City Cast Madison

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap the mysterious hold-up of state money for drug treatment and prevention programs. Plus, we discuss the creative proposal to build new affordable housing on East Wash in exchange for student housing on campus. And part of State Street’s going pedestrian-only starting May 8th. That’s why the flamingoes are everywhere. 🦩 Mentioned on the show: 💊Opioid treatment money stalled by anonymous Wisconsin legislator [Cap Times] 🏗️Porchlight, developer partner to build student and homeless housing [Wisconsin State Journal]  🦩Hundreds help paint State Street; Pedestrian Mall Experiment to launch May 8 [City of 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 ads.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you had to make a list of Madison’s essential restaurants, what would be on it? Which restaurants feel most iconic to the city? Which do you find yourself most recommending to visitors?  Cap Times Food Editor Lindsay Christians joins Molly Stentz to wax poetic about Madison’s classics. And check out Kyle Nabilcy’s list in Eater Chicago. Do you agree?    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

Kosa Spa in the Garver Feed Mill on Madison’s east side, offers meditation, massage, hot stone saunas, an aromatherapy steam room, nourishing meals and more. Owner Shilpa Sankaran says they’re the only Ayurvedic spa in the country.  Bianca Martin talks to Shilpa about ways you can take care of yourself this spring in the Ayurvedic tradition. 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

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

Madison City Attorney Michael Haas is no stranger to elections. He used to be the administrator for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, the state agency that administers Wisconsin’s election laws.  And he’s sounding the alarm about two new Constitutional amendments that Wisconsin voters approved this April. He says the amendments were written so vaguely that it’s unclear how local clerks, who run our elections, should carry them out. This could lead to messy lawsuits, which could undermine public trust in the elections they were intended to bolster. Dylan Brogan speaks with Attorney Haas about the dilemma and what it means for the November Presidential election.  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 and Molly Stentz recap the latest in the ongoing quest to build a grocery store on South Park street to replace the Pick ‘n Save. Should the city spend another million? Plus, more Madison Police officers will now wear body cameras. And Marshfield Clinic wants your ticks. Seriously. Mentioned on the show: 🥫Additional $1 million in city funds would move Park Street grocery forward, says owner Kristie Maurer [Isthmus] 🚓MPD body-worn camera pilot program gets underway [Channel 3000] 📸Madison Police Chief Wants Body Cams 🎧[City Cast Madison] 🪵Get your own tick kit:  Call Marshfield Clinic Research Institute at 715-389-7796 Ext. 16462 or email tics@marshfieldclinic.org.  The research study is called the Tick Inventory via Citizen Science (TICS). [Marshfield Clinic Research Institute] 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

Have you ever been curious about the Jewish tradition of seders, ceremonial dinners held on the first nights of Passover? Maybe you’ve been invited to one and don’t know what to bring! Perhaps you’re away from home and looking for a celebration to join here in Madison? We’ve got you! Bianca Martin talks to Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman of Shaarei Shamayim about the most important food holiday in the Jewish tradition and what’s on her seder plate.  Shaarei Shamayim’s community seder is Tuesday, April 23, 2024. If you’d like to attend, email Rabbi Laurie in advance to check if there’s space at: office@shamayim.org.  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

Poet, essayist, educator and playwright Charles Payne has a lot of feelings about the American public school system. His new play called When the Classroom Ain’t Enuf opens at Broom Street Theater this Friday, April 19th, and draws on his own experience as a math and science teacher. The play is a series of vignettes about the Black and Brown experience in American public schools, performed by a local cast of Madison community members.  It’s set to original music and was influenced by Ntosake Shange’s 1976 play for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.   Bianca Martin catches up with Charles to learn more about the innovative production and ideas for diversifying local community theater. 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

We’ve all been watching the new Bus Rapid Transit stations getting built along East Washington Ave and Mineral Point Road in Madison. And we’ve been wondering: how are these new buses and routes gonna work?  We asked what’s on YOUR mind about the biggest upgrade to Madison’s public transit system in decades. And then we put it to the man who knows.  Dylan Brogan gets your questions answered by Mick Rusch, Madison Metro’s interim chief development officer. 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

Jury duty. America’s founders loved it. Many Americans try to avoid it.  But what’s it really like to serve on a jury? Do people actually get a jury “of their peers” here in Dane County? And if juries are so important, why do we have so few of them? Bianca Martin speaks with Dane County Judge Nicholas McNamara about what really goes on during jury duty. 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. Dylan Brogan, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel student loan debt for millions and loan interest for millions more. Plus, everyone wants toxic PFAS chemicals cleaned up, so why isn’t it happening? And it’s Terrace time! The iconic Memorial Union chairs will be outside beginning April 17. Mentioned on the show: President Joe Biden unveils student debt forgiveness plan in trip to Madison  [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel] Evers vetoes a Republican-backed bill targeting PFAS chemicals [Associated Press] Summer by the lake at the Terrace kicks off with return of chairs [UW-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 ads.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

