Bridge the City
Society & Culture
About
Bridge the City podcast bridges together people, resources, and ideas that inspire Milwaukee to action.
Episodes
- Episode 146: Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Host Deisy Espana interviews Jennifer Bolger Breceda, Executive Director of Milwaukee Riverkeeper. They cover the organization's efforts to protect and restore the Milwaukee River Basin, including water quality monitoring and a significant…
- Episode 145: Election Special - April 2026
This episode of Bridge the City features host Benjamin Rangel giving an overview of the State Supreme Court Election happening on April 7th, 2026.
- Episode 144: Via CDC
In Episode 144 of Bridge the City, host Deisy Espana interviews Isabel Castro and Joanna Bautch from Via Community Development Corporation. They discuss Via's initiatives in Silver City, Burnham Park, and Layton Park, aimed at fostering bu…
- Episode 143: Teach for America Milwaukee
Host Ben Rangel speaks with Michael Nguyen, Executive Director of Teach for America Milwaukee. They cover the organization's start in Milwaukee, its community initiatives, and how it assists educators facing difficulties.
- Episode 142: La Revo Books
Barbara and Valeria Cerda share the story behind La Revo Books, a community pop-up bookstore. They discuss its origins, significance to their community, and ways to offer support.
- Episode 141: Immigration in Milwaukee
Host Ben Rangel sits down with Melissa Soberalski, with Soberalski Law, and Fernanda Jimenez, with the Comite sin Fronteras, to discuss how recent immigration policies have impacted the immigrant community in Milwaukee. Ben and Melissa tal…
- Episode 140: April 2025 Election Special
Host Ben Rangel sits down with both candidates for the third aldermanic district race on April 1st - Alex Brower and Daniel Bauman. Alex and Daniel discuss their plans for housing, public transit, economic investment, and more. In addition…
- Episode 139: February 2025 Election Special
Hosts Deisy Espana and Ben Rangel discuss the upcoming February 18th primary. They talk about the State Superintendent Race and the 3rd Aldermanic District Race. If you’re not sure what aldermanic district you are in, you can check here.
- Episode 138: Rethink 794
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Taylor Korslin and John Everitt, volunteers with Rethink 794. They talk about the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s I-794 Lake Interchange Study and why they believe the best option is to remove t…
- Episode 137: Father Gene's Help Center
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Jessica Luebbering, former Executive Director of Father Gene’s Help Center. They talk about Jessica’s path to her position, the work of Father Gene’s Help Center, and what dignity means.
- Episode 136: Swing State of the Union
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with former Bridge the City producer and current WUWM Reporter, Sam Woods. Sam Woods is the production assistant for WUWM’s Lake Effect. They talk about Sam’s award-winning podcast with Joy Powers, Swing Stat…
- Episode 135: August 2024 Election Special
Hosts Ashlie Benson and Benjamin Rangel discuss the upcoming primary election on Tuesday, August 13th with special guest, Sinclair Johnston. They answer Sinclair’s questions about the election and the two referenda (referendums?) that woul…
- Episode 134: Muskego Way Forward
Host Deisy España sits down with Elizabeth Ramirez and Alison Hernandez with Muskego Way Forward. They talk about the community organizing and development work of Muskego Way Forward, the importance of grassroots neighborhood social progra…
- Episode 133: April 2024 Election Special (Bonus) - MPS Referendum
Host Deisy Espana sits down with Ingrid Walker-Henry, the President of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, to discuss the “Say Yes to MPS” campaign. Ingrid and Deisy talk about what the additional funding would mean for MPS and…
- Episode 132: April 2024 Election Special
Hosts Deisy Espana and Ben Rangel sit down to talk about and discuss the upcoming election on Tuesday, April 2nd. They discuss the referendums on the ballot, the different aldermanic races, and other local elections.
- Episode 131: Mercadera Market
Host Deisy Espana sits down with Galy Montes and Nataly Andrade, co-founders of Mercadera Market. They talk about the growth of Latina owned small businesses and their part in amplifying their voices.
