The bipartisan State Building Commission reviewed and voted on infrastructure projects for the state within funding from the Wisconsin biennial budget proposal. Evers and the commission released funding to get the ball rolling on reforming the Department of Corrections.

In the last week of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, host Dana Pellebon speaks with Virginia Gittens Escudero, the Executive Director of UNIDOS. She shares the history of her anti-violence work and the role that UNIDOS plays in breaking barriers for Latinx survivors of domestic violence in Dane County through direct services and community education.

Featured image of Virginia Escudero and Dana Pellebon courtesy of Sara Gabler/WORT.

Professor Stephen Zunes, scholar, writer and speaker on the politics of various regions of the world - particularly on the Middle East - as well as on globalization, non-violence and conflict resolution, talked to World View about Palestine.

He spoke of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, noting that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians had been signatories of and of the ongoing Israeli blockage of necessary food, water and medicine, not to mention the continuous killing of Palestinians.

Asked about Israeli military and settler attacks in the West Bank, Zunes cited the ability of the U.S. to stop the aggression there and in Gaza but the lack of U.S. government political will to do so. He also talked about the U.S. attempt to appear to accept and support a two state solution without actually doing anything to make that possible.

Professor Zunes discussed the international legal rulings against Israel and the fact that neither U.S. Republicans nor Democrats have backed international law in the case of Palestine. He also discussed the potential leaders who might unify a Palestinian state.

In conclusion Professor Zunes was asked what citizens and activists might do to contribute to a just and peaceful outcome in Palestine to which he replied that he thinks the best hope is solidarity with the Palestinians and activism for their cause. He cited the shift in the position of Democrats and recommended being involved in raising awareness and continuing efforts to pressure Democrats to support justice for Palestine in upcoming elections. Professor Zunes said we can’t hope to change Trump administration policy without Democrats on the side of the Palestinians.

He reminded us that “People eventually have been able to change.”

Bio http://www.usfca.edu/faculty/stephen-zunes

Substack http://stephenzunes962006.substack.com/

On X @SZunes

Article The Progressive: A Shaky Ceasefire Is Better Than An Ongoing Genocide

https://progressive.org/latest/a-shaky-ceasefire-is-better-than-an-ongoing-genocide-zunes-20251016/

Recent appearances Thinkers Forum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfewdh29uec

Sanctuary Radio http://www.mediasanctuary.org/stories/2025/zunes-on-gaza-israel-ceasefire/

BBC http://drive.google.com/file/d/1CqIyAliefRmCR7JlRDXaQDaAtdsv6Gnm/view

KPFA The Sunday Show http://kpfa.org/episode/sunday-show-october-19-2025/

Wisconsin Policy Forum has released their brief on the budget for the city of Madison in 2026, and the results paint a prettier picture than last year’s numbers. Increases in state aid, library and fire department staffing, as well as funding for Madison Metro present a welcome change thanks to last year’s tax referendum - but that levy may only be a temporary fix to a larger gap under the budget’s surface.

WORT reporter Gabriel Gibbons had a conversation with Tyler Byrnes, a Senior Research Associate at Wisconsin Policy Forum and co-author of the brief, to explain what to expect from the city’s funding for the upcoming year.

Image courtesy: Barta IV / PIXABAY

How about using firefighting foam made without PFAS?

This week on "The Milkweed," Pete Hardin and Bert Zipperer consider how a soybean surplus can be used to help address environmental problems. Along with uses like diesel and ink, soybeans can be used as the basis for firefighting foam. But manufacturers of products based on PFAS forever chemicals have a large inventory, so pushback remains likely. Just what are the prospects for this type of product?

Photo by Maria Baranova on Unsplash

This Halloweekend, Feature Contributor Charlie Belawski brings us back from the brink with the Corpse Reviver #2!

He’ll teach us about the floral wine Lillet Blanc, and the drink’s relation to curing hangovers during prohibition.

On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes speaks with Nicole Foy, a reporter with ProPublica, about her recent reporting on ICE sweeps and the growing number of US citizens who are being detained by federal immigration agents. Her story on the abuses these citizens face while federal custody spurred Congressional democrats to launch an investigation.

Forecast from Monday, 10-27-25 by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Oct. 29th, 1918, a German Navy mutiny began, which led to the November revolution which ultimately topped the Kaiser and brought World War 1 to an end. Harry Richardson has the story.

Image shows a sculpture in Kiel, Germany commemorating the 1918 sailors' mutiny. Image Source:  Wikipedia, shared under creative commons.

Nicole Gruter brings us the latest installment of her travelogue “Finding Home on Highway 14.” But she joins us live from our Madison studio. Did her vehicle break down? Did she find a magical portal that warps time and space? Listen up and find out.