La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

US House candidate Tara Johnson joins on a Halloween evening. She put up with the half-baked idea of having adult trick-or-treating and what that would look like, while also talking about some of the scary things about the US House of Representatives. Spent the first half of the show trying to have some fun with the holiday. The second half was more devoted to some of the revelations over the past few weeks about the current state of the House and speaking generally about those bigger issues reps in DC could tackle. Johnson was the first woman to serve as the La Crosse County Board chair — doing that nine years — where she was a member for 20 years. Before that, she was the executive director at the United Way in La Crosse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Loggers co-owner Dan Kapanke in studio, as the deadline approaches for the public to submit potential team names for the softball equivalent to the Loggers. We also talked about the state's $545 million plan to upgrade the Milwaukee Brewers stadium. Began the show hitting on those topics quick, as well as the situation in the Town of Campbell, where they've been on bottled water for nearly three years because of PFAS. Kapanke is the board chair. After that, we talked where we're at in naming the softball version of the Loggers, as the deadline for the public to submit to LaXSoftball.com is Nov. 3. After that, we talked Brewers, as Kapanke is both on a business group to keep the team in Milwaukee and also has a somewhat similar deal on Copeland Park worked out with the city of La Crosse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political scientist, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio breaking down how we can get free beer, a US map of the most bought candy in October and what that tells us about Americans, plus some politics — what it means that Mike Johnson is House Speaker, and why he was unanimous — except Derrick Van Orden wasn’t present to vote. Began the show, though, talking about a Minnesota state House Rep. announcing his candidacy to run against Joe Biden for president and if that’s news or not — because other people have also announced, but this is the first elected official. Then we got into this map that shows what candy each state has bought the most around Halloween — with Wisconsin being very dull and other states completely baffling what should be reality. After that, we dove into the GOP electing Mike Johnson as House Speaker. We discussed how that was the guy that got all but Van Orden’s vote despite Johnson’s far-right views, and why a more moderate member didn’t get the position. Ended the show with, perhaps, the most Wisconsin of things — Kwik Trip giving out free beer. We didn’t really talk about why they did it, but we do explain what you have to do within the app to see the free beer offers — yes, plural, there are multiple free beer options.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Schools superintendent, Dr. Aaron Engel, in studio, as we discussed potentially closing two elementary schools, how the transition to standards based grading is going and what to do as truancy is at an all-time high. Began the show, though, just talking about how kids are hopped up on Halloween candy this time of year, and also asked Engel — a Battalion Commander in the National Guard — how and the unit he commands are feeling with the continued situation in Ukraine and the escalation of war in Israel. In the first segment, we talked about truancy and why it’s continued to be at an all-time high in La Crosse at over 40 percent of students chronically absent — missed 10% of days. This is a trend that’s continued from last school year to now. After that, we talked about challenges for students, parents and teachers with standards based grading, which was implemented for the first time this year at the high school level. Wrapped up the conversation with school consolidation. The district’s Facilities Advisory Committee will hold its last of eight open-to-the-public meetings. The committee has talked of potentially closing two elementary schools — either North Woods, Spence, Emerson or Hintgen. We discussed the challenges with closing each but why it needs to be done. The committee will submit its final report to the district on Nov. 2. There will be two public comment sessions on that report Nov. 27 and Nov. 29. In between that, Engel said he will discuss the report Nov. 16 on La Crosse Talk PM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rebecca Cooke, Democratic candidate for US House in Wisconsin’s 3rd District, stopped in studio to discuss getting to voters on both sides of the aisle, issues on farming, unions and her opponent’s absence in DC as a new Speaker is elected. Cooke is one of five Democratic candidates running in the 3rd District to take on Derrick Van Orden, who we didn’t talk about until toward the end of the show. We did get an update on Cooke’s car she puts 100,000 miles on a year to campaign that didn’t have a/c all summer and apparently no rear window — at least for a bit. We also talked about how she tries to get to voters, both in terms of policy but also physically — because of how rural parts of the district are. Some of the issues she sees as important right now are ones dealing with farmers, as the US House let the five-year farm bill expire back in September and hasn’t put forth a new plan, as well as labor issues, especially when dealing with unions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region executive director, Kahya Fox, joined to discuss the state of La Crosse housing, from renting to ownership, and what needs to be done. Among the things discussed was whether the city has too many rentals, what kind of housing should be prioritized and what city and county officials can do to spur development. Habitat, this year, set a record with putting 12 families in homes, where owners have to put in 150 hours of “sweat equity,” meaning they have to spend that amount of time helping rehab their new property. The previous record for Habitat was six. Habitat is always looking for volunteers in a number of different areas. More info here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff in studio talking brandy old fashioned as the state drink, the fight over helping with childcare and the Senate not confirming Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees. Began the show there, with the appointees, as Pfaff has personal experience in that he was fired as the state’s ag. secretary after 11 months on the job because Republicans didn’t like that he said the state should release funding for farmers’ mental health. After that, we hit on the ins and outs of having the brandy old fashioned as the state drink. This comes a year after we debated a state cheese. Spent the bottom half of the show, first, talking about the US House of Representatives and why Pfaff chose not to run. Then we dove into the debate in Wisconsin to subsidize child care and what Republicans in the Senate have proposed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio Friday for La Crosse Talk PM to discuss how Wisconsin was left out of the Top 50 burgers conversation, who considers themselves midwest, US House Rep. Derrick Van Orden heads to Israel, an Oprah-Mitt ticket and Brewers funding vs. child care. Started the show with Van Orden putting out a statement that he’s gone to Israel on a “fact-finding mission.” But it comes in the midst of House Republicans trying to elect a Speaker, so it can actually do any governing, let alone help resolve the Mid-East situation. Speaking of “mideast,” the US doesn’t have one, but it does have a midwest, and there is some confusion as to who lives there. We dissect a recent poll on that. Before that, happened, though, we did talk about this upcoming book that said Oprah Winfrey floated the idea to Mitt Romney that they run for president. Later, we ripped on a Top 50 list of the best burgers in the US, that contains no burgers from Wisconsin or Iowa. There’s also a Top 25 Wisconsin burgers list, that’s very Madison-Milwaukee based, which was disappointing. After that, we spent a minute trying to hash out why the only way Dolly Parton wants to be contacted is via FAX. Ended the show on how Wisconsin’s state Legislature is prioritizing funding the Milwaukee Brewers stadium, but split on how to help with child care. Show notes: — Derrick Van Orden leaves for Israel.— Brewers stadium funding.— Who is "midwest?"— Dolly Parton via fax only.— Student thinks she's going to U of Miami, ends up in Oho.— Oprah Winfrey-Mitt Romney ticket.— Top 50 burgers in the US, but no Wisconsin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First it was a state cheese, now it's a state cocktail. Wisconsin Assembly Rep. Jill Billings was in studio to talk about these ever important issues and the process to which we see them go through the Legislature. We also discussed the irony that a legislator would propose debating what the state cocktail should be, when issues that deal with child care, transgender rights, defunding the UW System and using $545 million to update the Milwaukee Brewers stadium are major issues right now. And we did talk a bit about the Brewers deal, as well as a couple of things Billings is involved in, including what's called Steve's Law, in regards to hunting, and whether UW-La Crosse will get a new parking ramp.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We deep dive into the La Crosse budget with city council member Mackenzie Mindel. We also had to get her take on changing speed limits on County B and if she supports new legislation to save the Kmart and Hatched (Blue) Baby. Before she joined, Hunter Elsen from La Crosse Parks and Rec. joined quick to talk about the Pettibone Haunted Mile, which happens Friday evening.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our political blowhard Adam Murphy joined to talk about a concept we've brought up on multiple shows recently, the shrugging our shoulders at political extremism, which is happening in real time at DC and Madison. We got into Republicans unable, again, to vote on a House Speaker, after taking a long weekend off. We also dove into the Wisconsin GOP admitting in court filings their firing of the election administrator wasn't legal, but they did it anyway because "symbolism." And we got into using $545 million in taxpayer money to fund the Milwaukee Brewers stadium. For some reason, however, we started the show rehashing Murphy's failed campaign to go against Ron Johnson in the US Senate and why Democrats, in general, lost that race. Murphy is a small business owner of Big Bang LLC in Milwaukee. He holds degrees in economics and political science from UW-Milwaukee.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Believe it or not, those Nigerian Prince email scams are still out there. They're just better and use A.I. now. That was one of the things we discussed with Jay Haapala, who runs the AARP fraud awareness program in Minnesota. He joined to talk scams and fraud, as a bit of a preview to an event they'll host next week in La Crosse. We also talked about Facebook Marketplace frauds, the lack of law enforcement to go after these groups and just who is it that's getting taken advantage of — because it's not who you think. The LaX Scam Jam event, which is free, runs from 8:30 a.m.-noon Oct. 24 at the Radisson downtown and will include expert speakers and local resources. It also includes free breakfast, but you must register at the AARP website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bring back Kmart. That was the theme Friday with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio, in discussing the delay the city council gave developers of the Kmart lot and how we need to save the building. Three-Sixty Real Estate Solutions is getting another 18 months to bring their development plan online. But, if that doesn't happen, we began talks of a grassroots movement needing to start building its base now to save the building. Also dropped another big story within that conversation in how we could work Hatched Baby, the 9-foot statue of a blue baby's head coming out of an egg, into this movement. Ended the show talking about how Wisconsin state politicians are falling over themselves to be responsible using $600 million in public money to update the Milwaukee Brewers stadium. Began the show talking about two Congressmen embroiled in controversy and how they don't get thrown out of the US House or Senate because of thin margins. But, one of those controversial figures is also the Senator of New Jersey, where one of the last two Kmarts exists, so we talked of how he may be important to this Kmart movement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia in studio discussing a Wisconsin GOP anti-trans bill, reports of another Derrick Van Orden outburst. We also talked evil Star Wars and hell houses. After that, Meagan Waddell talks about recreating Thriller video in La Crescent. Began the show simply talking about William's role — he's also the 3rd US House District Dem chair — but that led into a meeting he's hosting about Republicans test running autocracies in the state. And then we got into some Star Wars, with Ahsoka just concluding. After the break, we talk about the Wisconsin GOP anti-trans bills in regards to sports. The second half of the show was a bit about reports of Derrick Van Orden's latest outburst during a White House press briefing. And, we ended talking with Waddell's fifth annual Thriller remake in La Crescent, which anyone can participate. Just search Thriller Parade on Facebook. It all culminates Oct. 29.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse city council member Barb Janssen joined the show to talk about the ongoing budget talks, where the library has already stated its closing the south side branch, police and fire are seeing cuts, and a pool could be on the block in a few years. Janssen is in her seventh year on the council and represents District 3. She talks about some of the reasons for why this is happening and what the city might have to do for a few years going forward. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Central High School Spanish teacher John Havlicek joins to discuss proposed teaching bills, how per pupil state funding is way behind — despite Gov. Tony Evers 400-year plan — standards based grading and sharks giving new meaning to water hazard on golf courses. Began the show running down the eight bills proposed in Madison by the state teacher's union and then discussed the school district's transition to standards based grading. After that, we talked about how per pupil funding has lagged in the state for over a decade and will continue to do so, despite Gov. Tony Evers' veto trick to boost it for the next 402 years. Ended talking about sharks on a golf course and touching on each of the aforementioned (and below) teacher bills.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayor Mitch Reynolds joined La Crosse Talk PM on Monday to discuss city’s budget process and what looks to be cuts in regards to police, fire, libraries and pools. We also talked about how he’s involved in protecting the Mississippi River from piping water to the west. Before we got into any of that, however, we did open with sports, including UW-La Crosse beating UW-Whitewater for the first time since 2005. In regards to the compact (10:50), Reynolds is co-chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) and one of the talking points we hit on was this notion of a water pipeline to water-starved Arizona. After that, we talked about Monday’s Board of Estimates meeting (21:00) and how the city will have to make some sacrifices, including possibly closing the South Branch Public Library, potentially closing a swimming pool down the road, and some cost-saving measures within the police and fire departments, including leaving open positions unfilled.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An emotional support alligator at a Phillies game has become more shocking than Donald Trump sharing nuclear submarine secrets with some foreign billionaire. That about sums up the show with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky. Just how society can shrug off the unprecedented things happening politically — the US House Speaker ousted or a former president on trial. We also discussed the Wisconsin GOP bill to give $614 million of public money to fund the Milwaukee Brewers stadium upgrades. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talked about a lot of things with Wisconsin Farmers Union president and organic dairy farmer, Darin Von Ruden. The conversation ranged from the fight in Congress to get a farm bill passed, which should have been done last weekend, to how much money goes to the farmer when we buy products off the store shelves. The farm bill talk ranged from milk pricing going back to 1937 — can you say $10 gallons of milk — to having a freshman member of the US House in Derrick Van Orden on the ag committee, and where the priorities in Congress lie — as the House Speaker was just ousted. We also hit on the monopolization of parts of the farming industry and the incentives to using land for farming vs. solar.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse baseball coach Chris Schwarz joined to talk about the MLB debut of Caleb Boushley. The 29-year-old Boushley, a Hortonville, Wis., native, played for Schwarz back from 2015-2017. This is the second-consecutive year Schwarz has seen one of his former players get to the Majors. Last year, it was Holmen native Taylor Kohlwey. Boushley debuted for the Brewers last Friday, entering in the eighth inning with a one-run lead against the Cubs. Schwarz tells the story, as he and about 400 other friends and family of Boushley's, including "the whole town of Hortonville," were in the stands. Before that conversation, though, we had to rant about Giannis Antetokounmpo living over a decade in Wisconsin and never having a bratwurst, plus Katrina Shankland enters the race for US House in the 3rd District, to unseat Republican Derrick Van Orden.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's committee week in the city of La Crosse, and council member Chris Woodard joined for a bit to talk about some agenda items he's going to be seeing, including a delay request on construction of the old Kmart on State Road. We also discussed a mental health clinic wanting to open on Jackson Street. After that, did a Rick's comment on Scott's Comment about Oktoberfest and then talked about some teaching bills that the Wisconsin state Legislature could look at.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County administrator Jane Klekamp in studio to talk about the inner workings of county government, the $19-million Hillview project and the upcoming 2024 budget. The conversation hovering around government came up a couple of different times, including how the county and the city work and some of the work the county board does in bringing things to the table. One of those things is the Hillview Healthcare Center remake, which passed the board. We talk about how that came to be and what Hillview might look like when its all done. We also hit on the 2024 budget and how that's shaping upSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of Oktoberfest legends, Dave Ring, Brad Quarberg, joined to talk about the year La Crosse's Oktoberfest didn't sell beer. Yes, that was a thing, and it was part of a Top 5 list Quarberg deemed, "Five things you didn't know about La Crosse's Oktoberfest." Others included the time the Oktoberfest medallion was held hostage and that year there wasn't a Festmaster. Ring was the 2013 Festmaster, while Quarberg is our unofficial Oktoberfest historian and was the 2016 parade marshal. He was chief editor of the book The Fest of Times — a history of La Crosse Oktoberfest’s first 50 years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covered a lot of topics with Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff, from banning politicians from parades to a bill he introduced capping insulin costs at $35 in Wisconsin. We also hit some of the layers to Republicans looking to impeach both a state Supreme Court justice that was just elected to the Wisconsin Election Commission administrator. After that, we hit on solar farms vs farmland in Wisconsin, and whether he agrees with the $700 million for Milwaukee Brewers stadium upgrades.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peggy Manson joined La Crosse Talk PM on Thursday, just a few hours after she, her daughter and their dog Roscoe found the Oktoberfest medallion. It's something of a family tradition for them, and the second time doing so in the past 16 years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peggy Manson kicks off the show, leaking to the world just how you find an Oktoberfest medallion. After that, La Crosse County and 3rd CD Democratic Party chair William Garcia on everything from Madison to DC in politics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tara Johnson, candidate for US House of Representatives here in Wisconsin’s 3rd District, joined La Crosse Talk PM on Wednesday to discuss, of course, why she’s running. We also may have come up with a campaign slogan, plus we talked choice and some local issues to take to DC. A big part of the conversation was about healthcare and, in there, we may have the pitch every candidate should be using on the issue: “You Don’t Have To Think About It Healthcare.” Johnson, the first-ever female chair of the La Crosse County Board, told a personal story about how her family was struck with medical emergencies, and how someone in a different health insurance position may not have had the same outcome. We also talked about choice, where she told another story how that’s affected her and her family, as overturning Roe v Wade sent Wisconsin back to the 1800s, where a 174-year-old abortion ban law went back into effect until just recently. Before we got into all that, though, we did spend some time on the state of the House right now and how local issues here could and should be tackled in D.C. Along with being the first-ever board chair — doing that nine years — Johnson served on the La Crosse County Board for 20 years. Before that, she was the executive director at the United Way in La Crosse. Johnson is one of three Democrats, so far, running in Wisconsin's 3rd CD, along with Rebecca Cooke and Aaron Nytes. The seat is currently held by first-term Republican Derrick Van Orden.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin Assembly Rep. Steve Doyle joins, tells a very interesting story from last week’s voting session. We also talked about the state of politics in Madison, the game of impeachment and rigged maps. Doyle began the show talking about last Thursday’s voting session, where he had COVID and Republicans almost had an Assembly supermajority, which would allow them to veto override just about everything Gov. Tony Evers has managed to accomplish. This is where the harmonic "groan," comes into play. After that, we discussed the continuing fight over a $4 billion budget surplus and how nobody is legitimately negotiating. Ended the show discussing the multifaceted game of impeaching a newly-elected state Supreme Court justice, using bias retired justices to justify that action and throwing an entire new system of drawing maps into the mix, with no public hearings and 48 hours for the Assembly to vote on it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A three-subject show today, including a conversation about abortions with the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. Also talked about the F-35 that went missing somewhere in South Carolina and the Wisconsin GOP plan to give the Brewers $614 million for stadium renovations. After a bit about the F-35, Tanya Atkinson, the aforementioned CEO, joined to discuss PP resuming abortion care after a judge ruled Wisconsin's 174-year-old abortion ban, essentially, isn't legit. We discussed why they made the decision and what women in the state have to go through in Wisconsin based on a harsh 1985 law that's taken effect. After that, talked more about this missing F-35 jet, which cost about $80 million. But that's a drop in the bucket compared to what Republicans want to give the near-billionaire owner of the Milwaukee Brewers to fix up the stadium.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio to help try and break down some of headliners coming out of Madison, with the GOP trying to backpedal on impeaching a newly-elected justice. We also chatted about when your boss sends "that" email. Didn't waste a ton of time getting into Wisconsin Republicans' plans all surrounding the idea that they could lose some power by the 2024 elections. The GOP is simultaneously trying to impeach the newly-elected liberal state Supreme Court justice, create a system to redraw voting maps to subvert that impeachment and getting at least one bias opinion from a retired judge on how to move forward ridding Justice Janet Protasiewicz. In between that, we discussed the nerve-wracking email you'll get from your boss saying "we need to meet," and the etiquette in how that communication should happen. We also spoke briefly about Hunter Biden and US House member Derrick Van Orden's statements on impeaching Hunter's dad.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political science professor emeritus, Dr. Ed Miller, of UW-Stevens Point, an expert in Wisconsin's history of political maps and the state Supreme Court, joins, as Republicans on the Legislature vote to adopt a new system for drawing districts, while at the same time discussing impeaching a state Supreme Court justice that could rule and force the current maps to be redrawn. The unveiled system is touted as the "Iowa model." Miller explains the Iowa model — its advantages and flaws — and how this Wisconsin GOP plan is different. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos unveiled with a news conference Tuesday, calling for a recess in the middle of a voting sessions. He then gave the Legislature 48 hours to vote on it with no public input.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Rep. Jill Billings joins to discuss the childcare legislation Republicans will pass that isn’t going to help childcare centers, and we also talked how the Assembly leader threw a redistricting model at the Legislature with no notice, no public hearing and 48 hours to vote. Didn't waste much time getting into the childcare conversation, where the Assembly will vote on what I call "childcare factory farm" bills. Some deregulate the centers to allow 16 year olds to watch other children, while other bills just allot parents or centers to take out loans for money they don't have and can't get. After that, we talked about the Republican attempt to change the entire way Wisconsin's voting maps are drawn — thrown at the Assembly mid-session with no notice and no public hearings and 48 hours to vote — all because the conversation over the GOP impeaching a newly-elected state Supreme Court judge isn't going over so well. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our, what I like to call, political blowhard, Adam Murphy, joined for the hour to dive into a couple of interesting topics, including high schools needing to be more political, YouTube rabbit holes, the Wisconsin GOP "tax cut" and new faces in politics. And that's where we began, with a "tax cut" plan that lumps people making between $18,000 and $400,000 into on group. Murphy pointed out how this will use up the $4 billion budget surplus but cost the state $2.5 billion in federal funding. We then talked about faces in politics, as a new GOP candidate from Trempealeau County is running against Democrat Tammy Baldwin in the US Senate. After that, the idea that schools need to be more political, but it's not what you're thinking and, along those lines, the YouTube rabbit hole conversation was incorporated in. Murphy is the owner of a small business in Wisconsin called Big Bang LLC. He also ran for US Senate in 2022 for the Democrats in Wisconsin, and holds degrees in economics and political science from UW-Milwaukee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayor Mitch Reynolds in studio, deep diving on whether La Crosse should have a city administrator and the city's future budgetary shortfall, as the 2024 budget is being cultivated. Began the show talking a bit about the past two weekends at Riverside Park, before delving into the budgetary situation in La Crosse. Also discussed, a bit, the potential for putting a mural on the La Crosse Center and if the city should sell out naming rights for the Civic Center. The last half of the show was spent on the pros and cons for La Crosse having a city administrator.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We went off the cuff comparing action heroes and politicians with William Garcia, the Democratic Party chair of La Crosse County and the 3rd US House District. After ranting a bit about what Wisconsin Republicans are trying to pull off with impeaching a newly elected state Supreme Court justice, we dove into a real dilemma — where are the fresh faces in action heroes and politics? The conversation began after bringing up that 83-year-old Nancy Pelosi is running for re-election in the US House. And, while we seemingly have geriatric representation in our government, from the episodes of 81-year-old Mitch McConnell and 90-year-old Dianne Feinstein — not to mention who's running for president — we may have an even worse problem in the action hero department. Tom Cruise (61), Denzel Washington (68), Harrison Ford (81) — all three of these are or were starring in action movies in theaters in the last month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pair of guests joined to talk about some past and upcoming events in the La Crosse area. First, Carey Hagge, Explore La Crosse's director of tourism and events, came on to talk about the city's first-ever, not two, but three "big boat" stops at Riverside Park over the weekend, including a one-of-a-kind floating Navy museum that stormed the beaches on D-Day. After that, Coulee Region Humane Society executive director Heather Drievold joined to get the word out on the over 300 animals they're trying to get adopted, as well as some fundraisers coming up, including Rounds for Rescues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Center Board president Brent Smith joins to talk about a number of things, including the consideration of putting a War Eagle steamboat mural on the outside of the building. Smith has been on the board for over three decades. Along with the mural consideration, we talked about the changing identity of the Civic Center, a few years removed from a $42 million renovation/expansion. We also discussed the age-old question: Why aren’t there more concerts? One other thing we talked about was the decision by the board to continue having the Civic Center be run by Jay Odegaard, director of the La Crosse Parks, Recreation and Forestry department over having a private company handle day-to-day operations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Education Association president Jesse Martinez joined for the hour to discuss a host of things, including a new grading system that's being implemented now at the high school level — standards-based grading — and the positive affects of voters recently passing the operational referendum. We also talked about the political battles that happen at the expense of public schools and a bit on the most recent budget passed in Madison. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio, to discuss the politics heating up in Wisconsin, as Republicans try to impeach the newly-elected state Supreme Court Justice before she's even heard a case. We spent most of the time discussing this fight, including the GOP using $2 million of taxpayer money to fight the lawsuit. We also hit on the 1990s concert Chergosky attended, featuring the Gin Blossoms and Sugar Ray and, of course, we had to hit on the Minnesota state fair for just a minute.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two great guests Thursday on two totally unrelated topics. First, UW-La Crosse graduate Grace Koch joins to talk about a study she did on the toxic chemicals that children interact with on playgrounds that are made up of that tire "mulch." Koch's study helped lead the city to convert Crowley Park into wood chips, but many school parks remain with the rubber surface. After that, UW-La Crosse archivist Laura Godden is in studio to talk about the history of the War Eagle steamboat that remains sunk just north of Riverside Park in the Mississippi River. The La Crosse Center Board is considering a War Eagle mural on the side of the building. Is there a better option? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of veterans — Rick's dad, Rod Solem and Ken Rupp — joined the show, as we preview the WWII-era LST-325 now docked at Riverside Park, about ready for tours through the weekend. Ken is an Air Force vet and tour director for the LST. Rod is a Vietnam vet that served on the Hancock Aircraft Carrier (CVA-19). Ken talks about the history of the ship and what visitors can expect. Rod tells a really interesting story about the Hancock leaving Vietnam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Kapanke, co-owner of the La Crosse Loggers, and Adam Hoffer, Tax Foundation director, joined to talk about the Milwaukee Brewers stadium funding situation. The Brewers, which lease the stadium essentially from the state, and the Wisconsin Legislature are negotiating stadium upgrades that are hovering between $290-$400 million. Kapanke is part of a coalition of business owners promoting keeping the Brewers in Milwaukee, while Hoffer taught sports business at UW-La Crosse for a decade. We discuss whether this debate is political, if tax money to renovate the stadium is good economically — or should we let the rich owners renovate the stadium? — and how the Loggers and the city of La Crosse have worked out a similar deal. The Brewers are also spending over $500,000 lobbying the Legislature to get a deal down, so we dissect what that might look like. I also threw three half-baked ideas at the two, including selling the stadium to the Brewers for $1 and building a new stadium altogether because of its awkward current location and the price tag to renovate. Wisconsin continues to sit on $4 billion in budget surplus going on 19 months. With that, one more half-baked idea I threw out there was how — with that surplus — the state missed out on buying the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks went through a similar fight back in 2015 to fund a new arena and won, but their situation is a bit different because the team owns the arena. The team just sold to the Cleveland Browns owners, who bought a 25% majority stake in the team, valued now at $3.5 billion. STORY LINKSPolitcaly motivated?https://wktysports.com/2023/03/09/wisconsin-republican-says-brewers-stadium-funding-plan-dead/ Brewers lobbying state Legislaturehttps://wktysports.com/2023/08/08/brewers-spent-600k-in-2023-lobbying-for-hundreds-of-millions-in-public-funds-for-stadium-renovations/ Owner optimistic a deal can be reachedhttps://wktysports.com/2023/08/28/brewers-principal-owner-is-optimistic-about-stadium-negotiations-wants-to-keep-team-in-milwaukee/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff in studio to talk about a slew of things, including funding projects for both the Brewers and UW-La Crosse. We also talked his upcoming candidacy and the 90th anniversary of the Coon Creek Watershed Project. Began the show talking about how Republicans in the state haven't funded Phase II of the Prairie Springs Science Center at UW-La Crosse for the past five years. After that, Pfaff talks about the Coon Creek project, that has to do with soil erosion and washout in the area. Then we discussed the debate into funding the Brewers stadium. Another couple of topics discussed that the Legislature could take up dealt with continuing the Office of School Safety and helping childcare centers, as the state continues to sit on $4 billion in budget surplus for 19 months now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A riot of a show with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio, breaking down GOP debate in terms of being in Milwaukee, what teens from one of La Crosse’s sister cities thinks of us and another round of state fair foods — Minnesota edition. That's sort of where we began the show, and debated on whether Wisconsin or Minnesota's state fair is better, what the highlight is of each and the new foods unveiled in MN this week. After that,we discussed Donald Trump's 215 pound weight in the best fashion, before getting into students from a La Crosse sister city visiting. Ended the show just rehashing the GOP presidential nominee debate in how Wisconsin was references, being it's so important to winning the presidency and it was, of course, in Milwaukee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dietitian Laura Birkel joined La Crosse Talk PM last week to break down dairy v. plant milk, what to eat before the big game, and the new weight loss drug, Ozempec, among other things. Birkel has been a dietitian for seven years, the last three of which at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse. We spent quite a bit of time trying to decipher the news surrounding the diabetes drug, like Ozempic, that more and more people are taking simply to lose weight. Do the frightening headlines people see about the drug have any basis in reality or are they just headline porn? Also, with school starting and high school and college sports getting back into full swing, we discussed some of the things people should eat before the game — whether that’s the night before, hours before or right before playing. We also talked about dairy v. plant milk, if sparkling water is good for you and how bad is cheese, really?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse School Superintendent Dr. Aaron Engel joined and we got right into it with school starting next week, teacher raises, truancy on the rise, selling Lincoln Middle School and consolidating elementaries. Began the show talking about truancy, as it was higher than it had ever been last year, and what the district planned over the summer to bring that number down. After that, we discussed the new state budget and how that affected the district. Part of the budget was an increase of $325 per student for the next 400 years, put in place through the governor’s veto pen. There was a lot of outrage over that funding but it sounds like it still isn’t enough. We also talked quick about where the district is with school meal debt, before getting into some of the building situations its dealing with. We talked about the process of elementary school consolidation through the Facilities Advisory Committee, which is a little over halfway done with its studies. We then discussed the sale process for Lincoln Middle School and how the district wasn’t happy about it getting a historic designation, just as it was being listed for sale. SHOW LINKS: Facilities Advisory Committeehttps://www.lacrosseschools.org/facilities-advisory-committee/ Lincoln Middle School historic designationhttps://www.wizmnews.com/2023/07/13/historic-status-for-lincoln-middle-school-upheld-appeal-by-la-crosse-school-district-denied/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marquette University political science professor, Dr. Philip Rocco, joined, as we deep dived into Wisconsin politics, including the governor controlling messaging and how that might be bad for the state and why things like childcare and mental health are divisive. Began the show on the broader range of politics Rocco studies, which includes demographics, the census and how population and politics relate. We ended the show kind of on the same note, as Wisconsin hosts the first GOP presidential debate, the Republican National Convention, and putting so much emphasis into a state that’s predetermined to be “swing” but why. In between that, we rehashed the state’s shared revenue deal, how that came to be and how it might be undone under certain aspects because its unconstitutional. And then got into the upcoming special session Gov. Tony Evers called, which Rocco says Republicans will ignore (again) and the reasoning behind that — justified or not — leading, again, into that whole "Who should control the messaging?" in Wisconsin politics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County administrator Jane Klekamp joins to discuss the 2024 budget, as well as some recent county board actions, including child card grant funding just approved. Began the show, though, with a little civics lesson on just how something makes it to the La Crosse County agenda. After that, we discussed recent board actions, including the $500,000 child care grant funding, a pilot housing program called "Family Keys" for welfare-engaged families, as well as some added road use for ATVs and pulling weeds in Lake Onalaska. After that, we discussed the 2024 budget, which should be around $200 million and just how that process works. Ended the show talking about the recent broadband committee and where the DEI consultant is at with her county study. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of weird political stories both out of Wisconsin and nationally, as UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, joins in studio. The first of those is Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley battling with others on updating her Wikipedia page. She's, apparently, trying to keep controversial things she's said in the past off that page. Also, with the Republican presidential debate coming up in Milwaukee on Wednesday, we talk about some of the leaked strategies the nominees are looking to use on stage, including some very strange ones from Ron DeSantis. Also, back to the state Supreme Court, we chat about Republicans already floating impeachment of Justice Janet Protasiewicz, the same month she began her term, after being elected last April. In between there, we took a break from politics — sort of — to chat about what if a "regular Joe" took part in each Olympic event, as that seemed to happen in a 100-meter race at the World University Games. Show links: Donald Trump skipping GOP debate in Milwaukee:https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/08/20/trump-says-he-will-skip-gop-presidential-primary-debates-in-milwaukee/ Supreme Court Rebecca Bradley fights edits on Wikipedia https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/08/15/dozens-reverse-justice-rebecca-bradleys-edits-to-her-wikipedia-page/70591791007/ Wisconsin Supreme Court impeachment talk:https://www.wpr.org/assembly-speaker-robin-vos-calls-justice-janet-protasiewicz-recuse-cases World University Games nepotismhttps://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/sports-official-suspended-for-nepotism-after-painfully-slow-athlete-finishes-last-in-100m-race/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Began the show talking about a potential mural for the side of the La Crosse Center before being joined by two guests on two very different topics. William Garcia, the La Crosse County Democratic Party chair, led things off, talking a bit about President Joe Biden’s visit to Milwaukee and then the upcoming GOP presidential debate next week. After that, Lyndsey Langer from the Junior Chamber International – La Crosse (the La Crosse Jaycees) came on to discuss a big need they have for running the Toys for Tots program. They’re about to lose their storage facility and are looking for a new home. You can get a hold of Langer through Facebook here or on their website here. Before that, however, ranted about the story that there could be a giant mural on the side of the La Crosse Center of the War Eagle and, of course, we had to propose some other, ridiculous ideas for potential “art.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.