WORT Local News

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By: WORT News and Public Affairs

Breaking news and feature stories straight from the WORT News team’s underground lair in Madison, Wisconsin. New episodes every Monday through Thursday at 7:30 PM. Also available live on 89.9 FM from 6:00-7:00 PM and online anytime at WORTFM.org.

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Dane County supervisors face strong opposition to budget cuts
Today at 12:14 AM

Here's your local news for Tuesday, October 21, 2025:

We hear local nonprofits' warning to the county board as they weigh proposed funding cuts in next year's budget,Consider strategies to combat the rise of white Christian nationalism,Detail the gaps in the system that make it difficult to track educators accused of sexual misconduct and grooming,Survey the trade war's impact on American soybean farmers,Celebrate the history of Madison's Mediterranean Cafe,Explain why bird banding is a valuable tool for researchers and rehabilitators,And much more.

Madisonians show up in force for "No Kings" rally
Yesterday at 12:17 AM

Here's your local news for Monday, October 20, 2025:

We head to downtown Madison for this Saturday's nationwide protest against the Trump regime,Outline city leaders' recent examination of the Urban Design Commission and its role in development oversight,Find out why a city committee voted last week to preserve student input on alcohol licenses and policies,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Commemorate the 1972 founding of the Service, Office and Retail Workers Union of Canada,Review two movies,And much more.

Government shutdown a blow to Wisconsin workers, DWD leadership warns
Last Friday at 12:36 AM

Here's your local news for Thursday, October 16, 2025:

We hear how the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is faring during the government shutdown,Outline the state's teacher turnover trends over the last decade,Uncover the world of Soviet-era samizdat,Get the latest numbers on the nation's wealth gap,Meet one of the artists who's helping the Madison Public Library celebrate 150 years of service,And much more.

GHC members side with employees, support unionization
Last Thursday at 12:22 AM

Here's your local news for Wednesday, October 15, 2025:

We outline today's debate over a Republican bill that would put a cap on UW's annual tuition increases,Hear what GHC members had to say in a special meeting with the cooperative's Board of Directors,Learn why election reform advocates are calling for Final Five voting in Wisconsin,Find out if UW-Madison's ethnic studies requirement is actually at risk,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1960,And much more.

State Senate holds first floor session since July
10/15/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, October 14, 2025:

We hear from party leaders on both sides of the aisle ahead of the state Senate's long-awaited floor session,Find out why an update to Madison school facilities is expected to cost taxpayers less than originally projected,Discuss the video game industry's rising reliance on artificial intelligence,Consider why more Wisconsin dairy farmers may be looking to cash out,Celebrate community-making with sourdough bread,Check in with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center as they prepare for colder weather and new patients,And much more.

Wisconsin Representatives advocate for the rights of nature on Indigenous Peoples’ Day
10/14/2025

Here's your local news for Monday, October 13, 2025:

We find out why the state Assembly is centering environmental protections this Indigenous Peoples' Day,Outline the back and forth this morning in the state Supreme Court over tribal sovereign immunity,Meet the city of Madison's new Director of Transportation,Brush up on immigration law amid the unprecedented federal crackdown,Remember a trailblazing fighter pilot,Learn how to mix up a Sea Breeze cocktail,Review two new movies,And much more.

John Nolen Drive reconstruction kicks off Monday
10/10/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, October 9, 2025:

We outline what to expect when construction begins next week on one of Madison's busiest thoroughfares,Consider the gray areas in Wisconsin's regulation of THC,Explain when and how public bodies can enter closed session,Tell you the best spots to cast your fishing line,Celebrate Forward Madison FC's recent back-to-back wins,And much more.

Amid shutdown, Wisconsin Dems emphasize a wobbling health care system
10/09/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, October 8, 2025:

We hear what's at stake if Congress fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,Outline city leaders' debate over a proposed drive-thru coffee shop at West Towne Mall,Find out why MMSD is pitching its recent 4K expansion as a win-win,Discuss the risks of private equity in 401(k) retirement plans,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1968,And much more.

Law Forward, Russ Feingold weigh in on federal campaign finance lawsuit
10/08/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, October 7, 2025:

We outline some of the funding priorities in Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's $452.5 million operating budget proposal,Find out why state Democrats want to require health insurers to include fertility services in their coverage,Consider what’s at stake if a loophole in Wisconsin’s campaign finance law is replicated on the federal level,Share some bad butter pricing news,Visit a beloved State Street eatery,Follow the migrating blackpoll warbler,And much more.

Local officials celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
10/07/2025

Here's your local news for Monday, October 6, 2025:

We head to Monona Terrace for a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, where local leaders emphasized the importance of community,Get the latest data on alcohol-induced deaths in Wisconsin,Consider what's at stake after a Georgia-based journalist was deported on Friday,Celebrate the birthday of a renowned peace activist and journalist,Teach you how to make a Lynchburg Lemonade,Review two new movies,And much more.

Dane County’s 2026 executive budget seeks to bridge $31 million gap
10/03/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, October 2, 2025:

We'll outline some of the cost-saving measures in County Executive Agard's spending plan for next year,Mark the end of a Biden-era climate initiative,Find out how PFAS chemicals from Truax Field end up in nearby waterways like Starkweather Creek,Learn what it takes to achieve fluency in Russian,Talk songwriting with a Milwaukee-based musician,Dissect the scholarly lessons in Scooby Doo,And much more.

Wisconsin Democrats seek to lift abortion restrictions
10/02/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, October 1, 2025:

We head to Madison's Rennebohm Park for a press conference opposing the Line 5 reroute,Get the details on a new antibody treatment that aims to provide seasonal protection from Lyme disease,Find out how state Democrats are working to fill the gap as Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin pauses abortion services,Learn the history behind a trailblazing department at UW-Madison,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1962,And much more.

Madison education leaders vote to raise their own pay
10/01/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 30, 2025:

We hear Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's latest preview of her 2026 operating budget proposal,Outline some budget amendments Madison's Board of Education took up yesterday,Check in with the owner of Rutabaga Paddlesports after the announcement that he's closing up shop at the end of this year,Look forward to this week's packed schedule of dairy trade shows,Consider strategies to make our electoral system more inclusive,Explain why Wisconsin law bans rehabilitation of skunks,And much more.

Madison Area Practices Being Car-free
09/30/2025

Here's your local news for Monday, September 29, 2025:

We find out why some local leaders are practicing a car-free life this week,Get the scoop on a small Wisconsin police department's proposal to partner with ICE,Consider Trump's latest comments on free speech with a UW-Madison professor,Review two bookends to Robert Redford's film career,And much more.

Madison community rallies around Dairy Drive residents
09/26/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, September 25, 2025:

We find out how Dairy Drive residents and members of the community are preparing for the campground's imminent closure,Meet a performer in Madison's burlesque scene,Talk open records fees,Break down where the fish are biting,Check in on the Flamingos' playoff push,And much more.

Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany joins governor's race
09/25/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, September 24, 2025:

We check in on the race for Wisconsin governor...and the ever-expanding field of candidates,Find out why a UW-Madison professor is urging Congress to support fusion energy research,Consider the declining health of American children,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1968,And much more.

Assembly Republicans announce affordable housing agenda
09/24/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 23, 2025:

We hear Wisconsin Republicans' pitch to make homeownership more affordable,Consider the cost of nitrate contamination in drinking water,Take on the shocking topic of stray voltage and how it affects the health of dairy cattle,Meet the manager of FEED Kitchens,Untangle a "squirrel king" at the Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center,And much more.

Mayor Rhodes-Conway previews 2026 Operating Budget proposal
09/23/2025

Here's your local news for Monday, September 22, 2025:

We hear Mayor Rhodes-Conway's early pitch to expand Madison's investment in homeless services,Consider the next steps for a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's new vape law after a federal judge denied the plaintiffs' request to delay enforcement,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Mark the anniversary of the Chicago garment workers strike,Teach you how to make a popular cocktail,Review a new film and a '90s-era cult classic,And much more.

Representative Francesca Hong joins Democratic primary for governor
09/19/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, September 18, 2025:

We head to Rep. Francesca Hong's campaign launch party to find out what inspired her to run for governor,Consider the truth behind the old adage "it takes a village,"Get the details on the Room Tax Commission's looming structural deficit,Share a crash course on the U.S. Supreme Court's so-called "shadow docket,"Debut our new feature celebrating Madison's music scene,Explain why the art of sewing is always cool (not just when the New York Times says it is),And much more.

Fiber artists and farmers build community at Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival
09/18/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, September 17, 2025:

We head to Jefferson County for this year's Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival,Dissect the unsuccessful campaign to ban physical mail at the Dane County jail,Learn how a group of underclassmen brought a humorous internet trend to UW-Madison's Library Mall,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1963,And much more.

Employee health coverage under scrutiny as Dane County faces deficit
09/17/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 16, 2025:

We detail last night's debate over a proposal that would raise health care costs for Dane County employees,Hear what Wisconsin scholars and industry leaders have to say about Trump's tariff plan,Find out why the legal dispute over Wisconsin's administrative rulemaking process is far from over,Explain how the dairy industry is adapting to rising butterfat content in the milk supply,Wrap up our three-part series on fluoride in drinking water,Celebrate the unlikely survival of sandhill cranes,And much more.

Proposed county budget cuts could hit public health, human services
09/16/2025

Here's your local news for Monday, September 15, 2025:

We find out how the county is preparing for a projected $31 million budget deficit,Learn how advocates and state lawmakers are working to spread awareness about cryptocurrency ATM scams,Meet Matt Wachter, Madison's Director of Planning, Community, and Economic Development,Consider the environmental impacts of data centers,Look back on the Irish Postal Workers Strike of 1922,Revisit two cinema classics,And much more.

Wisconsin Democrats introduce “Kids First” package
09/12/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, September 11, 2025:

We'll outline Wisconsin Democrats' education agenda,Untangle Line 5's complicated legal history and find out what's next in the fight to stop Enbridge's proposed reroute of the pipeline,Delve into some of the Wisconsin Transparency Project's most recent cases,Break down where the fish are biting,Reflect on Forward Madison's frustrating (but still hopeful) season,And much more.

Widely-used insecticide harms pollinators, experts say
09/11/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, September 10, 2025:

We detail Madison leaders' latest proposal to promote more housing in the city,Learn how white nationalist groups are using so-called 'Active Clubs' to covertly spread their ideology,Outline the research that has a range of experts sounding the alarm on a ubiquitous insecticide,Welcome "Cardinal Call" back from summer break,Find out why containing wildfires is easier said than done,Travel back in time to 1965,And much more.

Assembly Republicans unveil education agenda
09/10/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 9, 2025:

We find out why a contingent of high school athletes showed up at yesterday's Board of Education meeting,Outline Wisconsin Republicans' education priorities,Hear the mission behind Wisconsin Public Education Network's transparency project,Explain the bovine breeding and nutrition practices behind a recent boom in cream production,Sit down with a local food photographer,Mark the start of the fall season at the Dane County Wildlife Rehabilitation Center,And much more.

Social Security protesters call out repercussions of funding cuts
09/09/2025

Here's your local news for Monday, September 8, 2025:

We head to a protest outside the Odana Road Social Security office,Consider the consequences of an increasingly corporatized and tech-focused higher education system,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Celebrate the birthday of "a lion in literature's forest,"Discuss some of the best snacks to eat with your evening cocktail,Review two new offerings on the small screen,And much more.

State Democrats are lockstep in repealing Walker-era labor laws
09/05/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, September 4, 2025:

We get the details on a package of bills that seeks to strengthen protections for the state’s workforce,Find out who qualifies for backpay, after a discriminatory law blocked disabled Wisconsinites from collecting unemployment for over a decade,Learn more about Madison’s Russian Folk Orchestra,Walk you through replacing a light fixture,Discuss the joys and dangers of being a collector,And much more.

Madison alders back last-ditch effort to save Dairy Drive campground
09/04/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, September 3, 2025:

We get the details on a proposal that seeks to delay demolition of Madison's first city-sanctioned homeless encampment,Hear about Isthmus newspaper's open records request that, months later, is still waiting for a response from the city's independent police monitor,Learn how to approach solidarity work with self-care,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1965,And much more.

Mayor Rhodes-Conway unveils 2026 Capital Budget proposal
09/03/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 2, 2025:

We hear the mayor's capital spending priorities for next year,Outline what's on the Wisconsin Supreme Court's docket this week,Get the details on a bill that seeks to uncover the hidden cost of tariffs,Examine the science behind a recent drop in butter prices,Visit a homestyle Mexican restaurant on Madison's north side,Consider the ethics of rehabilitating invasive birds,And much more.

Metro Transit’s “Learn & Ride” event seeks to demystify BRT
08/29/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, August 28, 2025:

We share an update on Bus Rapid Transit, nearly a year after the city launched its first route,Outline the long-term health consequences of tooth decay,Hear how the Wisconsin Transparency Project got started and where it's headed,Tell you the best fishing spots this Labor Day weekend,Learn how Forward Madison FC is fostering young talent,And much more.

