January 2021

WPR/A. Major

On Air & Online How Are Wisconsin Zoos Protecting Animals From COVID?

Wisconsin zoos have expanded their safety protocols to keep their animals safe from the coronavirus. And they say their mission to promote conservation across the globe could help prevent future pandemics. WPR reporter Megan Hart and photojournalist Angela Major visited zoos in Madison, Milwaukee and Suamico to find out how Wisconsin zoos are protecting the creatures in their care.

Alex Wong/Getty Images Around The U.S., A Focus On The Future

As President took the oath of office on Jan. 20, with his history-making Vice President , people around the nation seemed cautiously optimistic. Read NPR’s Tanya Ballard Brown’s story on the hopes people are expressing for how the new administration might reunite Americans.

Above: Twenty-two-year-old poet reads her poem “ We Climb” at the inauguration of President Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20.

WPR

Behind The Scenes Lori Skelton Hosts New Milwaukee Symphony Broadcasts

Tune in for a new season of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s radio broadcasts on Sundays at 2 p.m., hosted by WPR’s Lori Skelton (pictured). The 2021 season began Jan. 3 and runs through March 28 on WPR’s NPR News & Music and All-Classical networks.

The series features performances from the orchestra’s previous season. Listeners will hear enthusiastic audience applause up until the final concert, which was recorded in an empty theater in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Lori describes that streamed performance as “simply stunning.” Find the complete 2021 broadcast schedule here.

Courtesy of PBS WI

Around Wisconsin PBS Wisconsin's Garden Expo Goes Virtual – Feb. 20-21

Dream of springtime and start planning your garden at PBS Wisconsin’s free Garden & Landscape Expo, held virtually this year on Feb. 20 and 21. Enjoy two full days of live interactive educational sessions with experts and gardening professionals, browse the live vendor mall, and take a virtual tour of area gardens captured at the peak of the summer season. Participate on your personal computer, phone or tablet.

Register before Jan. 31, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a free virtual Meet & Greet with WPR’s “Garden Talk” host Larry Meiller. Click here to register.

WPR Free Online Event With "Morning Classics" Host Stephanie Elkins - March 2

Join WPR’s “Morning Classics” host Stephanie Elkins (pictured) in a free, live, online conversation about composer Florence Price. The African American musician was well known in the 1930s, but almost vanished from history until her hand-written scores were recovered from the trash in 2009. This event is part of UW-Madison’s Badger Talks Live series on March 2 at noon.

Stephanie’s one-hour conversation will be streamed live via the UW Connects Facebook page, and available afterwards in the Badger Talks Live archive. No registration is necessary.

And stay tuned for upcoming WPR events this spring, including BETA Movie Night and another Reporter Roundtable. We’ll tell you more as soon as dates are set.

Soundbites MLK Day Celebration Broadcast Available Now Wisconsin’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration is the oldest statewide MLK Day event in the nation. WPR’s Dr. Jonathan Øverby, host of “The Road To Higher Ground,” produced a special edition of the event for 2021, using highlights from past years. If you missed it, you can listen to Michelle Alexander, author of “The New Jim Crow,” and other guests and musical acts in the archived edition here. You can also watch PBS Wisconsin’s 2021 MLK Day broadcast here.

NPR Student Podcast Challenge Open Through March 15

Big news for teachers and students: make a podcast, and it could end up on NPR. NPR offers tons of resources to help students in grades 5-12 tell their stories in podcast form. Find more information and rules here.

“Do Your Job” – A Lesson From Real Life

In this recent episode of WPR's "Wisconsin Life," Albert Watson tells a story about the Dane County Juvenile Detention Center, where he’s a detention officer as well as host of a cooking club. One day he saved a life by taking his own advice.

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