🏢 Want to buy this iconic downtown office building?

🚌 Reduced Bus Service and Trash Pickup for the Holidays

• Metro Transit services will be reduced on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, the routes will take their usual weekday schedules but will end earlier than usual. On Christmas Day, the buses will operate on their Sunday schedules.
• Meanwhile, there will be no Madison Streets collections on Wednesday or Thursday in honor of the holiday, and the dropoff sites will also be closed.
• If your household normally has Tuesday or Wednesday pickup, have your carts to the curb by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. If you have Thursday or Friday pickup, get them out there by 6:30 a.m. Friday. [City of Madison]

🗳️ Justice Dept. Sues Wisconsin For Unredacted Voter Rolls

• The Wisconsin Elections Commission was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice last week after it refused to turn over unredacted voter rolls, which include personal identification information such as birthdates, full or partial Social Security numbers, and driver’s license data.
• The federal government has now sued 21 states for the data, which it says it needs to find non-citizens on the voter rolls. WEC commissioners pointed to a state law that explicitly bars election officials from sharing personal details of voters with people who aren’t election officials. [VoteBeat]

🏫 MMSD Wants to Reduce Restraining and Isolating Students

• Madison school officials want to cut the number of incidents in which students with disabilities were restrained or secluded by staff.
• A report said that of the 506 such incidents that took place during the 2024-25 school year, 30% of them involved students with disabilities. Such restrictive techniques can be traumatic for students, education experts said, and the district is hoping to reduce the number through comprehensive staff training. [Fox47]

It’s been a big year here at City Cast Madison! I’m wrapping up my first full year as newsletter editor and Jade Iseri-Ramos is finishing her first year as producer. It’s been a momentous year full of fascinating podcasts and fun newsletter articles, and we’re taking a look back as 2025 wraps up.

On the City Cast Madison podcast today, the team remembers some of the biggest stories we covered in 2025, from good news to troubling trends.

Here’s some of my personal favorites of the things I’ve written this year in the Madison Minutes newsletter and the podcast episodes that have stuck with me. Think of it as my own personal City Cast Madison Wrapped!

🎧 Favorite Podcast Episodes!

Madison’s Naughty or Nice List

Just in time for the holidays, host Bianca Martin and WORT host Ali Muldrow got into it about who in Madison deserves presents from Santa and who deserves a lump of coal. Their verdicts may surprise you!

The Best and Worst of Madison’s Dating Scene

Bianca and executive producer Hayley Sperling hit the streets to find out from YOU what the single life in Madison is really all about, and shared some of their own personal war stories.

Your Guide to Fall Birding in Madison

It’s always a delight when we have the “Wisco Birder” Dexter Patterson on the show to talk not just about Wisconsin birds, but how birding could improve your life even if you never see a bird!

Our Interview With Governor Evers

It was a real treat for the team to sit down with Gov. Tony Evers in his office after he announced he would be retiring next year, to both look back on his two terms and look forward to what he’s doing next.

Who’s Got The Best Ice Cream in Madison?

Our jobs are really hard, you guys. Especially when we gathered in-studio to sample over a dozen different kinds of locally-made ice cream and custard and rank our faves. We do it for you.

The Best Restaurants You’ll Never Go To Again

City Cast Madison listeners joined us in waxing nostalgic about the local restaurants, bars and coffee shops that live on only in our memories. Jolly Bob’s, we hardly knew ya.