8 O'Clock Buzz

On Sunday, November 9, the U.S. Senate voted 60-40 to advance a temporary appropriations bill that, if adopted, would end the U.S. government’s longest shutdown. Eight Democratic Senators, Cortez Masto, Durbin, Fetterman, King, Hassan, Kaine, Rosen and Shaheen broke ranks to vote with Republicans in support of the stopgap bill, while Republican Rand Paul voted to oppose. The bill does not address the Democrat’s primary demand, to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at the end of this year. The bill must also be approved by the House and signed by the President before going into effect. In the meantime, though, the federal government shutdown continues. Federal air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown began 40 days ago, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA has seen 15-20 air traffic controllers retiring a day. Due to the labor shortages, tens of thousands of commercial air flights have been cancelled. Laura Albert is a Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing to explain how and why air traffic has ground to a halt.

Photo of Dane County Regional Airport control tower by Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The post Staffing Shortages May Ground Air Travel Even Post-Shutdown appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Paul DeRienzo, an independent news podcaster, photographer, videographer, and former News Director at WBAI-FM in New York City, joins host Tony Castañeda on the Thursday edition of the 8 O’Clock Buzz to discuss the implications of Zohran Mamdani being elected Mayor of NYC.  Zohran has laid claim as the champion of the common people and the defender of justice as he battles the establishment of elites in the city, but also the corrupt administration of Generalissimo Don t’Rump who considers Mamdani an existential threat to t’Rump’s empire.

Image by David Dillon from Pixabay

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Today on the Too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail, being seriously silly, talk about maintaining positivity and looking past the haters, what to do about federal, state and local budget issues, building personal and community wealth, and of course, Antoine’s five heartbeat slide walk in song.

Check in with EOTO Culturally Rooted on Facebook for information and to help out with winter break camp: https://www.facebook.com/EOTOCulturallyRooted

Check in with Urban League at https://ulgm.org/ for their construction job fair coming up Nov 12th, resume and job seeking workshops, information on Expungement, childcare assistance, computer skills, the Black men’s resource luncheon series, home ownership clinics, marketplace every Saturday at The Hub, and much more! 

Next week: Jackie Hunt from FOSTER joins us to talk mutual aid and the direct impact

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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Midwest Mujeres is a collective providing mentorship to Black and Latina women seeking to make their way into entrepreneurship.  On Saturday, November 8, the collective will host their annual storytelling event, “Yo Quiero Dinero,” featuring the life stories and wisdom of over a dozen women who’ve overcome obstacles to succeed in their respective fields.  Two participants, career coach Jenise Judon and childcare trainer Francelia Lara,  joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing in the studio on November 3, 2025.

The post Midwest Mujeres Presents “Yo Quiero Dinero” Event appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Long dismissed as “women’s work” in histories of art, craft and design, quilting is experiencing a renaissance.  The simple act of stitching together a functional blanket to keep one warm at night can also serve as a vehicle for artistic expression.  Two new exhibits on the University of Wisconsin campus, “Find Your Quilt” at the Ruth Davis Design Gallery, and “Parallel Lines” at the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery, showcase the worldwide history and art of quiltmaking.  Sophie Pitman is the Pleasant Rowland Textile Specialist and Research Director for the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sophie joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on November 3, 2025.

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In the 1670s, a young Isaac Newton took it upon himself to insert a large sewing needle, as he put it, “betwixt my eye and bone as neare to [the] backside of my eye as I could.”  The purpose of this gruesome experiment was to see if he could deform his eyeball and thus learn more about optics and the nature of light.  That’s just one of many anecdotes related to the human body recounted in Adam Taor’s new book, “Bodypedia,” available now from Princeton University Press.  Author Adam Taor joined the Monday Buzz on November 3, 2025.

The post Bodypedia: A Brief Compendium of Human Anatomical Curiosities appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Gustavo Arellano, a Mexican-American writer and columnist with the LA Times, joins Tony Castañeda to talk about his participation in the lecture series, Building Communities of Care and Resilience in Times of Crisis.  These lectures are being put on by the The Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies Program at UW Madison.  The series explores not only exclusion and marginalization of communities, but also long histories of struggle for enduring change, freedom, and social justice.  There’s a focus on alternative communities of care, alternative models of sociality, and innovative visions of relationality that emerge among Latinx communities in times of crisis and conflict. This event will be held Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 4:00 pm, at the Memorial Library Room 126.  Remote participation is available with on-line registration at the Studies Program website.

Photo by Jubbar J on Unsplash

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ICE agents continue their attacks on American democracy and decency with raids taking place throughout the country.  Ale Guevara, Communications Director for Voces de la Frontera, speaks with host Tony Castañeda about recent tactics by ICE including the militarization of enforcement and grabbing people from their residences and vehicles, but also the grassroots community organization of resistance to these aggressive policies.  Voces de la Frontera have established a network should Wisconsin be the next major target of federal agents.

Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

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Today on the Too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Jackie “Brodean” Morris, subbing for a sick Antoine, Boys and Girls Club CEO “Money Making” Michael Johnson joins us to talk about working in our community and raising up the community, helping others, navigating negativity, and making sure the community is fed (and just a little bit about Snoop Dogg and Master P on Verzuz.)  … and a last minute call-in from Araceli Esparza!

Follow Jackie Morris on Facebook, or reach out by phone at 608-621-0437, for more information on Jackie Brodean Magazine and sponsorship opportunities.

More about Michael, and check out his new book, “The Audacity to Lead” at https://www.mjohnsonceo.com/ .

More on “¡Yo Quiero Dinero!” from Midwest Mujeres at https://www.midwestmujeres.com/yo-quiero-dinero-2025 and Araceli Esparza at https://www.araceliesparza.com/ 

Coming up next week, Stan Woodard will be stopping by as a guest to talk about changes to section 8 housing and the lack of quality affordable housing in Madison

Check in with Urban League at https://ulgm.org/ for their workshops and information on Expungement, childcare assistance, computer skills, the Black men’s resource luncheon series, home ownership clinics, job seekers toolkit, marketplace every Saturday at The Hub, and much more! 

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 Are You in It for the Money, or in It for Community? appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

For the past few months, Madison-based performance artist Nicole Gruter has sent us dispatches from the road – U.S. Highway 14, to be specific – detailing her encounters as she seeks to define what “home” means to her.  On October 27th , Nicole joined the Monday Buzz in the WORT studios in Madison.

The post Finding Home on Highway 14: Episode 3 appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.