was the only Black farmer from Wisconsin at last year's National Black Farmers Association Conference. He's committed to changing that. Not only does Alex run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in the Madison area where he provides weekly boxes of fresh produce and herbs to members, he also hosts educational wellness events that connect more Black and brown Madisonians to local agriculture. We catch up with Alex to learn why he's passionate about teaching Madisonians how to grow their own food. And he dishes on the best basil. Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. ​​To attend Alex's fundraising event on Sept. 24, email bookerbotanicals@gmail.com.  Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erin Presley is the herb, woodland, and pond garden horticulturist at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, a 16-acre, free, public garden founded in 1952 on the shores of Lake Wonona in Madison, Wisconsin. In her position since 2014, Erin has become as much a part of the landscape as the plants and animals of the garden she loves. She has been particularly instrumental in bringing to life, with the help of other plants people, gardens of culture representing the natural history and plant relationships of a diversity of Madisonians from the Indigenous cultures, including Ho-chunk, to Ayurvedic, Hmong, and more. It's the perfect summer field trip to a wonderful public resource. Listen in! Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you so much for listening over the years and we hope you'll support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow even more of these types of conversations. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Podcast, and Stitcher. To read more and for many more photos, please visit www.cultivatingplace.com.

Something as small as a lost parking ticket can set off a chain reaction. If you don't pay it, your license could get suspended. Get pulled over while driving on a suspended license? Now you're in legal trouble. If you lose your car, how do you get to work? Without a job, how do you pay the rent? LIFT Wisconsin saw that Madisonians needed an easier way to deal with legal problems that were haunting them, keeping them in poverty. The non-profit legal organization built a website to help you identify any legal issues you might have and connect you with lawyers to sort them out.  We speak with Erica Nelson, LIFT Wisconsin's executive director, about why this is needed.  Also on the show:  ⛱️ Check for current beach closures around Madison. 

What a week it was in Madison. The Northern Lights were visible on Sunday night. The Madison City Council lifts a ban on nunchucks. Politicos debate taxes at the State Capitol while Madisonians get miffed about this year's property assessments. Senator Ron Johnson looks for the silver lining in the grim news of climate change. And a local political controversy stirs about whether State Assembly members can hold other full-time jobs. Plus, Dylan goes to the mat for parking ramps. Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz are here to round up the news that… was.  Read more: 

What you'll learn in this episode:   Who jewelry designer Bill Smith was, and why his work and life deserve to be remembered. Why Bill Smith was a trailblazer for Black jewelry designers. How JoAnne tracked down long-forgotten jewelry to create the exhibit “Bill Smith: Madison's Visionary Jewelry Designer.” Why Bill Smith's body jewelry was ahead of its time. How jewelry trends trickle down from high jewelry to costume.   About JoAnne Spiller   JoAnne Spiller is the Director of Education at the Jefferson County Historical Society based in Madison, Indiana. She has more than two decades of museum education experience with an emphasis on children's educational programming. She recently organized the exhibit “Bill Smith: Madison's Visionary Jewelry Designer,” and is currently conducting research for a book on Bill Smith's life and career.    Additional Resources: Facebook Instagram Twitter Linkedin   Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com   Transcript:   Bill Smith was a trendsetting Black jewelry designer who did everything from Cartier collaborations to costume jewelry. His designs were seen on the likes of Lena Horne and Cicely Tyson. Yet in the 30 years since his death, his impact has been largely forgotten. JoAnne Spinner, Director of Education for the Jefferson County Historical Society, hopes to change that with her recent exhibit, “Bill Smith: Madison's Visionary Jewelry Designer” and a forthcoming book she is currently researching. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about Bill's trendsetting designs; how he found his path as a gay Black man from a small town; and why his work is worth collecting. Read the episode transcript here.    Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it's released later this week.   Today, we're talking with JoAnne Spiller, the Director of Education for the Jefferson County Historical Society located in Madison, Indiana. She recently curated an exhibition about Bill Smith who came from Madison, Indiana. A lot of you haven't heard of Bill Smith. I had never heard of him. He was one of the first, if not the first, Black jewelry designers to garner attention. He was very well-known in the 60s through the 80s but is just a footnote today. JoAnne is going to tell us all about Bill Smith. JoAnne, welcome to the podcast.   JoAnne: Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to speak with you.   Sharon: I'm so glad you're here. You came to Bill Smith through your education and your role. Can you tell us a little bit about that?   JoAnne: I have been the Director of Education here for 23 years. In the process of educating students, I have been building a file of famous Madisonians and Jefferson Countians from here who have gone on to do wonderful things. We are a very small community, and I think a lot of children don't feel like there's a lot of opportunity. Many of them don't leave here; they stay. Their families have been here for generations. I wanted to let them know, especially among our minority community, that you can come from a small town and go on to do big and wonderful things out there in the world.    So, my file included Bill Smith. An article was given to us a few years ago with a note saying, “Hey, did you know anything about him?” and we did not. That started my journey of finding information about Bill. It has become quite an obsession if you ask anybody that knows me, especially my family.   Sharon: I had never heard of him, but he must have been something because he's all over Google.   JoAnne: Yes, he is. He was born here in Madison in 1933. He had one sibling. They were a working-class family, and he went onto IU at the encouragement of his art teachers here. He was very much into creating, sculpting, making jewelry, and he was also a dancer.   Sharon: That was his first thing, being a dancer, right?   JoAnne: Yes, being a dancer. He went to IU to dance. He took art classes and was extremely encouraged by the art teachers there. After three semesters, he left. His teachers felt like he was ready to move on and do big things, so he left to go to New York to become a dancer. He could not find enough roles as a Black man in the 1950s. He graduated high school in 1951, so this would have been about 1953 or 1954 when he went out to New York, and he just couldn't find the roles to support himself. So, he turned to jewelry making.   According to my research, he became an assistant or apprentice or helper to some jeweler in New York who needed help following some kind of accident. That's what I've read. Bill stepped in and was extremely talented at what he did. Somewhere in that process, he struck out on his own and had his own experimental design company. This was in the late 50s. He met Raymond St. Jacques, who was a Black actor out in Hollywood. He was in a lot of westerns and rough-‘em-up kind of movies. Somehow, they formed a partnership and became Smith St. Jacques. Raymond was the financial backing for the early company, and Bill was the creative director. That business went on for several years until he caught the eye of Massimo Sargis at Richelieu, and then he started his big, wonderful costume jewelry career.   Sharon: He always worked in costume, but did he ever work in gold or silver?    JoAnne: I do have an ad in a magazine that shows Cartier work. He did work briefly for Cartier and Georg Jensen, who was a silversmith. For Cartier, he had some pendants I've seen that are polished stones, flat, and they are embellished with gold, I'm assuming, because it's Cartier. They've turned them into belts, like some of his other funky belts we have examples of. But as far as I know, those two companies are the only ones that would have had the finer materials. I have read that he did work with some high-end materials early on, before Smith St. Jacques. He did special orders and he worked for some of the higher-end department stores, but I do not have examples of those. Everything I have seen and have my hands on has been costume jewelry.   Sharon: You have one of the largest, or maybe it is the largest, collections in the country that people know about.   JoAnne: It's possible. It is very possible. We have more than 100 pieces of Bill's. I would say two-thirds of them are signed. The others I can positively attribute to him because I have spoken with the person who helped with those designs. So, I can absolutely, concretely say that these things are his design. I personally have about 35 in my collection.   Sharon: In your personal collection?   JoAnne: Yeah, for my personal collection. They're ones that speak to me, or maybe they're duplicates of the ones we have at the museum, but I still like them. I actually wore one out the other night. Nobody understood it. They all looked at me sideways, but I had a good deal of fun wearing it. It was one of his early ones, the trueskin with the horse and the bird on a big, fat, heavy chain. People who know me know that's not really my style. I was feeling bad that day, so I wore it. I wanted to get the story out. I wanted people to comment and ask so I could share my knowledge.   Sharon: I guess that's leading into my next question. You curated this exhibit. What were the comments from people who came and had never heard of him?   JoAnne: They thought it was fantastic. I know they figured it was going to be this itty-bitty, halfway-put-together exhibit, and it wasn't. People were actually astounded at what we had on display. We may be a small museum, but we have the glass cases and panels and things like that. We really did put together a very excellent display on him, and it was up for about a month. It was supposed to be exhibited in July instead of October, but I did not feel like I had enough of a collection to do that. I ended up getting more information on him in September that led me down another route, and then it was time to put the exhibit together.   Sharon: People walked away saying, “Well, that's a great exhibit,” but did they walk away saying, “I never knew about him”?   JoAnne: A lot of them did. When I spoke earlier, I said a lot of people don't leave this town—and they don't; their roots go back generations. I am not from here. I've been here long enough where you could maybe consider me a native, but a few people that went to school with him came in and said, “Oh, we always knew he was going to do great things because he had such talent.” Unfortunately, they couldn't give me much more than that. I don't think they had a close relationship. They just knew of him and wanted to sneak a peek at what he had become later in life.    We did have a woman who loaned us a suede choker from one of his early collections. It has brass cutouts on it. It looks like a dog collar. She loaned it to us for the exhibition, and after seeing the display, she gave it to us. She gave it to the museum. She said, “This is where this piece belongs. It belongs with his collection.” Another woman, who is a recent native to our town, came into the museum three times to see this exhibit. Every time she came in, we had a discussion about it and she wanted to learn more. She would come in and say, “Hey, I saw this piece on eBay. What do you think of it?” She was bitten by the bug. She ended up gifting us an absolutely fantastic, rare piece before Christmas because she knew the story was important and she wanted to be part of it. She saw this piece and knew it was perfect for our collection, so she gave it to us. It was absolutely wonderful. It's one of the ones I show when I do show and share.   Sharon: What were his heyday years?   JoAnne: That is an excellent question. I feel like it came and went in waves according to the company he was working with. Some of it is difficult to ascertain because his work is not always signed. Unless you have the backstory or you happen to know concretely that he did work on this collection, it's hard to say when that big wave started. I do know that according to the 5½-inch binder of research I have—I'm not kidding you—most of the articles I have were from the late 60s into the early 70s. When he left Richelieu in 1970, he went to work for the parent company, O'Dell, which had Cartier and Ben Kahn fur. So, he did some furs. He worked for Mark Cross doing leather goods.    I mentioned the Cartier jewelry earlier. There's a definite collection I know is his that's all arrows, because arrows are his thing. He's a Sagittarius, which he mentioned several times; it was the 60s. Arrows were very important to him, so I know that one of the Cartier collections with arrows is his, but it is not signed. It was very rare for a designer to sign their work at that time. For him to be able to sign it was pretty phenomenal.   Sharon: He didn't seem to work for Cartier for that long.   JoAnne: He did not. I guess that was under the parent company. Unless I can find an article or a magazine photo that attributes it to him, I can't be sure of all the collections he worked on. Of course, like any fashion, you design in one season, say the winter, but it's for the spring collection. He may have worked for one company or another designing a collection, but it was launched after he left. There's still a lot of investigation I need to do. The timeline for him, I don't have it quite tightened up yet. I'm still working on it.   Sharon: You mentioned some of the costume jewelry companies he did work for. Let's say O'Dell.   JoAnne: The parent company after Richelieu. He worked for Laguna. I do have a few pieces of his that are Laguna.    Sharon: Are they signed?   JoAnne: Yes, they are. I missed out on an auction the other day, and I kicked myself for a week. I'm still kicking myself. There are things I look for to complete a collection. Laguna is one of the ones he designed for. That company, if you Google it now, is all beach ware; it's Laguna, California. It might be difficult to find things because I don't think he did too many collections for them.   He also worked for Hattie Carnegie, but I can't find anything of his that was signed. I have a newspaper article that shows a necklace, but the image is so poor I can't tell what it looks like. I could have one in my collection; I wouldn't even know it because I can't tell from the image.    Sharon: What was his big break?    JoAnne: It was the body jewelry.    Sharon: The body jewelry?   JoAnne: The body jewelry he did with the pearls. I interviewed Clifton Nicholson, who himself is a very well-known designer in his own right. He lives 20 minutes from here. I spent an afternoon at Clifton's studio, and he gifted me probably 150 pieces of jewelry.    Sharon: At one time?   JoAnne: Well, it was over two times. He came to see the exhibit in October. He called me a week later and came in with a big shopping bag full of jewelry that Bill had told him he could have when Bill was closing his Long Island studio to go work for Richelieu. Clifton grabbed whatever he saw. A lot of it was Bill's original designs that aren't signed but are definitely his. That was quite a gift. Then when I went back to have lunch with him and do an interview, he gave me another small bag of jewelry, still fantastic. There are several I have that are now positively identified because I found photos of them, so I can put the photos or the advertisements with the jewelry. I just love doing that; I love making that.   Sharon: Let's say you have an unsigned piece. Can you look at it and say, “Oh, that's Bill's,” or “It looks like Bill's”?   JoAnne: I can because I've been looking at them daily. He has a certain flair. There was a woman that came in and said, “Oh, I have this Richelieu bracelet and it's a Bill Smith.” I looked at it and said, “I'm sorry, but it's not. It's too late. It's too modern. He was not working for them at the time.” It was a late 80s design, and I said, “He was gone by then. That can absolutely not be identified as his.” I have a pretty good eye. I spend a lot of time when I travel looking at antique malls and flea markets hoping that something will call to me, and I will be able to find a piece I don't have or I've never seen before. Then I ask my husband for the credit card so I can buy it. But I do think I have a fairly good eye for that. I can tell.    His early stuff is very rough and unfinished. Clifton told me a lot about the jewelry industry and designers and how that all worked. They riffed off each other all the time. You make a collection of crosses, and Avon's got one too, and Kenneth J. Lane has one too. They're all similar, but Kenneth's are very, very polished and look extremely high-end. Bill's stuff is a little more brutalist; it's a little more rough around the edges. So, I can look at something and go, “Hmm,” or “It's a knock-off.” Joan Rivers has stuff that looks like his early stuff. There's no new design in jewelry, but I think I have a pretty good eye. It's not fail-proof. Since Clifton gave me that early jewelry, I can look at it and get a feel for that time period. When I look at things online, I can say, “Maybe. That's a strong maybe.”    Clifton was also very helpful because I had created a catalogue, so to speak, of all the jewelry I've seen on the internet that I know is Bill's or maybe is Bill's. Because they worked together for two years, we flipped through the whole book and he would say, “Yes, no, maybe, yes, no.” It was wonderful, because who else is going to be able to tell me that in a positive way? The zodiac collection, which I'm kind of obsessed with, is not signed, but Clifton, during one of my interviews, said, “Yeah, that's Bill Smith's design. He sketched it, I carved it,” so I can say that is one of his pieces even though it's not signed.    That was a gift to me from Bill from above, I think. He sent Clifton to me. Clifton needed closure. I needed to have a conversation with someone that knew Bill. We met, and it was wonderful. It's been so very helpful. I've been able to take my research to another level that I had not considered before. It was quite a blessing that Clifton came in, was wowed, and knew that this is where the pieces should be. He said, “I don't know why I've been keeping these all these years. It must be because of this.” He's been hanging onto those as long as I've been alive, I'm telling you. The bag of jewelry and I are the same age. It's been a long time, but it was quite a gift. He knew we would take very good care of it, and he wants to help me to tell his story.    Sharon: He was Black, but he was also gay. When he went to New York, did he find more acceptance in the design community there?   JoAnne: I believe he did. At the time, in the early 70s, there was a boom of Black designers that were finally getting noticed, whether it was fashion or jewelry or some other kind of art form. They were finally getting some recognition and publicity outside of the Black community. The Black community supported them very well.    As far as the part about being gay, he was not as comfortable here in Madison as he would have been in New York. He needed to be away from a small town to be able to realize his potential. He could have gone to Chicago or Detroit, I suppose, but he took himself all the way to New York because he could, and he did. He knew that's where he needed to be, and he did not give up; he persevered. I think he really was more accepted there than he was here.   Sharon: We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.

This is your WORT local news for Monday, February 27.State lawmakers celebrate Black History Month and look at how climate change furthers inequity across the globe Madisonians speak out about how the caregiver crisis is affecting them And in the second half, this week in city and county meetings, spring is just around the corner, and two new movie reviews

Outdoor cats. They evoke strong feelings in the neighborhood. They fight, yowl, kill birds and other wildlife… and make more cats.  But what do we do about Madison's strays? If you call the city, animal control will attempt to trap them. But if these cats can't find a home, they'll likely be killed. Many cat-loving Madisonians are not making that call, leaving cats to roam free. 

This is your WORT local news for Monday, February 13.Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes says violent crime is trending down in Madison,That's as a long-standing public safety committee could be on the chopping block, We continue our coverage of next week's primary election in the 20th alder district,And in the second half, the Winter Carnival returns to Lake Mendota, Madisonians share their favorite winter activities, and two new movie reviews.

Happy New Year! And that means it's resolution season. We asked you for what you wanted to see in Madison in 2023, and you delivered. Plus, the team— Bianca, Molly, and Dylan— share their hopes for the city. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. Want some more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  We're also on Twitter and Instagram!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is your WORT local news for Tuesday, October 25.More than 1,000 Madisonians cast their 2022 ballots today, the first day of early voting — but you might have trouble finding those blue VOTE signs…An investigation of workplace and animal safety issues at the Henry Vilas Zoo recommends changes… We recap a community forum on housing issues held last night…And in the second half, we take a look at campus demonstrations against conservative provocateur Matt Walsh, walk through the difficult decision to euthanize rescued wildlife, and check out mystifying findings from the James Webb space telescope.

The idea of a “deep state” in American government has become a hot topic in recent years, but does it actually exist? And is it good, or bad?Today's expert guest, Prof. Michael J Glennon, is possibly the best person on the planet to help us figure out the truth.In this interview, Prof. Glennon explains his book, "National Security and Double Government."Amongst other topics, he discusses how the reality of a "double government" of the national security complex intersects with the more controversial term "deep state."(Interview Starts at 5:45)In its most basic definition, the concept of a “deep state” is that the politicians you elect actually have far less decision-making power than is publicly presented. Deep state theories suggest that behind the scenes there is a second group of individuals you know little about, and who have little public accountability, actually calling the shots on most important decisions.On the far-right, the concept of a “deep state” quickly goes further into Qanon narratives of good vs evil. In those stories the shadowy individuals truly in charge are inevitably up to elaborately orchestrated plots to destroy all personal freedom, enslave decent Americans, and snatch up children for unimaginably horrific ends.While to the lazy-left, the other extreme of the political spectrum, the idea of a “deep state" is only something to pompously sneer and snicker at. Or even worse, embrace they sometimes now embrace the very undemocratic concept of a "deep state" as some sort of big-government savior-overlord which will protect them from anything they fear (mainly those people on the far-right).So what is the truth of the “deep state," Professor Glennon will help us understand.Michael J. Glennon is Professor of Constitutional and International Law at Tufts University. He was Legal Counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Professor Glennon has served as a consultant to various congressional committees, the U.S. State Department, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. He has appeared on Nightline, the Today Show, NPR's All Things Considered and other national news programs. His op-ed pieces have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, International Herald-Tribune, Financial Times, and Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung.In this episode, Prof. Glennon and Jim cover the following topics:—How US government is designed to work… “not to promote efficiency, but to protect people from autocracy”—Checks and balances, separation of powers, decentralization of power—Historical rise of bureaucracy, and political parties—Madisonians v Trumanites—1940s creation of national security state—United States moving from republic to more unaccountable system—Importance of civic virtue—Trumanites vs Trump—CIA and NSA abuses of 1960s and 1970s, spying on Americans, MLK, anti-war protests—Trumanite influence on presidency, congress, courts—No conspiracy, instead a “system” that has developed and grown that encroaches on Madisonian structure, even with good intent—Dangers going forward unless people begin to wake up to the way US government is designed to workPlease remember to tell people about the show, and purchase Prof. Glennon's book "National Security and Double Government" at Amazon or your favorite bookseller.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/independme)

Here's your WORT Local News for Tuesday, Spetember 7th, 2021: The selection process for Madison's independent police monitor narrows, A new report details how the pandemic affected Wisconsin workers, Cheaper electricity bills may be on the horizon for some Madisonians and in the second half, we learn the latest from UW-Madison, bone up on wildlife rehabilitation and visit the heart of an exploding star.

Stu Levitan welcomes Madison's favorite journalistic son, and his most frequent guest, David Maraniss. As proud Madisonians know, David grew up on the west side, the son of Capital Times editor Elliott Maraniss and University of Wisconsin Press editor Mary Cummins Maraniss, graduating from West High in 1967. To the rest of the world, he is a best-selling author and an associate editor at the Washington Post, where he won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 1993 for his coverage of presidential candidate Bill Clinton, and was part of the Post's team that won the Pulitzer in 2008 for its coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting. Stu has had the pleasure of interviewing David about several of his bestselling books, most recently A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father, about the aforementioned Elliott. We've also aired conversations about his books Barack Obama: The Story, Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero; Once In A Great City: A Detroit Story; Rome 1960: The Summer Olympics that Changed the World, and the book that hits closest to home, They Marched Into Sunlight: Vietnam and America October 1967. Unfortunately, Stu didn't have a show like this when he published When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi. Today, we're going to do something different, and talk about a book that hasn't even been published yet, because David has only just finished writing the main text, and this is the first public conversation he's had about it. It's another in his series of using sports to examine larger social issues – this time, the promise and plight of the American Indian in modern America, as exemplified by one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. The book is Path Lit By Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe, and you can look for it from Simon and Schuster late next summer. But before we talk about Jim Thorpe, we're going to take a few moments to preview something that's also very near and dear to David, the Cap Times Idea Fest, a week-long series of panels and interviews on reckoning with change that kicks off a week from tonight. As always, it is a great pleasure to welcome back to MBB, our friend, David Maraniss.

Here's your WORT Local News for Tuesday, August 24th, 2021: Madisonians protest Enbridge's line three pipeline, much ado about amplified noise, we examine the impact of a program aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic and in the second half, we've got updates from the UW-Madison campus, blue jays, and a slight malfunction in the Milky Way galaxy.

Ben Reiser & Pauline Lampert talk to Gretta Wing Miller & Sara Andrews about HOW TO FORM A UNION. Part instructional video, part call for reform, How to Form a Union walks us through the latest attempt to form a union at the Willy St. Co-op and details why such action was necessary. Of particular interest to Madisonians, the film shines a bright light on the power of community activism. (PL)

Here's your WORT Local News for Monday, April 12th, 2021: Wisconsin's Supreme Court weighs new groundwater contamination policies, Madisonians rally in solidarity to support Amazon workers, Minnesote police shot and killed another man yesterday, prompting further protest in Minneapolis and in the second half we get the week ahead in local government, a brief history of farmworkers' attempts to unionize and experience the seven seasons of spring.

Mayor Rhodes-Conway and a representative from Public Health Madison & Dane County meet with the local media to discuss COVID updates and other City issues. They are also joined by Parks Department Public Information Officer Ann Shea, who discusses volunteer and clean-up efforts in Madison Parks, particularly the Earth Day Challenge. City Bicycle Coordinator Renee Calloway talks about bike trails, bike activities and bike courtesy, as Madisonians get ready to put their helmets on and head out to our many bike trails.

