"Now That It Works, They Want to Kill It." Aeiramique Glass on the PCOB controversy
365 Amplified
Madison's Common Council has new leadership — and new tensions. Sabrina Madison and Carmella Glenn make history as the first two Black women to serve as council president and vice president. Meanwhile, a proposed ordinance amendment targeting the Police Civilian Oversight Board sparks a firestorm. Interim Independent Police Monitor Aeiramique Glass joins us to break down what's really behind the push to rein in the office she's finally gotten up and running — and why she says the resistance started the moment oversight actually started working. Plus: an update on the CAYA Clinic AI...
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Who's Building Out the Public Market — And Who's Paying?
365 Amplified
This week on 365 Amplified, Rob takes Stephanie and Omar inside the still-under-construction Madison Public Market. After 20 years, $25 million in investment, and a string of missed opening dates, Rob visited the building and found art on the walls but no vendors ready to serve. The team digs into a key question: if the market calls itself "mission driven," why are small vendors — many of them Black and brown entrepreneurs — being required to pay for their own build-outs, and why can't they choose their own contractors? Rob shares what he learned from vendors, a UW urban development...
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What does Chris Taylor's win mean for the midterms?
365 Amplified
This week, the team talks through the spring election results, some surprising, some with broader implications. Then, after a few other news updates, Rob sits down with Alejandro Verdin, who ran the State Supreme Court campaign of Justice Janet Protasiewicz, whose 2023 win flipped the court from a conservative to liberal majority. Verdin has some thoughts about what Chris Taylor's win, and the larger-than-expected margin of victory, means for Wisconsin, for the two parties, and the 2026 midterm elections. Finally, the roundtable question: what did you rage quit, then quietly come back to?...
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Four Generations, One Million Dollars
365 Amplified
It's the season finale! (Not really.) Rob and Omar preview the sixth annual Most Influential Native American Leaders list, then discuss Hydrate IV Bar, a new hydration therapy franchise opening in Madison. St. Paul Mayor Mee Moua visits Madison as the Hmong community marks the 50th anniversary of the Hmong American diaspora. The guys dig into a Wisconsin Watch investigation on data center job claims, celebrate Middleton teens behind Meals Matter earning national recognition, and discuss the fallout from Cesar Chavez allegations. Then, Diane Endres-Ballweg joins to talk 100 years of Endres...
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"Stand up. Be a man." A talk with Congressional candidate Lorenzo Santos
365 Amplified
Today, Rob talks through a few news items before welcoming Lorenzo Santos, a Navy vet and Racine County emergency management director running for Congress in Wisconsin's First Congressional District. Links:
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"Some of my best friends are dead"
365 Amplified
On this week's 365 Amplified, Omar and Rob talk through the new initiatives of Improve Your Tomorrow, a program targetted at students of color in Madison that we first reported on a few weeks ago which has now expanded into Verona and which will host an information session next week. Then, they go over the latest polling on the race for Wisconsin governor. Next up, Tony Castañeda joins to talk about his run for State Assembly, his long history in leftist politics and social justice, and what he brings to the race as a musician. Finally, a bit about the upcoming Forward Madison season. Read...
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Podcast history, hip-hop ed, local budget woes
365 Amplified
Hosts: Rob Chappell, Stephanie Díaz de León, Omar Waheed Dee Star's big moment: Three major milestones for Dee Star, host of the OuttaDeeBox podcast: February 3 has been declared Dee Star Day in Sun Prairie; the Out of Dee Box podcast will be the first podcast enshrined at the Wisconsin History Museum and the Sun Prairie Historical Society; and he's receiving a legislative citation for community impact. Omar caught up with him about what it all means. Hip-hop in the classroom: Omar visited Kennedy Elementary to check out a hip-hop artist residency featuring Lex, a clean hip-hop artist,...
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Stay Gold: the local kid making his Broadway debut in The Outsiders
365 Amplified
This week, Rob, Stephanie, and Omar dig into the ICE detention of Noel Quintana, co-owner of Madison's beloved Señor Machete's restaurant — and what his family is facing as they fight for his return. Plus: results from Tuesday's local primaries, including a Mount Horeb village board race where the top three candidates were separated by just two votes. Then Rob sits down with Caleb Mathura, a Verona High School graduate who is making his Broadway debut next month playing Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. And the crew answers the big question: if you were a weather pattern, which...
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Mandela Barnes on policy, organizing and the path to 2026
365 Amplified
This week’s episode of 365 Amplified features two in-depth conversations centered on Wisconsin politics and community response to homelessness, plus local nonprofit and business updates. Rob Chappell opens with a look at a bankruptcy case involving a nonprofit donation platform that reportedly owes millions of dollars to organizations nationwide, including dozens in Wisconsin. The discussion includes how the case came to light through nonprofit newsroom collaboration and how at least one Madison organization was affected. The episode also highlights the opening of Luna’s Groceries’ new,...
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"I have Black friends" but bigger
365 Amplified
This week, we have the (more or less) final update on the proposed harm reduction center on Madison's East Side. Turns out, the organization recommended to get $2.4 million to run it listed a bunch of partnerships and collaborations with organziations that never agreed to be partners or collaborate -- a fact we exclusively reported this week. The Board of Health ultimately rejected the contract. On the podcast today, we go through the details and dig into just how problematic it is for white leaders to claim more connection to Black and brown communities than nthey actually have. Then,...
info_outlineHosts: Rob Chappell, Stephanie Díaz de León, and Omar Waheed
Guest: Nate Buescher, UW–Madison freshman and star of Disney Channel’s Electric Bloom
Runtime: 53:38
On this week's podcast, we catch up on a range of news stories from the week, and get acquainted with a new neighbor who's a rising Disney star.
🌟 Leadership Summit Preview
The eighth annual 365 Leadership Summit is just around the corner, happening Monday, November 3, at the Madison Concourse Hotel. Stephanie and Rob preview the lineup:
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Opening panel “Leadership Unscripted” with Henry Sanders, Dr. Sagashus Livingston, Karen Menendez Coller of Centro Hispano, and Chairman Tehassi Hill of the Oneida Nation.
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Honoring the 2025 Most Influential Leaders at the evening celebration.
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Presented by UW Credit Union and other key sponsors.
“It feels like a homecoming,” Stephanie says — a reunion for changemakers across Wisconsin.
Register now at 365LeadershipSummit.org/registration.
🔫 Moms Demand Action at the Capitol
Omar reports from the State Capitol, where Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action held their annual Advocacy Day, pushing for six common-sense gun safety measures:
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Banning guns on college campuses
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Universal background checks
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Extreme risk protection orders (“Red Flag Laws”)
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Tax-free gun safes
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Stricter liability for unsafe firearm storage
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Background checks for gun store employees
Stephanie reminds listeners that “the Second Amendment is not absolute,” and Rob notes that every proposal sounded “pretty sensible.” Read Omar's story here.
📚 Wisconsin Book Festival: Shobha Rao Returns
Omar recaps his interview with novelist Shobha Rao, author of Indian Country, ahead of her Wisconsin Book Festival appearance. The book explores land, memory, and identity through a murder mystery lens. Rao recalls her “healing” time living in Madison as a young adult and her love of Wisconsin's own Laura Ingalls Wilder. Read Omar's story here.
🏫 MMSD’s $507 Million Plan
Madison voters approved a massive school facilities referendum, and the Sherman and Shabazz schools are first in line for new buildings. Omar details plans for larger classrooms, separate libraries, and a 13,500-square-foot gym — all ready by September 2027. Stephanie highlights how basic needs like warmth, air flow, and space “deeply affect how kids learn.” Read Omar's story here.
🥫 SNAP Benefits Suspended
Rob reports troubling news: 700,000 Wisconsinites could lose access to FoodShare (SNAP) benefits starting November 1 due to the federal government shutdown. The panel discusses who’s affected — families, seniors, and the disabled — and pushes back on myths about “lazy” recipients. Read Rob's story here.
🎬 Guest Interview: Nate Buescher, Star of Electric Bloom
Rob chats with Nate Buescher, a freshman at UW–Madison and co-star of Disney’s new teen series Electric Bloom, now streaming on Disney+. Nate shares:
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How he landed the role after months of auditions
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Filming in California and the culture shock from Chicago winters to LA
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His plans to study biology while continuing acting
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His lifelong passion for storytelling — from Weebles Wobbles commercials at age seven to now being part of Disney’s next big friendship series.
“Even though the show’s for tweens,” Nate says, “my grandma watches it — and she loves it.”
💬 The Question: “What’s Your Ratio?”
In the closing segment, Stephanie poses this week’s question:
“What’s your ratio of pretending to know what’s going on versus actually knowing what’s going on?”
After a wild story about a $88 million jewel heist at the Louvre, the crew confesses to plenty of “confident BSing.” Omar admits he’s “winging it 70% of the time,” while Rob recalls faking his way through a grad seminar, and somehow getting away with it.
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
365 Amplified is produced and edited by Rob Chappell for 365 Media Foundation, a nonprofit local independent media organization based in Madison, Wisconsin.
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