City Cast Madison

The City Cast Madison crew is back with another edition of Must See Madison, and this time, we’re ballin’ on a budget. Host Bianca Martin rounds up some of Madison’s best free activities with executive producer Hayley Sperling and newsletter editor Ava Wojnowski. Join us as we venture around town highlighting Madison’s must sees. Where should we go next? Send us your suggestions for a future show!Mentioned in today’s showPheasant Branch ConservancyThe Lakeshore PathLake Loop and Monona Bait & Ice CreamChazen Museum of ArtCinemathequeLakeside CinemaWanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 23rd episode here: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCASTMadison365Incogni - Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Election season is officially upon us! First up is the fall partisan primary on Aug. 13. To get the details on election day, absentee voting, our (infamous) ballot drop boxes, and everything in between, host Bianca Martin spoke with deputy clerk Jim Verbick of the City of Madison City Clerk’s Office. Mentioned on the showMyVote WisconsinMadison in-person absentee voting locations [City of 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 Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 22nd episode here:Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCASTMadison365Incogni - Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All eyes have been fixed on Milwaukee this week as the Republican National Convention has taken over Wisconsin’s biggest city. Host Bianca Martin caught up with Wisconsin Public Radio political reporter Anya van Wagtendonk to get an inside look at the convention and what folks in Madison should be watching. Meanwhile in Madison, executive producer Hayley Sperling joins Bianca to talk about the city’s continued budget questions, why a group of West siders are suing the city over a housing development, and a sad goodbye at Henry Vilas Zoo.Mentioned on the showReporting from the RNC, Chevron and Wisconsin, Women BBQ brawlers [WPR]Madison mayor urges City Council to consider property tax referendum [Cap Times]Raising Taxes or Cutting Services: Madison’s Budget Dilemma [City Cast Madison]Your City Budget Questions Answered [City Cast Madison]Library FundraiserMaple Bluff eyes property tax referendum to close budget gap [Wisconsin State Journal]Neighbors sue over Old Sauk Road development but lose Plan Commission appeal [WisconsinState Journal]Goodbye, Sparky [Henry Vilas Zoo/Facebook]Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 19th episode here:Incogni - Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When thinking about Madison’s food scene, the first items that come to mind usually involve a whole lot of meat and dairy. But one of the city’s newest restaurants is challenging that perspective. Mad Rabbit Cafe opened earlier this year in the former home of La Kitchenette on Willy Street serving an all-vegan menu.City Cast Madison host Biana Martin caught up with restaurant owner Nate Anger to see what makes his restaurant appealing to vegans, carnivores, and everyone in between.Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers.Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 18th episode here:Incogni - Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kiki Schueler has been hosting intimate concerts in the basement of her far east side home since 2005. This week, Kiki’s House of Righteous Music will host its 400th show! (And yes, there will be cake.)Host Bianca Martin caught up with Kiki herself to get the inside scoop on how Kiki’s House of Righteous Music came to be and how you can get a ticket to the next show.Mentioned in this episodeKiki's House of Righteous Music Facebook group Kiki’s mailing listWanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 16th episode here:Incogni - Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once called "Madison's Ellis Island," the Greenbush neighborhood used to be home to large populations of Italian, Jewish, and Black residents. But an urban revival plan in the mid-20th century decimated the neighborhood and displaced its communities. Now, the area is witnessing a revival. Spots like Leopold’s, Fabiola’s, and the Greenbush Bar are new staples of Madison’s Greenbush neighborhood, so for this special installment of Must See Madison, host Bianca Martin and executive producer Hayley Sperling talk to the owner of all three, Sam Brown, about the neighborhood’s past, present, and future. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 16th episode here:Incogni - Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time in state history, Wisconsin has enacted a law that allows law enforcement agencies to charge public records requesters for the cost of redacting video or audio material, like body camera footage. The legislation has rattled local reporters, public officials, and police transparency advocates for its retaliatory nature and overall vague language. Executive producer Hayley Sperling sat down with Tone Madison publisher Scott Gordon to get the details — or lack thereof — on the story. Mentioned on the showA new Wisconsin law undermines the transparency pitch for police body cameras [Tone 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 Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 15th episode here:Incogni - Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The City Cast Madison team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling, and Ava Wojnowski recap major court cases, allegations of discrimination against UW-Madison, and a look ahead at your potential weekend plans.Mentioned on the show:Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway Celebrates Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling Reinstating Ballot Drop Boxes [City of Madison]Ballot drop boxes are allowed again. When will they return in Madison? [Cap Times]Now what? Wisconsin’s public unions prepare for world with fewer Act 10 restrictions [WKOW]“A massive disconnect.” UW unenrolls student with disability from precollege program [Madison365]Restaurant WeekWhat to know before attending this year's Art Fair on the Square [Madison Magazine] La Fête De MarquetteDane County Farmers' Market at Breese Stevens FieldWanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this July 12th episode here:Babbel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luna’s Groceries first opened on the southwest side of Madison in 2019. It quickly became a local staple with its healthy and diverse food options and strengthened community bonds through its annual block party. Now, Luna’s is expanding with a second location set to open later this year on South Park Street.Host Bianca Martin caught up with Luna’s owner Mariam Nunez to see what’s in store for the next generation of Luna’s Groceries, which also includes plans for a Caribbean restaurant!  Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers.Mentioned on the showLuna’s 2024 Block Party Luna’s Groceries to Open Second Location in South Madison [City of 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 Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 11th episode here:Babbel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a professional home maintenance technician with more than a decade of experience, Mercury Stardust can fix just about anything. And as an activist with millions of followers across her social media channels, she’s taught countless people how to live life with more compassion. Known online as the Trans Handy Ma’am, Mercury has built a massive community through her DIY home repair videos and has used her platform to raise awareness and money for LGBTQIA+ causes.Host Bianca Martin sat down with Mercury — who’s a new Madison homeowner herself — to talk about her journey from growing up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, to putting on weekly burlesque shows in Madison, to becoming the sensation she is today.Mentioned on the showSafe and Sound by Mercury StardustHandy Ma’am Hotline podcastWanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads.Learn more about the sponsors of this July 10th episode here:Babbel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices