Stu Levitan recounts the death of soul giant Otis Redding in a plane crash in Madison WI, Dec. 10 1967.

Forecast from Wednesday 12-10-25 by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Data centers are a hot button issue here in Wisconsin, thanks to the recent flood of construction proposals from tech giants like Meta and Microsoft. Supporters say the centers would boost local economies, while critics warn of steep costs for utility customers and the environment.

But it’s hard to have an informed debate about data centers when government agencies refuse to release relevant records to the public.

Midwest Environmental Advocates filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the state’s Public Service Commission, after the agency denied their request for records showing the projected energy demand of a data center in Beaver Dam.

That information is important for the public to know, legal fellow Michael Greif told our News Producer Faye Parks today, as they assess the impact of the data center boom in our state.

Image courtesy: Meta Data Centers via their website.

On today’s show, host Ali Muldrow speaks with Dionne Koller about her new book, More Than Play: How Law, Policy, and Politics Shape American Youth Sport. As a former athlete who signed her kids up for youth sports, Koller says she wrote the book to make the experience of youth sports more acceptable and accessible.

Featured image of the cover of More Than Play by Dionne Koller.

Laura Paisley Beck from Madison's OPEN Foundation by WORT 89.9FM Madison

On the morning of May 1, 2024, the UW-Madison Police Department led a multi-jurisdiction raid of a student protest encampment on Library Mall. They assaulted protesters, arrested 34 people, and tore down tents.

A new article in Tone Madison offers more insight into law enforcement actions that day, thanks to more than 200 pages of police documents obtained via open records request.

Roman Fritz is a Tone Madison contributor and a student council representative at UW-Madison. He joined our New Producer Faye Parks to explain how officers justified the use of force – and pointed out inconsistencies that suggest UWPD prioritized the status quo over campus safety.

Image courtesy: Faye Parks / WORT News, UW student activists write messages in chalk after the police raid on May 1, 2024.

Democratic lawmakers in the Wisconsin Legislature are renewing their call for paid family and medical leave for workers in the state.

Image courtesy: Chali Pittman / WORT News.

On today’s show, host Dana Pellebon is joined by Dane County Human Services Director, John Schlueter, to help listeners understand the breadth of the largest department in our county.

Featured image of the Dane County Human Services logo.

The journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology has retracted their 2000 article that concluded Roundup poses no health risks to humans, citing “serious ethical concerns regarding the independence and accountability of the authors.”

Roundup owners Monsanto and Bayer have fielded almost 200,000 individual lawsuits over the last decade claiming that exposure to the herbicide caused cancer. But just last week, the U.S. Solicitor General filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging them to protect Bayer from litigation.

Pete Hardin and Bert Zipperer share a news roundup on Roundup, in this edition of “The Milkweed.”

Image courtesy: Ryan Ojibway via Flickr.

This week host Ted Hyngstrom speaks to Daily Cardinal Staff Writer Jilian Denlow about her story “At Simpson Street Free Press, youth voices tackle local journalism” in a discussion of how the nonprofit, community-based organization empowers young writers.

Article in this week’s “Campus News in Brief” segment:

Future of UW foreign language programs at risk amid federal, campus funding cuts - Ty Javier

UW receives approval to move L&S’s largest majors to new AI-focused school - Annika Bereny

UW-Madison leans on lobbying amid federal pressure, budget strain - Joseph Panzer