A Public Affair

Delegates from across the country will head to Milwaukee next week for the Republican National Convention, where the GOP will officially anoint Trump and adopt a party platform.

Meanwhile here in Madison, we’re fresh off a visit from President Biden, even as the whispers of discontent with the President as a presidential contender continue to swirl since his performance during the first debate. 

On today’s show, Chali Pittman talks with John Nichols who says that Biden’s campaign is too “cautious” and “stage managed.” Nichols says this approach won’t cut it this time, but also says that the dial is pointing toward Biden staying in the race.

In their conversation, Nichols unpacks the ongoing concerns and nuances of the calls for Biden to step down as a candidate. And he previews what to expect from the upcoming RNC, including much theater and opulence as well as the Republican party avoiding mentioning Donald Trump’s recent convictions.

John Nichols is a political correspondent, associate editor of The Capital Times, and national affairs correspondent for The Nation. You can follow him on X @nicholsuprising. 

Image of Milwaukee via Wikimedia Commons.

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Housing is the biggest issue facing communities across Dane County. Families are locked out of home ownership, lower- and middle-wage workers commute throughout the county increasing their transportation costs and employment turnover, older adults who can no longer maintain their homes have limited options, lower income households are increasingly sharing rental spaces, evictions are on the rise and so is homelessness.

To talk about what Dane County is planning to do about the housing crisis, host Douglas Haynes talks with three staff and committee members of the Dane County Housing Advisory Committee about the Dane County Regional Housing Strategy. Olivia Parry, a Senior Planner at Dane County says that “unstable homes make unstable communities,” and Dane County has a history of segregated housing that exacerbates housing inequities in the present.

Becky Binz, the Housing and Equitable Development Planner for the city of Sun Prairie, says that in her community people who want to can’t afford to live in Sun Prairie and that social services organizations are seeing an uptick in requests for assistance.

Alex Allon, the Community Development Director for the Village of DeForest says that folks in his community are making trade offs in order to afford rent. One local food bank serves 800 families who experience food insecurity, in part from the rising price of housing. That’s in a community with a total population of about 11,000 people.

To address housing affordability, communities are changing their zoning restrictions, using affordable housing funds, increasing the number of units, and creating incentives for developers to meet communities’ goals. 

Image courtesy of Dane County.

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On June 28 the US Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 vote that the enforcement of laws in the city of Grants Pass, Oregon that punished homeless people for sleeping outside did not violate the Constitution’s 8th amendment prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment.

In the majority opinion, which included all six conservative justices, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that the causes of homelessness are many and “so may be the policy responses required to address it.” In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized what she called the majority’s misprioritization of the needs of local governments over the safety of vulnerable homeless populations.

Guest host, Jess Miller, speaks with two guests about this decision and what it means for folks experiencing homelessness in Dane County where 737 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January of this year. That’s up 18% from 2023. 

Eric Tars is the Senior Policy Director for the National Homelessness Law Center. He says that policing and criminalization don’t solve homelessness. Rather, an approach that includes universal housing, repairing existing housing programs, eviction prevention, and supportive services is the route to moving folks out of homelessness and into stable housing. 

Andrea White, is a social justice advocate who works at Madison’s YWCA. She is a member of the Homeless Services Consortium of Dane County. Andrea says that the more advocates in the community the better. The more people talk to their neighbors and alders, the greater the impact they can have educating people about homelessness.

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The local partisan primary election is coming up on August 13, 2024. On the ballot are constitutional amendments, state legislative races, and the race for Dane County Executive–for a seat recently vacated by longtime Executive Joe Parisi. In our last episode speaking with candidates for Dane County Executive Chali Pittman is joined by Regina Vidaver. 

Vidaver shares that her top priority for the county is housing. And, if elected, she plans to implement all 17 strategies in the recently released Regional Housing Strategy published by Dane County. That includes increasing affordable housing funds and creating affordable transportation. Vidaver’s background as a medical researcher shapes her approach to problem solving. She takes a hypothesis based approach to addressing policy issues like childcare and the food ecosystem. 

Regina Vidaver was elected to Madison’s Common Council in 2021. She represents District 5 that includes midtown and the near west side–from the stadium to Hilldale. Before being elected as alder, she served on a variety of councils, committees, and work groups, including the Madison Food Policy Council, the Regional Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Work Group, and the Madison Metropolitan School District Advanced Learning Advisory Committee. Professionally, Alder Vidaver oversees statewide chronic disease and cancer prevention programs for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Division of Public Health.

Photo courtesy of Chali Pittman/WORT.

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The movement to shutdown Line 5 in Wisconsin has been growing since the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa won a federal court case against Enbridge in 2023. That ruling requires Enbridge to decommission the segment of Line 5 that passes through the Bad River Reservation.

Tribal members and many locals in Ashland and Bayfield counties want the pipeline shutdown entirely, in opposition to Enbridge’s proposed reroute that would still be located in the Bad River watershed. According to Elizabeth Ward, the rerouted pipeline would lock us into a fossil fuel future that would only exacerbate the impacts of climate change we’re already experiencing.

On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes asks Ward and two healthcare professionals about the health effects of Line 5. Abby Novinska-Lois and Jan Penn say that pipeline construction and pipeline ruptures are linked to impaired immune systems, negative neurological and reproductive impacts, as well as upticks in human trafficking, especially in Indigenous communities. 

These effects are well documented by communities in Wisconsin, as well as by folks in Minnesota, who have been reeling from the effects of an Enbridge reconstruction project since 2021.

The US Army Corps of Engineers are taking feedback on the proposed Line 5 reroute until August 4.

Abby Novinska-Lois is the Executive Director of Healthy Climate Wisconsin. Abby received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with a certificate in Environmental Studies from the UW- Madison, and has worked to reduce pesticide use in Wisconsin agriculture, among other advocacy projects before helping the Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action become a nonprofit.

Jan Penn began nursing as an Ashland County Public Health Nurse in 1972 and moved into an Advanced Nursing role shortly after. Although she has now retired from her role as a Nurse practitioner after over 50 years of service, Jan carries on as a registered nurse and is an advocate for a healthy and vital community.

Elizabeth Ward is the Wisconsin Chapter Director of the Sierra Club, which works to ensure everyone has access to clean air, clean water, and public lands. Elizabeth works with hundreds of volunteers and leaders across the state. 

Various Tribal, environmental, and youth organizations gathered in Ashland, Wisconsin on June 4 to tell the US Army Corps of Engineers to deny Enbridge’s pipeline permit. Image courtesy of Devon Young Coupery.

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On today’s show, journalist Tamara Pearson talks about how private real estate companies are changing the landscape of Mexico and harming people and the environment along the way. She calls the rapid changes a new form of colonialism because these developers’ economic interests conflict with the needs of local Indigenous populations and migrant populations as well as the needs of the environment. In Pearson’s recent article, she adds that the real estate industry is using intimidation tactics to harm local communities.  

Tamara Pearson is a writer, journalist, and activist living in Puebla, Mexico. She is the author of The Butterfly Prison, and is currently working on her second novel. She also works with Central American migrants and refugees. Her writings can be found at her blog and on social media.

Photo of Puebla, Mexico courtesy of AdasArdor via Flickr.

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Last week, the US Supreme Court voted 8-1 to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. In United States v. Rahimi the justices found that the federal law prohibiting domestic abusers subject to protective orders from possessing guns is constitutional under the Second Amendment. The Court’s decision affirms that individuals who pose a credible threat to the safety of another person should not be able to buy or possess a gun. The sole justice to vote against came from Justice Clarence Thomas. 

Mariel Barnes, is a founding faculty member of UW–Madison’s Sexual Violence Research Initiative. She joined host Allen Ruff to talk about the Supreme Court case as well as statistics of domestic violence in Wisconsin, which Barns writes about in a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Barns reiterates that persons with a record of domestic violence are likely to commit domestic violence again, especially if they have access to a firearm. 

If you need help with or want more information on domestic abuse, you can contact Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) at 608-251-4445 or at abuseintervention.org.

Mariel Barnes is an Assistant Professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. Her work primarily focuses on the interaction between social and housing policies, and domestic violence.

Photo courtesy of Bart Everson via Flickr.

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June is Pride Month and on today’s show we celebrate the legal and social advancements made for LGBTQ Wisconsinites. In 1982 Wisconsin was the first state to make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation in employment and housing. 

Host Ali Muldrow is joined by Governor Tony Evers who talks about allyship from public officials, Judy Davidoff who reflects on the 2014 overturning of Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban (the year before the US Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision in Obergefell v. Hodges), and Steve Starkey who’s been an advocate and leader for social justice in Dane County since the 1970s. 

Governor Tony Evers is a Wisconsin native and former educator. He was first elected to the governor’s office in 2018 and was reelected in 2022. Governor Evers was the first Wisconsin governor to raise a Pride flag over the state Capitol and has continued to do so every Pride Month since he took office in 2019.

Judith Davidoff is the editor of Isthmus. She and a team of Isthmus journalists won a Gold award from the Milwaukee Press Club in 2014 for their coverage of the overturning of Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban. 

Steve Starkey is a longtime advocate for social justice causes in Dane County. Steve was the Founding Vice President of the Social Justice Center, and currently is the executive director of OutReach LGBT Community Center, where he has worked for 18 years. At OutReach, Steve advocates for clients who have been affected by anti-LGBT laws and who experience homophobic or transphobic culture across Wisconsin.

Image courtesy: Vicki Kenyon / WORT News.

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The local partisan primary election is coming up on August 13, 2024. On the ballot are constitutional amendments, state legislative races, and the race for Dane County Executive–for a seat recently vacated by longtime Executive Joe Parisi. And in this third episode of our series of interviews with candidates for Dane County Executive we’re joined by Meilssa Agard, who shares her goals for the county with News Director, Chali Pittman.

Agard wants voters to know that she champions working class issues and is committed to addressing the significant affordable housing shortage in Dane County. She says that “democracy is a verb” and that she’ll continue to advocate for cannabis reform, if elected. Agard also discusses Dane County’s leadership on climate change and the necessity of addressing the budget by tackling shared revenue in the state legislature. 

Melissa Agard is a Dane County native and single mom to four sons. Before diving into politics, she owned a small business and worked in the private sector. Now, she’s been a lawmaker for over a decade, and is currently finishing out a stint as state Senator for the 16th district, representing the eastern part of Dane County along with parts of Jefferson and Dodge Counties.  Before being elected to the state Senate, she served as a Dane County Board Supervisor and in the state assembly.

Photo courtesy of Chali Pittman/WORT.

The post Meet the Candidate: Melissa Agard for Dane County Executive appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

WORT’s Summer News Collaborative trains underrepresented journalists to become creators of and leaders in local media. The fellows in this first cohort will learn the basics of journalism, storytelling, and audio production, participate in field trips and workshops with guest speakers, and be introduced to a network of mentors in local media.

On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes interviews all of the Fellows about their backgrounds and what stories they want to tell on the radio.

WORT’s Storytelling Fellows:

Shyelle Aikens is a proud native of west Madison who brings a wealth of experience in trauma recovery education, sustainable farming, and Indigenous agricultural practices to her community endeavors.

César Gonzalez Paz is originally from the small country of Honduras. César is a photographer and DJ, and is married to the beautiful Mexican, Rocio Gonzalez. They have 4 beautiful children. César has been living in the city of Madison for 22 years and is proud to be part of this great work team that will be a great blessing to our community.

Yifan Ning speaks Mandarin and English. She is passionate about piano playing, building relationships, life sharing, and exercising. She just moved to Madison not long ago, and she’s thrilled to start a new journey here.

Jeliel Peña de First is a medical doctor from Caracas Venezuela who moved to Madison for love in 2011. Since moving here, she has been active in the Latino community with a focus on wellbeing and mental health. She is excited to participate in the Summer News Collaborative and learn to tell the stories of her community.

Faleshuh Walker, also known as Lashay The Artist!, is a resilient mother of four who embodies the spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship. She truly enjoys working with youth and encouraging positive change. Despite the challenges she faces, Lashay’s passion for art and her entrepreneurial drive propel her forward in life. As an artist with many facets of lived experience, she channels her emotions and experiences into her work, creating pieces that resonate with others on a profound level. Along with teaching art classes, she shares her way of expressing through poetry, motivational speaking, and hair styling. Her entrepreneurial spirit and drive to inspire others shines through in her ability to turn her passion into a thriving business, managing both the demands of motherhood and the responsibilities of running her own enterprise. Lashay is not just a mother; she is a beacon of strength, an active community liaison, who consistently displays creativity, and determination, while inspiring those around her to pursue their dreams against all odds.

Ze Yang is the Hmong Bilingual Community Connector for the City of Madison. She works in the Department of Civil Rights Social, Justice and Equity Division and is also a small business owner. She has been a resident of Madison almost all her life. She served on the Wisconsin Women Council for four years as the Governor’s Designee. She takes joy in gardening, cooking, traveling, and storytelling.  

Diego Alegría was WORT’s 2023-2024 Community Access & Development Fellow. Diego is a poet, essayist and scholar from Chile. 

Jade Iseri-Ramos is a radio and podcast producer based in Madison. She has been the producer of A Public Affair since October 2022, but is taking the summer off… Because she is currently the program manager of WORT’s Summer Journalism Program. 

Photo courtesy of Sara Gabler/WORT.

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