WORT 89.9FM Madison

This week on Mel & Floyd: The Juneteenth episode; A solution for the reflecting pool; Schrodinger’s peace deal; A four ton elephant communicates its feelings at a GOP convention; Odd man out at the G7, And other random topics; Notice something missing? For the complete Mel and Floyd Experience, buy the CD “The Very Best of James Brown” and play it on your Hi-Fi while listening to this podcast! Or listen live at 89.9 FM or wortfm.org/listen-live/ every Friday from 1 to 2 PM Central Time. Photo courtesy Becky Phan on Unsplash

On today’s show, host Esty Dinur celebrates Juneteenth, “America’s second Independence Day,” with Dr. Timothy Golden. They talk about the symbolic importance of this federal holiday and how the US still struggles to make freedom meaningful for Black people. Featured image of a Juneteenth parade in Denver, CO via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

DJ Cooper Talbot joins guest host Jason Joyce to share her thoughts on Juneteenth, the Black National Anthem, and the DJ collective model.

Forward Madison FC’s Mark Segbers talks their USL1 season and the FIFA World Cup.

Corey Marioneaux joins Jason Joyce to discuss the Black Men Coalition, Juneteenth, and honor the legacy of mentor Michael Johnson.

The financial requirements Wisconsin utility regulators approved this spring for large data centers are too strict and could drive away major investors, according to the developers behind a multibillion-dollar campus that’s currently under construction in Port Washington. They filed a petition last week asking the Public Service Commission to loosen the rules. Tom Content is the executive director of the Citizens Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group. He told our News Producer Faye Parks this afternoon that the requirements ensure average utility customers aren’t stuck with the bill if the AI investment bubble bursts. Image courtesy: City of Port...

In June 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction updated their testing standards for K-12 schools. But the conference held to determine these updates was subject to unusual levels of secrecy, and its results have raised concerns from both sides of the aisle. This week on “Transparency Talk”, hosts Tom Kamenick and Bill Lueders discuss the DPI conference, its controversies, and Tom’s ongoing lawsuit regarding the issue. But before we turn it over to Tom and Bill, our standard reminder that this conversation is not intended to be specific legal advice but rather a discussion of general legal issues. If you ha...

Wisconsinites are set to feel the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as insurance costs are rising, rural clinics are closing, and patients are losing access. In a panel hosted by the Defend America Action advocacy group, community organization representatives explained today how these federal laws have begun to dismantle Wisconsin’s healthcare system. WORT Reporter Whittaker Peters has the story.

June is a high milk production month called “the flush” by dairy farmers. On today’s pre-recorded show, hosts Bert Zipperer and Pete Hardin of The Milkweed highlight the Dairy Month. They break down cheese consumption trends, the history of the dairy industry in the state, and hear from two Wisconsin dairy farmers, Jan Shepel and Adam Faust. Featured image of dairy cows in Vernon County, Wisconsin via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

BDDS 2026 Sykes Week 2 by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Queery History - The AIDS Years in Wisconsin, Part 1 by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Fran Dunaway, Co-Founder of TomboyX by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Forecast from Wednesday 6-17-26 by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Healthy Climate Wisconsin: Climate Change Is a Public Health Emergency by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Military Housing Allowances Driving Up Hawaii Rents, Displacing Locals by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Historic Montello Theatre Revives Live Performances After a Century by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Madison police caused Richard Lee Johnson’s death in 2024, not a drug overdose as the county medical examiner concluded at the time. That’s according to a bombshell report this week from the city’s independent police watchdog. Interim Independent Monitor Aeiramique Glass joined our News Producer Faye Parks this afternoon for a closer look at their findings – and the systemic changes she’s recommended to address gaps in MPD policy. Image courtesy: Scott Rodgerson via Unsplash.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for Wisconsin children and teens. For the fourth year in a row, Wisconsin Democrats have put up a display in the Capitol rotunda that aims to humanize the statistics – and pressure their colleagues across the aisle to consider gun control legislation. Image courtesy: Senator Chris Larson via Bluesky.

If you have ever been asked “What’s your sign?” you have Linda Goodman to thank—or blame. She was America’s first New Age Celebrity, and today host Ali Muldrow is joined by her biographer, Courtney Ann LaFaive, to talk about her legacy. They discuss LaFaive’s new book, Follow the Signs: Searching for Linda Goodman, America's Forgotten Astrology Queen. Featured image of the cover of Follow the Signs: Searching for Linda Goodman, America's Forgotten Astrology Queen.

According to the group Citizen Action, there are 800,000 Wisconsin workers who make less than $20 an hour. That’s a third of all workers, and yet in every area of Wisconsin the living wage, the amount needed to afford the basics of life, has been estimated to be over $21 an hour for a single person. Yet parents with dependent children make up about a quarter of those workers earning minimum wage. Wisconsin’s minimum wage sits at $7.35 an hour. There are data that show how minimum wage is connected to our health. Her Turn reporter Arlene Zaucha recently spoke with Dr. Jess...

