"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, Omar Waheed
Guest: Prenicia Clifton
Episode Overview
This week, the team covers the end of SNAP benefits and its impact on Wisconsin families and small businesses, the return of Madison Nonprofit Day, the growing threat of media capture, and a few lighter conversations to close the show — including conspiracy theories they wish were true.
SNAP Benefits Ending
Nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites are about to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as of November 1. Rob, Stephanie, and Omar discuss what this means for food pantries, families, and local economies.
They also highlight that federal workers are unpaid during the shutdown and that the ripple effects extend to small businesses and farmers.
LOUD's New Gallery Space
Omar talks with Oscar Morales, founder of Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development (LOUD), about opening a new gallery at Next Wave Studios on Madison’s east side. The first artist in residence, La Pistola from Oaxaca, led workshops and connected with Madison’s growing arts scene.
Media Capture and the Importance of Local News
Rob discusses a recent episode of the Question Everything podcast, focusing on “media capture” — when governments or their allies take control of the media.
Starting November 1, every donation to Madison365 will be doubled through the Institute for Nonprofit News’ matching fund.
Donate here → madison365.org/donate
Madison Nonprofit Day Returns
Guest: Prenicia Clifton, organizer of Madison Nonprofit Day, joins to preview the event’s return on Friday, November 7 at TruStage.
She explains that it’s a professional development opportunity for nonprofit professionals, board members, and community leaders — with sessions on funding, collaboration, safety, and leadership transitions.
“Professional development is often the last thing invested in,” Clifton says. “But we need to develop ourselves to serve our communities safely and effectively.”
Highlights include:
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Opening panel with Angela Davis (Madison Community Foundation), Angela Russell (TruStage), Renée Moe (United Way of Dane County), and Shiva Bidar-Sielaff (UW Health)
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Workshops on fundraising, partnership, and succession planning
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Clifton’s keynote on preventing abuse in youth-serving spaces
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Social Impact Happy Hour recognizing local changemakers
🎟️ Register: https://seeinisbelievin.regfox.com/2025-madison-nonprofit-day
Roundtable Question: Conspiracy Theories We Wish Were True
365 Amplified is produced by Rob Chappell for the 365 Media Foundation, a nonprofit local media organization in Madison, Wisconsin. Follow Madison365 on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads.