City Cast Madison

We’re calling it: Mermaid Kitchen is Madison’s best-kept secret for bagels. But why has it taken the city so long to get good bagels? Lisa Jacobson, owner of Mermaid Kitchen, joins host Bianca Martin to talk about this bagel resurgence, why bagels are her thing now, and what it actually takes to make a good bagel. You can order bagels via Mermaid Kitchen’s website. Join us every Thursday as we exp...

The Wisconsin Film Festival is April 4 through 11 at theaters across Madison.  Bianca Martin catches up with Ben Reiser, Operations Director of the Wisconsin Film Festival to learn what’s changing in the wake of the AMC closing at Hilldale (RIP Sundance) and what surprises they’ve got in store.  Wanna get the sneak peek of what’s at the festival? First Look at the Fest is tonight, March 6 at 7pm a...

UW-Madison data was a part of a massive cyberattack targeting higher education. Thousands of records, some including personal information like social security numbers and addresses, were stolen from a third party by Russian cybercriminals. The kicker? This happened in spring of 2023. But the public was never notified. Why? That’s what student journalist Liam Beran wanted to find out when he stumbl...

Leopold Elementary School in Madison. Leopold Residence Hall at UW-Madison. The Leopold Nature Center in Monona. Look around Madison and you can see any number of tributes to one of Wisconsin’s most influential residents, Aldo Leopold, author of A Sand County Almanac. Carrying that legacy forward today is The Aldo Leopold Foundation of Baraboo, started by his family in 1982. Their goal? To inspire...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin and Molly Stentz recap the weird-ass weather, the precarious state of affordable housing in Madison, and the deal for our new Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent. Plus, meet Phil Surkis, our new producer! Mentioned on the show: 🫠 What winter? Is Wisconsin's lost winter a harbinger of winters to come? [Wisco...

It’s not every day that a strip club becomes a local grocery store. But that’s what happened on Madison’s east side, where the Visions Club once operated. It’s now been completely renovated and turned into Gooh Grocery, which offers a mix of food from around the world. Where else can you get fresh plantains, labneh cultured yogurt, millet, spicy peppers and halal meat all at the same place? Just f...

Whether you’re taking full advantage of this unseasonably warm weather, finding everything green in your closet for St. Patrick’s Day, or looking for a few new ways to explore our fair city, Bianca Martin and Hayley Sperling have you covered. Here’s what’s happening around Madison this month.  Our picks: 🧥Wisconsin Vintage Fest 🧼The Soap Opera’s 52nd anniversary 🧋Sencha Tea’s Taylor Swift Pop-u...

It seems like you cannot find a single weekend in Madison without a drag brunch or bingo. Even drag meat raffles are starting to catch on! But Madison hasn’t always had this deluge of drag events. So where did this boom come from? And with all the options these days, how do you pick which event to go to? Host Bianca Martin chats with local drag queen legend, Cynthia Mooseknuckle, about how the Mad...

UW-Madison announced some ambitious goals for the planet: power the entire campus with renewable sources of electricity by 2030, send no new waste to the landfill by 2040, and become carbon neutral by 2048. For an institution with 420 buildings and another 9,500 acres of off-campus property, that’s no small feat. So how will they get there?  Dylan Brogan talks to two people at UW-Madison who are m...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap the latest in our U.S. Senate race: incumbent Tammy Baldwin is being challenged by Eric Hovde… again! And what will become the fate of the 100 block of Mifflin Street downtown? Plus, we examine changes coming to UW admissions, after Governor Evers signs a new bill mandating direct adm...

When Wisconsin first became a state, it was one of the largest wheat producers in the country. Now, closer to two centuries later, southern Wisconsin is seeing a revival of interest in small grains. Not just wheat, but buckwheat, rye, spelt, oats and other grains are increasingly being grown locally for their taste and nutrition rather than large-scale production. From tortillas to bread to spirit...

New apartment buildings in Madison promise many amenities: granite countertops, fitness centers, and rooftop decks. But one new development, Bakers Place, promises something more: a chance to save us from climate change.  The building uses a classic material – wood – with a new twist. It’s the first building in Madison to use mass timber, an engineered material to replace steel and concrete, which...

As one of the leading research universities in the country, UW-Madison marshals more than a billion dollars in research money annually. And the way Provost Charles Isbell sees it, the university’s scale and its public service mission makes it the perfect place to be at the forefront of the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, where computer systems are emulating human cognition. He’s...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Dylan Brogan, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap the latest in our epic quest to get new political maps, the controversy surrounding Fitchburg’s attempt to build a new police station, and the surprising search for a new leader for Madison schools. Mentioned on the show: 🗳️More Wisconsin Republicans than Democrats backed Gov. Tony Eve...

Sabi Atteyih ran Casbah and Lulu’s restaurants for years, bringing Middle Eastern flavors to Madison at a time when hummus wasn’t available on every grocery store shelf. After a stint at UW, he’s now the chef of Taza Mediterranean Kitchen in Middleton. Bianca Martin catches up with Sabi to learn how Madison’s embraced Palestinian cuisine and why hummus should be made with chickpeas! And when he’s...

For over 160 years, the YWCA has been on a mission to empower girls and women. And, for almost 10 years, Vanessa McDowell-Atlas has been on a mission to change the internal culture of YWCA Madison and to expose racism in our community. Her appointment as the YWCA Madison CEO made history, as she was the first Black woman to hold that role. And now, after nearly 7 years at the helm, this week is he...

You’ve most likely noticed Dan Yoder’s handy work when driving through Madison. His company, Sign Art Studio, is responsible for the city’s most iconic signs: the huge new Orpheum marquee on State Street, the classic restored Badger Liquor sign a block away, the elegant, retro cool-looking Harvey House sign, and hundreds more. Bianca Martin sits down with Dan Yoder and finds out just how one becom...

Hate crimes are on the rise in Wisconsin, and Madison is not immune. In the past year alone, Nazis marched in Madison and nearby cities three times. What’s the city’s response to this disturbing trend? Host Bianca Martin sat down with Madison Police Chief Shon Barns to find out about the MPD’s new Hate Crime Task Force, and what people can expect if they report a hate crime to the MPD.  Wanna talk...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin and Hayley Sperling recap a story about a state bill looking to ban race and ethnicity, among other protected statuses, as a consideration for financial aid. Plus, we have quite a wide range of suggestions for how to spend your Valentine’s Day… many of them coming from you! Thank you, boo! Mentioned on the show: Bill to ban...

It can be hard to make friends as an adult, and harder yet to be social in public on your own. That’s the idea behind “Don’t Cook for Cowboys,” dinner parties you can bring your friends to, or your kids, or your parents, or just your own self. They’re popping up at restaurants and venues all over the Madison area, generally once a month. They combine dinner and sometimes dancing, and always commun...

Wisconsin state lawmakers are debating two bills to further ban nudity in public spaces. Madison has long been a “Top Free” city, where laws around nudity are not enforced as aggressively as the rest of the state. No one understands the power of this type of protest better than “Topless Evangelist” Lili Luxe who often sits shirtless on the State Capitol steps. Host Bianca Martin sat down with Lili...

Twenty years ago, the Mad Rollin' Dolls, a campy women-only roller derby league was born in Madison. It was one of the first flat-track roller derby leagues in the country and helped pioneer the revival of the sport in the 2000s. Now, the scrappy sports league has become Madison Roller Derby, an inclusive community non-profit organization with four home teams and two traveling teams. This season,...

The lakes are finally frozen which means it’s time to break out those fishing rods and worms…it’s ice fishing season! And there are some spots around Madison this year that are brimming with biting fish. Host Bianca Martin gets the inside scoop from chief worm wrangler Pat Hasburgh, owner of D&S Bait, Tackle, & Fly Shop. Pat shares what the conditions have been like on the lakes so far this year a...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Molly Stentz and Hayley Sperling recap the news that the former Madison College downtown campus is one step closer to becoming new housing and we talk about the latest ruling over poop from big dairy farms. Plus, it’s Groundhog’s Day! Hopefully Jimmy’s in a better mood this year.  Mentioned on the show: Madison Council approves rezoning...

Are you in need of a treat this winter? Look no further than Madison’s own pop-up paczki sale. Laurel Burleson of the Ugly Apple Cafe grew up eating these delicious custard and jam-filled Polish pastries for Mardi Gras and now she’s making them for us in Madison. Executive Producer Molly Stentz catches up with Laurel to learn more about the history of the paczki and how to find them in Madison.  O...