La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

Tara Johnson joins to discuss the housing crisis, funding public schools and Wisconsin’s 175-year-old abortion ban, as she runs for state Assembly in the 96th District. Began the show getting a bit of Johnson’s experience. The Democrat was the first female president of the La Crosse County Board, where she was a member for 20 years, and was executive director of the United Way in La Crosse, before retiring in 2020. The first big issues (7:30) Johnson said she’s heard from while campaigning was the state’s 175-year-old abortion ban law, and how the Legislature, controlled by Republicans, has addressed that. After that, we got into education funding, and how many school districts continuously have to go to referendum to help improve schools, and how the state has never come through on what’s supposed to be ⅔ funding for schools. And, before the big break, we also hit on Republicans’ refusal for well over a decade now to expand Medicaid in the state and why Johnson sees that as a must. In the second half of the show (19:00) we got into more of Johnson’s experience on the county board and how that might transfer to the state Legislature. We then transitioned (24:00) to the state having a $3.5 billion budget surplus for over 2.5 years now and what the Legislature could do with that extra funding. Lastly, Johnson brought up (28:30) affordable housing and childcare, which kind of rolled into a homelessness conversation and how all three are intertwined. Johnson is running in a primary election against Steven Campbell of Viroqua. The voting period for that ends Aug. 13. The winner will face Republican Loren Oldenburg, who is the defacto incumbent, but the 96th District will change next year as it inherits the south side of La Crosse and becomes much less rural. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds in the WIZM studio Monday for La Crosse Talk PM discussing the homeless legislation coming to city council, challenging the historic designation of the former south side library and creating a city administrator position. We overview those topics to start the show, then begin talking (5:40) about the process of creating a city administrator position, what that role would entail and how that might change what the mayor does for La Crosse. Began the second half of the show on the Mayor’s appeal of the Historic Preservation Commission’s decision to grant the former South Community Library historic designation. That designation came a month before the city’s Economic and Community Development Commission endorsed a housing proposal for the building. Lastly, we discuss homelessness in multiple facets, including camping rules and having the city council be in charge of camping bans, plus what the Wisconsin state Legislature is(n’t) doing when it comes to this crisis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Charles Franklin, the architect for the Marquette University Law School poll joined La Crosse Talk PM on Friday, along with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky. We, of course, discuss the Joe Biden-Donald Trump debate and how the polling will play out over the coming weeks and how the latest Marquette Law poll is a perfect representation of the two presidential candidates. We also talk about how debates have impacted the polls of the past, plus what the polling showed after Trump being convicted of 32 felonies. The second half of the show discussion was about Wisconsin matters, including the US Senate race between Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde, plus public education — right in the midst of the Milwaukee public school debacle — and PFAS pollution, which state lawmakers are still fighting about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Leibold and Ethan Schumann in the studio Wednesday for La Crosse Talk PM teaching radio talk show hosts how to speak better. Or trying to, anyway. Leibold is the president of the La Crosse Area Toastmasters Club and Schumann is public relations with the group. Throughout the show, we discuss what the Toastmasters is, exactly, some of the fun things they do at the bi-weekly meetings and go through some of the things that help make a person a better speaker — including radio talk show hosts. The La Crosse Toastmasters meet the second and fourth Tuesdays in Room 430 of the La Crosse County Administrative Building downtown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We dive into the La Crosse area housing market with Gerrard Hoeschler Realtors owner Doug Billings, realtor Ben Bockenhauer and Granite Mortgage lender Jeff Thompson in the WIZM studio Tuesday for La Crosse Talk PM. Some of that talk included whether a housing crash is coming, is it still a sellers’ market, where people are best able to buy houses in the Coulee Region right now and what the housing stock is like. Bockenhauer and Thompson will also be hosting a first-time homebuyers seminar at 5:30 p.m. on July 10 at the Gerrard Hoeschler offices in Onalaska. Part of that conversation will include how potential homeowners can take advantage of down payment assistance programs in the area. Another thing we hit on included how mortgage rates are high right now, where and when they might fall and why some homeowners now aren’t selling due to those factors — plus the thought process behind that notion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin Republican state Assembly Rep. Loren Oldenburg joins to talk about the possibility of inheriting La Crosse if he wins election, homelessness, taxes, what to do with the budget surplus, marijuana, vaccines and more. Oldenburg is the incumbent in the 96th District, which will change next year, going from mostly rural to incorporating the south side of La Crosse. And that’s where we started the show, just the philosophy of having mixed city-rural districts, whether Oldenburg will legislate differently and how he separates himself from his Democratic opponents. Oldenburg will face the winner of the Aug. 13 primary between Democrats Tara Johnson and Steven Campbell. With the possibility of representing La Crosse, we discussed what the state Legislature has done about homelessness, being the city has been dealing with the growing issue since the pandemic, and what ideas he might have to help solve it. Also on the show, we discuss the $500 million in public funding to renovate the Brewers stadium, and if Oldenburg would sell the ballpark to the team for $1. We also talked about taxes and what to do with Wisconsin’s $3.5 million budget surplus, which has been at or above that level for 2.5 years. Plus, where he stands on legalizing marijuana. Oldenburg brought up vaccines in regards to COVID, but also others and whether they should be mandated. Ended the show on the Wisconsin Senate’s veto overrides from a few weeks back, and why the Assembly didn’t even meet in session to take up any of the bills its counterpart passed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio talking about, what else, the Joe Biden-Donald Trump debate, replacing Biden, the amazing timing of Bernie Sanders coming to La Crosse, the debate moderators and the need for Snoop Dogg to be more involved in all our lives — including debates. Spent most of the show covering the multiple angles of the Biden-Trump debate, including how the right made all the excuses heading into the debate that