8 O'Clock Buzz

WORT isn’t the only community radio station in Wisconsin in fear of losing funding from the threatened recission of funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — Jan Miyasaki talks about the issues and repercussions of the threat with Karl Habeck, General Manager of WOJB Woodland Community Radio, the first Native American station east of the Mississippi River. Tucked away near Hayward, WI, WOJB serves a 100 mile radius around Hayward with National Public Radio programming, local programs, educational programs, community wide radio shows, school closings, and a myriad of other essential community programs — all of which are in limbo, awaiting a congressional decision.

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With meager goals to help people in the Williamson Street neighborhoods, the subsequent forty six years has seen seen Common Wealth Development expand to help stabilize communities in the major Madison metropolitan area. Executive Director Justice Castaneda discusses their work to prevent violence and decrease health inequities in the Madison Metropolitan area via housing for low-income people, violence prevention, financial education of students in Madison schools, workplace apprenticeships, assisting in business incubators to stabilize the community, and more.

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Today on the too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail, with all the best intentions to talk about parenting and grand parenting …  Talking about Antoine’s experiences this weekend’s La Fete de Marquette derails the conversation to talking about creating Black spaces and welcoming events, as well as how to put together a successful event, and what’s going on in and around town this summer.

Going on around town:

Music from today’s show: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/20939566/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!

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In a letter to Britain’s Queen Victoria in 1845, King Leopold the first of Belgium wrote that “…dealings with artists require great prudence.  They are acquainted with all classes of society, and for that very reason, dangerous.”  As the 20th century unfolded, artists proved King Leopold’s point over and over again, marching in the vanguard of a wide variety of social justice movements.  That history of politically-motivated art is the subject of a new book, by Lauren O’Neill Butler “The War of Art,” available now from Verso Press.  Lauren O’Neill Butler joined the Monday Buzz on July 14, 2025.

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Compared with their urban and suburban counterparts, rural Wisconsinites suffer more illnesses, and have a harder time finding care.  Recent hospital closures and pending Medicaid cuts threaten to exacerbate these problems.  A new collaborative effort with the University of Wisconsin Medical School, dubbed the Orion Initiative, seeks to reverse these trends for rural Wisconsin.  Orion Initiative Chief Executive Officer Dr. Amy Kind and U.W. Medicine Associate Professor of Rheumatology Christie Bartels spoke with Monday Buzz host Brian Standing about the project.

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On July 2, on a 4-3 vote, the Wisconsin Supreme Court settled a long-running legal dispute about an abortion law enacted by the state legislature in 1849.  The law made it a felony for  “any person, other than the mother, to intentionally destroy the life of an unborn child.”  In 2023, Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper ruled that the law applied to feticide, but not to abortion performed with the consent of the mother.  On appeal, writing for the majority, Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet argued that subsequent legislation regulating abortions passed by the state legislature effectively repealed the 1849 statute.  Regardless of the specific argument, the Supreme Court decision makes it clear that abortions are legal in Wisconsin.  Despite the ruling, reproductive care advocates say much work remains to be done to ensure equitable access.  Jenny Higgins is a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is the director of the Collaborative for Reproductive Equity.

The post Abortion Legal in Wisconsin, but Access Still Difficult appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

La Fête de Marquette is being held this weekend, July 10 through 13, at McPike Park.  Described as Madison’s premier summer festival with live music and community celebration all wrapped up in the vibrant energy of pseudo-French culture.  Colleen Hayes from the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Association joins the 8 O’Clock Buzz and host Tony Castañeda to talk about this year’s faire that celebrates the area’s rich history and diverse culture influences, offering an eclectic mix of music alongside a bustling marketplace of local vendors and artisans.  À bientôt là bas.

Photo by Israel Piña on Unsplash

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Mike de La Rocha, author and activist, talks with Tony Castañeda about his new book, Sacred Lessons, Teaching My Father to Love, which deals with the processing of grief in light of the loss of a loved one.  The author, like many men, struggles with the realization that his father was unable to have an honest and vulnerable connection with his sons.  Mike is also the creative force behind Involve Impact, a Los Angelos based, globally recognized creative agency that merges art, activism, and storytelling to drive social change.  Mike will be reading from his book this evening, July 10, at Mystery to Me, 1863 Monroe Street, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

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Trump has sent a $9.4B rescission package request to Congress, narrowly passed by the House and awaiting review by the Senate, a request to eliminate monies budgeted for $1.1B for public broadcasting, and another $8.3B that has been earmarked for foreign assistance in response to conflicts, humanitarian aid, fighting human trafficking and infectious disease outbreaks. Allison McManus, Managing Director of National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress, talks about their Fact Sheet — listing worldwide issues that will no longer be addressed and will affect American interests.

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As Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s vice president in 1944, Henry A Wallace presciently warned about how racism, oligarchy, and media manipulation were nurturing the conditions for fascism in the United States. In order to defeat American fascism, Wallace wrote, we must boldly “go forward on the great adventure of making political, economic, and social democracy a practical reality.” [IPS]. Chris Mills Rodrigo, Managing Editor of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), talks about Wallace and their upcoming 2nd Annual Henry A. Wallace Symposium on July 17, 2025, from 10-6 ET, and can be live streamed, attended in-person in Washington DC, or available after the event on YouTube. Mills Rodrigo says most working-class families don’t know how much lawmakers have sold them out, and it’s time for bold ideas. Registration required for the day’s event.

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