🍂 Goodbye, tank top. Hello, flannel.

🚌 Metro Transit Gets a New General Manager

• Jamie Acton has been appointed by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway to become the new general manager for Metro Transit. Acton, who will start on Oct. 13, served as transportation manager for the city of Anchorage, Alaska, and most recently was director of planning and program development for the Federal Transit Administration's Region 10 in the Pacific Northwest.
• Acton comes to Metro Transit as it looks to maintain and expand its Bus Rapid Transit service, and in the midst of a labor dispute with drivers, who have been working without a contract since Dec. 31. [City of Madison, 🎧 City Cast Madison, WKOW]

🪖 Staffing Shortage at Madison’s VA Hospital Getting Worse

• Madison’s Veterans Affairs medical center is facing its worst staffing shortage in years, according to a new report by the department’s Inspector General.
• Data collected in April showed staffing shortages in 36 occupations in Madison, following a national trend of shortages at VA hospitals across the country. A spokesperson for the department rejected the Inspector General’s report, calling the results “completely subjective.”
• Veterans advocates say the shortages lead to longer wait times and impact the quality of care that veterans receive. [Cap Times]

🏫 Should Religious Freedom Be a Factor in UW Student Housing?

• UW-Madison officials allowed an incoming Jewish freshman to switch dorms after a conservative law firm threatened to sue the school.
• The student requested to be housed in a dorm near UW Hillel and Chabad House because her faith requires her to attend Sabbath services every evening. But the housing lottery system placed her in a dorm that was a 29-minute walk away.
• First Liberty Institute sent a demand letter to the university last month, saying that to not accommodate the student was a violation of her religious freedom, noting that UW-Madison makes exceptions for working students and those with medical issues. University officials granted a reassignment after a previously allocated room became available. [Badger Herald]

If the algorithm-driven playlists and AI DJs of Spotify and other streaming services have gotten you down, there is a better way. The Madison area is lucky to have our airwaves full of talented, passionate local folks who work at community radio stations that connect listeners to their community and each other.

On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Stacy Harbaugh aka DJ Shotski, host of Polka Time on WMVO 98.7 FM (“The Voice of Monona”) about the power of community radio and its volunteers.

Here are a few community radio stations up and down the dial that you should tune into, and how you can support them:

WMVO (98.7 FM)

This low-power, volunteer-driven FM station owned by the City of Monona is both a way for city officials to get information out to its citizens and a chance for volunteer community members to get on the air. Their Americana music shows are their bread-and-butter, but other shows range from prog rock to jazz. They’re always looking for more volunteers to help out.

WORT (89.9 FM)

Madison’s own WORT is celebrating 50 years as a listener-supported community radio station , with an eclectic mix of news, music, and local interest programming. Shows like Bill Malone’s “Back to the Country” and “Mel & Floyd” have become Madison institutions. They accept donations and volunteers.

WSUM (91.7 FM)

UW-Madison students power this long-running community radio station on campus, learning broadcast skills as they provide a service to the student population and beyond. In addition to news, UW sports talk and a wide variety of music, WSUM sponsors the annual Snake on the Lake free music festival at Union South on Sept. 11. They accept donations and any UW student can get involved.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

This mural is located on the back of the Cinn City Smash food truck!

🎉 Congratulations to Leah G., Austin C., and April S. for being the first three people to guess right!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Where is this ceramic tile figure located? A few clues:

• It’s on the west side of Madison
• Like last week’s Where Is It, it’s another food-related location
• There are a bunch of tile figures on the wall, and they must all love Italian food!