La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

Laura Runchey from Alliance to Heal joined to educate us a bit about drug stigmas, the problem with fentanyl and where/how people can seek help. Runchey is the coordinator at Alliance to Heal and a health educator with the La Crosse County Health Department. On the show we talked about quite a bit about fentanyl in a couple of different ways, including what it is, how it's a problem for those on drugs, but also some misconceptions we hear for those who might come into contact with it. We also discussed overdoses, how they've been rising the past few years in La Crosse County and what to do if you encounter someone overdosing (after calling 911). For those who need help. Runchey talked about ways to do that in the community and the challenges groups that do help are having right now. Alliance to Heal and the Coulee Recovery Center are hosting a couple of events this month, as Aug. 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD). Those include: Aug. 22: Coulee Recovery Center— Bridging the Gap event: Treatment Service Resource fairAug. 30: Coulee Recovery Center— Candlelight Vigil serviceAug. 31: Proclamation by Mayor Mitch Reynolds on IOAD.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin Common Cause executive director, Jay Heck, joins to talk about a plethora of things, including a new voting lines lawsuit in the state, how Republicans want to impeach the newest Justice over that lawsuit and a La Crosse County lawsuit against college voters. Common Cause Wisconsin is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that’s been working to hold “power” accountable through lobbying, litigation, and grassroots organizing. After doing a brief rundown of what we tried to fit into one show, we dove into the redistricting lawsuit in Wisconsin, that could force the state to redraw voting maps and put every legislator on the ballot in 2024 — instead of just half the state Senate, along with the Assembly. That led to a conversation about Assembly Speaker Robin Vos wanting to impeach the newly elected Justice Janet Protasiewicz, because she voiced her opinion on what the consensus is in that Wisconsin’s voting lines are gerrymandered to favor Republicans. After that, how voting rights in the state have changed, restricting types of voter IDs and getting rid of ballot drop boxes, which led into a conversation about a La Crosse County lawsuit over the Democrat winning the sheriff’s election, and how college students participated in that election. Lastly, we talked about the Wisconsin Election Commission administrator, Meagan Wolfe, who Republicans are not trying to oust her essentially because they didn’t like the 2020 election results. Wolfe was unanimously appointed to the position, after the GOP fired the last administrator for investigating former Gov. Scott Walker. What we didn’t get into was Wolfe doesn’t have to leave the job, because Republican DNR board member Fred Prehn didn’t leave his position after his six-year term ended, and the conservative-leaning Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled he didn’t have to unless he died, resigned or was removed for cause by the governor and a successor is named.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeremy Novak with Three-Sixty Real Estate Solutions joined the show to discuss the Copper Rocks development, which is the former Kmart lot next to one of La Crosse's busiest intersections. Last time Novak joined, he talked about plans to tear the Kmart down. That hasn't happened, so we ask why, and what's in store for that lot. We also discussed some other properties Three-Sixty has developed in the Coulee Region. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talking science with Spencer Wilken, including the US government revealing they have “aliens,” a big “question mark” found by the James Webb telescope and our recurring segment of breaking news from decades ago — a headless chicken lived 18 months. Began the show, though talking quick about the Perseids meteor shower that happened over the weekend, before getting into the government revelations on aliens, but mostly we rip on the terminology — UAPs, biologics and unknown unknowns — and technology, as we spend nearly a trillion dollars on the military but can’t get cameras to take quality video of any UAPs. We transitioned that talk into Russia about to land back on the moon for the first time since the 1970s, but they, too, sent peculiar photos from space showing both the earth and moon in a shot. And, speaking of space photos, that led to a conversation about the James Webb telescope finding a literal question mark in space. Wrapped up the show with Mike the Chicken — a headless chicken that lived for 18 months and toured the nation. SHOW LINKS James Webb question mark:https://www.livescience.com/space/james-webb-telescope-discovers-giant-question-mark-galaxy-in-deep-space Mike the (headless) Chicken:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon:https://www.nasa.gov/feature/faq-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-uapsufos See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A rollercoaster Friday of a show with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, from deep diving about what Republicans should run on, to the outrageous regulations in the Irishfest mashed potato eating contest and an amazing story about toddlers destroying a Waukeshau park. Began the show talking about how Republicans stick with ideas like the election was stolen, while two weeks ago the national talking point for the GOP just switched to promoting early voting. That turned into a conversation into why Republicans take non-political issues and make them political and, in doing so, lose young voters when, perhaps, they don’t have to. After that, we lightened it way up, talking about the Irishfest mashed potato eating contest, it’s set of rules and regulations, its many divisions and how the outcome of the contest itself is determined. Then we went off the rails after a tweet out of Waukesha that police had to stop toddlers from destroying a park — with their overflowing poop diapers. We ended the show talking quick about Culvers being upset about delivery apps, and just whether or not you should do takeout from there. SHOW LINKS: Poop-tastrophe:https://twitter.com/WaukeshaAlerts/status/1689774133872062465?s=20 Republicans appealing to voters strategy: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/08/09/wisconsin-republicans-seek-inroads-with-youth-voters-ahead-of-first-2024-presidential-debate/70499563007/ Culvers delivery:https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/08/09/culvers-wants-regulations-for-food-delivery-services/70549967007/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often talk about the doom and gloom of climate change, and we did today, with Dr. Tom Schlesinger, the executive director of La Crosse's Climate Alliance for the Common Good. But also discussed, was how we, the "little guy," can help make an impact to slow climate change. We hit on a little bit of everything from the oceans to El Nino (happening now) vs La Nina (happening next), to greenhouse gases. We even hit on how the big corporations are converting to more sustainable practices, not just out of the goodness of their hearts, but because it's better business. We capped that discussion off with how everyone else can get involved, and that's where the Climate Alliance has put out a Small Business Toolkit, which we break down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Jill Billings joined to discuss the news that Gov. Tony Evers is calling a special session for a number of things, including a funding plan for child care centers. Billings was also invited to the White House to discuss the same matter. So, we asked her if she's talked with US House Rep. Derrick Van Orden about getting federal legislation passed in terms of childcare. Meanwhile, Wisconsin is still sitting on a $4 billion budget surplus, going on 18 months now. How should that money be spent? In those same regards, we talked about UW-Oshkosh being $18 million in debt and where UW-La Crosse sits. UW funding was also part of Evers special session. But will Republicans actually debate or gavel in and out in seconds like they've done 11 other times? Other topics including what the state should be doing in terms of gun reform. Should there be laws on ghost guns? Oh, and Billings also let us know if she'll be running again in 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds joined to discuss a couple of different topics that are all intertwined. Reynolds noted the city's biggest priority is housing, so we talk about some of the development projects going on, what the city's role is with promoting housing and how more homes will help the homeless. We also got an update on the city-county initiative to create a 5-year plan to bring homelessness to functional zero. In the midst the conversation, we also discussed Wisconsin being on an island in terms of legal marijuana, while Republicans in the state are perhaps starting to move in that direction — maybe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Cherosky in studio discussing weird state fair foods — including a million-dollar idea — a taco bell lawsuit that could bring down fast food and political messaging that deters young voters. Began the show talking about how literal kittens are working at the hardware store in Houston, Minn., which led to Chergosky breaking down Wisconsin’s latest jobs report. After that, we got into the list of foods at the Wisconsin state fair, and whether these vendors are trying to sell great food or weird us out. Then we got into the oddity that no Republican wants to run against US Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the state, despite Ron Johnson just winning that same seat last election. That led into a conversation about young voters, how much they pay attention to politics and whether they’re turned off by political messaging. Lastly, we discuss the Taco Bell lawsuit dealing with the picture you see versus the food you get, and Chergosky’s money making idea he