Biden would be drugged up and Trump saying he’s a worthy opponent. We also hit on what the moderator’s role was here, if there were flaws in the debate setup and if there will be a second debate. Began the second half of the show (19:30) talking about the overhyped — at this point — possibility of replacing Joe Biden on the ticket and what that would take, and got into some texters who claim the fake videos of Biden wandering off were not fake and the debate proves it — though that’s also false. Then we lightened things up (31:30) talking how Snoop Dogg is both everywhere and not in our lives enough. He threw out the first pitch at a Brewers game last week and did some play-by-play. He ran the 200 dash at the Olympic Trials and then did some more commentary. But the true place America needed him most was Thursday night, moderating the debate. Also (35:10), we hit on a couple final topics including the importance of debates, how presidential debates don’t often matter, but this one might. How Eric Hovde and Tammy Baldwin are only holding one debate for Wisconsin's US Senate seat. Back to the replacing Biden topic, someone texted in 25th Amendment in doing that, plus how the Republican-led US House has been clamoring to impeaching Biden since it took power, but now never would. And Bernie Sanders (27:45) is headed to La Crosse at a most peculiar time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stacey Klein, who is running for Wisconsin state Senate in District 32, stops in the studio to discuss healthcare and Medicaid, the billions in budget surplus, broadband and her not currently living in the district she’s running for. Klein also talks about her roots, growing up on a farm and working now as a financial advisor in La Crosse. She highlights the need to do more like the shared revenue deal the Legislature passed a year ago, and talks about what she’s learned on the campaign trail, hitting up many municipality meetings across the district. Klein is running against Democratic incumbent Brad Pfaff of Onalaska.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

City council members Mac Kiel and Tamara Dickinson in the WIZM studio Wednesday for La Crosse Talk PM discussing different aspects of homelessness, replacing District 5 rep., moving the aviation board and the sale of the old Fire Station No. 4. Kiel and Dickinson are on the Judiciary and Finance Committee, as we previewed some that upcoming Tuesday meeting, including how to replace Janesea Hameister (4:40), who resigned from the council a month ago. There’s two pieces of legislation on how to replace her, including the council appointing someone and holding an April special election. After that (13:05) we talked about the River Point District, a day after a conversation with project manager Jason Gilman was on WIZM. Part of the discussion was on the idea that Costco had shown interest in building there, but also that the 28 acres of developable land is going to be 90 percent housing. In the second half of the show (18:00), we hit on a couple different angles of the city’s homeless issue, including the special city council meeting last week putting a three-week deadline on coming up with short-term shelter solutions. Kiel also goes out about once a week with the Homeless Outreach Team, so she talked about the work they’re doing with the Pathways Home project to end homelessness. Part of the discussion also included how the short-term demand for solutions could end up cutting into the long-term project, where it could then perpetuate the city’s homeless situation. Lastly, we talked about the Aviation Board moving to an advisory committee and literally moving. Dickinson is the chair of that board, which also saw the city’s new airport director, Jeff Trip, take over on June 17. And, we hit on the historic Fire Station No. 4 on Gillette Street being sold to the former assistant fire chief.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Gilman joins to discuss where La Crosse is at with the 65-acre, $300-million River Point District development, the impact it will have on the community and what giant box store was denied access. Gilman, who owns JBG Planning LLC, is in year two as project manager of the district he calls “The gateway to downtown.” Gilman discusses how much of the development is housing versus business, how much of that could be rentals versus owned, plus what some of the undeveloped space will look like. River Point District was the old Mobil Oil site, located just north of downtown La Crosse, that had set idle for decades due to various challenges, including environmental cleanup. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Campbell in studio on why he is running for Assembly in Wisconsin's 96th District, which now includes the southern portion of La Crosse. The Viroqua native, who owns a shop on Main and an assisted living business, discusses healthcare related issues in regards to Medicaid and mental health. Campbell also talks about public education and the two-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned. Campbell is one of two Democrats in the race. He is facing Tara Johnson in the primary, where voting ends Aug. 13. The winner there faces Republican Loren Oldenburg in the fall election.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A quick rundown of what we discussed with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, includes campaigns not talking about a lot of real issues (homelessness, kids using social media), Donald Trump’s proposal getting rid of taxes on tips and the upcoming Joe Biden-Trump debate. A good part of the show dealt with why politicians aren’t campaigning on easy things like banning phones in school or giant, difficult problems like the housing crisis and homelessness. We also dove into Trump’s proposal of not taxing tipped wages — a proposal US House Rep. Derrick Van Orden is in favor of, and the fact that the House could pass that bill right now. Plus, how the Biden campaign could capitalize on that, or copy it, and what the current president has done along those same lines. And, in terms of Biden-Trump, the debate is set for Thursday, so we discussed that a bit and whether it’s a good strategy to get the candidates on the air more or less. Some argue that got Trump elected in 2016, broadcasting his rallies — essentially free air time. Began the show talking about protesters spray painting Stonehenge orange and both how that doesn’t seem like a great way to protest and also, can you just walk right up to the stones? La Crosse Talk PM airs weekdays at 5:06 p.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds in the WIZM studio Thursday for La Crosse Talk PM, discussing the homeless situation, the city’s many broken pools and his work trip to Europe. Spent most of the show talking about the city’s homeless situation (12:00), a few days after the city council called a special meeting on what to do in the short-term with those unsheltered. Began the show discussing the city’s crumbling pools, as Erickson is closed this summer and North Side Community Pool could close for next summer — or for good, depending on what the community says. After that (7:30), we hit on the mayor’s trip to some of La Crosse’s sister cities in Europe and what he learned there. We also touched on that again at the end of the show (36:40), before rattling off some things happening in La Crosse — Forest Hills tennis courts, building sidewalks, bringing in the Bucks G-League team.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shy Jackson and Mya Curtis, co-founders of Hope Restores, in the WIZM studio Wednesday for La Crosse Talk PM previewing this weekend’s Juneteenth celebration at Riverside Park, talking about the origins of Hope Restores and what that group means for the community. After that, WIZM’s Brad Williams recaps Day 1 of the Joe Gow hearing on his future with UW-La Crosse, after the Board of Regents discovered he is producing pornographic videos with his wife. With the Hope Restores crew, we start off breaking down what's happening Saturday at Riverside Park with the Juneteenth celebration — bringing the kids for all kinds of free food and games from noon-3 p.m., and the party continues after that until 7 p.m. We also discuss how Hope Restores got started back in 2020 and some of the things they focus on, plus how involved the group can be when it comes to being leaders within the community, including representation on committees, councils and boards. As for the Gow hearing, Williams talks about why it's happening, how the current chancellor, Betsy Morgan, and Gow got into it a little bit, plus what happens Thursday when things wrap up. Gow retains a teaching position at UW-L but is forbidden from being on campus at this point, though he retains his $80,000 salary. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Renkas, a longtime Logan High School band director, joins La Crosse Talk PM on Tuesday to hype up the La Crosse Confluence, a 25-student rock band, that’s playing Moon Tunes on Thursday and Ashely for the Arts later this summer. Renkas (7:00) talks how a 25-person rock band works, their favorite songs and where this got started. The La Crosse Confluence has a full horn section, guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, percussionists and vocalists. The Confluence is made up of students from both Central and Logan high schools. So, we of course, talk about breaking up the band to their respective high schools, then encouraging rival schools to start their own and have a Coulee Region Battle of the Bands — which is the subplot of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Before Renkas joins, we talk about a couple stories happening in the area, including a microgrid that would power city and county buildings, as well as Western Tech, and the School District of La Crosse's referendum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Aaron Engel, the superintendent for the School District of La Crosse, joins to discuss the gigantic student band La Crosse Confluence playing big gigs in the area, the $53.5 million referendum, how school districts are struggling, and wrapping up his fourth year. The first big topic (8:15) was this huge student band that rotates through graduating and it’s playing at Moon Tunes this week and also has a gig at Ashley for the Arts in Arcadia this summer. After that (12:30), we talked about how graduating went. The seniors who graduated would have been freshmen when the pandemic hit, and what the district does for those students who don’t graduate. That also led into a conversation (14:45) about the years-long problem of chronic absenteeism in the district. In the second half of the show (20:50), we discussed the Milwaukee Public School District’s “accounting error” that could cost $50 million, and whether the La Crosse School District would ever find itself in a similar situation and how a school board its into that equation. Next we got into the $53.5 million referendum (23:50) that could go on the November ballot, but started the conversation on whether the La Crosse School District is struggling — and therefore needs to go to referendum — or if all districts in Wisconsin are struggling. In regards to the referendum, we also discussed the upcoming public engagement sessions the district has had and the ones coming up — 6 p.m. Tuesday and another on July 17 — and what they’ve learned (31:30) from the community so far, plus what the backup plans and repercussions (32:45) are if the referendum fails. Ended the interview (35:40) with Engel answering some texts about absenteeism and the referendum. Began the show getting Engel's opinion on blowing stuff up. Engel is a Lt. Colonel for the National Guard serving at Fort McCoy and we asked him about a funny story from a past show, where Airfest’s Dave Larsen told a story about using 180 pounds of C4 to blow up a car, and if that would happen today. Before the first break, we also hit on (5:30) Juneteenth coming up and how students nowadays learn about that, but when we were students, that wasn’t a thing that was taught in the 1990s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio discussing Donald Trump calling Milwaukee horrible right before the Republican convention there, politicians saying everything is taken out of context and the ketchup on your Kit-Kat TikTok challenge. Began the show right away with the Trump-Milwaukee comments, and politicians using the excuse of what they said was taken out of context — whether true or not. We transitioned that to what “traditional” political rallies are, as Trump is headed to Racine, Wis., next week and Jill Biden is apparently holding rallies in Green Bay and Duluth — yes Jill, not Joe. Then we talked quick (14:15) about the TikTok challenge of putting ketchup on your KitKat bar and, later (23:40) equated that to politics — how TikTok challenges go viral, though they probably shouldn’t and candidates like Marjorie Taylor Greene is popular and shouldn’t be but she says ridiculous things. Second half of the show (17:10) started with the La Crosse Steam softball team having their first-ever game, and how co-owner Dan Kapanke almost rigged it to have a flyover from the Blue Angels, since Airfest is happening hours earlier. We also broke down the four team mascot names, because La Crosse’s is by far the best and maybe the only one that makes sense. We also talked about whether the upcoming presidential debate (29:30) might be the most watched and, afterward, the most overrated. Ended the show on the disaster the Milwaukee Public School District is going through right now and how school boards and school board elections are important — even as La Crosse failed to put up enough candidates on the ballot for open seats on the board.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jake Erickson joins to tell us what it's like for a civilian to take flight with the Blue Angels. Erickson, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse, was selected as an influential community member, to go up on jet No. 7 of the Navy's F-18 Super Hornets this week. After that, he talks a bit about what's happening with the B&G Clubs. Started the show about speaking with some of the Blue Angels pilots earlier in the day, then watching the F-22 Raptors come into the La Crosse airport and getting presentation on the jet's capabilities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two guests on a Wednesday, led off by La Crosse city council member Chris Woodard to talk about a bill to ban big animal acts, then Zach Trebelhorn from the county discusses elderly abuse calls rising in the area. Began the show talking a bit about the Biden Administration launching BINGO and pickleball campaigns, as First Lady Jill Biden plans to head to Wisconsin.After that (5:20), Woodard, who represents District 9, joined to talk about a bill he’s sponsored that would ban traveling acts from having elephants, big cats and bears perform here. Next (18:10), Trebelhorn, with Adult Protective Services at the county, stopped in studio to promote Elderly Abuse Awareness Day from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday at Riverside Park, that includes the big band, Grumpy Old Men. Trebelhorn discussed how important it is to bring more awareness to the issue of elderly abuse and how numbers have been rising locally. The county says there were 320 community referrals in 2023 related to adults aged over 60 – an 8% increase from 2022, plus a 21% increase seen from 2021 to 2022. Of those 320, 80% of the cases were family members.