Insights on Managing Seasonal Plant Diseases by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Seniors Resist Quality Declines as Private Equity Sweeps Nursing Homes by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Mexican Women Artists Showcase Heritage and Migration at Overture Center by WORT 89.9FM Madison

Interview with Roger Bybee from the Wisconsin Labor History Society about the 1954-1961 Kohler Strike, the longest strike in U.S. History.

As the United States of America is poised to celebrate its semiquincentennial, host Esty Dinur asks, what is the status of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in our nation? Our guest, historian Thomas Richards Jr., says that if people from 1776 were transported to our world, they would be stunned by what they see. On the one hand, the diversity of the US and the fact that every citizen can vote would surprise the founders as sure successes of our democracy. On the other hand, if they looked at Trump or the state of the Constitution, they would find our democracy in real trouble.

Featured image of the cover of The Unfinished Business of 1776.

In spring of 2024, dozens of tents lined the greenspace on Library Mall. A contingent of student activists set up the encampment in solidarity with Gaza, joining a national movement pressuring universities to divest from Israel. The UW-Madison encampment weathered a forceful police invasion and only came to an end when university administrators agreed to strike a deal with student organizers.

But the university hasn’t kept its word, Mac Davido of Students for Justice in Palestine told the Cap Times this week. He joined our News Producer Faye Parks for an overview of what’s happened in the two years since the tents came down.

Image courtesy: Faye Parks / WORT News.

Nearly a year after workers at the Hilton next to Monona Terrace won union recognition, they’re still fighting for their first contract. They staged a picket line outside the hotel Wednesday afternoon to put on the pressure.

Image courtesy: Brian Standing / WORT News.

An elected official in Waterford, a town just south of Milwaukee, is suing his own police department to obtain officers’ time cards and schedules – records he’d previously had no trouble accessing when another chief was in charge.

This week on “Transparency Talk”, hosts Bill Lueders and Tom Kamenick examine the circumstances surrounding the Waterford case, and Tom’s hopes for its outcome.

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.

On today’s show, host Bert Zipperer chats with John Nichols, Executive Editor of The Nation magazine, about the upcoming July 4 holiday and their new double issue, “250 Years in Search of a More Perfect Union.”

Featured image of the White House via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

Queery Music - Featuring Rockstar & Elise by WORT 89.9FM Madison