may just implement at the La Crosse County corn roast in West Salem on Aug. 30. SHOW LINKS: Wisconsin state fair foods:https://wistatefair.com/fair/Food-Category/new-foods/ Taco Bell lawsuit:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taco-bell-lawsuit-beef-ingredients-mexican-pizza-crunchwrap/ No Republicans offering to run against Tammy Baldwinhttps://www.wizmnews.com/2023/08/01/still-no-republicans-running-against-sen-tammy-baldwin-in-wisconsin-after-rep-tom-tiffany-pulls-out/ US jobs report:https://apnews.com/article/economy-jobs-inflation-federal-reserve-def1e5500e2852bf8ec3621b7270cd61 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We pick La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke's his brain on a few things surrounding weed possession — now legal in Minnesota — and where did the gun come from in something like the mass shooting that happened in the city last month. We began the show, though, getting an update on a dead body found along the Bud Hendrickson Trail. After that,we spent a few talking about some of the terms floating around having to do with former President Donald Trump, including "grand jury" and "Indictment." Then we got into a couple different things surrounding marijuana, including how authorities determine whether your under the influence and how long that stays in your system — a bit different than alcohol. Also, the city of La Crosse has a $1 fine system for those caught with less than 25 grams of weed. But what if you're caught every day with that amount? After that, we talked guns, and some of the cases recently involving guns, including that drive-by shooting where the assailant threw the gun onto a roof, and downtown killing, where the killer made what's called a ghost gun, from scratch, by buying all the parts online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Minnesota legalizing recreational marijuana, it's likely that it will make its way to La Crosse, where driving under the influence could increase. So, La Crosse Police Sgt. Danny Mandujano joined to discuss how police determine DWI (driving while intoxicated), and if it's harder to recognize if someone's under the influence of drugs versus alcohol.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Mathy, Milwaukee County's housing administrator joins to discuss, what he calls a homeless crisis in La Crosse. We talk about what Milwaukee has done over the past decade to bring their homeless population down. We also get Mathy's opinion on what La Crosse has done so far and what it might consider to help get people off the streets and into housing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff in the WIZM studio, discussing everything from the Derrick Van Orden outburst, and whether he's going to run for US House, to childcare and healthcare costs, to his wanting to buy an old Ford Ranchero or Chevy El Camino. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio discussing the fallout from Derrick Van Orden’s teen tirade, an $870 billion defense bill and Chick-Fil-A conveyor drive-thrus. Began the show, however, talking quick about Minnesota legalizing recreational marijuana, before we got into the Van Orden discussion. For those who don’t know, Van Orden cursed at Senate interns for taking pics of the US Capitol on their last day of work. After that, we hit on the defense bill that both Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson — the world’s most opposite politicians, who just happen to be from the same state, voting together on the same bill — signed on. We took a political break and talked a couple of food stories, including Subway offering free subs for anyone that changes their name to Subway,” French’s and Skittles teaming up for some disgusting promotion, and the whole Chick-Fil-A conveyor idea. Lastly, picked Chergosky’s brain about Third Party candidates in the presidential race and how they could spoil it for either Democrats or Republicans. This stems from an argument with La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia saying the No Labels Party is simply created to put Donald Trump back into office. STORY LINKS:DERRICK VAN ORDEN: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/07/27/us-house-rep-van-orden-curses-out-high-school-aged-pages-for-taking-pictures-of-rotunda-says-they-treated-us-capitol-like-frat-house/ https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/07/28/while-derrick-van-orden-swears-at-teenage-senate-pages-for-taking-pics-at-capitol-state-rep-steve-doyle-loves-their-interest-his-daughter-was-a-page/ Skittles and French's team up https://abc7chicago.com/mustard-skittles-frenchs-candy/13550617/ Free Subway sandwiches for naming self "Subway" https://www.wfla.com/news/national/subway-to-give-free-sandwiches-for-life-to-one-person-who-agrees-to-legally-change-name-to-subway/ Chick-Fil-A conveyors https://www.instagram.com/p/CvOMLqVtsTB/ $886 billion defense bill passage https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/07/27/gop-sen-ron-johnson-signs-886-billion-defense-bill-despite-concerns-of-militarys-radical-left-social-agenda-and-wokeness/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Rep. Steve