- Episode 130: Milwaukee Mobile Health Crisis
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Lauren Hubbard, Director of Community Crisis Services at Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services. Ben and Lauren discuss how her teams serves the Milwaukee Community in a variety of ways and the work…
- Episode 129: Milwaukee Talkie w/ Brett Heaton Juarez
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down in a Milwaukee Talkie with Brett Heaton Juarez. Ben and Brett talk about their relationship with finances and money, Brett’s new book, “Change from your Dollars”, and how to use your time and resources to sup…
- Episode 128: Hundred Acre Farm
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Chris Corkery, CEO of Hundred Acre Farm. They talk about what vertical hydroponic farming is, how it can disrupt the agricultural and food industry, and the difference its already making in our city.
- Episode 127: MKE Climate and Equity Plan
Hosts Deisy España and Benjamin Rangel sit down with Nancy Retana, Clean Wisconsin's Resilient Communities Program Director. They talk about Clean Wisconsin’s work to preserve and protect Wisconsin’s clean water, clean air and natural heri…
- Episode 126: Power to the People Campaign
Hosts Benjamin Rangel and Deisy España sit down with Anna Dvorak and Gregory Brown with the Power to the People Campaign. They talk about their campaign to turn our energy utilities from an investor-owned utility to a municipally owned and…
- Episode 125: Mexican Fiesta
Hosts Benjamin Rangel and Deisy España sit down with Nora Godoy-Gonzalez and Kate Rodriguez the current and future Mexican Fiesta Ambassadors, respectively. They talk about how much fun the Fiesta is, how the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship…
- Episode 124: Rethink 794 - Milwaukee Central Park Project
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with guest Jacob Krieg, founder of the Milwaukee Central Park Project. They talk about the potential removal of the I794 spur of freeway on the the Eastside of the city and what could take its place. Specific…
- Episode 123: April General Election Preview
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Bridge the City teammate and guest producer, Ashlie Benson, to break down the upcoming election on Tuesday, April 4th, 2023.
- Episode 122: Housing First
Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Eric Collins-Dyke, Assistant Administrator of the Milwaukee County Housing Division, to discuss Housing First and homelessness in the county.
- Episode 121: Election Special w/ Everett Mitchell
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down Judge Everett Mitchell one of four candidates on the ballot in the upcoming Wisconsin State Supreme Court Primary Election. Judge Mitchell was an Assistant District Attorney in Dane County and was elected to…
- Episode 120: Milwaukee Talkie w/ Elmer Moore
Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Elmer Moore, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), to discuss Elmer’s route to Milwaukee, the challenges of affordable housing, and NIMBYism.
- Episode 119: Sojourner Family Peace Center
Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Carmen Pitre, President and CEO of Sojourner Family Peace Center, to discuss domestic violence in Milwaukee and the resources available for survivors.
- Episode 118: Milwaukee Esports
Host Ben Rangel sits down with Brandon Tschacher, Founder of the Milwaukee Esports Alliance, and Abbey Diedrich, Director of Career Development at New Horizons Wisconsin, to talk about the state of Esports in Milwaukee. They talk about the…
- Episode 117: Kinship Community Food Center
Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Anna Fahrendorf, Communications Associate at Kinship Community Food Center. They discuss food insecurity, what Kinship does, and the importance of dignity.
