La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Anthony Chergosky, Ph.D. in studio, as the midterm election season winds down. Part of that discussion was polling on whether the Tuesday election day should be a holiday or a paid holiday. Also talked Bernie Sanders at UW-La Crosse and these figures who are phenomenons to political scientists. Democratic US House candidate Jeff Ettinger joined for a few, as he tries to win Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. Ended the show talking about how people hit deer drastically more right after we "fall back" with Daylight Saving Time ending.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year ago, the Senate accidentally passed permanent Daylight Savings — so we wouldn't change our clocks in November or ever again. It's sitting in the US House for passage. Congressman Ron Kind, who's retiring after 26 years, joined to talk about that, some of the things the House has done to combat inflation and why he thinks Brad Pfaff is right for his job. Before that, UW-L Outreach Specialist, Spencer Wilken and Rochester Mayo HS physics teacher Matt Drucker joined to recap the Bill Nye presentation that happened this week at Winona State.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Homeless Services coordinator, Brian Sampson, joined the show, as the city's campground designation at Houska Park came to an end this week, but the move out of that has yet to begin. Before that, however, US House Rep., Republican Brad Finstad hopes to continue in office, after a special election this summer. He's running against Democrat Jeff Ettinger.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Joe Heim, UW-La Crosse Professor Emeritus, in the WIZM studio Tuesday, a week before the fall election cycle ends. Of course, the discussion hovered around those races — including the 3rd US House District between Brad Pfaff and Derrick Van Orden. With Gov. Tony Evers in town at UW-L we discussed whether campaign stops to get college students to vote is worth it. We also discussed campaign spending, the partisan races that could be nonpartisan, and a potential change of guard of the committee in Wisconsin that controls elections.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Onalaska School Superintendent Todd Antony in the WIZM studio Monday to talk about the district's two referendum questions on the ballot. One question is a five-year operational question which essentially is to pay for day-to-day operations. The other is a $75 million capital referendum for building updates to both the middle and high school.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia in studio. Discussed a variety of topics, including people's attention spans, social media/news notifications and student reading scores to start. Also had to hit on some Halloween theme topics including, not just what you're handing out to trick-or-treaters, but how you're delivering that candy — if it is candy, for those toothbrush folks out there. Ended the show going over the texts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse public administration professor John Kovari made his WIZM debut, and helped try to explain the recent tax revaluation in the city of La Crosse — and elsewhere — and what that means for people's property tax bill. In the midst of that discussion, Kovari uses a Big Mac analogy. And, in no relation to that analogy, Kovari also talks a bit about taxing our vices, including Wisconsin legalizing recreational marijuana.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Dale is a UW-La Crosse political science professor who specializes in political philosophy and American politics. We spent the hour talking about how unique Wisconsin voters are when it comes to statewide races and, basically, how unpredictable they can be. We also discussed debates, voter turnout and took some calls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County Board Vice Chair Kim Cable joined to talk about homelessness in the area. Cable is also Couleecap’s Housing and Community Services Director. Cable talked about why the homeless situation has grown to unprecedented numbers. What she thinks of the Houska Park "campground" plan, that's one week from ending, and what the county is doing both short- and long-term to help people who are unsheltered.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samantha Williams is the director of the climate and clean energy program of the Midwest Region for the NRDC. She joined for the hour to talk about the transition to clean energy and why we — people of Earth — need to do it now. Those transitions start at the top with utility companies and trickle down from there, with things like home heating/cooling and transportation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Anthony Chergosky, Ph.D, in the WIZM studio Friday. Kicked off the show way too serious on a local debate and how schools should be funded. Lightened it up after that discussing Halloween movies and where horror movies stand in a political light. Then we dived into the politics and policy of trying to solve homelessness, after the La Crosse County Board approved funding for potentially hotel vouchers. Ended on a lighter note, again, on the “say something nice” debate question that’s becoming popular.