Scientists have long predicted that the Climate Crisis would bring more intense storms, coastal flooding and pandemics. All those predictions are coming to pass, most notably in 2020, the COVID 19 pandemic. It is also well known that the impacts of the Climate Crisis disproportionately affect people of color and other vulnerable communities. So how did my 95 year old mother survive a year of physical isolation from her family while in lockdown at an assisted living? Anne Perkins shares her secrets to maintaining one's sanity in this COVID audio diary.

Nonagenarian COVID Diary Or How A 95 Year Survived The Lockdown

Pat Diehl is a gardener and organizer at the Leopold Park Community
Garden in Madison. 

Originally from California, she shares fond memories of
picking beans with her family, learning to garden, and starting school
gardens in Oakland. She also speaks of her love for the restorative power of
gardening.

Pat Diehl (English): Rooted In Land, Preserving Through Generations

WORT’s World View longtime collective members Marc Becker and Norman Stockwell spoke with independent journalist Amelia Rayno, who is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Rayno talks about her transformation from print journalist at the Minneapolis Star Tribune to independent journalist, following her curiosity about humans and their condition and writing about it all. 

Since late 2022 she’s been living in Argentina, teasing out the reality of the Argentine condition with herself in the midst of it. 

She has created an online documentary series, “Dark Legacy,” about the history of U.S. involvement in Argentina and our government's role in precipitating the country's current financial crisis.

Amelia Rayno on Argentina

Two Saturdays ago, Noble Knight Games, a Fitchburg game store, hosted an unusual tournament. 

The tournament pitted Star War fans against each other in a tabletop game. 

The winner gets a chance to compete in Adepticon - the world convention of table top games - in Schaumburg, Illinois later this spring.

Photo courtesy of Charlie Belawski and WORT News

Fitchburg Game Store Hosts Star Wars Tournament

An assortment of interviews and live music clips from Golden Fest in Queens NY, May 11, 2024, by WORT FM Madison WI "Global Revolutions" host Dan Talmo

Golden Fest Interviews

Easily buy this album here: 
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/make-way-for-mother-mallard-50-years-of-music-2

David Borden : RMI piano & Minimoog D
David Yearsley : Roland Juno 60 & Minimoog D
Blaise Bryski : Juno 106 & Moog Voyager

MOTHER MALLARD / DAVID BORDEN "TCSOC, pt 1" from "Make Way For Mother Mallard"

Last week a Wisconsin state legislature study committee held their first meeting to look at the University of Wisconsin school system. The committee will meet over the next few months before publishing their findings later this year.

Here to discuss the committee's work is Representative Alex Joers, a democrat from Middleton who is serving on the committee, and Professor Neil Kraus, who works at UW-River Falls and has written a book about neoliberalism in higher ed.

In their discussion of the new committee, they touch on the way students and staff have been excluded from serving on the committee, how the rhetorics of austerity persist despite a large state budget surplus, and how the findings of the committee are likely to be skewed under the current Republican leadership in the legislature.

Image courtesy of Brian Standing / WORT News Department

Rep. Alex Joers and Prof. Neil Kraus on the shortcomings of the new committee on higher education

Chali Pittman, News Director at WORT, joined Thursday 8 O'Clock Buzz host Tony Castañeda from the Republican National Convention for a recap of the Wednesday's events and speakers. The day's focus on foreign policy and immigration culminated with the appearance of Trump's VP pick Senator JD Vance (OH) who was, until recently, a vocal critic of Trump.

Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler joins Chali and Tony for the second half of the show, sharing his perspective on the GOP's new "pro-labor" position, their softened language on abortion, and promise of mass deportations of unauthorized immigrants. 

WORT's live daily coverage from the GOP convention is made possible through a collaboration with Milwaukee's Riverwest Ratio WXRW-LP, WBAI in New York and Pacifica Radio. For more information, check out We Decide: Live Coverage of the 2024 Election.

Photo credit: Sara Gabler

Live From Milwaukee, It's the GOP Convention!

This project is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.

Photo by Liam Beran/Isthmus.

Democracy Day Special: Tracking Competition and Dialogue in Assembly District 51

The Wisconsin Legislature held its first floor sessions since the deadly shooting last weekend in Minnesota. 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemned political violence – but stayed close-lipped on whether security at the state Capitol will be tightened. 

Image courtesy: Chali Pittman / WORT News.

Wisconsin lawmakers close-lipped on security after deadly shooting

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We provide an outlet for communication, education, free expression, entertainment, training and access for the purpose of sharing music, information, news, and cultural experiences, and strive to give people underrepresented elsewhere in traditional media a voice. 

NOTE: Most of the content posted at this time are news stories or talk shows. 

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Nonagenarian COVID Diary Or How A 95 Year Survived The Lockdown

WORT 89.9FM Madison