A roadmap guiding the future of Madison’s southwest side is heading to a vote in the city council next week. Among other long term goals, the draft area plan aims to encourage more walkable neighborhoods and improve access to public green space. Ben Zellers is a planner with the city of Madison and one of the co-project managers for the Southwest Area Plan. He joined our News Producer Faye Parks this afternoon to go over the highlights. Image courtesy: The City of Madison.

The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus hosted their annual celebration this afternoon in the Capitol rotunda.

On today’s show, host Dana Pellebon is in conversation with Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari about her new memoir, Labor: One Woman's Work. Dr. Afsari is a child of Iranian immigrants, a working mother, and the founder of a mobile health clinic, bringing reproductive healthcare to rural patients in the Pacific Northwest. Featured image of the cover of Labor: One Woman's Work.

The annual picnic put on by the quintessential Madison organization Open Doors for Refugees is at the Elver Park Pavilion on Sunday, June 21st from noon to 3:00 PM. All are invited to come for all kinds of food, music, games and fun, no matter who you are or where you come from. OPEN DOORS FOR REFUGEES ANNUAL PICNIC Sunday, June 21, 2026 Noon to 3:00 PM Elver Park Pavilion, 1259 McKenna Boulevard Open Doors for Refugees, or Open Doors for short, was started in Madison to welcome refugees with furnished, ready-to-move-into homes along with the federally certified organizations they worked with. Madisonians worked together...

Madison’s Office of Independent Monitor released Monday their investigative report into a death that occurred in police custody in 2024. The report suggests that Richard Lee Johnson died due to restraint-related cardiac arrest, and recommends changes to how Madison police handle medical assistance after physical incidents. Image courtesy: Brian Standing / WORT News.

In late March, a team of federal immigration agents detained Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian immigrant and president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. He’s spent the last two months at an ICE-contracting facility in Indiana. Led by a coalition of Jewish midwesterners, over 150 people gathered outside the Clay County Jail this weekend for an interfaith vigil demanding his freedom. Rachel Ida Buff, an immigration historian and a member of Jews for Salah, joined our News Producer Faye Parks this afternoon to explain why she got involved. Image courtesy: Jews for Salah via Facebook.

June is National Dairy Month – a particularly special time of year for Wisconsin cheeseheads. Pete Hardin and Bert Zipperer explain how our state earned its reputation as America’s Dairyland, in this edition of “The Milkweed.”

Last night Russia killed 11 civilians and attacked a historic cathedral in Kiev. On today’s show, guest host Yuri Rashkin is in conversation with journalists Zarina Zabrisky and Jason Jay Smart, as well as politician Lev Parnas to talk about Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine and the status of support for Ukraine in the US. Featured image of a street in Kherson destroyed in a Russian attack in 2024 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

Forecast from Monday, 6-15-26 by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Neta Elkayam interview by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Ethics training continues for many of Dane County’s committees and commissions, while a State Street nightclub could have its entertainment license revoked over noise complaints. Brenda Konkel and Rebecca Kemble detail the week of meetings ahead, in this edition of “Forward Lookout.”

This week on Stuff Yer Face, feature contributor Emily Tucker visits It's Good For You Pizza—the wood-fired pizzeria on Sherman Avenue, run by Allesandro Monachello and Chris Guglielmo. Their story began with what sounds like the set up to a joke—"A cook and a radiologist walk into a bar"—and has evolved into a cozy pizzeria where neighbors gather over wood-fired classics and inventive specials.

Every kid has engaged in make-believe on a playground. This weekend, the grownups get their chance, when Madison Shakespeare Company performs the Elizabethan melodrama Edward IV on the Madison Children’s Museum wonderground. MSC’s Sarah Z. Johnson and MCM’s Kia Karlen join us with more.

Big tech is watching you, and getting the likes of Google, Apple and Meta out of your business gets harder every year. Tech writer Kyle Bradley will join us with some tips.

If you’re trying to find something for your kid to do this summer, you may find many slots are closed. There’s simply not enough programs to go around, especially in Wisconsin. We’ll talk with Randy Neve and Jennifer Smith of the Wisconsin Out of School Time Alliance.

This week on Mel & Floyd: Pants has a puppy [and some unfortunate dreams]; Mulitple studio visitors and a presentation from “Cosmic Carl”; Hegseth blocks some promotions of women and minorities; An existential threat to wind power; “A very special baby”; Residual algae in reflecting pool; And other random topics; Notice something missing? For the complete Mel and Floyd Experience, buy the CD “The Very Best of James Brown” and play it on your Hi-Fi while listening to this podcast! Or listen live at 89.9 FM or wortfm.org/listen-live/ every Friday from 1 to 2 PM Central Time. Photo courtesy Anna Kumpan on Unsplash

Aria Codes O Mio Babbino Caro by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Donald Trump continues to boast that he will bring about the fall of Cuba and Marco Rubio continues to assert that Cuba poses a national security threat. On today’s show, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with Marc Becker about the latest signs of US aggression toward Cuba. Featured image of a map of the 1962 US blockade of Cuba via Wikimedia Commons.

Singer-songwriter Paul Otteson joins Andy Moore to discuss his intimate new chamber folk album, "Alright, I Get It, Alright."

Crestwood Elementary art teacher Luke Bassuener previews his students' new animated myth "Arachne" and advocates for the vital role of arts education.