Mayor Rhodes-Conway and a representative from Public Health Madison & Dane County meet with the local media to discuss COVID updates and other City issues. They are also joined by Parks Department Public Information Officer Ann Shea, who discusses volunteer and clean-up efforts in Madison Parks, particularly the Earth Day Challenge. City Bicycle Coordinator Renee Calloway talks about bike trails, bike activities and bike courtesy, as Madisonians get ready to put their helmets on and head out to our many bike trails.

As part of WORT's continuing celebration of Black culture and history, a special rebroadcast of a candid conversation that first aired live on February 10, 2020. Stu Levitan welcomes the award-winning Black, Queer and Poz poet and performer Danez Smith, who will be at the Central Library tonight at 7 pm, in support of their brand new collection Homie, poems about friendship and loss and violence and love, it's a presentation by our friends at the Wisconsin Book Festival. Now as long-time listeners know, it is Madison BookBeat policy to regard students at the UW as Madisonians, so Danez hits two of the three criteria. Because before Nezzy was a finalist for the National Book Award and the youngest person ever to win the Forward Prize for Best Collection for Don't Call Us Dead, before the Lambda Literary Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award for [insert]boy, before the video of “Dear White America” got 387,000 views, thank you very much, before the fellowships from the McKnight Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, before the individual and team slam championships, before the Poetry Foundation podcast VS with Franny Choi, before they were on WORT's A Public Affair with Ali Muldrow last January, it's in the archives, check it out, before all that -- Danez Smith was in the first cohort of the ground-breaking First Wave program in the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives and a member of the University of Wisconsin Class of 2012, On Wisconsin. Their third collection of poems, Homie, is now out from Graywolf press, and receiving rapturous reviews, NYT calling it a work of ‘startling originality and ambition.” which as I said is what brings them back to town for a Wisconsin Book Festival event at the Central Library, 201 West Mifflin St.  tonight at 7, it is a special reading and conversation with Sofia Snow, the director of the aforementioned Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives and the First Wave Scholarship Program. It is a real pleasure to welcome Danez Smith to Madison BookBeat. Airdate on WORT 89.9 FM: Feb. 10, 2020; rebroadcast, Feb. 8, 2021

Laurie Rossbach is the art studio manager at Madison Children’s Museum who was recently featured in the Wisconsin State Journal article “Quirky hobbies help Madisonians through quarantine.” The article features a few local artists and hobbyists who have taken advantage of extra time at home to pursue new passions or develop new skills, with the […] The post Immersive hobbies during quarantine with artist Laurie Rossbach appeared first on WORT 89.9 FM.

Cap Times metro reporter Nicholas Garton explains how everything about the COVID-19 pandemic — from mask-wearing guidelines to anti-shutdown protests — is taking a disproportionate mental and emotional toll on African Americans, and where black Madisonians are finding support. Support the show.

Ellie Bruecker is a doctoral student at UW-Madison who lives on the city’s east side. She is also what she describes as an “attempted voter.”  Like many Wisconsinites who’ve been practicing social distancing in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, Bruecker requested an absentee ballot to participate in today’s presidential primary.  Last week, federal Judge […] The post Some Madisonians Risk Health to Vote, Others Won’t Be Counted appeared first on WORT 89.9 FM.

It's Lisa's last episode! Join us as she breaks down one of the issues that's been looming large for west-side Madisonians, the legal and neighborhood battle over Edgewood High School's use of its athletics field. Support the show.

This episode features the amazing, graceful and humble Deb Archer, CDME, who serves as the President/CEO of Destination Madison. Through this works she gets to set the vision for the organizations’ work to manage the destination and grow the area’s economy by attracting leisure, sports, convention, and business travelers. Deb says that her work connects our guests with all of the great places to experience during their stay. In fact, she loves to boast about that and says that our hospitalitarians are first in class when it comes to giving our visitors experiences like no other. Deb advises guests to talk to people when the come to the area saying: Madisonians are friendly and eager to share their favorite spots to recreate, dine, shop, or contemplate their future. One of my favorites about Deb though is the humility with which she leads. Deb is the face and voice of tourism in our area, a constant advocate for our hospitality industry and everyone who serves in it. In this incredible interview, Deb shares her wisdom around many things including: Which one of the Bucky’s on Parade was her absolute favoriteWhy we should pause, check out and give ourselves permission to be in the marginsWhere her happy places are in the Greater Madison county Her experience in an HVAC class in collegeHow employee culture matters. And people need to know they matter.How her advice to ‘never use your sexuality to advance yourself’ advice hit home for a studentDeb was a student at Madison College a few years ago – can you guess what programHer creative ideas for how to spend her retirement (don’t worry, it’s no time soon and it’s still in industry but in a super fun way)The nuggets she learned from Jane FondaHow physics shows up in decision makingWhat employers need to do to ensure they retain top level talent. How students like Madison College’s Destination Madison award winner Carolyn Kosabucki are changing the way we teach, attract and retain hospitalitariansDon’t close your eyes to any paths. Enjoy and please help us spread the story of our industry by sharing this on your social media sites!

It’s a throwback really, to the way life used to be: neighbor helping neighbor, knowing those who live on your block, pitching in when anyone needed assistance. The MPD is helping restore that strong sense of community through the Good Neighbor Project, an outgrowth of what was once community crime watch programs.  In this podcast Crime Prevention Officer Tyler Grigg and Midvale Heights Good Neighbor Project leader Wendy Reichel talk about the upcoming Good Neighbor Night, which will be open to all who want to get involved in projects in their neighborhoods. Good Neighbor Night will be February 18th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at High Point Church, 7702 Old Sauk Rd.

Much of the New Testament are letters written to churches in specific cities. (For instance, Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Ephesus, or the Ephesians.) The authors would write to encourage churches that were either being persecuted, or were suffering, or getting tired of following Jesus. We'll have several people come visit us in Madison and encourage us in our first year as a church plant. We're calling these sermons “Letters to the Madisonians” to reflect the practice of the early church. Today's message is from Ben Cunningham, the pastor of a church plant in New Orleans, and Fr. Scott's brother.

Preached on February 3, 2019 Scripture: Isaiah 43:8-13 Psalm 139:1-9 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 17:22-26 Much of the New Testament is letters written to churches in specific cities. (For instance, Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Ephesis, or the Ephesians.) The authors would write to encourage churches that were either being persecuted, or were suffering, or getting tired of following Jesus. We’ll have several people come visit us in Madison and encourage us in our first year as a church plant. We’re calling these sermons “Letters to the Madisonians” to reflect the practice of the early church. Today's message is from Ben Cunningham, the pastor of a church plant in New Orleans, and Fr. Scott's brother.

Mark Rodgers (@Mark_Speaks on Twitter) checks in with host Craig Price to talk about persuasion. Persuasion can be a mysterious thing, some people come by it naturally, others work hard at it yet never gain influence over anything. But like any skill, it can be learned, honed and maximized effectively...if you put in the time. Mark show Craig how credibility, language and process can combine to become persuasion. And all in an ethically oriented manner. (It's true!!)  Mark and Craig will be presenting at the PMI Madison Professional Development Day on May 16th, 2013. Craig will be giving a 2 hour interactive session on negativity, Mark will be presenting the lunch keynote "Persuasion Matters" as well as an additional session in the afternoon. Past guests Michael Redmond and Gina Abudi will be presenting as well. It's a content packed day awaiting Madisonites (or are they Madisonians?) project managers! Online registration is closed but walk-ins welcome. Bring a colleague for walk in registration and you each get one Free Chapter Meeting Pass! Also, Craig explains how to get a free copy of his book "Half a Glass: The Realist's Guide" when you attend his session (Starting at 9:15am).  Learn more about Mark Rodgers at his website http://www.persuasionmatters.com