City Cast Madison

On this week’s roundup, workers at the former CUNA Mutual group (now called TruStage) launch the biggest strike Madison’s seen in a decade. St. Vinnie’s now offers more than just old couches; you can get a loan! And Madison’s restaurant community mourns one of their own, Hot Lunch co-owner Roger Barts. Plus, the World Naked Bike Ride is headed our way soon. Now you know.Rounding up the news today are City Cast Madison’s Bianca Martin and Molly Stentz. Mentioned on the show:🏥 Online fundraiser for Mike Cerv's medical bills🫶 Merchant is also holding a fundraiser for Roger Barts' family and Mike Cerv's medical care on Memorial Day from 5 to 10 p.m.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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Each May, we Wisconsinites scour the woods for a seasonal delicacy: the morel mushroom. Discovering a flush of them can feel like finding hidden treasure. They can fetch $50 per pound at your local farmers’ market, but are free to pick in state parks and forests - if you can find them. So where do you look? “Everywhere and nowhere,” according to Melissa Klotka, President of the Wisconsin Mycological Society. But don’t worry, she’s got tips for you. Check out their upcoming mushroom-hunting forays.🍄 Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers.Also on the show: 🤮 Spring Harbor Beach is CLOSED due to blue-green algae. 🏊🏽‍♀️ Beginning Memorial Day, you can check Madison area lake conditions here.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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Mdison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Starting June 11th, the Madison Metro bus system, as you know it, will change. Metro bus routes, bus stops and bus numbers will be different. It’s all part of the plan to move people across town faster and make way for the new Bus Rapid Transit system. Madison hopes new express buses in dedicated lanes will make transit easier, faster, and more reliable. That’s coming next year. But first, they’re redesigning all of the regular bus routes.We talk to City of Madison transit planner Mike Chechvala about what’s happening very soon. 🚌 Learn all about the new routes here. 7 Basics of Bus Rapid Transit (PDF)Also on the show: 🧙🏽‍♀️ WisCon is this weekendWanna 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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

You may know Rev. Dr. Alex Gee as the pastor of Fountain of Life Church, the founder and CEO of Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, the host of the Black Like Me podcast, or as the author of the viral Justified Anger editorial taking Madison to task for failing its Black residents.And if you don’t know Alex Gee yet, you should. He’s a visionary force for change in Madison. His next act? Building the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, a brand-new multimillion dollar building off Park Street in south Madison. It’s “bigger than a community center, broader than a cultural center” and will house a business incubator, performance spaces, a theater, a recording studio and so much more. He’s tapped the team behind the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C. to design it. He’s betting that by uplifting and celebrating the achievements of Madison’s Black community, he’ll transform Madison for generations.Also on the show:🎶 Cafe CODA Afrovibe SoireeWanna 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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Public schools are paid for by us, the public. And we the people are entitled to oversight. But what happens when a public entity does not live up to the law? And leaves frustrated parents hanging, waiting months on end for basic info? When delays force citizens to sue to get answers?That’s what’s happening at the Madison Metropolitan School District. Public interest lawyers say it’s THE worst government body in the entire state of Wisconsin for transparency. What’s going on? We dig in with Tom Kamenick of the Wisconsin Transparency Project. 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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

The City Cast Madison team is here to round up the news in our fair city. A new women’s pro soccer team could come to Madison, but they have a price. Parents of an autistic teenager fight a local healthcare co-op for treatment. And we chase the Wienermobile outta town after they rebrand it. First they closed the factory, now they take the Wienermobile away from us?!Bianca Martin, Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz wrangle it all up for ya.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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Madison is known for the Dane County Farmers’ Market, one of the oldest and largest markets in the country. But what if we told you… there was a farmers’ market somewhere in the Madison area every day of the week?! Markets that have what you need, minus all the tourists. Madison’s home to several neighborhood markets, which tend to be less crowded, more accessible, and have their own spirit. Lindsay Christians of The Cap Times is here to bring us the goods. 🥬 Check out the farmers’ market in your neighborhood. 🥕 Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers.Also on the show:⚽ Women’s Pro Soccer in Madison?!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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Childcare in Madison can cost more than college tuition. Parents are spending thousands a month, and childcare centers are feeling the squeeze of rising costs. They can’t pay enough to compete with other employers in a tight labor market — and can’t hire fast enough to meet demand. The result is parents, often women, dropping out of the workforce.Governor Evers has proposed helping parents pay for the cost. But will it make it through the meat-grinder that is our state budget process? State lawmakers could decide any day now.Ruth Schmidt, executive director of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, says the situation is dire.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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

The Madison Police Department is one of the largest local law enforcement agencies in the country that hasn’t embraced body-worn cameras. Chief Shon Barnes calls body cams a “must” for the department and has been working on a 90-day pilot program to test out the technology. Eventually, Barnes hopes body cams are standard issue for Madison police officers. Event on May 19: Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony.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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

The Wisconsin State Polka Festival is this weekend, y’all. So bring your oompahs and yooodelaydeewhoos. Polka is our state dance, after all. Now if you’re thinking, uh… polka? We challenge you not to enjoy Madison’s very own polka DJ Stacy Harbaugh. Also known as DJ Shotski, host of Polka Time on WVMO, Stacy can be found spinning records at events around town and spreading the love of this bit of Wisconsin culture. Festivals this weekend:Wisconsin Polka Festival in RichfieldStoughton’s Syttende Mai Norwegian Heritage FestivalMadison Irish FestWanna 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 inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise.