A Public Affair

Douglas Haynes, Ali Muldrow, Carousel Bayrd, Allen Ruff, & Esty Dinur
  • 4.9 (14)
  • News
  • Updated Semiweekly

Listener Sponsored Community Radio in Madison, WI

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Hong Supporters Get Behind Crowley, with Some Strings

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · apa-10-26-2026 Today on A Public Affair, Madeline Topf from the Francesca Hong campaign gives an overview on how Hong voters are approaching the election next week. Topf was a political organizer and lead volunteer for the Hong campaign, and continues to organize several political movements on campus. Although the primary results were close between Hong and Crowley, Topf was surprised at the results of the election and credited Governor Evers endorsing Crowley along with increasing dialogue insisting that Hong’s ideas were too extreme for Wisconsin. Hong was the only candidate who fully supported moratoriums on data centers, and one of the biggest criticisms Crowley has received is his lack of support on moratoriums. Both Crowley and Tiffany supported building data centers until very recently, after a poll from Marquette University showed that 70% of Wisconsinites were against them. Topf also discussed the ongoing struggles of Madison housing, the impact of Act 10 on academic workers and graduate students, and the importance of organizing campaigns on campus.  Madeline is a data scientist for the public health laboratory of Wisconsin. She builds processes to quickly identify drug resistant tuberculosis in our state and beyond. Madeline served as a volunteer lead for the   Hong campaign, organizing canvasses, phone banks, and other events. She also helped coordinate a Gubernatorial panel (with a viral moment) as part of a Madison labor consortium. Madeline is a member of AFT local #223, and an experienced organizer. In graduate school, she organized her academic program to win a historic wage increase. After becoming president of her union, she helped lead a successful campaign for paid parental leave and signed on to the lawsuit challenging Act 10. She continues to organize within the public sector and looks forward to the next political chapter in Wisconsin. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Hong Supporters Get Behind Crowley, with Some Strings appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  2. 4d ago

    Alder Matthews on Why She Voted Against Terminating the Independent Po...

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · Alder Matthews on Why She Voted Against Terminating the Independent Police Monitor The marathon Madison Common Council Meeting on Tuesday lasted for 12 hours, and culminated in terminating the extended contract of Interim Independent Police Monitor Aeiramique Glass, with a 14-6 vote. Julia Matthews, Madison Alder for district 12 was one of the six alders who voted against the termination of Glass. Today on A Public Affair, Matthews debriefed the meeting from her perspective. Public comment for the meeting lasted 8 hours, with over 100 pages of written comments. Matthews describes the public as justifiably angry, but many people also gave heartfelt remarks about Interim Police Monitor Glass and felt betrayed by her dismissal. Chief of Staff of Council Karen Kapusta-Pofahl will take up the office until there is a permanent monitor hired, rather than appointing another interim. Photo courtesy of Warren LeMay via flickr Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Alder Matthews on Why She Voted Against Terminating the Independent Po... appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  3. 4d ago

    The Nuts and Bolts of the Property Tax System

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · The Nuts and Bolts of the Property Tax System Today on A Public Affair, Paul Reilly, and David Schmiedke dove into the details of local property taxes, the first show in a new series about decoding your tax bill. Reilly is the former Comptroller for the city of Madison from 1969-1996, and Schmiedke is the current financial director for the city. Property taxes account for 70% of the 477 million dollar budget needed to operate the City of Madison, making it the primary source of funding at the local level in Wisconsin. One third of these taxes pay for city services such as police, fire, trash, plowing, libraries and parks, 50% funds public schools, 12% goes to Dane county services and the last 2-3% goes to the technical college system, mainly Madison College.  In Madison, there is just under 50 billion dollars of taxable property, but a significant portion of property is not taxable. These include state government buildings, UW Madison education buildings, churches, and non-profit hospitals. The conversation covered tax incremental financing, the history of income taxing (Wisconsin was the first state to tax on income) and how the state collects and shares income and sales tax with local governments. For more information about where your tax money goes, visit the City of Madison budget here. David Schmiedicke is a career budget and finance professional with nearly 40 years of experience in Wisconsin state and local government and is currently the Finance Director for the City of Madison, Wisconsin. David was appointed by Governors of both parties to serve as State Budget Director and Deputy State Budget Director from 2001 to 2011. Prior to that, he was the administrator of the State of Wisconsin Building Program, served as Secretary of the State Building Commission, and was a team leader and analyst in the State Budget Office. David has served as a standing committee chair and on the executive board of the Government Finance Officers Association, as well as on the executive board of the National Association of State Budget Officers. Paul Reilly is a 1962 graduate from the University of Wisconsin, and started his career in the private sector where he worked for seven years. In 1969 he was appointed to the position of Comptroller for the City of Madison, Wisconsin and, with various duty and job changes, held that position until he retired from the City early in 1996; shortly after being appointed to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. During his career with the City of Madison, Paul was active in several professional associations. He served on the Executive Board of the Government Finance Officers’ Association of the United States and Canada from 1983 to 1986 and was President of the Wisconsin chapter from 1982 to 1986. He was President of the Wisconsin League of Municipalities for a two year term and was one of the founders of the Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance Company. Paul also served as Senior Lecturer on Governmental Accounting and Finance at the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1974 to 1999. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post The Nuts and Bolts of the Property Tax System appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  4. Oct 19

    Russia, China, and America Don’t Look Good Together

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · Russia, China, and America Don’t Look Good Together Last week, Trump announced that Russia will supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and global markets, and 500,000 more in November. This would provide the US with about 10 days worth of fuel, or about one day for the entire globe. Critics said this deal only encourages the Russian government to continue in its current form, and it only benefits the Russians. The Trump administration called it a peace incentive. Today on A Public Affair, Russian novelist and political commentator Elvira Bary and Ukrainian economist Roman Sheremeta joined Yuri Rashkin to talk about what this means for world politics, and how we got here.  Elvira Bary introduced the perspective of the Russian population. She said there is a sense of nostalgia for older Russian people around the soviet union. They want to relive their youth, but according to Bary, they never tried anything sweeter than a carrot. Talking about current events is troubling for the Russian people, and they find ways to avoid it. Sheremeta said Putin is pushing for a three way meeting with Russia, China, and the US, but this is only pulling Russia closer to China, and Trump’s involvement does not make the US look good on the world’s stage. He said that the US can only be made right if the darkness inside America is repaired.  Sheremeta and Bary discussed the Trump movement and the administration’s involvement in conflicts overseas. The administration is still backed by millions of people, not just the independent actions of President Trump. Bary said that people voted for Trump because of ignorance about a certain element of Trump’s campaign that personally impacted them. Many previous Trump followers have dropped their support of the administration, but Sheremeta said the movement still exposes something ugly behind American morality. Both Bary and Sheremeta are immigrants and still remain hopeful about the future of the US. As Bary said, America eventually does the right thing, but it often takes awhile to get there. Until then, continuing the work of truth, kindness and justice is the path to a better future. Roman Sheremeta, Ph.D., is an associate professor of economics at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and the founding rector of American University Kyiv. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from Purdue University and his research has been published in more than 70 leading scholarly journals across economics, business, psychology, and political science, and has been featured in various popular media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Insider, NBC, NPR, Fox, and Science Daily. Elvira Bary is an author, storyteller, and YouTuber who decodes power, history, and authoritarian systems through Russia’s past and present. Born in the USSR, she combines lived experience, historical research, and cultural analysis to explain how fear, propaganda, memory, and human instinct shape political behavior. Her work helps audiences recognize the deeper patterns behind authoritarian power, not only in governments, but in institutions and everyday life.   Photo courtesy of Roman Churiloff via Flickr   Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Russia, China, and America Don’t Look Good Together appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  5. Oct 15

    Federal Funding Could End for Early Childhood Education Degrees

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · Federal Funding Could End for Early Childhood Education Degrees Under the Big Beautiful Bill, a new provision has determined that students enrolled in degree programs leading to low earning careers may no longer be eligible for federal loans as early as the 2028-2029 school year. This is in effort to deter students from pursuing degrees which do not yield a return on investment after graduation. One of these low-income degrees is Early Childhood Education. On average,  early childhood educators are working at poverty level. Over one third of childcare workers are on assistance, and there are no paid vacations, dental care, or retirement programs.   Removing the funding for early childhood education programs also removes the ability for students to get the appropriate training needed to provide high-quality care and education for children. Additionally, state funding for several programs which began during the pandemic ended this summer, so wages continue to decrease, care centers are closing, and prices for care are increasing – but families have nothing left to give. Although some states like Arizona, Minnesota, and Massachusetts are working on solutions to childcare funding, Ruth Schmidt, director of the Wisconsin Childhood Association, said that publicly funded childcare is ultimately the best path forward. According to Schmidt, if the inability to fund childcare is the only reason mothers are staying home, there would be 93,000 more women in the workforce. Additionally, mothers who choose to stay home lose about  237,000 dollars over the course of their lifetime. Childcare continues to be at the backbone of the working economy, and its effects impact employers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and couples who choose not to have kids simply because they cannot afford it.  Schmidt said that the most effective way to help is by being civically engaged, voting in every election, and calling representatives often. Although there is much discussion around wages, regulations, and affordability, there is little discussion around what kids actually need. Reading, interacting with peers, emotional regulation and modeling learned behavior are the foundation for later success, and these needs should be at the forefront of political discourse and training, not an afterthought. For 25 years, Ruth Schmidt has led Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, Wisconsin’s largest membership and service organization for early childhood educators and the state affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Ruth is a leading voice on both state and national levels for strengthening the early childhood education workforce through policy and systems improvement and greater public investments.  She serves on Governor Tony Evers’ Early Childhood Advisory Council. Ms. Schmidt earned her bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College. Photo courtesy of Project Manhattan via Wikimedia Commons Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Federal Funding Could End for Early Childhood Education Degrees appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  6. Oct 14

    Madison Clerks Discuss Voting Integrity in the Upcoming Election

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · What Voters Should Know Ahead of the Election Today on A Public Affair, Ali Muldrow speaks with County Clerk Scott McDonnell and Acting City Clerk Kaitlyn Barnarde about early voting, absentee ballots, and on-campus voting. The conversation centered around the importance of accessible voting for students and the un-housed population, casting your ballot early, and how to be prepared for election day. In addition to knowing what will be on the ballot, McDonnell and Barnarde note the importance of making sure your photo ID is up to date, and if you are planning to mail in your ballot, send it in least two weeks in advance to ensure your vote is in on time. Although election centers and counting has been under scrutiny since the 2020 election, the clerks are committed to maintaining trust in the community. As McDonnell remarked, voting is still a relatively new concept, and the community should be actively engaged in this experiment of Democracy so everyone can continue to have a voice. Visit Myvote.wi.gov to see what’s on your ballot and your local polling place.  Kaitlyn Bernarde is the Acting Clerk for the City of Madison. Prior to joining the City of Madison in April, Kaitlyn was the City Clerk for the City of Wausau for more than 4 years administering local elections. In my current role, I oversee election administration, alcohol licensing, and records. Scott McDonnell is the Dane County Clerk. McDonnell has been County Clerk since 2013, and previously worked as Dane County Supervisor from 1996-2013. Photo courtesy of Aine via Flickr Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Madison Clerks Discuss Voting Integrity in the Upcoming Election appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  7. Oct 12

    Plastic has Always Been Supply Pushed, Not Demand Pulled

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · Plastic has Always Been Supply Pushed, Not Demand Pulled When you go to the store to buy bananas and there is plastic wrapped around them, you are demanding the bananas, not the plastic. The discussion of the plastic industry always centers around how to individually reduce plastic waste as consumers, and where plastic ends up when we are done with it. There is little discussion about how and why these plastics were originally created. That is the topic of author Beth Gardiner’s book Plastic Inc. Plastics have always been a byproduct of fossil fuels. Some of these molecules, called naphtha, are heated to very high temperatures until they “crack,” which allows them to be recombined into different lengths and configurations forming different types of plastics. When fracking became popular in the US, digging deep into the earth in search for methane also led you to get ethane in the process. In the early days of fracking, ethane was just burned off because of its apparent uselessness. However, they soon learned that ethane could be used to make polyethylene, which is now the most common plastic in the world. They started using ethane for a multitude of products during World War II, but when the war ended, they needed to find a new source of revenue for these byproducts. This is when plastic packaging, hula hoops, frisbees, and silly putty entered the market. Even now, new forms of plastic packaging continue to be made, such as body wash bottles where there were previously bars of soap.  By the 1970s, the public started questioning the amount of plastic production, and plastic anxiety rose among consumers. The industry recognized the discomfort was a threat to their industry. To counter this, they launched an ad called “Keep America Beautiful,” which was backed by Coke and the Tobacco industry. They created a popular commercial featuring a Native American who finds plastic litter and sheds a tear, ending with the tagline, “keeping America Beautiful is your job.” This completely shifted the blame and responsibility to the consumers, rather than the producers. Their PR campaign redefined the problem as a waste management problem, not an overproduction problem.  As a result, people began aspirational recycling, which persists today. People could feel better about buying plastic products – as long as they are properly recycled. However, the only type of plastic that can really be recycled is PET, made from plastic bottles; and even then, new plastic is always better quality and cheaper to make. Recycling was only used to diffuse public concern and remove the guilt from buying plastic products. Gardiner notes that the conflict in the Middle East is driving higher prices in plastic made overseas. Although this could be an opportunity to use less of it, our involuntary reliance on plastic in our society means it’s probably not going away anytime soon.  Beth Gardiner is an American journalist based in London. She’s a former longtime Associated Press reporter, and her work has been published in outlets including the New York Times, the Atlantic, National Geographic and the Guardian. Plastic Inc. is her second book. It was named a New York Times Staff Pick/Editors’ Choice and has been long-listed for the Wainwright Prize for conservation writing. Beth has discussed her work on NPR’s Fresh Air, All Things Considered and Here & Now. She’s a three-time grantee of the Pulitzer Center and a recipient of the City University of New York journalism school’s McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Plastic has Always Been Supply Pushed, Not Demand Pulled appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  8. Oct 2

    No One is Coming to Save Us but Us

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · No One is Coming to Save Us but Us Today on A Public Affair, Esty spoke with three guests involved in making the documentary When ICE Melts: Testimonies from the Frontlines, which will have a screening at the Labor Temple in Madison this Sunday, October 4th. When ICE Melts is a film chronicling the resistance against ICE in Minneapolis. The screening will begin at 4:00pm, with a panel discussion following at 5:30 with today’s guests, director Kip Hedges, lawyer Bruce Nestor, and journalist and activist, Andy Thayer. The guests discussed the blue code of silence in Minneapolis, noting how cops do not report the wrongdoing of other cops, and according to Hedges, were often used by ICE to do the dirty work. The documentary highlights the organized resistance by everyday citizens, and the central idea of both the film and today’s show is that no one is coming to save us, so we must take control to save ourselves.  Kip Hedges is the director of the documentary When Ice Melts, a documentary examining the 2025 resistance against ICE in 2025. Hedges is a 30 year ramp worker with Delta Air Lines and long time labor activist. He helped organize the mass strike on January 23rd and participated in the rapid response and mutual networks. He also helped organize workers assemblies following the January 23rd strike. Bruce Nestor is a criminal defense and immigration attorney in Minneapolis, MN, as well as being an urban gardener and political activist. Bruce graduated from the University of Iowa Law School in 1992, with highest honors. He is the past President of the National Lawyers Guild (2000-2003), a national bar association of progressive attorneys, law students, and legal workers, founded in 1937 as the first racially integrated bar association in the United States. He is a past president of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, a member of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, and a member of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Andy Thayer is a long-time activist who for nearly five decades has organized on a wide variety of issues, including anti-war, LGBTQ rights, reproductive freedom, homeless people’s rights and police accountability. His lengthy arrest record includes charges for protesting for LGBTQ rights in Moscow, Russia, felony arrest for an attempted anti-war blockade of a George W. Bush motorcade, and is currently facing charges for protesting the Iran War in front of Chicago’s Trump Tower. Recently retired as an office manager at a nationally recognized civil rights law firm, he has returned to a passion of his youth, advocacy journalism, championing the case of the Minnesota 15 and other cutting edge issues.   Photo courtesy of Lorie Shaull via Flickr   Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post No One is Coming to Save Us but Us appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  9. Oct 1

    The Strange Role Milk has Played in Our Politics

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · The Strange Role Milk has Played in Our Politics Milk has often been the center of controversy in American history. Pasteurization led to monopolies in the industry, the raw milk movement gave more power to the farmers, but not to the consumer, and political campaign money kept money from milk in the hands of large corporations. The dairy industry in particular has been under scrutiny by environmentalists who advocate forgoing milk altogether to reduce the impacts of climate change. These are the topics of Milk Wars: An American History of Dairy Farmers, Truckers, Gangsters and Regulators, written by guest Kenneth O’Reilly, which looks at the history of the dairy industry and examines the wars between the left and the right over milk. O’Reilly described how prohibition put pressure on beer brewers, who began producing ice cream as a new source of income. Once the Great Depression hit, people started looking for inexpensive products. The solution for making milk cheaper was to sell it in the store rather than have it delivered. The milk men drivers were previously a part of the labor union which provided a stable income, but as the demand for delivered milk went down, milkmen had lower wages and fewer jobs. Interestingly, this was also an easy industry for gangsters such as Al Capone to join and engage in organized crime. Many milk men became independent contractors, while some continued to be regular employees. The contractors often didn’t know if they were making any money.  The interstate was also a contributing factor to nationalizing the dairy industry. Before the interstate, milk could be delivered about 10 miles away before perishing, but it could now be delivered much faster and further. This led to a handful of large dairy distributors and monopolies in the dairy industry. The Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) agreed to give donations to the Nixon campaign if they raised the federal milk price support. This money went back into the dairy cooperations, not the small farmers. This scandal was left out of the Watergate investigation because AMPI continued giving donations to both political parties, so milk stayed under everyone’s radar. The ongoing debate over the dairy industry continues, but O’Reilly believes that the future of dairy will be less about milk, and more about manure, to create biogas to fuel the economy. Kenneth O’Reilly is professor emeritus of history at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He lives in Milwaukee and until recently also taught at Milwaukee Area Technical College. He received his Ph.D. from Marquette University where he studied under Athan Theoharis. He is the author of two Journal of American History articles and several books beyond Milk Wars–notable, “Racial Matters”: The FBI’s Secret File on Black America, 1960-1971. He is currently working on a biography of Gardner (Pat) Jackson, a New Dealer who fought for the rights of tenant farmers, sharecroppers, and rural labor in general. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post The Strange Role Milk has Played in Our Politics appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  10. Sep 30

    “Red Ants” is Indigenous Fiction Infused with Modern Experience

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · “Red Ants” is Indigenous Fiction Infused with Modern ExperienceToday on A Public Affair, award winning poet Kimberly Blaeser joined Ali Muldrow to talk about her forthcoming book, Red Ants. Red Ants comes out next week on October 6, and is already longlisted for the National Book Award. She previously published six poetry collections, which focus on the themes of indigenous literature, environmentalism, advocacy and nature. Blaeser talked about her early influences as a writer, indigenous education in our culture, the Indigenous Nations Poets society she founded in 2020, and her transition from poetry to fiction. Blaeser and Muldrow discuss how her expertise in the craft of poetry shines through in her debut collection of fiction. Today on A Public Affair, award winning poet Kimberly Blaeser joined Ali Muldrow to talk about her forthcoming book, Red Ants. Red Ants comes out next week on October 6, and is already longlisted for the National Book Award. She previously published six poetry collections, which focus on the themes of indigenous literature, environmentalism, advocacy and nature. Blaeser talked about her early influences as a writer, indigenous education in our culture, the Indigenous Nations Poets society she founded in 2020, and her transition from poetry to fiction. Blaeser and Muldrow discuss how her expertise in the craft of poetry shines through in her debut collection of fiction. Kimberly Blaeser, founding director of Indigenous Nations Poets and past Wisconsin Poet Laureate, is the author of six poetry collections, most recently Ancient Light. Her debut fiction collection Red Ants is longlisted for the National Book Award. Blaeser’s other honors include the 2026 Science and Literature Award from the National Book Foundation, 2026 O. Henry Prize, Writers’ Writer for Writers Award, Hayden’s Ferry Review’s Indigenous Poets Prize, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas. An Anishinaabe activist and environmentalist, Blaeser is an enrolled member of White Earth Nation and MFA faculty member at Institute of American Indian Arts. She lives in the woods and wetlands of Wisconsin and Minnesota following poems, photos, stories, and river otters—sometimes all at once. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post “Red Ants” is Indigenous Fiction Infused with Modern Experience appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Listener Sponsored Community Radio in Madison, WI

Information

  • Creator
    Douglas Haynes, Ali Muldrow, Carousel Bayrd, Allen Ruff, & Esty Dinur
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Back Porch Broadcasting, Inc.
  • Show Website
    A Public Affair

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