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jed Olson, executive director of ORA Trails, in studio discussing how his nonprofit is helping lead the way to connecting La Crosse through big and bigger projects all over the county. Started the show a little backwards, talking about how ORA survives, because everything they’re working on is open and free to the public, plus a quick overview of a couple of things they’re overseeing — like the Bud Hendrickson Trail and and the Shelby Trail Farm. Then we got into (7:45) a bit of the history of the organization and some of the day-to-day things they do like maintaining Hixon Forest and trainings they hold to do some of that work — like this weekend’s chainsaw training. After that,we began getting into (14:50) how ORA is trying to “connect the dots” in the county, including the The Bluffland Traverse project, which we get into some more later in the show. Second half of the show (21:15), we got into the two big projects led first by the West Salem Bike Playground, which is about 80% funded and hoping to be ready by fall, and then we spent more time on connecting north and south La Crosse County (32:00) through the Bluffland Traverse project.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff in studio discussing bike lanes, missing out on high-speed rail, the priorities of farms, his GOP opponent and the do-nothing legislature. We didn’t waste any time getting into it. Pfaff (D-Onalaska) brought up June being dairy month and that led to a lengthy conversation about farming crop priorities, meat monopolies and the federal farm bill that has yet to pass. We then spent a little time (15:00) talking about his Republican opponent, Stacey Klein. The bulk of the rest of the show was on transportation, led off by how we paraded around the state for Amtrak adding a second Chicago-to-Minneapolis line, but for what? Pfaff pointed out how Wisconsin missed out on having a federally funded high-speed rail when Scott Walker first became governor. We then transitioned to bicycles, as Pfaff just spent some time on French Island riding with students to school. We discussed how both rural and city roads are mostly unsafe for bicyclists — if not just inconvenient. Ended the show, like usual, how the state has sat on what is now $3-5 billion in budget surplus with a “full-time” state Legislature that takes the last nine months of its 24-month term off. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isaac Hoffman, the La Crosse Area Family Collaborative director, in the WIZM studio for La Crosse Talk PM last Thursday updating us on the city-county plan to end homelessness, a project called Pathways Home. We make the distinction early, but Hoffman, who works with the county, is part of the long-term plan combatting homelessness, which is a separate entity to what the city is currently doing, having public meetings over camping bans. Throughout the show, we discuss how unique La Crosse is with homelessness, what stage we’re at with Pathways Home — counting and categorizing — why we’re doing that, plus who will be prioritized throughout the project and the hurdles the plan has to overcome.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio ranking Donald Trump’s VP picks and discussing how Wheel of Fortune is both not political and best for politics, as Pat Sajak has last show. Beginning of the show was mostly about Wheel of Fortune. But, not so much it being Sajak’s last show, but on Vanna White continuing and how she has the best job in history — though she apparently does more than reveal letters. We also got a take about “the Wheel” from WIZM’s gameshow expert Brad Williams, who has been on Jeopardy. And we talked about how the show's politics and "Hollywood" politics in general. After that (16:30), we got political, starting first about Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul charging some in the state’s false elector scheme to overturn the 2020 election. And, the second half of the show (22:40) started with the presidential debates coming up, before we wrapped up with Chergosky ranking the Top 8 vice presidential picks, including some OLIs (outside looking ins).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin Assembly Rep. Steve Doyle in studio discussing Donald Trump's guilty verdict, what the state should do about A.I. and how we haven't used much of the $4 billion in budget surplus. We also talked about plastic pollution, charging people in the Wisconsin false electors scheme, plus the half-hearted effort from Republicans in the Legislature on veto overrides that cost taxpayers. First big topic we got into (7:15) was Wisconsin Attorney General charging three Republicans in the false electors scheme to overturn the 2020 election in the state. We merged that conversation into one about the the Trump trial (12:45). Doyle was asked whether he was surprised by the verdict. He also drew some comparisons to Bill Clinton's impeachment in the 90s and whether this will help or hurt Trump politically. After that (16:30) we talked about A.I., as Doyle was on a committee in trying to determine how the state should handle things. Asked Doyle whether we should be regulating A.I. in terms of making art or creating news articles. Turned that conversation into one about plastics (25:15) and if the government should step in and try to regulate these things. Next we talked about the state's $3.5-$4 billion budget surplus (29:45) the state has been sitting on for over two years. What could it be used on? That led to a conversation about (33:00) businesses getting millions for building an EV charging network and ended quickly on the Legislature's veto override sessions where Republicans never even followed through, yet it cost taxpayers. Began the show talking quick about Doyle's new voting district and how he's navigating a new voting base.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A interesting and fun show with La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke, where we threw him some scenarios that are happening or could happen in regards to the courts, law and relating that to politics. Some of it had to deal with the Donald Trump trial, another with a Wisconsin judge possibly needing to recuse himself, plus some local scenarios where that might happen — like a La Crosse judge flying a Black Lives Matters or Blue Lives Matters flag outside their home. We also discussed juries in the Trump trial, the La Crosse Todd Kendhammer murder trial and the West Salem quarry triple homicide trial. Sticking with Kendhammer, we talked about a Thursday decision coming from the Court of Appeals on the 2017 conviction that he killed his wife. Gruenke is up for election in November, but he doesn’t have an opponent. That’s a trend throughout all 72 Wisconsin counties. Why? We also talked about that. Lastly, I went back to traffic and dashcams conversation from last week. Should people have them? If your own dashcam catches you doing something illegal, what do you do?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mac Kiel and Tamra Dickinson in the WIZM studio Monday — along with Lilly and Finn — for La Crosse Talk PM to discuss decisions over new camping bans that would affect the homeless, the new airport director, the $27.5 million Capital Improvement Projects budget and the fight over no new sidewalks. Kiel and Dickson are La Crosse city council members. Dickinson is also on the Board of Public Works, which had a packed council chamber over, basically, banning homeless from camping. We discussed (28:00) the ordinance to ban camping mostly along the River March that was voted down and how the city is navigating both the long- and short-term homeless crisis. Before that, however, we talked about the city hiring a new airport director (7:20). Jeffery Trip will take over for departed Ian Turner on June 17. Dickinson also chairs the Aviation Board After that (17:25) we hit on the Capital Improvement Project budget for a minute, and the upcoming public meetings dealing with it. We also talked about (21:00) how some neighborhoods in La Crosse have no sidewalks and do not want new sidewalks, while the city’s bicycle and pedestrian plan essentially is putting sidewalks on every street.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio Friday for La Crosse Talk PM and, as much as we tried to avoid talking about "the thing," we spent most of the show talking about Donald Trump's legal troubles — and if they are actually troubles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No better straight shooting, down the middle guest to have, discussing Donald Trump becoming the first former president felon, than La Crosse County Democratic Party chair, William Garcia. We, of course, discuss the jury's verdict and how we got here. We also talked about Garcia becoming a delegate at the Democratic Party National Convention in Chicago, and why it's voting virtually. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County Sheriff, John Siegel, in the WIZM studio Wednesday for La Crosse Talk PM on dashcams — being used or abused — his thoughts on the Citizen Review Board, plus some random things like being drunk on a bicycle or how peeved we get when a cop is hiding on the side of the road. Began the show, first on traffic cams, as Minneapolis is about to install 42 of them to catch speeders and red light runners. In the next segment (10:25), we moved to dashcams and how law enforcement can and cannot use citizens’ recordings.Plus, the idea that — as these become more prevalent — will people begin bombarding law enforcement with videos, catching people breaking the law and how that might get to be a nuisance, and, to a lesser degree, may already be a nuisance without the cams. In the second half of the show (20:40) we hit on a bunch of random topics, including the Sheriff’s Office getting new black SUVs, can you get a DUI riding a bicycle, being annoyed seeing cops hiding parked on the side of the road, ATV rules on some county roads, and law enforcement’s involvement with the Special Olympics — the La Crosse Torch Run is from 8 a.m.-noon on June 6. Ended the show (34:25) with Siegel’s take on the Citizens Review Board or, perhaps better recognized in other areas as a police oversight board, though the county version doesn’t actually have any oversight powers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Hoffer, director of excise tax policy at the Tax Foundation in La Crosse, in studio to discuss paying NCAA Division I athletes, Wisconsin dishing out $23 million for an EV charging network, and selling the Brewers Am-Fam Field for $1. The meat of the conversation (23:00) was about the NCAA recently settling a host of antitrust claims and beginning the framework of paying NCAA Division I athletes. Hoffer, who taught sports economics at UW-La Crosse, has become a national expert in the developing story, having done research NCAA athletic departments. Everyone is trying to answer questions in how these departments work, where the money comes from and what it means for the future of the NCAA. Before that (8:30), however, we talked a bit about the EV charging network the state of Wisconsin has started to set the table for, dishing out $23 million to businesses, including $8 million to Kwik Trip. We also hit on (15:15) a recent La Crosse Talk PM conversation with Milwaukee Brewers president Rich Schlesinger, where we asked him if, instead of $500 million in public funding to renovate Am-Fam Field, what if the state just sold the Brewers the stadium for $1. We began the show talking quick about real estate and what Hoffer does at the Tax Foundation — essentially, explaining what excise tax policy is, which we learned is taxes on things like marijuana, alcohol and sports gambling.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studion discussing people unknowingly getting sucked into the YouTube algorithm, getting the Bucks G-League team to the La Crosse Center and how the state messed up, awarding Kwik Trip $23 million for EV chargers. We also hit on the absurdity that Congress gets to trade stocks, a US Supreme Court justice blaming his wife for flying, not one, but two right-wing-like flags outside his home and we emded with the midwest's most whacky foods. Opened the show talking about a couple of odd and funny stories: A Tennessee GOP candidate using A.I. to completely makeover his face into basically another person, Wendy's selling 50-piece chicken nuggets and the new Minnesota tourism slogan, Anthony Edwards' "Bring ya ass," as the Timberwolves get eliminated from the NBA playoffs and traffic cams in Minneapolis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jared Flick in studio, discussing the possibility of landing the Milwaukee Bucks G-League team or if the La Crosse Center could handle a WNBA franchise, plus the idea of bringing in bigger concerts and more stand-up comics to the city. Flick is the deputy director of recreation and the La Crosse Center. The idea of landing the Wisconsin Herd — the Bucks G-League team — could be out in Oshkosh after this season. When the Bucks initially were courting cities for their G-League franchise, La Crosse applied.https://www.wizmnews.com/2016/06/11/milwaukee-bucks-eyeing-la-crosse-for-d-league-expansion/ The WNBA is also looking to expand, so we also discussed if that was a possibility. We also got into the old debate, ‘Why doesn’t the La Crosse Center bring in bigger concerts?’ Along those lines, we did hit on some of the bigger concerts and stand-up comics that have recently come through the Center, what’s on the radar, plus how the Center just hosted its biggest event — and you’d probably never guess what that is every year. Other things we discussed, more on the “parks and rec.” side, included closing one city pool this summer and potentially another one next summer with hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs needed. We also talked about more pickleball, a big fastpitch softball tourney coming to town and a weird city rule that basically prevents the city from hosting sand volleyball tournaments at Pettibone Park. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Kapanke stopped in the studio to talk about the upcoming seasons for the La Crosse Loggers baseball team, the newly created La Crosse Steam softball club and the PFAS “forever chemicals” situation in the town of Campbell. Kapanke is co-owner of both the Loggers and Steam, who will both play at Copeland Park this summer. He is also the board chair for the Town of Campbell, which has been on bottled water for over four years because of PFAS contamination in 90 percent of the private wells on the island. Spent a good portion of the show talking about the inaugural season for the Steam, some history of the Loggers — including MLB all-stars Chris Sale and Max Scherzer — plus a little bit on how renovations at Copeland Park, which is owned by the city, compare to how stadium upgrades happened with the Milwaukee Brewers. Ended the show (32:20) discussing the PFAS situation, what Campbell’s options are and where the money to proceed with any of those options will come from.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Dave Larsen and Bruce Mathew stopped in studio to talk about the Deke Slayton Airfest and Freedom Honor Flight, we did get one story about blowing up a Mercury Zephyrs with C4 at Fort McCoy, and another story about nearly crashing a plane as a teen and possibly never telling mom. Larsen is the Airfest media director and spent 20 years in Wisconsin Army National Guard, retiring in 1999, while Mathew is the Airfest air operations coordinator and has been a pilot since he was 14 years old. We spent most of the show talking about Airfest, which is happening June 13-14 and will feature the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's brand new F-22 Raptors. But we learn Apache helicopters are now part of the attraction, as well as the Coast Guard's "Dolphin," MH-65 chopper. We did take an interlude (11:30) to get an incredibly hilarious story from Larsen about blowing up his old winter beater at Fort McCoy that set the woods on fire. In the second half of the show (18:20), we got back into Airfest talk and some of the highlights of shows present and past. Airfest has been going on since 1998. We discussed how the F22 Hornets show this year will compare to the Blue Angels and the brand new, trillion-dollar F-35 that was here back in 2021. Then we got into a quick story from Mathew (31:20) about nearly crashing his plane as a teenage pilot, and apparently he never told his parents about it. Lastly (34:30), we discussed the Freedom Honor Flight, that takes area veterans to Washington DC to see the memorials. The next one comes up Sept. 21. Any veteran can sign up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Jill Billings in studio discussing last week’s political stunt by Republicans, what to do with the $4 billion budget surplus and her campaign priorities for getting reelected. Began the show talking about how the Legislature hasn’t really been in session since mid-March, has the rest of the year off and what kind of things Billings does, outside of session. That led to what Republicans did last week, in calling an extraordinary session to try and override some of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ vetoes. But, for whatever work the Senate did — and it wasn’t a lot because some reps. apparently had other plans and had to go, despite this being a full-time state Legislature — the Assembly, needing to pass what the Senate passed, instead gaveled in and immediately out of its session. Could the Assembly had debated some of the bills the Senate passed, like $125 million in funding for PFAS pollution, which has forced the Town of Campbell on French Island to use bottled water for the past four years? Started the second half of the show (19:40) with a topic we had fun with last week, which was what people flying into Wisconsin should get, like when you get a lei flying into Hawaii. That, oddly enough, led to an interesting talk (25:00) about what Billings thinks the state should do with its $4 billion in budget surplus that has been mostly unspent for over 2.5 years now. We also discussed (27:45) Red Lobster in La Crosse closing, giving workers no notice whatsoever. Lastly (31:50), we got into some of Billings priorities as she campaigns in a partially new district and what ideas she hears from potential voters she’s talking to. Billings, a Democrat representing District 95, has one challenger on the other side of the aisle, Monroe County Board Chair Cedric Schnitzler. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our political blowhard, Adam Murphy, joins to answer the toughest question: What should we hand to people landing in Wisconsin, like getting a lei off the jet in Hawaii? We also discussed the less-than-half effort from Republicans in the state Legislature to overturn vetoes, plus WIZM on Reddit. Got some great answers from Murphy and callers to that question and spent a good part of the show discussing it. We also hit on Republicans in the state Legislature (17:30) calling themselves back into session — the Legislature has been off since mid-March and wasn’t coming back into session until next year, after the elections — to try and override 36 of Gov. Tony Evers’ vetoes. You’ll be surprised at how big a failure that was. Ended the show (33:00) talking about a post on Reddit about WIZM comments and whether or not they should be “moderated” or deleted. We did not get to the part where one commented said Rick leaned middle-left politically. Murphy has degrees in economics and political science from UW-Milwaukee. He’s also owns a small business, called Big Bang LLC in Milwaukee.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you wanted to know about electric vehicles, we hit on a vast amount of topics with Jeremiah Brockman, president of the Wisconsin chapter of the Electric Vehicle Association. Brockman was thrown a list of about 50 things having to deal with EVs — including how they hold up in winter, "gas mileage," environmental impacts and charging. Brockman was a great sport in answering as many as we could get through. Brockman is also putting together an August 9-10 fundraiser, driving across Wisconsin with other EV owners, making stops in multiple cities on the way — including Olson Solar in La Crosse. Part of the fundraiser to to provide scholarships for students who would like to become EV mechanics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One more public meeting for the city of La Crosse's Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is coming up. City associate planner Jenna Dinkel joins to go over some of the ins and outs of the plan, plus a look at the Wagon Wheel Trail and some upcoming public meetings from the Wisconsin DOT on Highways 35, 53 and 16. The city's bike-ped plan is a major revision from its 2012 counterpart, and we talk about some of the decade-old ideas that are now obsolete — like "sharrows." The city will host a final public meeting on the master plan draft from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday in the auditorium at the La Crosse Main Street Library, with a presentation held at 5:30 p.m. There is also a quick survey online looking for feedback until June 3, as well. We also dived into details on the Wagon Wheel Trail (26:35) and how La Crosse is catching up to La Crescent in completing that project. And, we hit on some Wisconsin DOT upcoming public meetings (29:00) on those three highways mentioned above.