City Cast Madison

It’s been more than eight years since Tony Robinson died. The teenager was shot dead by a Madison police officer who responded to a 911 call to Tony’s apartment on Willy Street.  The police department cleared the officer of any wrongdoing. The district attorney declined to prosecute.  Tony’s mother, Andrea Irwin, settled a civil lawsuit against the city in 2017. Her attorneys called it the biggest...

Bianca Martin, Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz are here to roundup the news of the week… including the state of Madison’s housing crisis and how our newish program to answer mental health crisis calls is working. Maybe that’s why everyone’s been at the movies with Barbie. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email us at madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on (the fo...

There’s a new restaurant open on Monroe Street, in the former Brasserie V space. It’s called One and Only, and they’re sporting seafood, seasonal salads, house-made ravioli, and of course, the legendary frites. Co-owner Stephani Dalbesio gives us the scoop.  Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Twitter and Instagram!  W...

While we don’t have hurricanes or a sinking oceanfront, Madison is not immune to our changing climate. It feels like when we’re not flooding, there’s a drought or a heatwave or smoky bad air from Canadian wildfires. Or all of the above. Is this the new normal? We turned to our new state climatologist, Steve Vavrus, for an explanation. Also on the show:  Check your air quality Tips for spotting hea...

Madison is said to have more bikes than cars. And with 200 miles of bike trails in the area, there’s a lot to explore. So we turned to biking aficionado Grant Foster of Madison Bikes for his favorite trips. He’s got tips for everyone from newbies to those ready to make a weekend out of it. Plus, basic bike maintenance.  Grant’s recommendations:  If you’ve got 30 minutes or less: Downtown Loop alon...

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 to explain how Wisconsin Souvenir Milkcaps (as they're officially known) became a thing. For more on Wisconsin Souvenir...

Dylan Brogan, Bianca Martin and Molly Stentz are here to roundup the week’s news. Factory farms sue over pollution permits, west side neighbors rally to save a pet pig, and musicians get paid after local journalism intervenes.  Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Twitter and Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered...

Move over brewers, Madison distilleries are having a moment. And they’re making more than just brandy for your Old Fashioned. Fifteen years ago, Madison had exactly one distillery, and it was pretty new. Now, there’s at least ten in the area, if you count companies producing spirits for their own cocktails. Our pal Lindsay Christians, food editor at The Cap Times, is here with the latest on local...

Looking for a good place to swim in the Madison area? Worried about blue-green algae in the lakes? Wondering what pools and beaches are open these days? Maybe you want some personal recs on the best spots to take the little ones.  Alisa Sleep, one of the founders of the Madison Mom parenting site, joins us to share her faves.  Here’s the Madison Mom guide to local pools, splash pads and beaches. ...

Madison’s professional men’s soccer team, officially called Madison Forward Football Club, is on a winning streak. They’re currently ranked second in their league, USL League One. What’s behind the flamingoes’ rally? We catch up with captain Mitch Osmond about what’s going right this season. 🦩 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We...

Next time you’re at Olin Turville Park, say hello to new park staffers Donna, Nancy, Emma, Janelle, Midnight and Dorito. Don’t be mad if they don’t talk back, though. They’re goats.  These goats are on assignment cleaning up brush and invasive species in many Madison parks. They belong to Greg Haak and Brooke Hushagen of HaakHagen Goat Grazing, who set the herd up inside a portable electric fence...

The City Cast team rounds up the week’s news, including the Madison City Council paving the way for more high-end apartments downtown, the ongoing renovations at Woodman’s on Milwaukee Street and Top Chef coming to Madison. Bianca Martin and Molly Stentz share your thoughts on our Tourist Trap week. And we announce some big media news with a special guest, our CEO David Plotz.  Did you miss our To...

In the heart of downtown Middleton lies the National Mustard Museum. They claim the world’s largest collection, with more than 6,000 bottles on display. The free museum is in the basement and the main floor is a gift shop with all kinds of mustard imaginable. There’s even a tasting bar.  Of course, the entire City Cast Team - Bianca Martin, Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz - had to check it out on ou...

It’s Day Three of our whirlwind adventure visiting some of Wisconsin’s most famous tourist attractions. Today, we head to Cave of the Mounds near Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. It’s a privately owned cave that’s listed as a National Natural Landmark due to its educational and scientific value. For a fee, you can take a self-guided tour of the quarter-mile long limestone cave and see stalactites, stalagmi...

Your City Cast Madison team - Bianca Martin, Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz - is on the road this week, taking in the Madison area’s most famous attractions. We’re asking the question… as a local, are these stops worth the hype? It’s Day Two, and we’re headed to The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Built by architect Alex Jordan to be a weekend retreat, it has since become one of the m...

City Cast Madison is on a full-on summer roadtrip this week.  We’re visiting some of the biggest tourist attractions that the Madison area has to offer…. and asking the question: As a local, should you go? Is it worth the hype?  The entire City Cast team - Bianca Martin, Dylan Brogan, and Molly Stentz - is here to give you the low-down. First stop… Taliesin in Spring Green. It was famed architect...

The City Cast team rounds up the week’s news, including the Gov. Evers budget veto that could last four hundred years and the drought hitting Dane County hard. Plus, the bird’s the word… the Cardinal Bar is back. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Twitter and Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your...

Willy Street, meet Sultan. Madison’s newest - and perhaps only - Pakistani restaurant is now open. It’s on the corner of Willy and Ingersoll, in the old Roman Candle Pizza spot.  Sultan serves tapas-style small plates, with South Asian flavors. Classic curries and biryanis, chais and naan, but with a modern twist.  Oh, and they don’t do tipping. They pay their staff a living wage.  We talk to owne...

Public Health Madison & Dane County has reported two overdose spikes in recent months.  Paramedics responded to nine overdoses at the end of May. Two people died. Paramedics also confirmed at least six overdoses in 24 hours in mid June. Another two people died. What’s going on? We talk to Julia Olsen of Public Health Madison & Dane County about what’s happening. Mentioned on the episode: Where to...

Electric fire trucks are popping up across the country. Portland, Oregon just got one. Boulder, Colorado is buying one. St. Paul’s got one on order. And of course, Los Angeles got in early. But Madison was first, baby.  Madison was the first city in the nation to put an electric fire truck in service. The truck - which was designed in Wisconsin - saved 60,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmo...

The City Cast team rounds up the week’s news, including the unhealthy air from Canadian wildfire and the fight over Wisconsin’s top election official (again) — will lawmakers oust her ahead of the 2024 presidential election? Plus, the discovery that Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes has applied to be the top cop in Chicago.  Mentioned on the episode: Where to find a free N95 mask UW Madison respond...

There’s a new cookbook out that showcases the ingredients and flavors of Madison. And we’re gonna stop ya right there, it is WAY more than brats and cheese curds. It features recipes from the farmers, chefs and shoppers who frequent the Dane County Farmers’ Market, one of the oldest and largest in the country. With recipes for curtido to panzanella to ratatouille, and gorgeous photos of the food a...

You’ve surely seen his work. The photo of President Obama in the White House situation room. The iconic moment when a five-year-old child reached up and touched Obama’s hair, after asking if it was like his own. These photos are by White House photographer Pete Souza.  Souza has since moved to Madison, where he freelances and occasionally pops off about current events online, when he’s not taking...

Madison trivia is back, baby. We’ve brought Smarter Than You trivia guru Paul Guse back to test our knowledge of all things Mad city. Buckle up and play along… Dylan Brogan and Bianca go head to head in this episode.  Catch Paul at the Harmony Bar every first and third Wednesday of the month. He’ll be there next week, July 5th. And hey, we’re in the running for Best Local Podcast in the Madison Ma...

Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Homes Jr. famously said, “Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.” But who pays and how much has been debated ever thus.  When you buy anything from a cup of coffee to a car in Madison, you’re paying sales tax. That money is collected by local shops and sent to the state of Wisconsin. Every two years, the state decides how much of that money to share with...