City Cast Madison

We’re calling it: Mermaid Kitchen is Madison’s best-kept secret for bagels. But why has it taken the city so long to get good bagels? Lisa Jacobson, owner of Mermaid Kitchen, joins host Bianca Martin to talk about this bagel resurgence, why bagels are her thing now, and what it actually takes to make a good bagel.You can order bagels via Mermaid Kitchen’s website.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.

The Wisconsin Film Festival is April 4 through 11 at theaters across Madison. Bianca Martin catches up with Ben Reiser, Operations Director of the Wisconsin Film Festival to learn what’s changing in the wake of the AMC closing at Hilldale (RIP Sundance) and what surprises they’ve got in store. Wanna get the sneak peek of what’s at the festival? First Look at the Fest is tonight, March 6 at 7pm at Flix Brewhouse. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, March 9.  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.

Russian cybercriminals hacked UW-Madison data in 2023. Personal info stolen, but public not notified. Student journalist investigates lack of transparency. Discussion on financial motives, risks of identity fraud, and delayed notification. Cybersecurity experts express concerns over data safety and crisis notifications. UW's response to interview requests and transparency concerns post data breach.

Leopold Elementary School in Madison. Leopold Residence Hall at UW-Madison. The Leopold Nature Center in Monona. Look around Madison and you can see any number of tributes to one of Wisconsin’s most influential residents, Aldo Leopold, author of A Sand County Almanac.Carrying that legacy forward today is The Aldo Leopold Foundation of Baraboo, started by his family in 1982. Their goal? To inspire an ethical relationship between people and nature.This week, they’re hosting a series of free online talks from influential thinkers, writers and doers in scientific and conservation circles, from novelist Diane Wilson to science journalist Ed Yong.  Bianca Martin caught up with Buddy Huffaker, executive director of The Aldo Leopold Foundation, to learn what’s on tap this week.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.

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin and Molly Stentz recap the weird-ass weather, the precarious state of affordable housing in Madison, and the deal for our new Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent. Plus, meet Phil Surkis, our new producer!Mentioned on the show:🫠 What winter?Is Wisconsin's lost winter a harbinger of winters to come? [Wisconsin State Journal]Temperature swing in Madison sets new record [Badger Herald]😱 Madison HousingTime may run out for tenants at two Madison apartment buildings [Cap Times]Madison affordable housing projects face possible closure [Cap Times]2 biggest Madison homeless projects could close within months, leaving city scrambling [Wisconsin State Journal]What is Housing First? [National Alliance to End Homelessness]Heartland Alliance cuts 65 jobs, shuts affordable housing division [Chicago Sun Times]🚌 Madison SchoolsSee details of Madison schools superintendent Joe Gothard's contract [Wisconsin State Journal]Madison superintendent contract: $299,000, 87 sick days [Cap Times]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. 

It’s not every day that a strip club becomes a local grocery store. But that’s what happened on Madison’s east side, where the Visions Club once operated. It’s now been completely renovated and turned into Gooh Grocery, which offers a mix of food from around the world. Where else can you get fresh plantains, labneh cultured yogurt, millet, spicy peppers and halal meat all at the same place? Just for starters. Molly Stentz sat down with owners Samba Baldeh and Jerreh Kujabi to learn what’s good.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.

Whether you’re taking full advantage of this unseasonably warm weather, finding everything green in your closet for St. Patrick’s Day, or looking for a few new ways to explore our fair city, Bianca Martin and Hayley Sperling have you covered. Here’s what’s happening around Madison this month. Our picks:🧥Wisconsin Vintage Fest🧼The Soap Opera’s 52nd anniversary🧋Sencha Tea’s Taylor Swift Pop-up🎙️Several Questions with Nate Chappelle podcast taping ☘️St. Patrick’s Day Parade🌝PINK FLOYD Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary FULLDOME Program 🎧Madison’s Planetarium is a Hidden Gem podcast episode🏆Vote for us as Madison’s Favorite Podcast🫱🏽‍🫲🏻Do you love local businesses and local journalism? We’re hiring a sales executive!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.

It seems like you cannot find a single weekend in Madison without a drag brunch or bingo. Even drag meat raffles are starting to catch on! But Madison hasn’t always had this deluge of drag events. So where did this boom come from? And with all the options these days, how do you pick which event to go to? Host Bianca Martin chats with local drag queen legend, Cynthia Mooseknuckle, about how the Madison drag scene has evolved in the last decade and why these events are building support for the queer community. Find out where the Moose will be loose next! Follow Cynthia on Instagram for upcoming events.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.

UW-Madison announced some ambitious goals for the planet: power the entire campus with renewable sources of electricity by 2030, send no new waste to the landfill by 2040, and become carbon neutral by 2048. For an institution with 420 buildings and another 9,500 acres of off-campus property, that’s no small feat. So how will they get there? Dylan Brogan talks to two people at UW-Madison who are making it happen: Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies Dean Paul Robbins and Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning & Management Cindy Torstveit.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.

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Hayley Sperling and Molly Stentz recap the latest in our U.S. Senate race: incumbent Tammy Baldwin is being challenged by Eric Hovde… again! And what will become the fate of the 100 block of Mifflin Street downtown? Plus, we examine changes coming to UW admissions, after Governor Evers signs a new bill mandating direct admission for the top 10% of all Wisconsin high school students.Mentioned on the show:🏇U.S. Senate RaceWho is Eric Hovde? What to know about Republican candidate challenging Tammy Baldwin [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]Businessman Eric Hovde enters U.S. Senate race, setting up Wisconsin contest against Tammy Baldwin [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]🏗️ Future of Mifflin Street Demolition proposed along Mifflin arcade for state historical center [WKOW]Downtown's next big change? Hovde Properties aims to raze buildings by Capitol Square [Wisconsin State Journal]Monday’s Plan Commission Meeting [City of Madison]🦡UW AdmissionsWisconsin's top high schoolers now guaranteed UW system admission [Cap Times]Direct Admissions Spreads, State by State [Inside Higher Ed]Direct Admit Wisconsin [UW]🤝🏾We’re hiring! Could you be City Cast Madison’s Senior Sales Executive?🏆Vote for us! Best of Madison nominations run now through February 29th. Best Local Podcast and Best News Website are under Arts and Entertainment.   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.