For the past decade, Wisconsin teachers and most other public employees have only been able to bargain with their employers over inflationary raises. That’s due to Act 10, a controversial Wisconsin law passed back in 2011, which curtailed their rights. The law has been challenged numerous times over the years, but now several unions have filed a new lawsuit seeking to toss the law as unconstitutional. Bianca Martin asks Peggy Wirtz-Olsen , president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council...
Dec 11, 2023•13 min
The City Cast Madison team is here to round up the news of the week. Host Bianca Martin and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Hayley Sperling discuss the latest in the Wisconsin fake electors case, after the electors settle in court and admit that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Plus, Madison raises some of its off-street parking rates and a cadre of inflatable Santa Clauses pop up on Monroe Street lawns. Mentioned on the show: Wisconsin false electors admit their actions were used in effort to...
Dec 08, 2023•25 min
'Tis the season to be baking and cooking so maybe it’s time to crack open that cookbook you’ve been neglecting all year. If you’re looking for culinary inspiration or the perfect gift for a home chef in your life, Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians is here with a bounty of cookbook recommendations, local and beyond. Christians joins host Bianca Martin and executive producer Molly Stentz to round up the best cookbooks for the season. 👩🏾🍳 Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's fo...
Dec 07, 2023•22 min
If you’ve been to a Wisconsin bar, you’ve likely seen a pull-tab machine. Pop in a buck and out comes a rectangle cardboard card that may get you a cash prize of up to $250. Tea Krulos got the bizarre backstory of this unofficial — yet legal — lottery. He joins City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin to explain how Wisconsin Souvenir Milkcaps (as they're officially known) became a thing. For more on Wisconsin Souvenir Milkcaps, read Krulos' article " The Unlikely Story Behind Pull-Tabs in Wisconsin...
Dec 06, 2023•19 min
Mama Digdown’s Brass Band is perhaps the longest gigging band in Madison. For 30 years, the eight-piece brass band has been bringing the sound of New Orleans to Wisconsin. Ahead of their 30th birthday celebration, saxophone player Christopher 'Roc' Ohly and sousaphone player Erik Jacobson sit down with City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin to talk jazz, how the music scene has changed over the decades, and share stories from 30 years of traveling with the band. More details about the 30th birthda...
Dec 05, 2023•23 min
Have you noticed the ketamine clinics popping up around the city? While ketamine has been used as an anesthetic in the medical field for decades, its use as a treatment for depression, PTSD, and chronic pain has been gaining popularity in recent years. So what exactly is a trip like to one of Madison’s clinics? Host Bianca Martin is joined by Brian Czapko, co-founder of Forward Ketamine, to chat about how ketamine therapy works and what the future of this industry and treatment could look like. ...
Dec 04, 2023•22 min
The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz discuss where the UW System might be headed, after the president mentioned cutting back liberal arts programs on some campuses in an email. Plus, state lawmakers are calling for libraries to contact parents about the books kids borrow, and an elk visits McFarland in search of… love? Mentioned on the show: 🎓 Exclusive: Facing budget shortfalls, UW System president privately suggested chan...
Dec 01, 2023•26 min
In light of the news about the historic Silver Dollar Tavern closing soon , the City Cast Madison team is rounding up the best dive bars in Madison. Executive producer Molly Stentz, producer Dylan Brogan, and newsletter editor Hayley Sperling talk about what exactly makes a dive bar a dive bar, the future of dive bars in Madison, and of course, dish on their favorite spots. 🍺 Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. ...
Nov 30, 2023•22 min
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Madison is BUSY this December. From holiday markets to The Nutcracker, the City Cast Madison team has you covered with events you can’t miss this month. Our picks: 🎁 Find local gifts New Glarus Christkindli Market - December 1 - 3 Eastside Winter Market - December 9 - 10 🍸 Relax downtown Miracle on King Street - Through December 30 The Nutcracker at The Madison Ballet - December 15 - 24 🧠 Feed your head “Shaping Minds, Unveiling Truths” with Dr. Jason...
Nov 29, 2023•24 min
Kwik Trip recently confirmed it experienced a cybersecurity incident that impacted its internal communication, production facilities, and customer loyalty program. And it’s not the only business in town that’s been hit in the last couple months. So what can businesses do to guard against ransomware and other types of cybersecurity breaches? And how do these attacks affect customers? Producer Dylan Brogan chats with Dave Schroeder, director of research at the Wisconsin Security Research Consortiu...
Nov 28, 2023•23 min
Now that the holiday season is in full swing, maybe you’re looking for festive things to do with the kiddos in your life? Local dad Aaron Seligman with his website, Macaroni KID Madison, has you covered. From the best ice skating in town to giving the gift of experiences, host Bianca Martin rounds up the options with Aaron. Aaron’s full experience gift guide here for MacaroniKID! A list of local nonprofits and causes you could support for Giving Tuesday. More info on the Re-Entry Service Fair on...
Nov 27, 2023•21 min
We’re in a brave new world of college sports. One of the biggest revolutions in college sports came when the NCAA allowed college student athletes to get paid. Where previously some athletes might have received scholarships to play, now they can also get branding deals worth millions. Some UW students have reportedly signed contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But how does it all work? What does it mean for the students, the teams and the university? How is it changing UW sports? He...
Nov 22, 2023•22 min
Madison is a good place to be a wild turkey. But while there’s no shortage of turkeys strutting the streets of Madison these days, this wasn’t always the case. Wild turkeys were nearly hunted to extinction in Wisconsin in the late 19th century. In the 1970s, a concerted effort by conservationists brought them back. Bianca Martin asks UW-Madison Wildlife Ecology Professor David Drake why turkeys are thriving in Madison today. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367...
Nov 21, 2023•20 min
Facing threats from election deniers, potential Russian operatives and flooding, Dane County officials are looking to beef up local election safeguards. They’re buying the former Ale Asylum brewery by the airport and retrofitting it to house the county’s election infrastructure. Producer Dylan Brogan sat down with Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell to learn what keeps him up at night. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm . We’re also ...
Nov 20, 2023•21 min
The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz talk about why Starbucks went on strike this week, the fight between wedding barns and the state’s liquor lobby, and the push to expand the UW-Madison Engineering School. Mentioned on the show: 🚩 Madison Starbucks workers plan to walk out for company’s Red Cup Day [Isthmus] ☕ Looking for local coffee? Try these Madison Minutes picks. [Madison Minutes] 💍 Wisconsin Legislature passes liqu...
Nov 17, 2023•27 min
Thanksgiving means food. It’s typically the busiest holiday of the year for grocery stores. But if you aren’t cooking a big meal this holiday, or you need a little extra help, you have options. Several Madison restaurants are offering take-out meals and several are open on Thanksgiving. Cap Times Food Editor Lindsay Christians joins Bianca Martin with some ideas for you. 🦃 Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. Rea...
Nov 16, 2023•22 min
Wisconsin’s next official state symbol could be something you can’t even see without a microscope. Sure the microbe Lactococcus lactis may be tiny in size, but its contributions to our state’s dairy industry are huge. So say two UW-Madison graduate students campaigning for it to become Wisconsin’s state microbe . Producer Molly Stentz speaks with Natalia Rosario-Melendez and Austin Hall with the Catalysts for Science Policy group to learn why. 🔬 Also mentioned on the show: 📚 Madison Reading Pr...
Nov 15, 2023•19 min
Winter’s coming. As of tomorrow, parking in Madison gets a little more complicated. Alternate side parking starts November 15th, meaning you have to park your car on the correct side of the road each day to avoid getting a ticket. If you live in the central city, this applies to you whenever there’s significant snowfall and the city declares a snow emergency. City officials say that while enforcement has been down the past few winters, that could change this year. Producer Dylan Brogan spoke wit...
Nov 14, 2023•19 min
Dane County is Wisconsin’s largest local government outside of Milwaukee. Home to Madison, it’s one of the fastest growing parts of the state. The county has thousands of employees and a nearly billion dollar budget. It runs our local zoo, airport, jail, landfill, foster care system, and 911 emergency center, just to name a few things. It also manages our lakes, operates parks, issues marriage licenses and building permits, and maintains and plows roads. And Joe Parisi has run it for more than t...
Nov 13, 2023•23 min
The City Cast Madison team is here to round up the news of the week. Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz recap the latest findings from the Marquette Law School Poll on how Wisconsin voters are feeling. Plus, local mayors agree: the Madison area needs more housing and fast. Some argue that we need to loosen zoning rules to encourage more development. What do YOU think? Mentioned on the show: Latest Marquette Poll [Marquette University] Milwaukee’s Proposed Zoning Changes [PlaceMakers and DPZ] Mayors s...