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Quam, the development director for the Salvation Army of La Crosse County, joined to discuss homelessness in the area, how the shelter has changed over the past few years and where they fit in with the Pathways Home plan. Didn’t take long to get into the homeless situation (3:50), including the Salvation Army being at capacity, how many people it has to turn away and how many success stories it has had. We also discussed if a lack of housing or affordable housing is the No. 1 reason for homelessness a couple of different times, plus future plans for the Salvation Army with possible expansion and how they fit into the city-county’s Pathways Home plan to essentially end homelessness by 2029.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tina Tryggestad, the new La Crosse County Board chair, stopped in the WIZM studio Thursday for La Crosse Talk PM to discuss her new role, planning for the board’s five-year strategic plan and new Civilian Review Board. Began the show about how and if the board's work could change as the American Rescue Plan Act funding is basically allocated and there isn't this $22 million from the feds to use. We then got into her becoming the chair (5:30), before getting into the board's meeting Wednesday (7:50) on a five-year strategic plan and what that looks like. In the second half of the show, began (20:20) talking about the makeup of the board and harkening back to something Tryggestad said when she was elected president, about doing away with an 'us vs. them' attitude on the board. Then we got into where the county is at with creating a Civilian Review Board (23:20) to potentially look at police activity in the county. Ended the show (31:00) taking a couple calls, including one on the landfill and another on plastic pollution.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-L political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in the WIZM studio Friday for La Crosse Talk PM on the best summer movie, some politics — like the US House saga, a dead House rep. wins election and JFK Jr.’s brain worm — but also on sleeping in an airline’s overhead bin and what you’d do if you found $40,000.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covered a lot of ground with Milwaukee Brewers president, Rick Schlesinger, including whatever happened to Hank the Dog, details in the $500 million taxpayer funded stadium upgrades, are we getting a beer district and playing PlayStation on the scoreboard during games. Began the show (2:30) talking about Schlesinger's gigantic job description, before getting into the big mystery: Whatever happened to Hank the Dog (5:30)? After that, discussed food pricing at the stadium (8:30) and why there might not be $1 beer nights or a radial tire night, plus some of the promotions that are happening. Next (12:15), we hit on the Brewers playing the Cubs and facing their old manager, Craig Counsell, who left for a big payday in Chicago. We also talked (14:00) about how the Philadelphia 76ers bought up 2,000 tickets, because NY Knicks fans flooded one of their home games, and if the Brewers would ever do that to keep Chicago fans coming. To begin the second half of the show (16:45), asked Schlesinger how he got his start and into the role as Brewers president. After that, I floated Schlesinger the first of my half-baked ideas, and that's to take all the front row seats for one game and give them to kids throughout the state — so the entire front row of a game is all children. Then (20:20) we got into the $500 million taxpayer funded stadium upgrades deal made with the state Legislature, but in a different way. Before talking about how that deal came about, I asked Schlesinger my second half-baked idea: Instead of taxpayers funding the stadium, what if the state sold the Brewers Am-Fam Field for $1. After that (23:20), Schlesinger talked about the Brewers lobbying efforts to convince the state Legislature to agree to the $500 million deal, and if there was different strategies to convincing Republicans and Democrats to sign onto the plan since the state is so politically divided. Next, (30:15) we got into whether the Brewers will have a "Beer District," much like the Milwaukee Bucks have the Deer District, outside and around their arena We wrapped up (31:30) with some more crowdsourced questions, including the Brewers should have their own brewery and the fermenting tanks should be in play for home run balls. Also, will MLB be going all in on electronic balls and strikes, since that cost Milwaukee one of the games against the Cubs. Lastly, the last half-baked idea: Can we get players that are off for the day, playing MLB the Show on PlayStation, during the actual game. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The $54 million question is coming to the November ballot for La Crosse School District voters and school board president, Dr. Juan Jimenez, joins to break down the plan. Jimenez is also the associate dean at Western Technical College in La Crosse, and we discuss some new changes to classes that just started. And that’s where we started (6:45) the first big segment of the show, with changes to WTC class lengths which sounds like it will add more flexibility for students, as well as allow them to focus more on less subjects. In the second half of the show (17:00), we get into the La Crosse School District’s referendum question headed to the November ballot, to consolidate four elementary schools, build a new school at the Hogan Administrative site and update State Road Elementary. And we discuss the makeup of community engagement sessions on those plans happening in person on May 22 and May 28 at 6 p.m (though no site has been selected) and virtually at noon May 21 and June 6.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covered a lot with La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds, including the smells from City Brewing, fighting the DOT on closing a road for Amtrak addition, down payment assistance for first-time home buyers and an update on the River Point District, north of downtown. Began the show, however, with the La Crosse being one of 100 cities in the world to be part of the Youth Climate Action Fund, which came from Reynold’s trip to Dubai for COP 28. We talk about the youth fund in more detail later in the show (19:00). After that (14:30), a bit on the building sale of the old south side library, where the city initially got five proposals and has narrowed that down to three. The building is said to be worth about $350,000. In the second half of the show, we discuss how the addition of another Amtrak route from Chicago to Milwaukee could affect La Crosse. In putting in a third track on the north side the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) apparently wants to permanently shut down streets. Then we got a bit of an update (28:00) on the River Point District development, with a celebration happening Tuesday, plus what else we might see in that area. Ended the show (33:50) with the city’s first-time home buyer’s assistance program, using federal ARPA funding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Murphy joined La Crosse Talk PM on Friday, deep diving into the electrification