City Cast Madison

It’s been a big week in the Madison news scene: the city’s independent police monitor has resigned, some students and faculty are worried about proposed changes to curriculums by system administrators, and construction is set to begin on John Nolen Drive. Host Bianca Martin chats with executive producer Hayley Sperling and newsletter editor Rob Thomas about this week’s top stories. Plus, today is...

Last month, the owner of Mishqui Peruvian Bistro announced that she would be permanently closing the flagship location on Monona Drive. The decision comes after the opening of a second location in Middleton in 2024 and a third downtown on King Street earlier this year. Host Bianca Martin talks with owner Cynthia Garcia about Mishqui’s extensive menu, the growing pains of running a new restaurant,...

What are textile arts? They are all around us, including sewing, weaving, embroidery, dyeing and even paper making. In recent years, making art from fibers and fabrics has been taken more seriously, including in Madison where the relatively new Textile Arts Center of Madison is thriving. Host Bianca Martin talks with the center’s co-founder, Elizabeth Tucker, about how the art form is booming in M...

Happy Homecoming, Badgers! UW-Madison will face off against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 117th Homecoming Game in UW history Oct. 11 at Camp Randall in a battle for the Heartland Trophy. But before the Badgers kick off, the fans party. And each neighborhood does things a little differently. To get the scoop on how and where Madisonians tailgate, executive producer Hayley Sperling and host Bianca Marti...

Look up in the sky! No, it’s not an F-35, it’s fall bird migration season! This time of the year, countless birds grace our skies as they fly south for the winter. So what should you be on the lookout for? And how can we help these migratory birds make it to their destinations safely? To answer these questions and more, host Bianca Martin chats with the Wisco Birder himself, co-founder of the BIPO...

How will the federal government shutdown be felt in Madison? Well, it’s too early to know for sure, but the City Cast Madison team discusses how local officials are bracing for the impact. Host Bianca Martin is joined this week by executive producer Hayley Sperling and newsletter editor Rob Thomas. They also break down the latest in the race for governor and its impact on local races, and how Midd...

It’s a birthday party, and you’re invited! Public Parking, the East Johnson Street bar, is turning one year old this weekend. The bar is celebrating with free champagne, raffle prizes, and drag performances. It’s been a big first year–from being named a best new bar in the country by Bon Appétit to winning the Judge’s Choice award at Bittercube’s Botanical Battle Royale 2025.  Ahead of the birthda...

The leaves are changing colors and Halloween decorations are popping up all around us. That can only mean one thing – it’s October in Madison. The City Cast Madison team is here to give you our best recs for what to do and to eat this month. Plus, on this episode, we bring you our spooky recommendations. Host Bianca Martin chats with executive producer Hayley Sperling and newsletter editor Rob Tho...

Next year, Wisconsin will have its first open gubernatorial election in more than a decade. Nearly a dozen candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring and we’re just getting started. To break down the stakes of this election and dig into the candidates vying for Wisconsin’s top job, host Bianca Martin chats with hosts of Milwaukee’s WTMJ’s Point Taken, Steve Scaffidi and Kristin Brey. 👋...

Madison has a new top cop in town, but he’s no stranger to our city. Newly minted Police Chief John Patterson has spent nearly three decades on the force. Today, host Bianca Martin speaks with Patterson to get his perspective on policing in Madison — from the severe racial disparities in our arrest rates to the Office of the Independent Monitor and more.    👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Le...

🎵I fell in the pit, you fell in the pit, we all were in the pit.  No, that’s not Mouse Rat and this isn’t Parks and Rec. This is City Cast Madison, and the pit we’re talking about is the former downtown Madison College campus. Developers are revisiting plans to build a hotel on the local eyesore. Meanwhile a UW-Madison frat has been priced out of their new home, and everyone is wondering if the B...

There are TONS of new restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, and bakeries flooding Madison’s food scene. So what are these new places and what’s the hot item to order there? To dish on all of the newness in town, host Bianca Martin chats with Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians, who recently published a roundup of all the new spots popping up around town. We hope you’re hungry because...

In July, the Wisconsin State Journal published a story on redevelopment plans for the Brayton Lot on East Washington Avenue that included AI-generated quotes and false details of the development plans. The paper later removed the piece, rereported on the issue, and fired the original author. Audrey Korte, the reporter at the heart of the mistake, recently broke her silence in an interview with Ist...

Sentient tube socks are set to make another appearance in the HUMP! Film Festival fall lineup. (If you know, you know.) The 2025 Part Two is screening at the Barrymore Theatre on Saturday, September 27. Ahead of the event, we are bringing back one of our favorite shows from earlier this year. Host Bianca Martin talked with longtime sex and relationship columnist Dan Savage, who founded HUMP!, abou...

For years, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with the support of environmental groups, has been fighting to remove a segment of oil pipeline that runs through their northern Wisconsin reservation. Last year, the Wisconsin DNR gave Canadian energy company Enbridge the go ahead to re-route the Line 5 pipeline, but the tribe says that there is still a risk of pollution to their sovereign...

The movers and shakers of our hamlet are moving and shaking this week! The Madison City Council voted to close down Dairy Drive, some local politicians are throwing their hat into the race for Governor, plus school board members are considering giving themselves a raise. Host Bianca Martin, producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and newsletter editor Rob Thomas recap it all, plus explain what you need to do to...

Madison has several sports bars, but none of them are specifically dedicated to creating a space to watch women's sports. But Rita Adair is planning to change that. Host Bianca Martin talked with Adair about the vision for her bar on Madison's east side, from the food to the vibes to the live music, and why she's calling it Bernell's. She's planning on opening the sports bar in October, if she can...

The Onion is responsible for some of the most iconic satirical headlines of our time. From "Study Reveals: Babies are Stupid" to "Kitten Thinks of Nothing but Murder All Day," The Onion has managed to capture and speak to our cultural zeitgeist in ways traditional news media couldn’t dream of. And it all got its start right here in Madison. To get the details on the origins of The Onion and why it...

A new research lab in UW-Madison’s Department of African American Studies has set out to document the experiences of being Black in Madison and mapping Black-affirming spaces in the city. The SoulFolk Collective is made up of undergrads and graduate students, and does research projects that centers the Black experience.  To learn more, host Bianca Martin speaks with Dr. Jessica Stovall and Angela...

Earlier this year, a vehicle crashed into Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse. ⁠Again.⁠ This is the third time that the coffee shop has been hit. Mother Fool’s is among several businesses on Williamson Street that have been damaged in automobile ⁠crashes⁠. In an attempt to curb accidents and slow down drivers, the city is experimenting with ⁠closing down the rush-hour traffic lanes⁠ on Willy. Today, host Bi...

Nine months into the year without a contract the City of Madison and the union that represents Madison Metro Transit workers are closing in on a deal. The City Cast Madison team breaks down that news, along with two proposed 16-story student apartment buildings, and complaints against West High School’s officials over cuts to its swim team. Executive producer Hayley Sperling, newsletter editor Rob...

Cold and flu season is upon us. From kids back in school to runny noses, as the temperatures drop, folks are getting sick. If you’re feeling under the weather and not sure what you’re going to eat, we have you covered. Host Bianca Martin spoke with Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians about what to cook and what to order in when you’re too sick to do anything.  Mentioned on the sho...

Data centers this, data centers that. It seems just about everyone has something to say about the new tech infrastructure that’s popping up across the nation and here in Dane County. Data centers are major energy and water consumers (to put it lightly) but the new tech facilities are promising job creation and other economic benefits to the communities they’re in. But what does it take to actually...

Madison’s Office of the Independent Monitor is meant to be a check on the Madison Police Department, receiving complaints and feedback, making data-based recommendations, and upholding transparency and accountability. But what happens when the office’s own transparency practices are brought into question?  Back in May, reporters requested records for communications between the monitor’s office and...

Multiple stories involving Madison’s unhoused population have made headlines in recent weeks — from money questions about the upcoming permanent men’s shelter, to disturbances at the Social Justice Center, to whether or not funding will continue for the first city-sanctioned encampment at Dairy Drive. There’s a lot to take in. To dig into these stories and the complex causes and solutions surround...