City Cast Madison

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. Statistically, most intimate assaults are committed against women. And that’s why a local martial arts studio has focused on teaching women self-defense skills. Ali Treviño-Murphy, co-owner of Underground Self Defense, says when women fight back, they are more likely to survive an assault. And she’s here to tell you how.And if you’re in need of help, text the Domestic Abuse Intervention Services hotline anytime: (608) 420-4638. If you prefer to speak with someone over the phone, call their Help Line: (608) 251-4445. In cases of intimate partner violence, it may be safer to create an escape plan than to fight back.If you have experienced an assault, find help at the Dane County Rape Crisis Center. Their hotline is (608) 251-7273.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 pushing back. Plus, Senator Tammy Baldwin signs onto a bill that could ban TikTok. And hey, we have a race for Madison Mayor! And really, shouldn't we have a better name for Bus Rapid Transit?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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Center and their annual Maple Syrup Fest. We sit down with the center’s Education Director Virginia Wiggen and Marketing and Communication Manager Cara Erickson to get the scoop. Maple Syrup Fest takes place Saturday, March 18th, from 1-4pm at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona. 🍁 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 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spring is just a few weeks away and in Madison, that always means…. the Wisconsin Film Festival! Each April, one of the largest campus film festivals in the country takes over theaters across Madison. This year, they’re showing more than a hundred films in five theaters from April 13 to 20. The Wisconsin Film Festival guide hits newsstands on Thursday; find it in the March issue of Isthmus. Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 11th, at noon. Operations Director Ben Reiser gives us the sneak peek about what’s coming up. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet the challenger running for Madison Mayor. Gloria Reyes is running on her experience as a former Madison police officer, school board president, and deputy mayor in the Soglin administration. But also, she’s running on her experience as a local who grew up here and has deep community roots. We spoke with Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway about her bid for re-election on Monday’s show. The election is Tuesday, April 4th. Learn where you vote or how to register.Also in today’s episode: 🌱 Want to get free flower and veggie seeds? Check out the Madison Public Library seed libraries! 👩🏻‍🚒 And check out the In Her Boots documentary about Madison’s first women firefighters. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is running for re-election. The first-term mayor touts her accomplishments: getting a faster bus system, building more housing, and improving the city’s environmental footprint by reducing emissions and adding more solar. She won her first term as mayor by a landslide, but this time, she’s the insider running on her record. We’ll speak with challenger Gloria Reyes on tomorrow’s show. The election is Tuesday, April 4th. 🗳️ Learn where you vote or how to register.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bianca Martin, Molly Stentz, and Dylan Brogan round up the week’s news with a look at the GOP’s increasingly expensive probe into the 2020 election, the departure of a big player in Madison’s concert scene and the state selling three huge office buildings downtown. 💸 If you’d like to tell us what YOU would do with $2.5 million dollars of the state’s money… or where the best grocery store self-checkout camera is… leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367.Email us at 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friday Fish Fries in Madison are their own kinda of religion. When we went in search of the best fish in town, we had to talk to Linda Falkenstein, Associate Editor of Isthmus newspaper. She’s been going to fish fries in Madison her entire life… and now makes a living writing about them, among other things. It might surprise you that a few of her picks aren’t in Madison at all, but right next door in Westport and Fitchburg. But perhaps the most surprising pick of all? Well, we’ll leave that for you to discover. Linda’s picks: Quivey’s Grove, Athens Grill and The Old Fashioned. Read Linda’s Isthmus reviews, including this roundup of Wednesday Fish Fries (gasp!)🐟 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 Twitter and Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re turning the tables on our host, Bianca Martin. We’re putting her on the other side of the mic. She was interviewed by Angela Russell, the host of the Black Oxygen podcast, about how she came to host City Cast Madison. We’re airing an excerpt of their conversation. You can find the full interview on the Black Oxygen podcast. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Black History Month, we wondered: how do we find our OWN history?Depending on your family history, it can be hard to track down records. Black and indigenous families were often overlooked in official histories, not counted in early censuses and lack historical property records to draw upon. And DNA tests can throw you real curve balls. You never know what surprises might be in your family tree. So how do you even begin? Luckily, if you live in Madison, you have one of the country’s most extensive historical research centers in your backyard. Meet Lori Bessler, reference librarian at the Wisconsin Historical Society.🔎 Check out their upcoming free webinars and tips.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices