8 O'Clock Buzz

Francesca Hong, State Representative for the 76th Assembly District joins Tony Castañeda on the 8 O’Clock Buzz to talk about recent legislative action at the State Capitol.  In a somewhat rare showing of bipartisan compromise, two important bills were passed and sent to the governor for signing into law.  These included shared revenue spending and an increase in education spending.  Bills up for discussion next week include one dealing with how the alcohol beverage industry is regulated which will be important for craft brewers in the State.

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Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum honors the public pool tradition of kicking the kids out so adults can have the space to themselves (without the water or need for a swimsuit). This 21-and-up event series offers adults the opportunity to play like a grown-up for the evening—crawling, sliding, crafting, and dancing their way through the museum. Kia Karlen of the Madison Children’s Museum talks with Tony Castañeda of the 8 O’Clock Buzz about the event.

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With the end of the “Families First Coronovirus Response Act”, there exists a lot of confusion in who is covered by Medicaid, how to renew coverage, and how to check eligibility, according to Joan Alker, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Medicaid covers half of the children in the U. S., and many parents don’t know their children are eligible, and with the coronavirus program ending, checking the eligibility of 90 million individuals is likely to be fraught with mistakes. Covering Wisconsin is a state program as a part of the University of Wisconsin Extension which can help navigate Medicaid questions and renewal.

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The International Summit for Peace in Ukraine conference, scheduled for June 10-11, 2023 in Vienna, Austria, was dealt a blow when, only days before the start of the conference, the venue owner told the organizers that the site for the conference was no longer available. Why? To many in Europe, talk of peace in Ukraine equates to siding with Russia. President of the Board of World Beyond War, Kathy Kelly, talks about the difficulties in leading this conflict to a peaceful solution.

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Today on the Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and 1neofmani (Breyon Sommerville), a special commentary and call-in show about Juneteenth in Madison the past and the future.

Juneteenth events coming up this week:

Saturday June 17th

Kujichagulia-Madison Juneteenth parade and celebration, more information at https://www.facebook.com/KujichaguliaMadison or https://kujichaguliamcsd.org/ 

Sun Prairie Juneteenth celebration, more information at https://madison365.com/2023-sun-prairie-juneteenth-celebration/

Sunday June 18th, EOTO Father’s Day Juneteenth Brunch, more info at https://www.facebook.com/EOTOCulturallyRooted 

Tuesday, June 20th, Madison Senior Center Juneteenth celebration, more info at https://www.facebook.com/events/273929478510050

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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It’s hard to remember in the post-Scott Walker era, but Wisconsin was once known as a laboratory for progressive pro-worker policy.  On June 17, 1905, Wisconsin became one of the first states in the nation to implement a Civil Service system at the state level. Instead of political appointees, hiring and promotion in state agencies was to be done by merit. Instead of a “who you know” system of patronage, it was a “what you know” system.  On Saturday, June 17, the Wisconsin Coalition to Save Civil Service will hold a 118-year birthday party for Wisconsin’s civil service system.  Activists Barbara Smith from the Wisconsin Coalition to Save Civil Service joins us now by phone. Welcome, Barbara.  Also joining us Sally Drew from the Association of Career Employees join us now by phone.

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In the first week of June, New York City had the dubious distinction of having the worst air quality in the world. Driven by prevailing air currents, smoke from hundreds of Quebec forest fires transformed the New York Metropolitan Area into an orange haze-filled scene from a dystopian science fiction movie.  Last Tuesday, the air quality index for New York topped 200, a level the Environmental Protection Agency calls “very unhealthy.”  Outdoor events, including major league baseball games at Yankee Stadium, were cancelled and residents were advised to stay indoors.  While cities on the west coast have had smoke advisories for decades now, they are new to residents in the moister eastern half of the continent. Vijay Limaye is a Senior Scientist and Director of the Science and Society, program of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and he joins us now in the studio.

Image Courtesy: BlenderTimer for Pixabay, recolored

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · Stamped From The Beginning A Graphic History Of Racist Ideas

The problem with studying racism in the United States is that it all sounds distressingly familiar.  The rants of Jefferson Davis in the 1850’s about the moral superiority of the white race have modern echoes in Ron DeSantis’ diatribes about critical race theory.   The reaction to Memphis sanitation workers in 1968 declaring “I am a man,” seems a lot like the reaction today to anti-police violence protestors declaring that “black lives matter.”  We must remember, however, that there’s a history of anti-racist thought as well. In 2016, Ibram X. Kendi became the youngest author ever to win the National Book Award for his book “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racism in America.”  Now Dr. Kendi has teamed up with award winning graphic historian Joel Christian Gill, author of the series Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives of Black History.  Their new collaboration, “Stamped from the Beginning: the Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America,” is out now from Ten Speed Press.  Monday Buzz host Brian Standing spoke with Ibram X. Kendi and Joel Christian Gill about the new book

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Cover Image Reprinted with permission from Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America adapted by Ibram X. Kendi and illustrated by Joel Christian Gill © 2023. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

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Imagine if the title of this post were your job description. Such is the case for today’s 8 O’Clock Buzz guest, Todd Allbaugh, host of a weekday news and politics radio show that’s part of the newly formed Civic Media, a state-wide radio network that broadcasts local news, commentary, and handpicked music with a hometown, community-driven mission of informing and entertaining listeners. Todd joined Buzz host Tony Castañeda and his sidekick/producer Eli Wilz this morning to talk about not only the network’s mission, but his longtime career in Republican politics, which ended when he witnessed the secrecy around Wisconsin’s redrawn and gerrymandered electoral maps, and the passage of the state’s voter ID law.

Image courtesy of OpenClipart-Vectors on Pixabay.

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Military contractor CEOs are on the gravy train: with the top five contractors making $116 billion in defense contract awards, their top 24 executives bring in $300 million in compensation… per year, according to Sam Pizzigati, Co-Editor of Inequality.org, in his recent article “Could We Actually End the CEO Defense Contractor Gravy Train?”. Many execs make 100-300 times the average salary of their employees. Pizzigati gives the details, and suggests solutions.

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