WORT Local News

WORT Local News

Breaking news and feature stories straight from the WORT News team’s underground lair in Madison, Wisconsin. New episodes every Monday through Thursday at 7:30 PM. Also available live on 89.9 FM from 6:00-7:00 PM and online anytime at WORTFM.org.

Episodes

October 30, 2025 50 mins

Here's your local news for Thursday, October 30, 2025:

  • We'll outline what's at stake locally as federal lawmakers weigh cuts to AmeriCorps Seniors funding,
  • Discuss the potential flaws in the Madison Police Department's body-cam pilot study,
  • Learn more about UW-Madison's Russian Flagship Program,
  • Sit down with Chicago-based musician Winefred RT,
  • Share the joy that comes from a used sewing machine,
  • And much more.
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Here's your local news for Wednesday, October 29, 2025:

  • We get the details on two much-debated items that earned unanimous approval in last night's Common Council meeting,
  • Discuss the road to 2026 with WisDems Chair Devin Remiker,
  • Learn how UW-Madison researchers are partnering with local farmers,
  • Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,
  • Travel back in time to 1969,
  • And much more.
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In this show:

  • The Building Commission approves the funds for planning a rework for correctional facilities across the state
  • A local activist explains the importance of civilian oversight of the Madison police
  • 'How to Stand up for Democracy' links the degradation of free speech to the rise of anti-semitism
  • Soybean farmers are looking into novel ways to use their crop
  • And we hear how local mammals fare during the winter
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In today's episode:

  • Wisconsin Dems draw attention to an upcoming spike in health insurance costs
  • Wisconsin Policy Forum releases a deep dive on the city budget
  • Election clerks are scrambling to meet new citizenship standards
  • and more
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Here's your local news for Thursday, October 23, 2025:

  • We join a public feedback session on Madison's Southeast Area development plan,
  • Outline the fundraising goal to support the city's new men's shelter,
  • Share an inside look into today's combative legislative hearing on teacher misconduct and grooming in Wisconsin schools,
  • Consider the often-exorbitant fees records custodians are allowed to charge,
  • Share the best spots for fall-wea...
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Here's your local news for Wednesday, October 22, 2025:

  • We hear from the supporters and opponents of a bill that would codify the IHRA's definition of antisemitism in state law,
  • Find out what's at stake if independent broadcast network WisconsinEye can't reach their urgent fundraising goal,
  • Get more details on a city proposal that could eliminate UW students' input on alcohol policy,
  • Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report ...
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Here's your local news for Tuesday, October 21, 2025:

  • We hear local nonprofits' warning to the county board as they weigh proposed funding cuts in next year's budget,
  • Consider strategies to combat the rise of white Christian nationalism,
  • Detail the gaps in the system that make it difficult to track educators accused of sexual misconduct and grooming,
  • Survey the trade war's impact on American soybean farmers,
  • Celebrate the history of...
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Here's your local news for Monday, October 20, 2025:

  • We head to downtown Madison for this Saturday's nationwide protest against the Trump regime,
  • Outline city leaders' recent examination of the Urban Design Commission and its role in development oversight,
  • Find out why a city committee voted last week to preserve student input on alcohol licenses and policies,
  • Share the local government's calendar for the week ahead,
  • Commemorate the...
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Here's your local news for Thursday, October 16, 2025:

  • We hear how the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is faring during the government shutdown,
  • Outline the state's teacher turnover trends over the last decade,
  • Uncover the world of Soviet-era samizdat,
  • Get the latest numbers on the nation's wealth gap,
  • Meet one of the artists who's helping the Madison Public Library celebrate 150 years of service,
  • And much more.
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Here's your local news for Wednesday, October 15, 2025:

  • We outline today's debate over a Republican bill that would put a cap on UW's annual tuition increases,
  • Hear what GHC members had to say in a special meeting with the cooperative's Board of Directors,
  • Learn why election reform advocates are calling for Final Five voting in Wisconsin,
  • Find out if UW-Madison's ethnic studies requirement is actually at risk,
  • Broadcast the most com...
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Here's your local news for Tuesday, October 14, 2025:

  • We hear from party leaders on both sides of the aisle ahead of the state Senate's long-awaited floor session,
  • Find out why an update to Madison school facilities is expected to cost taxpayers less than originally projected,
  • Discuss the video game industry's rising reliance on artificial intelligence,
  • Consider why more Wisconsin dairy farmers may be looking to cash out,
  • Celebrate ...
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Here's your local news for Monday, October 13, 2025:

  • We find out why the state Assembly is centering environmental protections this Indigenous Peoples' Day,
  • Outline the back and forth this morning in the state Supreme Court over tribal sovereign immunity,
  • Meet the city of Madison's new Director of Transportation,
  • Brush up on immigration law amid the unprecedented federal crackdown,
  • Remember a trailblazing fighter pilot,
  • Learn how to ...
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Here's your local news for Thursday, October 9, 2025:

  • We outline what to expect when construction begins next week on one of Madison's busiest thoroughfares,
  • Consider the gray areas in Wisconsin's regulation of THC,
  • Explain when and how public bodies can enter closed session,
  • Tell you the best spots to cast your fishing line,
  • Celebrate Forward Madison FC's recent back-to-back wins,
  • And much more.
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Here's your local news for Wednesday, October 8, 2025:

  • We hear what's at stake if Congress fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,
  • Outline city leaders' debate over a proposed drive-thru coffee shop at West Towne Mall,
  • Find out why MMSD is pitching its recent 4K expansion as a win-win,
  • Discuss the risks of private equity in 401(k) retirement plans,
  • Broadcast the most comprehensive weather report on the airwaves,
  • Travel b...
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Here's your local news for Tuesday, October 7, 2025:

  • We outline some of the funding priorities in Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's $452.5 million operating budget proposal,
  • Find out why state Democrats want to require health insurers to include fertility services in their coverage,
  • Consider what’s at stake if a loophole in Wisconsin’s campaign finance law is replicated on the federal level,
  • Share some bad butter pricing news,
  • Visit a bel...
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Here's your local news for Monday, October 6, 2025:

  • We head to Monona Terrace for a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, where local leaders emphasized the importance of community,
  • Get the latest data on alcohol-induced deaths in Wisconsin,
  • Consider what's at stake after a Georgia-based journalist was deported on Friday,
  • Celebrate the birthday of a renowned peace activist and journalist,
  • Teach you how to make a Lynchburg Lemonade,
  • Re...
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Here's your local news for Thursday, October 2, 2025:

  • We'll outline some of the cost-saving measures in County Executive Agard's spending plan for next year,
  • Mark the end of a Biden-era climate initiative,
  • Find out how PFAS chemicals from Truax Field end up in nearby waterways like Starkweather Creek,
  • Learn what it takes to achieve fluency in Russian,
  • Talk songwriting with a Milwaukee-based musician,
  • Dissect the scholarly lessons in ...
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Here's your local news for Wednesday, October 1, 2025:

  • We head to Madison's Rennebohm Park for a press conference opposing the Line 5 reroute,
  • Get the details on a new antibody treatment that aims to provide seasonal protection from Lyme disease,
  • Find out how state Democrats are working to fill the gap as Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin pauses abortion services,
  • Learn the history behind a trailblazing department at UW-Madison,
  • Broad...
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Here's your local news for Tuesday, September 30, 2025:

  • We hear Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's latest preview of her 2026 operating budget proposal,
  • Outline some budget amendments Madison's Board of Education took up yesterday,
  • Check in with the owner of Rutabaga Paddlesports after the announcement that he's closing up shop at the end of this year,
  • Look forward to this week's packed schedule of dairy trade shows,
  • Consider strategies to...
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September 29, 2025 49 mins

Here's your local news for Monday, September 29, 2025:

  • We find out why some local leaders are practicing a car-free life this week,
  • Get the scoop on a small Wisconsin police department's proposal to partner with ICE,
  • Consider Trump's latest comments on free speech with a UW-Madison professor,
  • Review two bookends to Robert Redford's film career,
  • And much more.
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