Hosts: Rob Chappell, Stephanie Díaz de León, Omar Waheed

Dee Star's big moment: Three major milestones for Dee Star, host of the OuttaDeeBox podcast: February 3 has been declared Dee Star Day in Sun Prairie; the Out of Dee Box podcast will be the first podcast enshrined at the Wisconsin History Museum and the Sun Prairie Historical Society; and he's receiving a legislative citation for community impact. Omar caught up with him about what it all means.

Hip-hop in the classroom: Omar visited Kennedy Elementary to check out a hip-hop artist residency featuring Lex, a clean hip-hop artist, author, poet, DJ and educator. Lex spent two weeks visiting 16 MMSD schools, performing and helping kids process emotions through music — and it was anything but a corny after-school special.

School funding crunch: MMSD is already laying groundwork for next year's budget, and the outlook isn't great. The hosts dig into why: a state legislature that funds only about 5% of school district budgets (compared to 60-70% in Minnesota), federal special education cuts, and a new lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's funding model as unconstitutional.

Dane County's $31 million problem: Rob obtained a budget memo showing the county faces a roughly $31 million deficit heading into 2027, as post-COVID surpluses dry up and health insurance and employee costs climb. Balancing the budget could mean cutting around 241 full-time positions. Only one county supervisor responded to Rob's request for comment.

County contracting review: County Executive Melissa Agard has ordered a comprehensive review of county contracting practices. Rob spoke with Agard, Human Services Director Josh Luter, and several nonprofit leaders. The recurring theme: a need for greater transparency in bidding, scoring and feedback — plus structural issues like one-year contracts for five-year projects with no built-in cost-of-living increases.

On the radar: Stephanie flags the November 3 election, which will include a Republican-backed constitutional amendment that would prohibit DEI policies at any state government entity, including UW. Also coming up: spring county board elections with a few competitive races.

Question of the week: How big would a worm have to be before you'd tell somebody about it?

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This week, Rob, Stephanie, and Omar dig into the ICE detention of Noel Quintana, co-owner of Madison's beloved Señor Machete's restaurant — and what his family is facing as they fight for his return. Plus: results from Tuesday's local primaries, including a Mount Horeb village board race where the top three candidates were separated by just two votes. Then Rob sits down with Caleb Mathura, a Verona High School graduate who is making his Broadway debut next month playing Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. And the crew answers the big question: if you were a weather pattern, which one would you be?

This week's episode of 365 Amplified features two in-depth conversations centered on Wisconsin politics and community response to homelessness, plus local nonprofit and business updates.

Rob Chappell opens with a look at a bankruptcy case involving a nonprofit donation platform that reportedly owes millions of dollars to organizations nationwide, including dozens in Wisconsin. The discussion includes how the case came to light through nonprofit newsroom collaboration and how at least one Madison organization was affected.

The episode also highlights the opening of Luna's Groceries' new, larger South Park Street location, expanding fresh food access and community space in a historically underserved area.

The first featured interview is with former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, now a candidate for governor. Barnes discusses his campaign priorities, including health care expansion, public school funding, affordability pressures, and his outlook on working with the state legislature and the broader Democratic coalition.

In the second segment, Omar Waheed speaks with Brandi Grayson and Alex Lindenmeyer of Urban Triage about "Seen and Unseen," a March 3 public art installation around Capitol Square. The four-site walking tour is designed to illustrate both visible and hidden causes and consequences of homelessness, and to highlight systemic barriers and community-based solutions.

The event will include speakers, artists, and community partners, and coincides with The Big Share Day of Giving.

This week, we have the (more or less) final update on the proposed harm reduction center on Madison's East Side. Turns out, the organization recommended to get $2.4 million to run it listed a bunch of partnerships and collaborations with organziations that never agreed to be partners or collaborate -- a fact we exclusively reported this week. The Board of Health ultimately rejected the contract. On the podcast today, we go through the details and dig into just how problematic it is for white leaders to claim more connection to Black and brown communities than nthey actually have.

Then, well-known Ho-Chunk chef Elena Terry is finally opening a brick and mortar restaurant at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Omar Waheed spoke with her and catches us up on her plans.

Next up, Madison seventh-grader Iliyan Hoskins is just back from his first international judo competition, where he won a bronze medal for Team USA at the Pan American Judo Championships in Lima, Peru. He and his mom Ivanka join the show to educate Rob about the sport, recap the Pan Am championship, and talk about his Olympic Dreams.

365 Amplified is produced by Rob Chappell for the 365 Media Foundation, a nonprofit local media organization in Madison, Wisconsin. Follow Madison365 on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads.

On the podcast this week, we have:

• An update on the harm reduction clinic proposed for Madison's East Side, as the org that won the contract seemed to say they're pulling out of the project but then said they're not
• Our thoughts on the murder of Alex Pretti and a rundown of Wisconsin gun laws
• An interview with State Assembly candidate Juliana Bennett
• Rob's experience with an AI massage robot, which is a thing he never expected to type or talk about, much less experience

Follow the latest news on Madison365.org and watch for Madison365 on Facebook, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Instagram & Threads.

On this week's episode, the team talks through two in-progress stories. First, a bankrupt donation platform owes almost $408,000 to more than 50 nonprofits in Wisconsin. Then, Dane County Executive Melissa Agard has announced a comprehesive review of the County's contracting promise, and we consider why and what that means. Next up, Improve Your Tomorrow has started a Wisconsin chapter to capture students with potential and facing obstacles, and Madison College has opened a new early learning center for the children of students and staff. Finally, Assembly candidate Isaia Ben-Ami joins the show to talk about his campaign, the imporant issues facing the downtown Madison district, and how the Democratic Party can reclaim "Freedom."

Follow Madison365 on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and watch Madison365.org every day for the latest news.

On this week's 365 Amplified, we have yet another Sun Prairie schools update, where the former West High School principal now faces charges of failure to report child abuse -- including in a case not previously known. Plus, the Forward Madison Academy was in Minneapolis for a match last weekend, and immigration authorities grabbed the mother of one of the players. The club and soccer community have rallied to the player's aid while his mom remains in custody. Then, former Badger Freddie Owens joins the show to talk about his memoir, Echoes of Stark Park, set to be publised next month.

365 Amplified is produced by Rob Chappell for the 365 Media Foundation, a nonprofit local media organization in Madison, Wisconsin. Follow Madison365 on Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads, and check Madison365.org every day for the latest news.

It's a long one today -- we've been off for a couple weeks and have a lot to catch up on!

First, Omar talks through a few highlights of the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr Day celebrations and activities around Madison.

Then, Rob has an update from Sun Prairie, where the school district released the results of the investigation into the dean of students who was arrested on 16 charges of child pornography and exploitation in July, and how district administrators responded. We learned that allegations started six months earlier than previously known, and that the first student who made them was suspended for doing so.

Next up, a harm reduction drop-in center proposed for the East Side has prompted pushback and stirred controversy due to a potential conflict of interest, a questionable proposal process and some potential cultural competency issues. We have the full rundown.

Then, Green Bay Police posted a photo of their new recruits, one of whom had a tattoo representing an extremist militia movement. We have some thoughts.

And before the break, an alert listener flagged a Cap Times column for us called "When we were a happier country," which prompts us to ask: happier for whom?

Then, we talk to Quentin Riser and Quinlan Riser, twin brothers -- one a professor of child development, one a financial adviser -- who have published a children's book on personal finance, hoping to get parents talking with their kids about money early.

And finally, as promised at the end of last year, our top albums of 2025!

This week on 365 Amplified, Rob Chappell, Omar Waheed, and Stephanie Díaz de León dig into Wisconsin's latest school district report cards and ask a hard question: who actually benefits from how schools are graded? The conversation explores racial achievement gaps, how DPI weights "economically disadvantaged" students, and why some districts can earn top scores while deep racial disparities remain.

The crew also reacts to the newly announced women's soccer team, Rally Madison, unpacking the name, branding, symbolism, and fan response — plus what it says about women's sports, marketing, and who teams are really built for.

Later, Rob sits down with Fitchburg City Council member Donald Dantzler, who's running for re-election and for Dane County Board. Dantzler reflects on his first term, major city projects, housing and transportation challenges, and why county government plays such a critical — and often overlooked — role in people's daily lives.

The episode wraps with the weekly question: if you had a warning label, what would it say?

As promised after last week's grammar discussion, Rob talks through the etymology of the word "sincere" and Omar coins a new slang term. All that only after:

• We get updates on stories we've been following in the Sun Prairie Area School District and the Dane County Department of Human Services.'
• We look ahead to the CEOs of Tomorrow "Pitch and Launch" event this weekend
• We note a few local elected officials who announced this week that they're running again
• Rock County Board Supervisor Genia Stevens joins us to tell us why she's not running again, how Rock County JumpStart is expanding and what new endeavor she's launching
• We make note of the "Color of the Year" and the issues with this year's selection

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