Doyle joins to discuss his golden retriever pups, the Derrick Van Orden incident cursing at teens and the amount of time the Legislature takes off. We also discussed some of the negotiations going on in Madison with tax cuts, childcare funding and we gave Doyle an idea in resolving the Brewers stadium funding. Began the show talking about the work the Legislature does while it's out of session, and whether or not it's actual work. After that, a bit about the breaking story that Van Orden was yelling at high school-aged Senate pages for taking pics, as Doyle has multiple experiences in this regard. Also talked about his five-week old golden retriever puppies — there's one left. After that, we got into how the work in both Madison and Washington is more about headlines and less about working out deals between parties. Part of that issue in Wisconsin is gerrymandered maps, so we also discussed the state Supreme Court flipping to a progressive majority and how that might solve some of these issues. Lastly, we talked specifics in terms of tax cuts, childcare and senior care funding and how to use the state's $3.5 billion budget surplus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coulee Region Wildlife rehabber Kathy KasaKaitas joins to talk about the work she's been doing with countless animals over summer. From opossums to ducklings to bunnies and owlets, KasaKaitas' work at the the rehab facility never slows. Among those animals, included an owlet that lost an eye and a punctured wing and opossum babies whose mother was hit by a car. The wildlife center's Amazon wishlist can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/4BS0FP9CY27Q The center's donation page is found here: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/crhswildlifeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crescent Mayor Mike Poellinger joins to discuss Minnesota legalizing recreational marijuana and just how that will affect the city. We also talked about bike paths in every direction out of La Crescent, and the city's upcoming 75th Applefest celebration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County administrator Jane Klekamp joined to talk about the ambitious plans for the Hillview Health Care campus. The facility would go from, basically a nursing home, to an expansive center that includes a daycare, alternative senior living, bridge housing for adults and crisis stabilization. Klekamp also talked about fixing the roads.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, joins. We toy around with how the state might now spend — or not spend — it's $3.5 billion budget surplus. We also talked about Gov. Tony Evers joining La Crosse Talk PM and using the phrase "When donkeys fly." Also, we had about four Ron Johnson stories this week, including the Republican US Senator diving into all the conspiracy theories during a YouTube interview.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Murphy, owner of the small business, Big Bang, LLC, joins and explains taxes for us a bit — in terms of the how we got a budget surplus, what to do with it and how a small businesses is affected by taxes. Before that, however, we talked about his showing in the World Series of Poker that just wrapped up in Las Vegas a few days ago. We also talked a bit about Wisconsin's US Senators, Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, and what it takes now to run for those bigger political offices — and it's not just a ton of money, though news just came out that the Wisconsin state Supreme Court race cost over $54 million. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rebecca Cooke joins. She's running for a US House seat in the 3rd District here. We talked about her new job, waitressing, as she also runs a campaign. That led to a conversation about minimum wage. We also found out her favorite spots when she’s in La Crosse and discussed lived experiences that make her a good person to represent the area. On top of the new job, Cooke runs a nonprofit that helps women start up business. She was also a small business owner in downtown Eau Claire and grew up on a farm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers join to talk about child care funding in the state. In between that, we asked the governor if the La Crosse area is his favorite part of the state, as he's been to Western Wisconsin 30 times this year already. We also get him to define what it means when someone says they're going "Up north." After that, La Crosse city council member Dr. Mark Neumann joins to continue the conversation about childcare, as the council just passed $400,000 in ARPA funding to help there. We also asked Neumann about the legislation passed last week that better defines camping — or no camping — in the city, as there have been complaints about homeless people in parks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Viterbo economist, Dr. John Robinson joins, to discuss inflation, a national minimum wage vs. a local minimum wage and an all-time low unemployment rate. Spent quite a bit of time on the minimum wage in various ways, including Robinson's take that the US doesn't even really have a minimum wage right now. Also talked about inflation — or when that becomes deflation — as well as Wisconsin's recent income tax plan, that the governor partially vetoed. Robinson is the interim Associate Dean of the College of Business Leadership Ethics and Education at Viterbo. The Central High School graduate and got his doctorate in finance from Arizona State. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio to break down Barbenheimer, Burger King’s 20-slice meatless cheese(burger) and the number of people that will run against Derrick Van Orden. Began the show, though talking about Waukesha’s school board firing a first-grade teacher over he outcries about the board banning the song Miley Cyrus-Dolly Parton song, Rainbowland. After that, had some fun talking about the phenomenon that people are going to see the new movie Barbie and Oppenheimer as a double feature. What kind of combo is that and how much popcorn can one person eat? That led to a discussion about original movies or sequels — and what movies are untouchable. One of the movies brought up, along the lines of Oppenheimer, is Dr. Strangelove, who actually came into the studio to tell the audience they can never remake that 1964 classic. We then got into some other politics, with Rebecca Cooke announcing her candidacy to run as a Democrat in the 3rd US House District currently held by Van Orden — and how many people might run. A big factor there, money, which eventually led us into a discussion about the North Dakota governor — running for president — offering $20 gift cards for $1 donations so he can buy his way to the Milwaukee GOP presidential debate stage. Lastly, we talked about this 20-slice Burger King monstrosity. SHOW LINKS: 20 cheese slice Burger King "burger": https://people.com/burger-king-thailand-meatless-burger-with-20-slices-of-cheese-7559683 Barbenheimer: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/07/14/the-story-behind-barbenheimer-the-summers-most-online-movie-showdown/ Rebecca Cooke running against Van Orden: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/07/10/rebecca-cooke-challenges-rep-van-orden-in-wisconsins-3rd-district-as-her-party-seeks-to-flip-house/ $20 gift cards for a $1 donation: https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/11/politics/2024-fundraising-strategy-burgum/index.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedian Steve Hofstetter joins a week before his coming to La Crosse. A comic who dabbles in politics, we threw Hofstetter some of the headlines coming out of Wisconsin and let him work his comedic magic. Also joining in studio, former Riverfest board member Brad Pitel. Along with talking comedy, Pitel discussed bringing big acts to the fest, and how he big timed one country music star — which may or may not have led to his no longer being on the Riverfest board #Sarcasm. Some of the topics we threw at Hofstetter included Minnesota legalizing recreational marijuana and a first-grade teacher being banned over the Dolly Parton-Miley Cyrus song Rainbowland. Hofstetter also had some funny analogies on the Constitution, as well as some of his Canadian experiences, as he wraps up a tour there.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Country Boom co-founder Jon Holthaus joins La Crosse Talk PM to talk about this weekend's event at the Maple Grove Venues in West Salem, Wis., featuring some of the biggest country stars today. We talk about the lineup, how they also like to feature local musicians, and a bit of the history of Country Boom — including booking some of the singers a year in advance, before they're really "big time," and by the time Boom rolls around, they've got a top hit on the charts. Holthaus also talked some of the history of the event, now in its fifth year, including his casually saying they had to move the entire stage that first year, because 19,000 people showed up. LINEUPThursday July 13The Pat Watters Band - 6–7 PMBlue Collar 40 - 7:30–8:30 PMJo Dee Messina - 9–10:30 PM Friday July 14Anderson Daniels - 4:30–5:15 PMMegan Moroney - 5:45–6:30 PMWarren Zeiders - 7–8 PMDylan Scott - 8:30–9:45 PMKip Moore - 10–11:45 PM Saturday July 15Lauren Watkins - 4:30-5:15 PMJackson Dean - 5:45–6:30 PMLarry Fleet - 7-8 PMChris Cagle - 8:30–9:45 PMDustin Lynch - 10:15–11:45 PM See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse City Planner Tim Acklin joined to talk about the debate over Lincoln Middle School getting historic designation, but before that, Country Boom co-founder Jon Holthaus talks about the huge event in West Salem this weekend. Some of the interesting things we talked with Holthaus included booking guests a year in advance, and by the time Boom arrives, they're gigantic stars. Also, he casually mentioned having the move the entire stage the first year, because 19,000 people showed up. After that, Acklin, who sort of manages the Heritage Preservation Commission, breaks down how a debate will happen before