8 O'Clock Buzz

The federal CARES Act fund designed to help renters struggling with their payments during the pandemic is ending soon, so local and State agencies are closely tracking the number of eviction filings and actual evictions using a report produced by the DOA’s Interagency Council on Homelessness. Mike Basford chairs the council, and he joined Thursday 8 O’Clock Buzz host Tony Castañeda to talk about the need for local, state and federal housing assistance programs to fill the gap left by the end of the CARES Act, and how the agency’s report, the Wisconsin Eviction Data Project, will help identify eviction trends that can drive changes in housing policy.

For Dane County residents, emergency rental assistance is available through the Tenant Resource Center, while Wisconsin residents can contact the Emergency Housing Assistance Grant program administered by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

Photo courtesy of Allan Vega on Unsplash.

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Shereen Siewert, Editor of the non-profit online news outlet Wausau Pilot and Review, joined Thursday 8 O’Clock Buzz host Tony Castañeda to explain how the small, independent newspaper found itself subject to a lawsuit for defamation and its struggle to survive given the lengthy and expensive legal fight it’s been in for over 2 years. In another example of what First Amendment experts describe as a “troubling trend of wealthy and powerful people using defamation law as retribution“, Cory Tomczyk, now a Republican state senator, sued the paper for reporting his use of a homophobic slur during a community meeting on diversity. A judge dismissed the suit in April of this year but Tomczyk filed an appeal, meaning the paper’s legal and financial woes will continue, and unlike other states Wisconsin does not have anti-SLAPP legislation, meaning the paper has limited legal ways to fight back against punitive lawsuits that have little or no merit. A GoFundMe legal defense fund has been established to help this enterprising, award-winning local newspaper fight the good fight, and continue its important work as a source of independent journalism in central Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of Skitterphoto on Pixabay.

 

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The U. S. Senate recently passed their version of the NDAA, National Defense Authorization Act. Diane D’Arrigo from the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, states that a part of that bill, S.1111, the ADVANCE Act, includes provisions which will limit the liability of nuclear power plants in the case of an accident, capping the liability to $13 billion (the Fukushima disaster has costed $187 billion and continues to rise), with taxpayers paying the excess of any accident. It also allows foreign entities to own nuclear plants in the U. S., and promotes the export of U. S. nuclear technology.

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For over 25 years, REAP Food Group has been fulfilling and expanding its mission of “local food system where all people have access to good food, grown well”. Philip Kauth, Executive Director, came into the studio to talk about their projects, including farm-to-school, farm-to-business, and their advocacy to encourage better, healthier food from local sources. Kauth also talks about some upcoming events, including a Local Food Entrepreneur Showcase on August 23rd, Sundays on the Lawn on August 27th, and Harvest Farm Dinner on September 30 & October 1. See their website for more info on these and other events.

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Today on the Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with 1neofmani (Breyon Sommerville), covering Black Restaurant Week happening this week, talking with Daijah Birchette from The Walking Jerk, and catching up with Chakari Daezhare.

Details on Black Restaurant Week: https://www.madisonblackchamber.com/black-restaurant-week-2023 see The Walking Jerk and many others at the Food Taste Jamboree on 8/20 in the parking lot at FEED Kitchens on Sherman Ave: https://www.madisonblackchamber.com/jamboree 

More in The Walking Jerk: https://www.thewalkingjerk.com/ and on Facebook and Instagram. 

Africa Fest 2023 Saturday 8/19 at McPike Park – http://africanassociationofmadison.org/africa_fest_program.aspx 

Rob DZ Spoken Word Night second Thursdays at Cafe CODA, next Sep 14th. 

Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org!

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Once a solidly blue-collar neighborhood of housing for workers at Madison’s Oscar Mayer meat plant, the Eken Park neighborhood has diversified and changed over the years.  Now in its sixth year, the Eken Park Festival celebrates the neighborhood’s musical and cultural diversity.  Charles McNulty and Tom Running are co-chairs of the Eken Park Festival committee, and they both join us by phone now.

 

Event Details Here

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On August 15, 2021, in the wake of NATO troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban army captured the capital city of Kabul.  President Ashraf Ghani, several members of his cabinet and a number of foreign diplomats were evacuated from Afghanistan as the Taliban took power.  Among those fleeing their homeland was Presidential Press Secretary Najib Azad, who now lives and teaches in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.  Najib Azad will read from his new book “Beyond Evacuation: from the Himalayas to the Statue of Liberty,” on Tuesday, August 15th at Madison’s Catholic Multicultural Center.  Najib Azad joins us now by phone.

Related Articles

* https://www.wortfm.org/leaving-afghanistan-evacuee-reflections/

* https://cmcmadison.org/%20reflections-of-an-afghan-%20evacuee/

 

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

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There’s an old slogan in the labor movement, “direct action gets the goods.”  Sometimes, however, just the threat of direct action is enough.  That’s what happened on July 25th, when the management of UPS, staring down the barrel of a possible Teamsters’ strike, offered a tentative contract that included nearly all of the union’s demands.  The Teamsters, who represent vehicle drivers nationwide, had already held a strike vote with 97% of their membership voting to authorize a strike if necessary.  Teamsters locals endorsed the contract 162-0, and the tentative contract now goes to the general membership for ratification.  Bill Carroll is the Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 344, which represents UPS workers in Milwaukee.  Bill Carroll joins us now by phone.

 

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

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And tomorrow night, and the next night, and the night after that.  Sasha Rosser, Mia Wilson and Kevin Kellam, comedians one and all, join Tony Castañeda and Eli Wilz to promote Madison Comedy Week taking place in venues throughout the City, including at the Sessions at McPike Park.  Events are scheduled tonight through Sunday and those interested should visit the website madisoncomedyweek.net.  Nothing with kings, nothing with crowns; bring on the liars, lovers and clowns.

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

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During the run up to the 2016 presidential election Don Trump tapped into a deep-seeded mistrust of public institutions by far-right voters to effectively take over the Republican party.  Gunner Ramer, an analyst with the conservative Longwell Partners in Washington DC, talks with host Tony Castaneda and Eli Wilz about efforts by a coalition of people that want to take back the party for reestablishing conservative ideals.  They consider the existential threat inherent in Trumputian policies against democracy and the constitution itself to demand effective actions to prevent extremists from being elected.

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

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