For Kailyn Palomares's January visit to the Morning Show, she brought with her two representatives of the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission ..... Ben McKay, Deputy Director, and Laura Herrick, Chief Environmental Engineer. The SEWRPC works with municipalities in Southeastern Wisconsin on environmental and engineering plans.

We preview next week's 4th annual Arts Symposium at Carthage College. This year's event is titled "Borderlands and Crossroads: A Confluence of Art, Music, Film, and Everyday Life." This symposium, like its predecessors, celebrates the Samuel and Berry Schoen Collection of Soviet Art at Carthage. The event- which is free and open to the public- occurs January 13, 14 and 15. We speak with four members of the Carthage art faculty .... Leslie Brothers, Joshua McGowan, Lisa Bigalke, and Robin Holmes- as well as with current Carthage student Jared Werner- who are all participants in the symposium in one way or another. A selection of paintings from the Schoen Collection are already on display in the Johnson Arts Gallery. That exhibition is titled "Harvesting Light: Soviet Women in Labor and Life."

Here is another of our favorite interviews from 2025 .... with Kevin Ervin, co-owner of Frank's Diner, one of the most famous eating establishments in southeastern Wisconsin- the longest continuously-operating diner in the state- which last year celebrated its 99th anniversary of operation. (But it should have been its 100th anniversary. The story behind that is just one of the things we talk about in this interview.).

We talk with Dr. Thomas Carr, Associate Professor of Biology at Carthage College, about the ending of the relationship between Carthage's paleontology program and the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Kenosha. (We will be issuing an invitation to the administration at the museum to give them the opportunity to share their perspective on the situation.)

One of our favorite Morning Show interviews from 2025 was with James Parker, author of "Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive." The various odes in this book include "Ode to Naps," "Ode to Giving People Money," and "Ode to Running in Movies." The book is both thought-provoking and hilarious.

One of our favorite interviews from 2025 was a conversation with B. J. Hollars about his book "Wisconsin for Kennedy: The Primary that Launched a President and Changed the Course of History."

One of our favorite Morning Shows from 2025 aired for a sad reason- the unexpected death of renowned sportswriter John Feinstein in March at the age of 69. A familiar voice to public radio listeners, he had been a guest on this program on at least five occasions. This program features excerpts from several of those interviews.

One of our favorite Morning Show interviews from 2025 was this conversation with Buddy Levy, author of "Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue."

This is one of our favorite Morning Show interviews from 2025. Michael Stoehrmann, a Carthage alum and former voice student of Gregory Berg - now a public school teacher - talks about the experience of being a contestant on the syndicated television game show "Wheel of Fortune." (His episode aired last New Year's.)

One of our favorite interviews from 2025 was with Gabe Henry, author of "Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell." The book examines the many ways in which English is an exceptionally difficult language to spell and why- and also chronicles some of the serious attempts over the years to simplify how the language is spelled.

One of our favorite Morning Show interviews from 2025 was this conversation with Wisconsin author Michael Perry - recorded just ahead of his sold-out appearance at the Racine Theater Guild in mid- February. Perry had been a frequent Morning Show guest over the years, talking about such books as "Truck: A Love Story" and "Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting."

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we are replaying some especially noteworthy Morning Show interviews from the past. (From 2018) Melba Patillo Beals, who was one of the so-called Little Rock Nine .... a group of black students who were the first to racially integrate Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1956.

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we are replaying some especially noteworthy Morning Show interviews from the past. This interview is with former NPR foreign correspondent Julie McCarthy.

In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we are replaying special Morning Show interviews from the past. This interview from approximately 25 years ago is with best-selling novelist Jane Hamilton ("The Book of Ruth," "A Map of the World") who has ties to southeastern Wisconsin and has lived in this area for much of her adult life.

From 2007- We speak with Dr. Seuss expert Charles D. Cohen about the 50th anniversary edition of the book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

From 2017- Martha Brockenbrough, author of "Love, Santa" - a book designed to help families navigate that tricky time when a child becomes old enough to begin doubting the existence of Santa Claus.

We speak with local actor Tony Lazalde, who keeps very busy this time of year portraying Santa Claus. We talk about the history of the legend of Santa Claus, how Tony's background as a trained actor comes in handy, and the sorts of things that he says and does NOT say as Santa.

Amy Wagner shares the story of the fire that completely destroyed her home and everything in it- the kindness that was shown to her and her husband by neighbors and friends- and their decision to 'pay it forward' by creating the Wagner Family Fire Fund to aid other families who have suffered a similar sort of disaster.

From 2000- Sergei Khrushchev, the son of Nikita Khrushchev. The occasion of this interview was a visit to Carthage College, where he gave a talk titled "After the Cold War." Sergei Khrushchev died in 2020.

In the wake of the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and Micele Reiner, we are replaying a memorable interview with Rob's father, Carl Reiner, one of the great legends from the early days of television. This interview was recorded more than a decade ago.