WORT Local News

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...

Here's your local news for Wednesday, December 3, 2025:

• We'll explain how you can weigh in on the development future of downtown Madison,
• Find out why food access is still limited in Wisconsin even after FoodShare benefits resumed,
• Examine the record breaking spending on Wisconsin's judicial elections ahead of the next contest this spring,
• Share some tips on how to stay safe in the event of an ICE encounter,
• Broadcast the most compr...

Here's your local news for Tuesday, December 2, 2025:

• We hear finance leaders' recommendation on how Madison should spend an unexpected budget surplus before the end of this year,
• Find out how donors can support a local literacy nonprofit in the wake of federal funding losses,
• Share a year in review for the American dairy industry,
• Meet the editing manager of Edible Madison,
• Celebrate Giving Tuesday with the Dane County Humane Socie...

Here's your local news for Monday, December 1, 2025:

• We'll meet some local Starbucks workers taking part in the nationwide strike,
• Find out how parents of children with disabilities are preparing for the looming cuts to Medicaid,
• Detail some recent policy updates that could expand Wisconsin renters' access to solar power,
• Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,
• Learn the violent history behind the American Anti-Sla...

Here's your local news for Tuesday, November 25, 2025:

• We find out why some of Madison's most experienced educators are still waiting for fair compensation,
• Hear the economic pros and cons of data centers,
• Consider the future of Madison's bus system with Metro Transit's new general manager,
• Explain why A2A2 milk is a win for both dairy farmers and consumers,
• Debut our new feature exploring the city's diverse array of local coffee sh...

Here's your local news for Monday, November 24, 2025:

• We hear what Wisconsin students and mental health specialists have to say about the hazards of the digital age,
• Find out how much taxpayers could stand to lose with the end of the free IRS Direct File program,
• Consider why Speaker Vos continues to block expanded postpartum benefits for Wisconsinites on Medicaid,
• Learn how a public-private foundation is working to support the sta...

Here's your local news for Thursday, November 20, 2025:

• We talk health care tax credits and the Epstein files with Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin,
• Learn how to spot U.S.-made products ahead of the holidays,
• Meet the city of Madison's Parks Superintendent,
• Explain your right to know the final five applicants being considered for public offices,
• Tell you the best spots for some cold-weather fishing,
• Make a wish list for the Flam...

Here's your local news for Wednesday, November 19, 2025:

• We head to a public hearing on the Dane County Regional Airport's latest efforts in F-35 noise mitigation,
• Consider Wisconsin's retention and workforce challenges this Education-Support Professionals Day,
• Hear the research goals driving the Nelson Institute's new partnership with QTS Data Centers,
• Learn how students at UW-Madison fared during the SNAP benefits chaos,
• Broadcast...

Here's your local news for Tuesday, November 18, 2025:

• We hear what party leaders had to say ahead of today's floor session in the state Senate,
• Learn how some entrepreneurs in Madison and Chicago are redefining vending machines,
• Consider the pros and potential pitfalls of a bipartisan bill that would legalize online sports betting in Wisconsin,
• Explain what's behind some recent ag industry happenings,
• Taste what's on the menu at Su...

Here's your local news for Monday, November 17, 2025:

• We get to know the three finalists vying for an interim leadership role in Madison's Office of the Independent Monitor,
• Find out why a proposal mandating teaching hours for UW System faculty could raise constitutional concerns,
• Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,
• Learn the story behind Transgender Day of Remembrance,
• Review two new movies,
• And much more.

Here's your local news for Thursday, November 13, 2025:

• We hear Senator Baldwin's plan to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, a measure excluded from the budget bill Trump signed into law Wednesday,
• Detail the economic benefits of agrivoltaics,
• Talk election security and accuracy with the new Madison city clerk,
• Share some upcoming events celebrating eastern European culture,
• Hear the story behind a new local music space on ...

Here's your local news for Wednesday, November 12, 2025:

• We'll get the details on a last-minute amendment that dominated budget deliberations yesterday in the Madison Common Council,
• Find out why a pro-democracy advocate is sounding the alarm on a handful of election bills in the state Assembly,
• Share some key takeaways in the Daily Cardinal's new "AI Issue,"
• Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,
• Travel ba...