8 O'Clock Buzz

With less than a month to go before the August 11th primary election, the race to succeed Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers erupted in chaos last week.  On July 8, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced he was dropping out of the race, after doing poorly in public-facing polls.  At the time, Crowley did not endorse another candidate. Then, on July 12, sitting Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez reported that she had fired her campaign manager for “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies” in the campaign’s financial reporting. Five days later, Rodriguez announced she was suspending her campaign entirely.  The very next day, Crowley re-entered the race, armed with a new endorsement from outgoing governor Tony Evers, who up until then had declined to endorse anybody, including either of his former lieutenant governors.  Joining us on the phone now to help us make sense of all this is Shawn Johnson, Capitol Bureau Chief for Wisconsin Public Radio.

The post Democratic Gubernatorial Primary in Chaos appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

When the Watergate scandal was breaking in the 1970s, the White House anonymous source code-named “Deep Throat” famously advised Washington Post Reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward to “follow the money.” Neighborhood activist, long time organizer, and self-described “campaign finance nerd” Michelle Ellinger Linley has taken it upon herself to do just that. Michelle joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on July 20, 2026 with an in-depth analysis of how Wisconsin’s gubernatorial candidates earned and spent their campaign cash.

Featured image: pile of cash

The post Follow the Money: WI Gubernatorial Campaign appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Back in 2024, WORT welcomed a University of Wisconsin student film crew into our studio to shoot a short called “Tuned In,” which takes place in fictional community radio station WALE.  Prop posters for made-up local bands still grace the walls of our Combo A studio.  The director of “Tuned In,” Corey Holl has graduated with a degree in film and graphic design and has stayed in the Madison area, forming the video and film production company “Cut the Deck Creative.”  Cut the Deck’s latest film, “The Park People,” currently in production,  will be shot entirely in Madison.  Producer and director Corey Holl joins us in the studio, along with co-producer and cinematographer David Guenther.

Featured image: On location for the filming of “The Park People” (Photo courtesy Cut the Deck Creative)

The post Cut the Deck Creative Presents “The Park People” appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Today on the Too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi featuring Jackie “Brodean” Morris, Urban Triage Director of Programming Janise Judon and board member Alex Lindenmeyer, as well as Andrea Shorter Amos, CEO and Founder and Creative Events and Creating a Village  join us to talk about their upcoming events, raising up Black children, wrap-around coverage, community advocacy, and much more!

Check in with Urban Triage for more information on the Black Brilliance Brunch coming up Sunday, July 19 at Madison Club: https://www.urbantriage.org/

Check in for more information on Andrea’s Daddy/Daughter Dance coming up July 26 at Hayes Place: https://www.facebook.com/p/Creative-Events-100064956222599/ 

Keep your eyes and ears out for more information on Tara’s next event at the Elks Club, coming up July 25th!

Save the date for Chris Davis Sr Day on August 31st, more info coming up on the Buzz soon!

Music from today’s show: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/22723028/Tuesday-8-O-Clock-Buzz 

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

The post Black Brilliance Should Be In Every Space appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Once a month, we check in with the Monday Buzz’s roving reporter Nicole Gruter.  Nicole’s been tracing the route of historic U.S. Highway 14, one of the first U.S. Highways originally built in the 1920s.  Nicole documents the stories of those who live and work along the historic roadway. Today, Nicole brings us a story from Westby, WI, population 2,332. Nicole Gruter joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on July 13, 2026 with the latest installment.

All photos by Nicole Gruter.

The post Finding Home on Highway 14: Episode Nine appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

When he was 16, Elijah McCloskey found himself homeless and unemployed.  After visiting the Freewheel Bicycle Cooperative, he was able to build himself a free bicycle.  A bicycle meant mobility, and mobility meant he could hold down a job.  Elijah served as executive director of that same Freewheel shop until 2020. His latest project involves collecting donated bicycles and shipping them for kids to use in Africa.  Elijah McCloskey joined the Monday Buzz on July 13, 2026.

Featured image: Gambian man hauling goods with a bicycle (Photo by Olatz Artola, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The post “Unbroken Chain” Delivers Bicycles from Madison to Gambia appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

President Donald Trump and his adviser Stephen Miller paint a picture of non-white, non-English speaking immigrants to the United States as violent criminals intent on wreaking havoc on American society.  In truth, however, most undocumented migrants to this country have no criminal record, and are more likely to be the victims, not the cause, of exploitation, discrimination and violence.  Paul Kiefer covers immigration issues for Wisconsin Watch. He joined the Monday 8 O’Clock Buzz on July 13, 2026.

The post Immigrants Face Arrests, Workplace Injuries in Wisconsin appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed three weeks ago by Donald McRonald and the Iranian president has been thrown out as the US president and Iranian theocrats have renewed hostilities over the Strait of Hormuz.  Norm Stockwell, publisher of the Progressive Magazine, joins the Thursday edition of the 8 O’Clock Buzz to talk about the fragile relationship between Iran and the US that has existed ever since the US president and Israel’s prime minister chose to attack Iran in February of this year.  The MOU was always a flimsy agreement with the US president agreeing to a cessation of aggression by Netanyahu’s military in Lebanon, whose compliance the US president is afraid to enforce, and the Iranian theocrats insistence on total control of shipping in the strait.

Image by Bergadder from Pixabay

The post Further Adventures of Donald McRonald appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

And all the men and women merely players.  This is certainly true for American Players Theatre (APT), a professional theatre located outside Spring Green, WI, that has received the prestigious 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award.  Sara Young, managing director of APT, speaks with the 8 O’Clock Buzz host, Eli Wilz, about the theatre company’s history and current productions, and what it means to be recognized by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League.  This above all: to thine ownself be true.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

The post All the World’s a Stage appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Today on the Too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Lacee Blair featuring Alan Robinson, Madison’s Interim Independent Police Oversight Monitor Aeiramique “Meeka” Glass joins us for real talk about policing in the City of Madison, and to tell some of her story getting where she is.

More information on the Office of the Independent Police Monitor, the Police Civilian Oversight Board, or to file a complaint about police behavior, visit: https://www.cityofmadison.com/independent-police-monitor 

To register your opinion about police oversight, contact your City Alder to make sure they know how you feel: https://www.cityofmadison.com/council/council-members 

Check in with Urban League at https://ulgm.org/calendar/ and https://ulgmhub.org/calendar/  for info on resume and job seeking workshops, banking workshops, home ownership clinics, information on Expungement, childcare assistance, fatherhood support, healthcare administration, food safety and trades training, and more!

Keep your eyes and ears out for more information on Tara’s next event at the Elks Club, coming up July 25th!

Save the date for Chris Davis Sr Day on August 31st, more info coming up on the Buzz soon!

Music from today’s show: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/22686800/Tuesday-8-O-Clock-Buzz 

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

The post Oh No! Checks and Balances? appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.