Nov 10, 2023•22 min
D.B. Pedersen has been a chef in the Madison area for years. He’s worked at L’Etoile, Weary Traveler, the former Taqueria Gila Monster, and the Taliesin School of Architecture, to name a few. His latest venture? A soup delivery business called Soups! I Did It Again . Along with partner Bazile Booth, they cook up high-quality soups from scratch, using fresh local ingredients. They do home delivery in Madison and sell at Festival Foods and Woodman’s. And now, they’ve opened a bakery in Spring Gree...
Nov 09, 2023•19 min
Dog parks are plentiful in Madison and generally popular. A lot of us have small yards and our doggoes want space to run. But some dog trainers say dog parks actually aren’t all that great. Some dogs get overwhelmed and just don’t vibe with others, leading them to lash out or shut down. Producer Molly Stentz caught up with Allison Stoffel of Copper Ridge Dog Training in Madison to learn why and what you can do about it. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or e...
Nov 08, 2023•23 min
It’s not hard to find a store selling Delta-8 products in Madison. We recently spoke to Alan Robinson of Herbal Aspect, who argues that this cannabis product is safe and legal . But Dr. Ana Pearson says there’s reason for caution. She says that the lack of regulation means it’s buyer beware. Production processes can be uneven, so dosing information can be unreliable. There’s the possibility of ingesting heavy metals as a byproduct of the manufacturing process. She also stresses moderation is key...
Nov 07, 2023•22 min
You may not think of deep-blue Dane County, home to liberal Madison, as important to Republicans. But Dane County is one of the top three sources of Republican votes in statewide elections. Republicans hope to shore up their chances of winning Wisconsin in next year’s Presidential election by making inroads in Democratic areas. Dylan Brogan sits down with the new 23 year-old leader of the Republican Party of Dane County , Brandon Maly, to learn how. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a ...
Nov 06, 2023•23 min
City Cast Madison’s Dylan Brogan and Hayley Sperling round up the news this week. Madison Metro officials say they’ve treated and quarantined two buses after findings bed bugs on board. A bipartisan bill would require disclosure of AI-generated content in campaign ads. And listeners give us their picks for their favorite Madison buildings. Read more: Metro Transit confirms reports of bed bugs on buses but says it's a limited problem [Wisconsin State Journal] AI-generated campaign ads would recei...
Nov 03, 2023•22 min
Sam Thayer says you can eat local all year round in Wisconsin, despite our frosty weather. He’s best known for writing guide books on edible native plants in Wisconsin, like The Forager’s Harvest . He’s speaking about local nuts, roots, fruits and more at the Madison Herb Fair at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison this Saturday, November 4th. Molly Stentz sits down with him to learn what’s cookin’. 🐿️ Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to ...
Nov 02, 2023•23 min
Madison’s going through a building boom . The city’s growing up, literally. So we’re taking a moment to reflect on the architecture all around us in the Capital City. City Cast Madison’s Dylan Brogan, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz are up to the challenge. Here are our picks for Madison’s best buildings, plus the quirkiest and downright ugliest, too. Read more: The Kastenmeier Courthouse is Madison’s blocky blue Modernist marvel [Tone Madison] Is the Humanities building ‘ riot proof ?’ [The Da...
Nov 01, 2023•23 min
UW Madison has started tracking students who rank at the bottom of their classes. Starting this year, a select number of undergraduates have their academic progress tracked by administrators. They’re flagged if they rank in the bottom fourth of their class for two or more classes. They’re also flagged if they have assignments more than five days late. The idea is to find the students who need extra help and get it to them, while there’s still time for them to turn it around. But some faculty wor...
Oct 31, 2023•17 min
Madison and Dane County are investing in a new way to offer emergency shelter for people facing homelessness. A new, purpose-built men’s shelter on Madison’s east side is in the works and expected to open in 2025. Madison’s Community Development Director Jim O’Keefe tells host Dylan Brogan how the new shelter represents a fundamental shift, years in the making, in how local government supports residents in need of shelter. He also outlines the ongoing challenges Madison faces as it continues to ...
Oct 30, 2023•20 min
The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Dylan Brogan, Molly Stentz and Hayley Sperling discuss the plan to turn the old Ale Asylum brewery into a new elections center. Plus, we’ve got a few ideas for Madison-themed Halloween costumes. And Slate’s Political Gabfest was in town to for a live podcast taping with Governor Evers. Mentioned on the show: Dane County wants Ale Asylum building for new elections center [Wisconsin State Journal] How to Have a Madison Halloween [Madison...
Oct 27, 2023•21 min
