8 O'Clock Buzz

We hear from the front lines of the pandemic with travelling Nurse Practitioner and ER Nurse Jackie Christianson.

Our next guest is a traveling emergency room and intensive care nurse practitioner. Jackie Christianson has been combating COVID-19 on the front lines working in COVID surge zones, has helped create educational tools to help equip her colleagues to do the same.  She is involved with research about the effects of the pandemic on the nursing workforce.

All photos courtesy of Jackie Christianson.

Legal battles over masks in schools are being fought across the country, including in our very own state of Wisconsin. Professor Jen Selin from University of Missouri weighs in on the matter.

You’d think something as basic as protecting the health of school children would be noncontroversial.  Yet, in state after state, including Wisconsin, the decision about whether or not to require masks during one of the most deadly pandemics in human history has fired up storms of protest.   These fights have found their way into the courts, pitting First Amendment and separation of powers legal principles up against public health concerns. Jennifer Selin is the Kinder Institute Professor of Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Jessica Reznicek pleaded guilty to her part in a civil disobedience act of unwelding some sections of the Dakota Access Pipeline in her home state of Iowa. A non-violent act which would normally receive a sentence of 37 months in jail was compounded by the sentencing judge with a “domestic terrorism enhancement penalty”, increasing her sentence to 96 months and in addition, ordering that she pay $3 million in restitution by suggesting that private oil companies are an extension of the U.S. government. Organizer Alex Cohen talks about the issues and how you can help.

Noah Bloedorn from the REAP Food Group gives an update of their Burger and Brew Drive-Thru fundraiser and burger recipe contest. It will be featured on August 28th for drive-thru or seated eating at the Capital Brewery. Advanced tickets are required.

Called by some “the most consequential budget legislation since the New Deal”, the landmark $3.5 trillion budget proposal to be discussed by Congress on their return promises free community college, expanded transportation support, expanded Medicare, and much much more. Sarah Anderson, co-editor of Inequality.org and director of Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, talks about the implications of the budget and misleading stories of the proposal’s critics.

Did you know that Madison Audubon has 2000 acres of sanctuary land in south-central Wisconsin… and that it’s open to the public? In this Community Shares of Wisconsin edition of the 8 o’clock Buzz, Communication/Outreach director Brenna Marsicek talks to Jan Miyasaki about the activities of Madison Audubon, their educational activities, land restoration, and “birding” in general.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Madison Bike Is Almost Upon Us

Madison Bike Week celebrates riding to work, to school, to a park, to the library — or biking just to feel the warm wind blowing through your hair.

Bike Week is happening from September 12-18 in every corner of the city. Organized by Madison Bikes and the City of Madison, the week will feature Bike Stations with free treats and/ bike checks, movies, organized bike rides, and special Madison Bike Week offers from local businesses.

Robbie Webber serves on the board of directors for Madison Bikes, and has been riding bikes for transportation since she was a child. She recently retired from a transportation research position at UW Madison and has previously served 6 years on the Madison Council serving on all of the city’s transportation committees as well as the regional transportation planning board. Robbie joins Friday Buzz host, Ankur Malhotra, to talk more about Bike Week.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Shifting Gears Bike Path Dance Festival Is A New Event By Isthmus Dance Collective

Isthmus Dance Collective is a non-profit cooperatively run organization that supports dance artists and they are putting on the very first Shifting Gears Bike Path Dance Festival. The festival will have performances from local dance groups at multiple parks off the bike path including Wirth Court Park, McPike Park, and the Olin Park Vantage.

Co-founder of Isthmus Dance Collective, Erica Pinigis, got into dance as a teenager and later went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota and her Masters in Fine Arts in performance and choreography at Mills College, where she was honored with the E.L Wiegand award for excellence in performance and choreography. She has produced and choreographed “Ooh La Lounge: An Evening of Dance and Jazz” at the Suburban World Theater and the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, was an Artist in Residence at the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Arts and created and co-hosts a dance podcast called Shake a Leg – The Future is Dance with fellow Isthmus Dance Collective member Maritess Escueta, which highlights local and regional dance. Erica joins Friday Buzz host, Ankur Malhotra, to talk more about the festival.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · District 6 County Board Supervisor, Yogesh Chawla, Proposes Resolution Regarding PFAS

PFAS – Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of over 5,000 synthetic chemicals that have been in use for decades for things like fast food wrappers, non-stick cookware, personal care products, and firefighting foam. Though – known as forever chemicals, PFAS has made its way into the environment contamininating lakes, rivers, wildlife, crops, and even our drinking water. This has led Governor Tony Evers to set aside over $25 million in the State’s 2021-2023 budget and create 11 new staff positions for addressing PFAS contamination.

Many local community leaders here in Madison, like Yogesh Chawla, have been hard at work doing what they can to keep the public informed about this crisis. Yogesh is the District 6 County Board Supervisor, the chair of the Land Conservation Committee, and the vice-chair on the Environment, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee and has recently proposed a resolutions regarding PFAS. Yogesh joins Friday Buzz host, Ankur Malhotra, to talk more about PFAS and how it is affecting our community.

Today on the Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Dr. Damita Brown…

Ryan Eykholt is the Transportation Coordinator for Dane County Time Bank, and Jake Rodgers is a math Educator in Madison and a lifelong activist, both are members of 100 Strong, part of Transformative Action Network.  They join us to talk about race and education in Madison and the MMSD’s virtual learning plan in the face of new Coronavirus variants.  100 Strong is a program of Dane County Time Bank’s Transformative Action Network, and works for nonviolent restorative justice in the face of violence.

TAN and 100 Strong are hosting a letter-writing next Tuesday (8/24) at 6:30 PM to petition for virtual opportunities for more students: https://danecountytimebank.org/event/monthly-letter-writing-action 

More on 100 Strong and the upcoming petition: https://danecountytimebank.org/projects/100-strong

More on Transformative Action Network: https://danecountytimebank.org/projects/transformative-action-network 

 

Logo from Dane County Time Bank