of the nation. Before we got into that, however, we spent a bit of time on the confusing "economy," Donald Trump's immunity claim, and immigration. Murphy, who has degrees in economics and political science from UW-Milwaukee, owns a small tech business, called Big Bang LLC, in Milwaukee. The second half of the show (18:30) was a multi-layered discussion about electrification, from solar housing somehow producing too much energy to EV charging stations and how the government should be utilized to overhaul the nation into electric — like a nation of F-150 Lightnings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William Garcia in the WIZM studio Thursday for La Crosse Talk PM discussing the upcoming US House candidate Democratic forum on Wednesday at UW-La Crosse, the peculiar timing of new policies passed by the Biden Administration and politicians useless campaign posts. Garcia is the Democratic Party chair for both La Crosse County and the 3rd US House District here in Wisconsin. Began the show discussing the first of four US House forums for the 3rd District between Rebecca Cooke, Katrina Shankland and Eric Wilson in Eau Claire and, later in the show (30:10) got into more of how those are conducted and how you can get involved (Email questions to Garcia here). We then got into the timing of recently passed policies (7:50) by the Biden Administration on overtime pay for salary workers, doing away with noncompetes and airlines having to pay back customers immediately for cancellations, among other things. That led to a discussion (13:45) on what the US House has done along the same regards of helping everyday people, though it has only passed 27 bills in 16 months — when a typical Congress passes 250-300 bills. In the second half of the show (20:45) we discussed how politicians have no substance to what they’re doing on the campaign trail, positing pictures of themselves here or there, saying they’re talking about issues, but never relaying any of that information to voters who want to know either where they stand or what they’re doing to combat said issues. Next (22:50), we discussed Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to La Crosse and all the things she did during her that campaign stop. We also talked about the optics and normality of the scope of her visit, that included a round-table discussion and an invite-only speech, vs., for example, a Donald Trump rally. In the last segment (34:40) we talk about Republican US Senate candidate Eric Hovde messing up the Pledge of Allegiance earlier this week and how stupid things our politicians do are funny, but we should be focusing on their policies more than their gaffs. La Crosse Talk PM airs weekdays at 5:06 p.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Council members, Mackenzie Mindel and Mac Kiel, in the WIZM studio for La Crosse Talk PM discussing city being 1 of 100 awarded youth climate grant funding, selling the south side library building and a homeless plan update. Kiel and Mindel are on the Judiciary and Administration Committee, which meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday. We began the show reviewing one decision by the council last month on a state law dealing with supermajorities. Mindel also talked (10:45) about her experience meeting Vice President Kamala Harris, who came to La Crosse last Monday. After that, Kiel gave a bit of a homeless update, as she goes out with the Homeless Outreach Team each week. Began the second half of the show (20:20) with a J&A agenda item to rezone for an ethnic grocery store and apartments on the south side. Then we spent a good amount of time (23:10) discussing the city receiving $50,000 to award to youth groups as part of the Youth Climate Action Fund. Wrapped up the show (32:00) discussing the potential sale of the old south side library building and one hiccup in the plan in that it could get historic designation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachel King and Dillon Constant in studio to talk about two different fields within La Crosse County government that are helping make the community more sustainable and healthy. King is an epidemiologist with the county Health Department, while Constant is the county planner. On the show, we discuss the county’s two phases of its Climate Action Plan, parts of which include transitioning the fleet to EVs and zero emissions by 2050, plus how the community can get involved with upcoming listening sessions. We also talk how the environment impacts people’s health — from warmer weather increasing the prevalence of disease carrying bugs to even distant wildfires keeping people indoors — and how actions the county is doing go hand-in-hand with the community’s well-being. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio discussing some of the latest results from the Marquette U. Law School poll, showing Joe Biden and Donald Trump even. Plus, why are we complaining when the vice president is visiting La Crosse — and is the electoral college working in creating that opportunity? We began the show with VP Kamala Harris’ upcoming La Crosse visit, before getting into some of the Marquette poll results, which also show US Senate candidates Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde even. Should we care about polls in April for a November election? The second half of the show began with some nonsense stories (18:05) that just show how downtrodden our politics has become, including one Chergosky hadn’t heard. That particular story had to do with Biden saying a family member was cannibalized during WWII. There is also the Trump being “gassy” in court story. Plus, Wisconsin US House Rep. Derrick Van Orden getting into a name-calling fight with Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, where they refer to each other as Squish and Tubby. Then, piggybacking on a call from Kent (22:10) we talked about VP Harris’ visit and the electoral college’s role in such events. Also, when voters feel they’re not being represented, Chergosky discusses how either party could cater to any number of people — young people, women, minorities — to win their vote, and what people will do if they’re not happy with their party. Lastly (35:20), we quickly discussed the Squish and Tubby name calling, as it pertains to US House Speaker Mike Johnson possibly being ousted and perhaps politics should be more “put up or shut up” versus playing it safe and seeing if you have the votes. La Crosse Talk PM airs weekdays at 5:06 p.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Entomologist, Dr. Ted Wilson, joins to talk about these two cicada species emerging for the first time in 221 years, how we can stick it back to mosquitoes, plus the good and bad with “No Mow May” in La Crosse. Wilson, the Biology chair at Viterbo University, talks about this once-in-multiple-lifetimes event where these two species of cicadas that emerge from the ground every 13 and every 17 years collide this spring — soon. Where it’s happening, how annoying it will be on the ears, how they know to come up every 13 and 17 years, and more. After that, we discuss ticks and mosquitoes and how we can limit their numbers, plus how wonky winters and springs affect insect populations. Finished off the show talking La Crosse’s third annual ‘No Mow May,” where you essentially don’t mow your lawn until June. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.