City Cast Madison

Tax time is coming. Looking for a little extra cash? What if I told you there was a magic website where you could search for free money? No wait, don’t hang up. We promise this is legit.  The Wisconsin Department of Revenue runs a website where you can search for lost money. It’s called the Unclaimed Property list. And it’s actually YOUR money. If you’ve ever forgotten to cash a check, chances are...

The sun is finally shining, the birds are singing… spring is here and the WiscoBirder is on the lookout! The Great Wisconsin Birdathon is around the corner. Beginning April 15th, teams from around the state compete to spot as many bird species as possible within a 24-hour period.  Dexter Patterson teaches photography at UW Madison, but he’s perhaps better known as the WiscoBirder and co-founder of...

Parking tickets. We’ve all been there… rushing to back to the meter, just a few minutes too late. Having to move your car every two hours. Forgetting which day the street sweepers come. And don’t get us started on snow days.  One man holds the power to take the sting out of those tickets. And he’s actually more reasonable than you might think. He’s been on a mission to make local court more access...

Dylan Brogan, Bianca Martin, and Molly Stentz round up the news this week, which means we’re unpacking election day results. What could Judge Janet’s win mean for 2024 and the next presidential race?  Why did Wisconsin vote for the liberal-backed judge while also supporting tougher bail measures and work requirements for welfare?  Are the purple state eulogies a bit premature? And what will happen...

Stella’s Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread has long been a staple of the Dane County Farmers’ Market. The huge loaves are stuffed with gooey hot cheese, flecked with red pepper and are best eaten by tearing off a huge hunk as you stroll the market contemplating eating more vegetables.  Now, Brian Winzenried of the famed Stella’s family is taking the cheese bread to Panama.  What began as a pandemic trip ha...

$45 million dollars and nearly two million votes later, the election result is in: Milwaukee Judge Janet Protasiewicz will be the next Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. Liberal-backed justices will soon have four seats on the state’s high court and a slim majority. All eyes are now on Attorney General Josh Kaul’s lawsuit seeking to overturn the state’s 1849 abortion ban.  Bianca Martin and Dylan Br...

Every year, the Madison City Council adds new city ordinances to the books. More rules, more things made illegal. There are 45 chapters of them, regulating everything from liquor licenses to signs.  But every so often, someone comes along with an eye toward clean up. Someone who looks through the pages and pages of city laws… and finds the outdated, ridiculous or potentially discriminatory ones th...

The City of Madison knows that no one likes evictions. They’re painful, messy and costly. So they’re funding a program to provide free lawyers to tenants facing eviction. They mediate conflicts - or miscommunication - between tenants and landlords, and work out solutions.  And it’s been shockingly effective.  Carousel Bayrd of Community Justice, Inc is one of these lawyers. 🏠 If you need help, co...

It’s the Friday news roundup and the whole City Cast Madison team is here to rein in the wayward news of the week. Dylan Brogan, Bianca Martin and Molly Stentz discuss the big money in our Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the little-known question on your ballot in Madison, why the Madison School District spokesperson is suing to prevent your access to records… and of course, crime-fighting burritos....

Who doesn’t love a good food cart?! From the massive fresh spring rolls on library mall to the crispy arepas on the capitol square, there are dozens of food carts throughout the city ready to provide a nice hot lunch or tasty snack.  But Madison’s food cart scene doesn’t just happen. There’s a bunch of work behind the scenes to pave the way. Did you know that Madison has an official group of food...

There are many trivia nights in Madison… but only one where the host writes all the questions from scratch, serenades you with a musical round on his guitar, and generally makes up the rules on the fly.  Paul Guse is the mastermind behind Smarter Than You trivia. He hosts free trivia games at the Harmony Bar on Atwood Avenue every first and third Wednesday night. And he’s challenging us to a round...

F-35 military fighter jets are expected to arrive in Madison as early as April. Madison is the second Air National Guard in the nation to receive the military’s newest jets. They’ll be stationed at Truax field, next to the airport and Madison College.  The Wisconsin Air National Guard calls them a “game changer.” The federal F-35 program - the most expensive weapon in US history - was designed to...

It’s been called the “most important election in the country.” And yes, it’s right in our backyard. On April 4th, voters will decide who gets a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This seat will determine the ideological balance of the court, and thus how it could rule on a number of high-stakes issues from abortion to voting rights. Wisconsin continues to be a swingy swing state without outsize...

It’s the Friday news roundup and the whole City Cast Madison team is here. Bianca Martin, Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz discuss the latest on big spending in our local Madison elections, ponder a deadly monkey virus that scientists say has the potential to spread to humans, and we deliver a eulogy for Burrito Drive. 🌯 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or emai...

Egg prices have risen sharply in the past few months, after outbreaks of bird flu at major chicken farms have reduced the country’s supply of laying hens. But fear not! You can raise chickens in your own backyard safely and cheaply, with a little know-how.  This week, the Madison City Council voted to allow residents to keep up to eight chickens, doubling the previous legal limit. We talk to backy...

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… until now.  Meet Ward Paxton, the voice of Madison Metro. 🚌 Also on this episode: ⚖️ Watch the Wisconsin Supreme Court...

With big bank failures dominating the headlines, we wondered: how did Madison tech start-ups weather the storm? Did the small and somewhat insulated nature of our tech community shield it from bigger problems? Or could a bank run happen here? And is more government investment for local tech an answer to reducing dependence on Silicon Valley? For answers, we turned to Scott Resnick, COO of Hardin D...

Powering your home with solar is not only good for the planet, it might actually save you money. Heather Allen, an advisor for RENEW Wisconsin, walks us through her experience putting solar panels on her Madison home. It’s easier than you might think, especially with incentives offered by the City of Madison, Wisconsin, and the federal government. Just watch out for squirrels.  🌞 Is your Madison...

Dylan Brogan, Bianca Martin, and Molly Stentz roundup the news with a Madison mystery involving missing millions and the political fight over banning conversion therapy. Plus, we wonder about local fallout from the recent bank failures.  Learn more about the news:  🏳️‍🌈 Conversion Therapy Bans in Wisconsin. Madison is one of 14 cities across the state to have banned the practice.  💰 Wisconsin In...

It’s never been easier to eat a meat-free diet in Madison. 🥦 There are now two dedicated vegan restaurants, Jardin and Sookie’s Veggie Burgers, and a third in the works, with the JustVeggiez food cart planning to open a soul food storefront on State Street. 🥬 In addition to vegetarian favorites Green Owl, Monty’s Blue Plate and Himal Chuli, the city’s packed with tasty Thai and Indian restaurant...

Madison School Superintendent Carlton Jenkins is retiring in July - and the search is on for his replacement.  The next leader will need to tackle teacher shortages, pandemic fallout and stubborn racial disparities in student academic achievement.  Madison School Board President Ali Muldrow fills us in on what happens next.  Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 o...

The bagpipes were back on the Capitol Square last weekend for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. With the official holiday mere days away, how are you celebrating?  If you’re Fitchburg alder Gabriella Gerhardt, you’re trying to break the world record for “Largest Collection of Four-Leaf Clovers.” Four-leaf clovers are considered lucky due to their rarity. They’re technically a genetic mutation o...

Domestic violence in Wisconsin is at an all-time high. Just a few weeks ago, another event shocked neighbors in Madison. Police chased a man into the Kwik Trip on East Wash, where he shot at police before locking himself in the bathroom and taking his life. He was suspected of strangling his girlfriend days earlier.  Police are also investigating four sexual assaults in Madison so far this year. ...

It’s your Friday news roundup. City Cast Madison producers Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz bring you nuggets of news from our fair city. Homophobic graffiti slandering city alder Mike Verveer surfaced near his home in Madison over the weekend. And anti-vaxxers have a new target: the meningitis vaccine. Gov. Tony Evers made it mandatory for seventh graders, but now some voters and lawmakers are pushi...

March in Madison brings hints of spring. Migrating birds like sandhill cranes and robins start to return. Despite the freezing temps and occasional snowstorm, we start to feel like the worse of winter is behind us. This is the time to make maple syrup!  People have been tapping maple trees for thousands of years, way before Madison was a city. The tradition lives on at the Aldo Leopold Nature Cent...