8 O'Clock Buzz

In the WORT 8 O’clock Buzz studio today were James Morgan, Community Organizer for MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity for Criminal Legal Service Reform), and Mark Rice, Transformative Justice Coordinator for WISDOM, a statewide network, comprised mainly of faith-based organizations working on campaigns fighting for immigrant rights and to correct the narrative around formerly incarcerated individuals. Morgan and Rice discuss their organizations’ focus on criminal justice reform, education, prison reform and elimination, community reinvestment, and housing in Madison and Wisconsin.

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Trevor Roark, Executive Director of “1000 Friends of Wisconsin” and Sharon Johnson, Lead Organizer of “Madison for More Neighbors Campaign“, discuss efforts for sustainable land use, transportation equity, increasing housing density, and zoning reform, all with the goal to create a comprehensive land use planning and affordable housing.

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Most stand-up comedians hone their material for years, rewriting, editing and working the one-liners and punchlines for maximum comic effect.  Improvisational comics have no such luxury.  For forty years, performer Colin Mochrie has worked without a net, performing with Second City in Toronto, and starred in the British, American and Canadian versions of the hit improv TV show “Whose Line is It Anyway.”  On Friday, October 24th, Mochrie and fellow “Whose Line” alum Brad Sherwood bring their new improvisational show “Asking for Trouble” to Madison’s Overture Center.  Colin Mochrie joined the Monday Buzz on October 13, 2025.

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The conservative shibboleth of non-citizens voting in U.S. elections reared its ugly head again in Wisconsin last week.  On October 3, in a suit filed by a Pewaukee resident, Waukesha County Judge Michael Maxwell ruled that the Wisconsin Election Commission and local clerks must verify U.S. citizenship before allowing voters to cast a ballot.  Votebeat Wisconsin’s Alex Shur has the story, and he joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on October 13, 2025.

The post Waukesha County Judge Orders Voter Citizenship Checks appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

In what President Trump has dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” federal agents, many of them masked and wearing military garb, and supported by the Texas National Guard, have smashed in doors in Chicago, thrown occupants to the ground, arrested journalists and left naked children with their hands zip-tied behind their backs in the streets.  The raids are intended to identify and deport immigrants in the country without appropriate papers, but have upended the lives of many others, including U.S. citizens.  Even noted conservative, Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, condemned the action, saying “there needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them.”   With all that in the background, we turn now to Grant Sovern, an immigration attorney with the Community Immigration Law Center.

The post Protecting Immigrant Rights During ICE Raids appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On August 22, 2025, fifteen Wisconsin youth, ages 8-17 and from across the state, represented by Midwest Environmental Advocates and Our Children’s Trust, filed Dunn v. Wisconsin Public Service Commission, a groundbreaking climate lawsuit. Like similar lawsuits in Hawaii and Montana, this suit contends that unconstitutional Wisconsin laws exacerbate the climate crisis and violate their rights to a safe and stable climate, risking their long-term health and well-being. Attorney Skylar Harris, representing the group, talks with Jan Miyasaki about the issues involved, and invite anyone to a Webinar tonight, October 8 at 7 p.m. on “Wisconsin’s Youth Climate Lawsuit”. Visit the website to register to attend.

The post 15 Wisconsin Youth Sue WI PSC to Remove Restrictions on Climate Change... appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Organized by Cheshire Cat Comedy for November 7th at The Forward Club at Breese Stevens field, the comedy event “East of LA” promises to highlight Asian American comedians and their experiences in the Midwest. Talking about the event and his bi-racial background as the setting of his humor, Jerry Tran gives the low-down on what attendees can expect from this comedy troop.

The post “East of LA” Focusses on Asian Comedy, Performers appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Today on the Too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail, some serious talk for the pledge drive, Ruby Clay, Clinician for Anesis Therapy, founder of Black Girls United and the upcoming 4th annual “Behind Closed Doors” fundraiser joins us to talk about domestic abuse prevention, it’s impact on our families and communities, and what we can do to help!

Join her and Tara and more on Friday, October 24th at 4245 W Beltline Highway for powerful stories and conversation with people who have experienced and risen above domestic violence from Ciara, Tara, Luis and Tonya;  Food from Mister 608 BBQ; and get and give support for those experiencing domestic violence.  More information on her Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ruby.clay.16

Celebrate Dr Ruben Anthony’s 10 years of leadership at the Urban League at the Urban Cabaret coming up on Friday, October 10th at Monona Terrace: https://www.ulgm.org/UrbanCabaret 

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!  Banking-career specific job training coming up October 20th!

Join Tara and UJAMAA Business Network for networking and business support on Thursday from 6-8 at Madison Estates.

Come get a laugh with Antoine at the next Madison Comedy and Poetry Jam – The Ladies Turn – October 25th at Wil-Mar Center!

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 1974, the annual Eurovision Song Contest, then 18 years old, took place in Athens Greece.  Broadcasters from all over Europe submitted what they thought was the best song of the year.  The entry from Sweden was a tune called “Waterloo” written by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, better known by the acronym of their first names, as ABBA.  The song won the Eurovision contest, became a worldwide hit, and the rest, as they say, was history.  ABBA went on to become a global phenomenon, topping the charts for years and selling over 150 million records over the course of their career.  On October 22, Madison’s Barrymore Theater will recreate that magic when MANIA: the ABBA tribute hits the stage.  Melissa Harding, a singer, songwriter and vocal coach in her own right, portrays Anni-Frid Lyngstad, or “Frida,” in MANIA, and she joined the Monday Buzz on 10/6/2025.

Featured image: MANIA: The ABBA Tribute

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In a movement reminiscent of the Arab Spring of the 2010’s, recent youth-led protests have rocked governments and shaken political elites across the globe.  Since the start of 2025, mass protests have erupted in Nepal, Morocco, Indonesia, Madagascar, Paraguay, the Phillipines, Serbia and Kenya, among others.  Specific demands vary, but all are unified by a disgust against government corruption and favors and privilege given to the economic elite.  In Nepal, a protest that started over a social media ban, then grew to question widespread privilege, has succeeded in toppling the government.  On September 9, 2025, Nepal’s Prime Minister K,P. Sharma Oli resigned.  What happens next is anybody’s guess.  Bhojraj Poudel is an economist and a columnist for the Kathmandu Post.  He joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on October 6, 2025.

Featured image: GenZ protest against government in Chitwan, 8 September 2025

(Photo by हिमाल सुवेदी, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons) 

The post Gen-Z Protests in Nepal: Whats Next? appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.