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse Outreach Specialist Spencer Wilken in the WIZM studio to talk science. We dove into why there’s a mass die-off of snow crabs and the harvest has been halted for a year in Alaska. We also talked about NASA crashing a drone into an asteroid and new, haunting James Webb telescope images. Wrapped up talking about why mosquitoes may like you more than others and flustered Spencer by trying to make her explain quantum physics in 3 minutes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff in the WIZM studio. Pfaff is also running for the US House of Representatives in the 3rd District and we bounced between state and federal issues on manufacturing, inflation, jobs, among other things. After that, La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron called in to talk about the Community Resource Unit, which will be on display for the state this week. The CRU is basically an officer and a mental health professional teamed up to take specific calls for their expertise. We also asked Kudron, when candidates always talk about "supporting police," what that support could be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds on WIZM Tuesday to talk about the city’s tax revaluation and what that means for your property tax bill. Those assessments should be in residents’ mailboxes now. Before that, La Crosse Center director Art Fahey joined, two days before he’s officially retired after 32 years on the job — 22 as director. We did some reminiscing on La Crosse Talk PM about past shows at the Center and what the Center Board and city are discussing for leadership going forward. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Began the show recapping the Charlie Berens experience over the weekend. The comedian performed two sold out shows at the La Crosse Center. After that, ranted quick about the Hy-Vee opening and the fact that there are now three Starbucks in one block in La Crosse. Ended talking about downtown cameras with La Crosse Police Sgt. Brooke Pataska. The city and police want to raise $50,000 to install more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Steve Doyle in studio. Along with representing the 95th District, Doyle is also a La Crosse County Board member. Part of the discussion was county referendum going on the November ballot, which led to a Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers special session on the state having binding referendum. We also discussed the state's predicted $5 billion budget surplus and school referendums, with La Crosse, Holmen and Onalaska all asking for over $340 million.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio. Kicked off the show talking about whether there should be crowds at political debates, as the Mandela Barnes-Ron Johnson faceoff had the night before. Later in the show, we discussed how politicians are prepared, yet not quite prepared enough, to answer softball, "Say something nice about your opponent?" question. In between that, we hit on the state's $4.3 billion budget surplus and the politics around doing nothing with that taxpayer money.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long-time Central Spanish teacher John Havlicek in studio. Highlight of the show was brainstorming ways to make debates a little more entertaining — like, perhaps, more like a game show. Started and ended the show talking about teaching and the demand/strain on teachers right now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After ranting for a bit on a bit of everything from inflation to Oktoberfest to voting, we bring on Chris Haskell, the chair of the Voter Services Committee at the League of Women Voters in La Crosse. She talked about how the Davis brothers, Johnny and Jordan, showed the initiative to help with a "get out the vote" campaign, with the mid-terms less than a month away now. Johnny Davis currently plays for the Washington Wizards, while his twin brother Jordan is a guard for the Wisconsin Badgers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds in studio. Spent a majority of the time on three big topics. One of those, the La Crosse Police Department's Community Resource Unit, which could be highlighted next week for a statewide convention hosted at the La Crosse Center. Also detailed an affordable-housing plan the city council's voting on and comparing that to a plan from 2017. Lastly, the city's about to send out property valuation tax assessments, where tax bills could go down. Also talked briefly at the beginning and end of show about homeless situation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio. Spent a lot of the show discussing how a year ago the US Senate passed a bill making Daylight Saving time permanent and the US House has yet to vote on it. Also talked about debate season, with Ron Johnson and Mandela Barnes for Wisconsin's US Senate seat, as well as Derrick Van Orden refusing to debate Brad Pfaff for the US House 3rd District, that includes the La Crosse area.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A record for La Crosse Talk PM with four guests in an hour, led off by WIZM’s Brad Williams, 24 hours away from the US Senate debate in Milwaukee between Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Sen. Ron Johnson. After that, La Crosse teachers’ union president Jesse Martinez on teacher pay, funding education and student mental health. After that, GOP candidate for the 94th Assembly, Ryan Huebsch on his priorities if elected. We also discussed a flat tax and the state’s $5 billion budget surplus. Lastly, unofficially, William Garcia, the La Crosse County Democratic Party chair, reared his head in studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Murphy is what we call our political blowhard. The former Democratic US Senate candidate in Wisconsin is a successful small business owner — a tech nerd — who's gone back to get his Master's in political science and business. With news that US Senate candidate, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes just raised $20 million more, we asked Murphy what he'd have done with the money. We also discussed how campaigns and ads should be directed at the public vs. how they are now. In terms of politics themselves, Murphy straight up thinks the GOP is trying to steal power, while not focusing on anyone's issues. At the end of the show, Murphy explains inflation and the fed raising rates to combat that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke joined for the hour. Spent the majority of the show discussing the multiple controversies dealing with the parole of Terrance Shaw, who was convicted of sexual assault and murder of an Onalaska woman in the 1980s. After that we discussed the vagueness of political ads on "crime" and some of the specifics the state could do to actually help solve crime. Began the show talking quick about the idea of traffic cams. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Viterbo associate professor of business, John Robinson in studio. We solved the inflation crisis which then stopped the potential upcoming recession. Robinson helped navigate the idea of the fed raising interests rates to step inflation but not so much that it triggers a recession. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio. A rollercoaster of a Friday. We had some fun talking about some Oktoberfest traditions that no longer are practiced, like tossing beer into the air and selecting Mrs. Oktoberfest based on a contest judging women's "poise and personality, cooking and homemaking skills." Kicked off the show taking a deep dive on some political news, including the Wisconsin's governor race with the most ad spending in the US and candidates flip-flopping on certain issues. We also talked about Oxycontin and the pharmaceutical lawsuit, after No. 3 called.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Police Sgt. Brooke Pataska joined to talk about how they will handle Oktoberfest this weekend. Before that, Explore La Crosse executive director AJ Frels on the impact Oktoberfest has on the La Crosse Area. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad Quarberg, a bit of a historian when it comes to La Crosse’s Oktoberfest, joined in studio. Quarberg was the 2016 Oktoberfest Parade Marshall and Oktoberfest Board President back in 2001. He also was chief editor and one of the authors of the book, The Fest of Times, a look back on 50 years of Oktoberfest from back in 2010. We talked Tuesday on La Crosse Talk PM about how four golfing buddies started this major event 62 years ago and how things like the Maple Leaf and Torchlight Parades came to be, as well as how becoming Mrs. Oktoberfest has evolved over the years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talked Oktoberfest with WIZM's Brad Williams, as he just came from a secret meeting of fest royalty. Before that, Infection Preventionist Megan Meller with Gundersen on how the flu could be troublesome this winter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A revelation at the end of the show in regards to guest UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky. He's never seen the movie What About Bob. The reference came up in a discussion about GOP governor candidate Tim Michels walking back — "baby steps" if you will — his stance on abortion. And along those lines, we discussed how politicians base their decisions to create or adjust laws. Other topics included how US Senate Republicans denied a bill to keep dark money out of politics and Halloween candy — but those topics were unrelated. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County Board chair Monica Kruse in studio. Hit on a vast amount of items, including how the county is handling childcare, homelessness and the roads. We discussed the finalization of the yearly budget, where the board is at distributing ARPA funding and the timeline for hiring a new County Administrator.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Viterbo University Ethics Culture and Society professor, Dr. Keith Knutson joined. We first talked about a speaker at Viterbo, Gary Tyler, who was wrongfully convicted of murder at 17 years old and spent 41 years in prison. After that, we argued about the political atmosphere right now, what side might have the advantage heading into the midterms and the idea of having or not having candidates debate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jayne Swiggum in studio. She’s an Emergency Room Registered Nurse, who is running for state Assembly in Wisconsin’s 96th District — which is a vast area south of La Crosse. Some of the things we hit on were, of course, healthcare and legalizing marijuana. Also talked about women’s right to choose, as well as teacher pay and funding education.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse city council member Chris Woodard is running for Wisconsin state Assembly here in the 95th District. The Republican is going against incumbent Jill Billings. Woodard joined the second half of the show to discuss the issues of legalizing marijuana, fixing the roads, funding schools, PFAS and working in a bipartisan matter. Before that, we took some calls and discussed some of those same issues leading up to the interview.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse Outreach Coordinator, Spencer Hulsey, in studio to talk science. One topic discussed was what scientists do when they're bored, and that's apparently breaking down Game of Thrones and whether dragons could fly. We also hit on the Doomsday glacier melt in Antarctica, as well as the arms race between Australia and its Cockatoos. Oh, and we also now know how big space is. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Anthony Chergosky, Ph.D, in studio. Spent some time talking about the FBI "raid" of the MyPillow guy at a Hardee's drive-thru in Mankato, Minnesota, where we broke even more news. Also talked about the scam Brett Favre pulled with Mississippi welfare money. Kicked off the show with some good news from WIZM's Brad Williams at the Logan pep rally. Also talked about the Elmer's Auto & Toy auction. Ended the show with Republican Derrick Van Orden's rejection of a debate in the US House race against Brad Pfaff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse School Board president Juan Jimenez joined. Started off with a little La Crosse history dealing with the schools and joked with him about past contention between the school board president and the superintendent. After that, talked about the newly appointed school board member and the ability of members to talk to the media. Wrapped up talking about the district's $194.7 million referendum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Onalaska Mayor Kim Smith dropped by the WIZM studio. Kicked off the show talking about her position as mayor, some of the unique things the city is doing with the fire department and where Onalaska is at with budget limits, yet rising inflation. Also got an update on what's going in the old Shopko and if we can just turn that whole area into one big roundabout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Siegel in studio, as he runs for sheriff in La Crosse County. After talking some football, we did get around to some issues that the Sheriff’s Office deals with, including making the job more appealing for deputies, as well as jailers, and how each law enforcement agency — like city police and county sheriff’s — communicates with each other. Siegel also talked about the Sheriff’s Office being a bigger part of the community and how it could be more open to the public.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elmer's Auto & Toy Museum in Fountain City, Wis., goes to auction Sept. 14-17. One of the biggest auction companies in the world, Mecum Auctions, is conducting the event. John Kraman, the TV voice of Mecum, joined to talk why Mecum is in tiny Fountain City and why the items at Elmer's are so sought after worldwide. We also talked about some of the most expensive auctions Mecum has ever hosted.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia joined. Spent quite a bit of the show talking about conversion therapy, as the La Crosse city council this week banned it. We also discussed what the Oath Keepers are about, as a Holmen Village Board member was found to be on a leaked list from the group. Other topics included a racist name being wiped from federal sites -- 28 in in Wisconsin -- ranked-choice voting and the GOP vs. Gov. Tony Evers on using opioid settlement money.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Anthony Chergosky, Ph.D, joined. A big portion of the show was spent trying to dissect some of the Donald Trump-Top Secret document saga that's brewing. We also discussed how the 2023 election cycle has already started in Wisconsin, as well as Pumpkin Spice season.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We like to call him a political blowhard, Adam Murphy joined to talk about student loan forgiveness. We also discussed PPP loans, as Murphy owns a small business called Big Bang, LLC. Murphy was also one of around a dozen who ran for US Senate in Wisconsin to go up against Ron Johnson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds joined. Among the topics discussed included the city council meeting to discuss where they're at with helping unsheltered as we head into winter. Also talked about the school district's $194.7 million consolidation plan and how that affects the city. Hit on the River Point District and some potential cuts the city will need to make because of a lack of funding, as the state sits on a $5 billion budget surplus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor Anthony Chergosky, Ph.D, on a Friday news dump. We did hit on Ozzy Osbourne leaving the US because it's too "f***ing ridiculous out there." Politically, Tim Micheals wants to get out the pitchforks and torches based on a story from open records, another GOP candidate refuses to say if he'll support Trump and Mandela Barnes is spending a lot on security. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County Sheriff's Office investigator Fritz Leinfelder joined in studio. Leinfelder is one of two candidates running for sheriff. He's going against John Siegel. On the show, we discussed the mental health aspect of the job, as it’s now Suicide Awareness month. We also talked about the county’s dilemma of keeping jailers and what can be done there. Leinfelder also revealed some of the endorsements he’s received.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Neumann in studio to talk about city council and local government a bit, as well as his experience in running for the US House of Representatives here for the 3rd Congressional District. Part of the conversation was about the Finance and Personnel Committee meeting coming up Thursday, which includes the Capital Improvement Budget ($40 million in spending for 2023) and the next five years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State Assembly Rep. Jill Billings of La Crosse joined for the hour. The topics we covered included the DOT's roundabout plan in La Crosse and what she, as a state rep., can do in regards to plans like that. Also hit on funding education and alternatives to a partisan race for county sheriffs. Closed out the show talking about the Gov. Tony Eves tax cut proposals, that the Republicans have called a gimmick -- despite giving out $100 checks to parents at exactly this time with their party's governor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On her birthday, Rick's mom joined to start the show and tell some horror stories about raising three boys. After that, UW-La Crosse political science professor, Anthony Chergosky, Ph.D., in studio. We discussed how politics ruins state fairs and city parades, plus money in politics — the hypocrisy of governor candidate Tim Michels asking for money.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A potential lawsuit if the city enacts a conversion therapy ban. Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty president and general counsel, Rick Esenberg, joined for a bit to discuss reasoning why they might sue La Crosse. WIZM's Brad Williams joined in that conversation. Before and after that, discussed with callers and texters the student loan forgiveness plan President Joe Biden announced, as well as more on the conversion therapy ban.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.