This week on Madison365, a longtime Madison musician and social justice champion entered the political arena, a Sacramento-based nonprofit expanded its mission to help students of color in a new school district, and women from all walks of life prepared to gather for a day of sisterhood and advocacy. On the business front, we looked at Wisconsin's curious decision not to fund hands-on job training in its high schools and at the billion-dollar data center boom reshaping the state's economy. Plus, hip-hop made its way into Madison classrooms, the WIAA boys basketball tournament tipped off, and more.

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.

On this week’s Black Oxygen, Governor Doyle reflects on the formative experiences that shaped his values. We dig into the mechanics of building diverse teams without tokenism, the current fragility of American democracy, Wisconsin's outsized role as a swing state, and why the arc of history — while long — still bends toward justice.

A bunch of USL1 podcasters, writers and sickos got together to talk about the upcoming season, which gets underway this weekend! We talk rosters, League Cup, Open Cup, vibes, and chaos, and we pour one out for South Georgia Tormenta. Get ready for football starting Saturday with voices from across the league!

Ready for a new gig: Musician, social justice champion Tony Castañeda jumps into run for Assembly Tony Castañeda, a longtime Madison Latin jazz musician, WORT radio host, and social justice advocate, has announced his candidacy for Wisconsin's 76th Assembly District, running on a platform centered on immigration protections, public school funding, and democratic reform.

Improve Your Tomorrow-Wisconsin launches programming in Verona Area School District Improve Your Tomorrow, a Sacramento-based nonprofit focused on helping young students of color reach college, has expanded its Wisconsin operations with a new mentoring program at Verona High School serving about 19–25 ninth- and tenth-graders.

"Courageously Weaving Our Stories": 2026 AFRICaide/4W International Women's Day set for Saturday AFRICaide and 4W Women and Well-being Initiative are hosting their annual International Women's Day celebration on Saturday at Christ Presbyterian Church, featuring panels, hands-on activities, Trailblazer Awards, and a day of advocacy and sisterhood for women from all backgrounds.

Nearly every state funds hands-on job training in high schools. Why not Wisconsin? A Wisconsin Watch investigation finds that Wisconsin is one of just five states that don't dedicate state funding to career and technical education in public schools, leaving access to popular hands-on job training programs uneven across districts.

Data centers fuel $1 billion in Wisconsin business growth, but some question long-term impact Three Wisconsin companies have already amassed more than $1 billion in data center-related orders, but with no hyperscale facilities yet operating in the state, questions remain about whether the AI-fueled boom will deliver durable economic benefits.

Milwaukee-based performer L.E.X. inspires students during two-week hip-hop residency with MMSD Clean hip-hop artist, author, and educator L.E.X. spent two weeks visiting 16 MMSD schools, performing and helping students process emotions through music.

WIAA boys state basketball tournament heats up this weekend with some key matchups in the Madison area and beyond The WIAA boys state basketball tournament is underway with regional games this weekend, featuring area teams and standout talent including top-ranked senior Zavier Zens of Wisconsin Lutheran.

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