City Cast Madison

Winter fans rejoice! We get one extra day in February this year. For everyone else who might be looking for a little, ahem, inspiration this time of year, fear not. Host Bianca Martin and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Hayley Sperling have you covered on the coolest things going on in Madison this February.  Galentine’s and Valentine’s Events: Thrifty Market at Communication Hearts and Crafts a...

Our friends at Tone Madison listen to a LOT of music. And every year, they round up the year in local music and give you DOZENS of their favorite picks, the tracks that stuck with them, knocked them over, haunted them, and downright impressed. Bianca Martin talks to Tone Madison Music Editor Steve Spoerl about some of the best that you might have missed.  Mentioned on the show: Tone Madison’s Favo...

Madison will soon not only have pro soccer and volleyball teams for women, we’re getting a fast-pitch collegiate softball team now, too. Samantha Rubin is blazing a path as the general manager of Madison’s men’s baseball team, the Madison Mallards, and she’s been tapped to lead their new women’s softball team. The team needs a name, by the way… and they’re taking ideas through Feb. 1. Bianca Marti...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Executive producer Molly Stentz and newsletter editor Hayley Sperling are joined by Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians to talk about the locals who’ve been nominated for James Beard awards and the two women vying to be Dane County Executive. Plus, there were Nazis on the UW-Whitewater campus this week.  Mentioned on the show: 🍫 Lo...

Did you resolve that 2024 would be the year you took better care of yourself? Are you hoping to eat better and cook more homemade meals? Maybe you’re in a cooking rut and want to learn something new, from making your own pasta or soup broth to using more herbs. Cap Times Food Editor Lindsay Christians is here to help. Bianca Martin and Lindsay discuss the dizzying array of options in Madison.  Joi...

Like many local teens, Estella Hasrick attends Middleton High School and likes to ski. But unlike just about anyone, Estella is currently in South Korea competing in the Winter Youth Olympics. She’s one of only four teens competing for Team USA in the ski jump competition. Bianca Martin caught up with Estella to learn what it takes to fly through the air.  Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave...

When Dee Star’s not creating his own podcast, he’s teaching teens locked up at the Dane County Juvenile Detention Center how to do the same. Dee’s own podcast, OuttaDeeBox, helps inmates and their families find jobs, housing, counseling and inspiration to change their lives. Bianca Martin catches up with Dee to learn what drives him. Learn more: Read about Dee Star’s podcasting class through the M...

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 t...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap Wisconsin’s quest for new political voting maps and the huge new grant UW-Madison landed to study Alzheimer’s. Plus, we skid across town looking at Madison roads after the big storms and ask why the U.S. DOT is banning our sassy roadsigns. Mentioned on the show: 🏛️ Maps submitted to W...

Fabiola’s Spaghetti House and Deli is now open for dinner in Madison’s Greenbush neighborhood. The former Rocky Rococo pizzeria on Regent Street has been transformed into a restaurant serving both Italian classics like spaghetti and meatballs, and Jewish deli staples like bialys and latkes.  Owner Sam Brown is no stranger to the neighborhood, having worked at that Rocky’s as a teenager. Bianca Mar...

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...

The state legislature is tackling two big questions this week: Who gets to power our state’s electric grid into the future and who’s allowed to own and operate electric vehicle charging stations? The two energy infrastructure bills have been moving steadily through the state house and are scheduled for a vote this week in the senate. Host Bianca Martin is joined by Tom Content, the executive direc...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap the first winter snowstorm of the year and the city’s efforts to make our streets safer, plus the new medical marijuana bill introduced at the State Capitol this week. And, Madison has a new task force to identify and prevent hate crimes in the city.  We'll be celebrating Dr. Martin L...

Trying dry - or even damp - January this year? For those looking to cut back on alcohol this year, there are more options than ever. From mocktails to CBD seltzers, there’s an array of choices beyond yesterday’s non-alcoholic beers. Bianca Martin catches up with Tyler Maas, organizer of Madison’s N/A Day at the Bur Oak, to get some inspiration.  Here's a sampling of Wisconsin companies making non-...

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day right around the corner, Madison has a host of events lined up to commemorate the civil rights activist, including a special keynote address from one of the Little Rock Nine — Terrence Roberts. Roberts helped integrate public schools in the U.S. by volunteering to be one of the first Black high school students to attend an all-white school in 1957, following the U.S...

Wisconsin’s political maps have been called some of the most extreme partisan gerrymanders in the country. Just before Christmas, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the Republican-drawn maps as unconstitutional - but they didn’t talk about the partisan advantage. They said the maps need to be compact and contiguous, instead of having Swiss cheese-like holes cut out of districts. So now what?...

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...

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Molly Stentz and Hayley Sperling recap the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s move to toss out our voting maps, new attention on the former UW-La Crosse Chancellor’s porn hobby, and Madison East High School’s plan to phase out letter grades. Plus, driving tests are back!  Mentioned on the show: Here's what to know about the Wiscons...

Madison’s northside is buzzing. And one new lounge is breathing fire into the normal January doldrums. Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge on Sherman Avenue features comfort food from around the world. It’s a tavern, a jazz cafe and cocktail lounge all in one. Their motto? “A hi-fi love letter to the low brow.“ Bianca Martin speaks with Lola’s co-owners Matt Gerding and Evan Dannells. And if those names sound fam...

Could psychedelics help veterans suffering from PTSD? UW scientists want to know. UW-Madison’s Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances wants to explore the medicinal uses of psychedelics like psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and MDMA (ecstasy) for those dealing with trauma. They’re seeking state approval to create a pilot program to study it. Bianca Martin speaks with the cent...

Welcome to 2024! And if your new year’s resolution is to get out more, the Madison team has got you covered. Host Bianca Martin and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Hayley Sperling round up the events in the area they’re most excited about in January.  Escape the cold: The Bolz conservatory The Wisconsin Drag Awards 2024 - Jan. 14 You can reach Bianca Lynn Breeze Productions at blbproductions2022...

As we head into the new year, we’re wrapping up our series of some of our favorite shows from 2023 with an absolute gem.  If you’ve hopped on a bus in Madison in the past twenty years, you’ve heard his voice.  Next stop… Pinckney at Mifflin. Next stop… It’s his voice that announces every stop on every Madison Metro bus. He’s always there, guiding us around the city. But you’ve never heard his name...

As we head into the new year, we wanted to celebrate the vibrant cheese scene in the Madison area, and not many have done it better than Landmark Creamery of Paoli. They make some of the best cheeses in the world. You don’t have to take our word for it - that’s according to judges at the American Cheese Society, the Good Food Awards, and the World Championship Cheese Contest. They make various tas...

As the year comes to a close, we’re revisiting some of our favorite shows from 2023. Ones that helped us feel more connected to our community and reminded us of the wealth of resources we have available right in our backyard sometimes. Like the Madison Public Library!  Did you know your little orange card can do a lot more than just check out books? It can help you grow a garden or get across town...

For this final week of the year we’re taking a trip down memory lane and revisiting some of our best shows from 2023. Back in August, we sat down with Wisconsin Broadcast Hall of Famer Lindsay Wood Davis and the founder of 98.7 FM WVMO The Voice of Monona radio station. It has been dubbed "The Coolest Little Station In the Nation" and in 2022 won the Best Radio Station in the state. Host Bianca Ma...