WORT Local News

Here's your local news for Wednesday, January 21, 2026:

• We find out how a city initiative is defining Madison's "regional music brand,"
• Hear a Midwest professor's warning about the Trump regime's escalating authoritarian tactics,
• Check in with Dane4Dogs after their latest legal victory over Ridglan Farms,
• Examine UW-Madison's evolving anti-hazing policies,
• Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,
• Travel back i...

Here's your local news for Tuesday, January 20, 2026:

• We get Congressman Mark Pocan's take on escalating ICE activity, the impending government shutdown, and efforts to redraw Wisconsin's congressional maps,
• Outline the partisan debate over rising energy costs,
• Share an excerpt from the keynote speech at Dane County and Madison's 41st Annual MLK Day Observance,
• Explain why most of the American ag industry is running in the red,
• Cele...

Here's your local news for Wednesday, January 14, 2026:

• We head to the state Capitol for a student walkout protesting the ICE shooting last week in Minneapolis,
• Hear what city alders had to say ahead of yesterday's unanimous vote approving a one-year moratorium on new data center construction,
• Sit down with Senator Melissa Ratcliff to dissect the GOP's latest spate of anti-trans proposals,
• Predict what could be on the agenda if Dem...

Here's your local news for Tuesday, January 13, 2026:

• We get the details on a proposal that would temporarily ban new data center construction in Madison,
• Hear the mission behind a city council newsletter that's slated to launch this week,
• Explain why the feds set legal definitions for dairy products,
• Talk gut health with a local dietician,
• Check on a pair of red-tailed hawks receiving treatment at the Dane County Humane Society's W...

Here's your local news for Monday, January 12, 2026:

• We hear messages of mourning and resistance at a Madison vigil for Renee Nicole Good,
• Outline the latest charges in a child sexual abuse investigation at Sun Prairie West High School,
• Find out why a much-debated state law is taking center stage in the missing ballot lawsuit against the city of Madison and its former clerk,
• Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,
• ...

Here's your local news for Thursday, January 8, 2026:

• We detail the mixed reactions at a city meeting yesterday reviewing WisDOT's plan to expand the beltline,
• Find out how much Wisconsin's ballooning school voucher program is costing taxpayers,
• Spotlight some upcoming events celebrating eastern European culture,
• Meet a Madisonian who's using social media to highlight the local music scene,
• Consider the balance between function and ...

Here's your local news for Tuesday, January 6, 2026:

• We find out how a new federal grant could help MMSD expand mental health services for students in need,
• Get the details on a local project that uses art to help older Black women fight Alzheimer's disease,
• Consider the potential pitfalls if private interests win out in the county's renovation of the Coliseum,
• Forecast another difficult year in the dairy business,
• Stop by JBC Coffe...

Here's your local news for Monday, January 5, 2026:

• We share an update on embattled Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan,
• Outline the tough choices ahead for the estimated 110,000 Wisconsinites that rely on ACA tax credits,
• Head to a rally in downtown Madison protesting the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro,
• Take a closer look at this weekend's military action with help from an expert in international law,
• Celebrate the birth...

Here's your local news for Wednesday, December 17, 2025:

• We outline the key takeaways from the city of Madison's "Love Our Lakes" discussion on Tuesday,
• Find out why environmental advocates are challenging a Trenton dairy farm's newly-issued state permit,
• Learn how local jails are facilitating the Trump regime's mass deportation agenda,
• Hear a UW-Madison frat's pitch to save their annual hockey tournament and fundraiser,
• Broadcast t...

Here's your local news for Monday, December 15, 2025:

• We outline the recent back and forth over a proposal to build a new harm reduction clinic on Madison's far east side,
• Explain how Trump's $12 billion federal aid package leaves small, specialty crop farmers in the lurch,
• Find out why Wisconsin lawmakers may soon reconsider a policy that diverts federal benefits away from foster children,
• Celebrate WORT's fiftieth birthday and lo...

Here's your local news for Thursday, December 11, 2025:

• We hear state Democrats' pitch to support Wisconsin farmers and protect agricultural lands from development,
• Outline some of the most pressing challenges in the state's rural school districts,
• Get an update on MMSD's Behavior Education Plan,
• Check in with the Russian Folk Orchestra ahead of their busy concert season,
• Discuss the imminent passage of the National Defense Authoriz...

Here's your local news for Wednesday, December 10, 2025:

• We share the details on a pair of housing-focused ordinances approved at Tuesday's city council meeting,
• Find out why Midwest Environmental Advocates has filed an open records lawsuit against the state's utility regulator,
• Learn how a local newsroom uses hands-on learning to improve children's literacy skills,
• Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,
• Tr...

Here's your local news for Tuesday, December 9, 2025:

• We get the details on a bill that would guarantee Wisconsin workers up to 14 weeks of paid family and medical leave,
• Outline key findings in UWPD records obtained by Tone Madison, nearly two years after a multi-jurisdiction raid of the student protest encampment on Library Mall,
• Share a news roundup on Roundup,
• Consider the intersection between kitchen skills and early childhood...

Here's your local news for Monday, December 8, 2025:

• We head to a local food pantry for a conversation about the rising cost of living,
• Find out why senior advocates want to preserve county-owned nursing homes,
• Check in with the director of Madison's Civil Rights Department, after an investigation cleared him of workplace discrimination claims,
• Explain what's next for two lawsuits challenging Wisconsin's congressional map,
• Celebrate...

Here's your local news for Thursday, December 4, 2025:

• We find out which Madison intersections are in the running for new traffic signals,
• Hear why advocates recommend "walk audits" as a first step to reducing your neighborhood's carbon footprint,
• Learn some of the most common ways commercial buildings in Madison waste energy,
• Explain your right to access government records on data center projects,
• Share some ice fishing safety tips...