he Dane County Farmers’ Market is back on the Capitol Square this Saturday, April 13. City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin finds out what’s new at the market this season from DCFM manager Jamie Bugel. We also have some insider tips on how to navigate the crowds and how traffic’s changing around the Square.  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’s building boom continues. Construction cranes dot the skyline. Huge new apartment buildings are in progress on many of Madison’s largest thoroughfares: East Washington Ave, West Johnson, Regent Street. But downtown, making way for the new means out with the old, and that means demolition of old buildings. Recent city debates over proposed development in the 100 block of State Street, the 400 block of State Street and the 100 block of Mifflin have pitted desires for housing against desires to preserve pieces of Madison history.  It left us asking: what’s worth saving and how do we decide? Bianca Martin sits down with Madison historian Stu Levitan, longtime former chair of the Madison Landmarks Commission, to examine why we save what we do. 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

If you’ve driven down East Washington Avenue in the past year, you’ve probably seen the building under construction: a large wall of glass flanks the front of the building, nestled under the swooping curves of arched roofs. This is the new home of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. Since the 1960s, WYSO has trained and inspired thousands of young musicians across Madison, and they did so from borrowed rooms across town. Now, they’ve got a state-of-the-art rehearsal facility to bring all their orchestras under one roof. Bianca Martin speaks with WYSO Director of Development and Communication Susan Gardels about what’s inside their fancy new digs. 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’s getting a new live music venue. Kevin Willmott II is soon opening the Gamma Ray Bar in the former Barley Pop Live and The Frequency music venue space on West Main Street. You may know long-time local musician and live event host Kevin from his storytelling on the Moth Story Slam, his band Don’t Mess With Cupid or from his time working at the High Noon Saloon. Host Bianca Martin sits down for an exclusive with Kevin to learn about his plans for Gamma Ray and his vision for how it might serve Madison local arts.  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] 🙅🏽‍♀️From 'uninstructed' Dems to non-Trump Republicans: Takeaways from Wisconsin's primary [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel] 📣Trump rally today in Green Bay: Former president focuses on immigration in campaign speech [Green Bay Press Gazette] ❄️Madison had one outdoor voting location Tuesday. And it snowed. [Wisconsin State Journal]  🏢Do you have a polling place to offer? Contact the Madison City Clerk’s office.  🍼Universities of Wisconsin, UW-Madison to offer paid parental leave [Cap Times] 🇺🇸Among 41 countries, only U.S. lacks paid parental leave [Pew Research Center] 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

Hạ Long Bay, the popular Vietnamese restaurant on Willy Street, is known for lines out the door and a takeout business so strong their phone is literally often off the hook. And now, the eastside neighborhood staple is under a new generation of family ownership. Jacqueline and Stephanie Le, nieces of founder Jean Tran, have been busy updating the restaurant, while keeping the family traditions and recipes alive. The sisters, who also own Little Palace on King Street, are temporarily closing Hạ Long Bay on Monday, April 8 for remodeling. Bianca Martin catches up with the new owners to learn what’s next.  🍜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

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

Richard Davis was widely regarded as one of the world’s best bass players. He recorded with Sarah Vaughan, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Miles Davis, just to name a few. And for much of his life, until he passed away last year at age 93, he lived, worked and played in Madison. Richard Davis taught bass at UW-Madison for nearly 40 years and created the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists to inspire more people to learn the instrument.  A new film chronicling his life and impact premieres at the Wisconsin Film Festival this week. It’s called String Theory: The Richard Davis Method. Bianca Martin catches up with director Michael Neelsen to learn more. 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

Spring has sprung and Madison is bursting with life! The City Cast Madison team is here to round up a few of our favorite things. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz share some of our picks for getting out and about in April.  🎸Get your Sh!tty Barn tickets for the summer on April 1st.  🗳️Don’t forget to vote April 2nd! 🐽Learn about the barons of our food system with Austin Frerick on April 2nd 📚Feed your mind with Ijeoma Oluo on April 2nd 🎵See Herbie Hancock here on April 3rd!  🎞️Check out the Wisconsin Film Festival from April 4 - 11th or listen to our sneak preview 🎧 🤖Discuss AI and journalism’s future with Julia Angwin on April 5th 🏍️See Angels of Dirt on April 7th 💅Dance your heart out at the Dyke Dive: Pink Pony Club on April 13th  🖼️Hunt for gems at the Collectibles Flea Market on April 14th   🪗Give polka a try at the Polka Party on April 18th 🫧 Treat yourself at Kosa Spa on April 19th  🧥Find treasures at the Midwest Vintage Flea on April 20th 🎶Pick up a few new albums at Record Store Day on April 20th or stop by the afterparty  📓Swap ‘zines at the Print and Resist Zine Fest on April 27th 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