- Episode 116: Milwaukee Black Theater Festival
Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with three guests from Black Arts MKE—Barbara Wanzo, Executive Director of Black Arts MKE; Sheri Williams Panel, Producing Artistic Director of Bronzeville Arts Ensemble and Artistic Associate of Black Arts MKE;…
- Episode 115: Walker's Point Youth and Family Center
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Audra O’Connell, Executive Director of Walker’s Point Youth and Family Center, to talk about their work serving young people experiencing housing insecurity in the city. They discuss the misconceptions a…
- Episode 114: Milwaukee Talkie w/ Judge Derek Mosley
Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Chief Municipal Judge Derek Mosely about what it means being a Municipal Court Judge, Judge Mosely’s passion and celebration of Milwaukee’s food scene, and his work advocating for greater racial equity and…
- Episode 113: B Corps in Milwaukee
Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Drew Pond, Director of Development at Stone Creek Coffee, and Kelsey Moses, Excise Tax and Compliance Director at Lakefront Brewery. They talk about what is a B Corp, why the companies decided to pursue suc…
- Episode 112: Woodland Pattern
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Woodland Pattern Executive Directors Laura Solomon and Jenny Gropp. Woodland Pattern is a Book Center in Riverwest and offers a wide selection of books, including one of the largest collections of poetry…
- Episode 111: Milwaukee Talkie w/ Dr. Monique Liston
Host Ashlie Benson sits down with Dr. Monique Liston who is the Chief Strategist & Joyful Militant of Ubuntu Research and Evaluation. Ashlie and Dr. Liston discuss what does it mean to practice joyful militancy, who are community celebrate…
- Episode 110: Lion's Tooth
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with one of the co-owners of Lion’s Tooth, a local Bookstore, cafe, and subscription service with small press books and graphic novels. Ben and Cris talk about the origin of Lion’s Tooth, what makes Lion’s To…
- Episode 109: Help Wanted
Hosts Benjamin Rangel and Ashlie Benson sit down with one another to ask you all, the listeners, for help! We are looking for new team members and would love your support. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about Bri…
- Episode 108: Milwaukee River Greenway
Host Benjamin Rangel Sits down with Mark Denning, Eddee Daniel, and Kimberly Gleffe to talk about the Milwaukee River Greenway and Eddee Daniel’s new book on the subject. We learn more about our place in caring for our ecosystems, how Edde…
- Episode 107: Fair Maps in Wisconsin
Host Ashlie Benson sits down with Sheila Plotkin with We, the Irrelevant, Matthew Rothschild with the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and Chris Ford with the People’s Maps Commission to discuss redistricting and fair maps in Wisconsin. They…
- Episode 106: Unionization in Milwaukee
Host Ben Rangel sits down with Sam Harshner, Professor at Marquette University, Hillary Laskonis, Coworker at Colectivo Coffee, and Robert Penner, union organizer and former employee of Colectivo Coffee. They talk about the state of unioni…
- Episode 105: Black Vote Rising
Hosts Kacee Ochalek and Ashlie Benson sit down with Melody McCurtis, Deputy Director of Priorities/Organizer, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, and Miela Fetaw the Co-director of the short documentary Black Vote Rising. They discuss was ins…
- Episode 104: Envision South 13th Street Together
Hosts Benjamin Rangel and Kacee Ochalek sit down with planning experts Amy Oeth and Leif Otteson to talk about the recommendations coming to the South 13th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue corridors. These recommendations come together to i…
- Episode 103: Election Special - April 6th, 2021
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with candidates for State Superintendent and Milwaukee Public School Board Districts 4 and 5. The candidates for State Superintendent are Deborah Kerr and Jill Underly. The candidates for MPS Board District 4…
- Episode 102: Snow Removal and Accessible Streets
Host Sam Woods sits down with Brian Peters, Harvey Ross, Jason Ostrowski, and Lauren Grudzinski, to discuss the importance of snow removal for sidewalk and street accessibility. When snow is left in the sidewalk, on curb cuts, or bus stops…
- Episode 101: Milwaukee Talkie w/ Dr. Robert Schneider
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with UW-Milwaukee professor, Dr. Robert Schneider, to discuss how we can redesign our city to address reckless driving. We discuss how roads could be redesigned to slow down traffic, why our current transport…
- Episode 100: Election Special - State Superintendent Primary
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with four candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction - Dr. Shandowlyon (Shawn) Hendricks-Williams, Steve Krull, Deborah Kerr, and Sheila Briggs. We talk about their priorities for the first 100…
- Episode 99: Election Special - MPS School Board Primary
Hosts Kacee Ochalek and Ben Rangel speak with Larry Miller, Outgoing Milwaukee Public School Board President and District 5 Director, about the upcoming Milwaukee School Board Primary Election. Larry explains the ins-and-outs of what it me…
- Episode 98: Opportunity Costs of Healthcare in the US
On an episode originally aired on Riverwest Radio, hosts Ashlie Benson and Kacee Ochalek talk to Dr. Vanness and Dr. Lomas about their new paper, “A Health Opportunity Cost Threshold for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in the United States.” T…
- Episode 97: Educating During a Pandemic
Host Benjamin Rangel sits down again with Anthony McHenry, CEO of Milwaukee Academy of Science, and two of his own students, Rodrigo and Yulian. We talk about how schools have been navigating this challenging time, things to celebrate desp…