Madison's Plan Commission unanimously backs tree protection ordinance
08/28/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, August 27, 2025:

We'll outline the next steps for a proposal that seeks to strengthen Madison's tree protections,Find out why Madison finance leaders expect the city's operating expenses to go up nearly $24 million next year,Meet Michael Haas, Madison's City Attorney and interim City Clerk,Discuss how labor unions can push back on Trump’s authoritarian power grab,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1963,And much more.

Wisconsin Farmers Union sounds the alarm on USDA “reorganization” plan
08/27/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, August 26, 2025:

We get the details on MMSD's performance objectives for the next academic year,Find out how a new bill would preserve funding for Wisconsin's decades-old conservation program,Consider the potential consequences of USDA's new "reorganization plan,"Examine a recent drop in cheddar prices,Sit down with the owner of Kia's Kitchen,Learn how wildlife rehabilitators take care of injured raptors,And much more.

Demonstrators outside governor’s mansion demand action on prison reform
08/26/2025

Here's your local news for Monday, August 25, 2025:

We find out why prison reform advocates say there's still time for Governor Evers to follow through on his campaign promises,Get the details on a new lawsuit that's fighting to secure Wisconsin youth's "right to a stable climate,"Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Remember one of the youngest peace ambassadors in American history,Discuss some popular hangover cures,Review two films about the past,And much more.

Trump-ordered refiring of Michigan coal plant comes at a cost for Wisconsinites
08/22/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, August 21, 2025:

We find out why the Trump regime's order extending the life of a Michigan coal plant could have financial and environmental costs here in Wisconsin,Meet the city of Madison's Sustainability and Resilience Manager,Share sounds and stories from last Sunday's Ukrainian Fest,Hear the mission behind tomorrow's tech recycling event at Warner Park,Explore the joys and trials of caregiving,And much more.

Wisconsin Democrats propose back-to-school sales tax holiday
08/21/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, August 20, 2025:

We get the details on a bill that state Democrats say would help families with back-to-school costs,Hear a research institute's plan to make a small town in Rock County self-sufficient by the end of this century,Find out how Kevin Price's loved ones are continuing their fight for justice, one year after he was shot by a Fitchburg police officer,Meet a community organizer in Milwaukee who's helping people find common ground on polarizing issues,Outline the facts behind a movement that seeks to ban fluoride in drinking water,Travel...

Senator Tammy Baldwin fights to maintain federal education funding
08/20/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, August 19, 2025:

We learn how Senator Tammy Baldwin is fighting back against the Trump regime's bid to dismantle the Department of Education,Outline a Wisconsin-based manufacturing company's role in the genocide of Palestinians,Consider the environmental impacts of the data centers cropping up all over the countryside,Visit a comfort-food hotspot in downtown Madison,Learn how to identify mourning doves by more than just their distinctive song,And much more.

Madison City Clerk must change election processes, state officials order
08/19/2025

Here's your local news for Monday, August 18, 2025:

We'll find out how the Madison Clerk's Office has to change its election processes following an order from state officials,Meet the three finalists in the running to serve as Madison's next chief of police,Look forward to a new women's soccer team coming to Breese Stevens Field,Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,Mark the anniversary of a CIA-sponsored coup in Iran,Teach you how to make a popular cocktail,Review a new documentary,And much more.

City transportation leaders weigh traffic safety measures on Willy Street
08/15/2025

Here's your local news for Thursday, August 14, 2025:

We find out why reducing Willy Street to two lanes could improve traffic safety on the troubled thoroughfare,Meet Yang Tao, director of Madison's Traffic Engineering Division,Consider how Fred Prehn's recent loss in appeals court could impact future open records cases,Tell you where the fish are biting,Check in on Madison's Flamingos,And much more.

Construction breaks ground on Triangle housing redevelopment
08/14/2025

Here's your local news for Wednesday, August 13, 2025:

We head to the Triangle in downtown Madison for a groundbreaking ceremony,Find out why voting rights advocates are calling the governor's veto on Friday a win for democracy,Share pro-democracy lessons from the climate movement,Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,Travel back in time to 1967,And much more.

Madison school board debates raises and benefits
08/13/2025

Here's your local news for Tuesday, August 12, 2025:

We find out why Madison's Plan Commission delayed action yesterday on an ordinance that would strengthen tree protections,Learn how much Madison school board members are compensated compared to other local electeds,Outline the promising signs and ongoing challenges in Madison's housing market,Discuss the unexpected agricultural benefits of sauerkraut juice,Meet a local spice blender,Share some fun facts about chimney swifts,And much more.