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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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 Manufacturing, $1 million in foundation grants, and the upcoming "Year of the Kids." Plus: a rough day for Madison sports.

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:

• SEIU press conference
• Madison Black Chamber Eras Ball preview
• Forward Madison season preview
• 608 Soccer podcast with Mark Segbergs

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 Omar's reporting on Improve Your Tomorrow here and here.

Check out the Marquette University polling here.

Listen to the latest Black Oxygen here and 608 Soccer here.

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, author, poet, DJ and educator. Lex spent two weeks visiting 16 MMSD schools, performing and helping kids process emotions through music — and it was anything but a corny after-school special.

School funding crunch: MMSD is already laying groundwork for next year's budget, and the outlook isn't great. The hosts dig into why: a state legislature that funds only about 5% of school district budgets (compared to 60-70% in Minnesota), federal special education cuts, and a new lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's funding model as unconstitutional.

Dane County's $31 million problem: Rob obtained a budget memo showing the county faces a roughly $31 million deficit heading into 2027, as post-COVID surpluses dry up and health insurance and employee costs climb. Balancing the budget could mean cutting around 241 full-time positions. Only one county supervisor responded to Rob's request for comment.

County contracting review: County Executive Melissa Agard has ordered a comprehensive review of county contracting practices. Rob spoke with Agard, Human Services Director Josh Luter, and several nonprofit leaders. The recurring theme: a need for greater transparency in bidding, scoring and feedback — plus structural issues like one-year contracts for five-year projects with no built-in cost-of-living increases.

On the radar: Stephanie flags the November 3 election, which will include a Republican-backed constitutional amendment that would prohibit DEI policies at any state government entity, including UW. Also coming up: spring county board elections with a few competitive races.

Question of the week: How big would a worm have to be before you'd tell somebody about it?

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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 one would you be?

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, larger South Park Street location, expanding fresh food access and community space in a historically underserved area.

The first featured interview is with former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, now a candidate for governor. Barnes discusses his campaign priorities, including health care expansion, public school funding, affordability pressures, and his outlook on working with the state legislature and the broader Democratic coalition.

In the second segment, Omar Waheed speaks with Brandi Grayson and Alex Lindenmeyer of Urban Triage about "Seen and Unseen," a March 3 public art installation around Capitol Square. The four-site walking tour is designed to illustrate both visible and hidden causes and consequences of homelessness, and to highlight systemic barriers and community-based solutions.

The event will include speakers, artists, and community partners, and coincides with The Big Share Day of Giving.

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, well-known Ho-Chunk chef Elena Terry is finally opening a brick and mortar restaurant at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Omar Waheed spoke with her and catches us up on her plans.

Next up, Madison seventh-grader Iliyan Hoskins is just back from his first international judo competition, where he won a bronze medal for Team USA at the Pan American Judo Championships in Lima, Peru. He and his mom Ivanka join the show to educate Rob about the sport, recap the Pan Am championship, and talk about his Olympic Dreams.

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.