Founder Margaret Jankowski shares how the Sewing Machine Project uses donated sewing machines to build community.

Consultant Molly Stentz explains WORT’s financial crisis, new debt disclosures, and the path toward station stability.

On the Friday 8 O'Clock Buzz, Ankur Malhotra shares his picks for the best music events happening around Madison the next week.

UW Professor Mike Wagner discusses advising John Oliver on public broadcasting and reflects on the future of public media.

Nico Lang - Author of American Teenager by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Seven out of ten Americans support extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at the end of this year, according to a new Marquette Law School national poll.

In spite of that broad public support, the budget bill President Trump signed into law last week doesn’t include an extension. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune secured enough Democratic votes to reopen the government, and broke weeks of partisan deadlock, with a promise to take up the tax credits again in a separate bill.

Lawmakers are now working across the aisle and against the clock to reach a compromise on the extension, Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin told our News Producer Faye Parks this morning.

Meanwhile, a near-unanimous vote Tuesday to release the Epstein files is evidence that Congress can reach consensus on divisive matters. But Senator Baldwin warned she has a “gut feeling” that the president will continue to interfere with the full release.

Image courtesy: Erik Schwerdtfeger / WORT News.

Wisconsin’s open records law states that government agencies must release the five final candidates when hiring for unelected public offices. There’s no strict time limit, but it must be the top five.

But this month, the town of Grafton announced finalist information for a local position that wasn’t quite compliant with the law.

This week on “Transparency Talk”, hosts Bill Lueders and Tom Kamenick discuss this and other cases, and the public’s right to know who is being considered for these vital, unelected positions in government.

But before we turn it over to Tom and Bill, our standard reminder that this conversation is not intended to be specific legal advice but rather a discussion of general legal issues. If you have a particular legal issue, please consult an attorney.

A war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is well into its third year and has gained world attention as the RSF in October took control of el-Fasher in Darfur. Before this escalation, Sudan was already in the midst of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. To talk about the context of the war, host Allen Ruff is joined by freelance journalist Lital Khaikin. She says this is a resource war–of oil and gold–and that the continued marginalization of Darfur is key to understanding the conflict.

Featured image of a displaced woman in Darfur in 2011 via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

It takes a lot of staff to keep the city running, but many of them work behind the scenes.

WORT reporter Sutton Johnson heads back to City Hall for this latest edition of “Get To Know Your Local Government.” This time, he sits down with the city of Madison’s Transportation Director Christof Spieler, who’s held the position for just two months.

Spieler explains how his job impacts your day-to-day life, his history in the field of transportation, and what he’d like you to know about his position.

Image courtesy: Dylan Brogan

Maestro DeMain talks Madison Symphony Christmas by WORT 89.9FM Madison