the city council decides if Lincoln Middle should retain historical status. We also talked about why Lincoln got that designation in the first place. After that, Acklin talked more about the commissions Top 10 most endangered buildings, we threw him some new ideas for ranked lists, and we got his Top 3 most untouchable buildings in La Crosse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William Garcia in studio to talk about movie sequels, how Gov. Evers took the power of funding public schools from the GOP in Wisconsin, the tax cut plan that wasn't and Rebecca Cooke's bid to unseat Derrick Van Orden in the US House. Garcia is the La Crosse County and 3rd US House District Democratic Party chair. We began the show talking about how there are multiple sequels in theaters right now — Mission Impossible, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones and whatever garbage the Transformers is putting out — and then got into whether you should watch a subbed or dubbed movie. After that, we talked about Cooke for Congress, details in how that race might turn out in the 3rd Congressional and Wisconsin's gerrymandered maps. We then dove into Gov. Evers' veto pen powers in funding public education for the next 402 years, cutting up the tax cut plan (mostly for the rich) and how the state could better spend its $7 billion budget surplus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-L outreach specialist Spencer Wilken in studio, breaking 1960s news again — this time about nefarious experiments on twins. She also delivered some space news, including finding the largest diamond and NASA’s biodome experiment for living on Mars. Began the show recapping past “Major Breaking” shows from decades-old news, including the 1876 Kentucky meat shower and the 1950s Great Beaver Drop. That was a precursor to two other 1960s experiments — one about twins and triplets separated as infants — without consent — and then studied for years. Data that’s still being fought over by these subjects today. The other about creating a mouse utopia. We also discussed a similar telescope to James Webb launching Saturday from Europe — and why the James Webb owns some sweet real estate above Earth, and we capped off the show talking about the Earth’s upper atmosphere is cooling, which apparently isn’t great news. SHOW LINKS:Mars biodome: https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-test-subjects-simulated-mars-base James Webb pal: https://phys.org/news/2023-06-europe-space-telescope-universe-dark.html Earth's atmosphere: https://www.wired.com/story/the-upper-atmosphere-is-cooling-prompting-new-climate-concerns/ Triplet experiment: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/twofold/202110/the-controversial-study-twins-and-triplets-adopted-and-reared-apart Mouse utopia: https://www.livescience.com/58257-milgram-experiment-poland-obey-authority.html Largest-ever diamond: https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/this-collapsed-star-is-turning-into-an-gigantic-diamond-before-our-eyes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio discussing whether government should legislate based on the Facebook comment sections, traffic shaming as an alternative to tickets, “Indiana Jones, really?” and the US Supreme Court. The show began talking about movie remakes, like the new Indiana Jones movie that just came out, but that somehow led to a discussion about social media. In the past week, guests on La Crosse Talk PM have mentioned the comment section in regards to certain issues in the city, so we talked about whether that’s how governments should be taking the pulse of a community — and are public comments before city, county meetings just an older version of the comment section. After that, we discussed a strategy in Washington where they’re public shaming bad drivers through letters and texts, but we honed it down to be more effective — including an idea from a caller. We also talked about the recent US Supreme Court decisions, and threw Chergosky three different questions. One in how the court works — like how many hours a week are they putting in? Also, if the decisions are political winners or losers and we rehashed my conspiracy theory on the court can increase its dwindled popularity. Lastly, we hit on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers upcoming options on the state budget, which passed the Legislature this week. TOPIC LINKS: Supreme Court rulings Affirmative action in college admissions https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/06/29/divided-supreme-court-outlaws-affirmative-action-in-college-admissions-says-race-cant-be-used/ Wedding websites for gay couples https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/06/30/the-supreme-court-rules-for-a-designer-who-doesnt-want-to-make-wedding-websites-for-gay-couples/ Student loans https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/06/30/the-supreme-court-rejects-bidens-plan-to-wipe-away-400-billion-in-student-loan-debt/ Washington driver shaming: https://dcist.com/story/23/06/23/dc-text-messages-letters-dangerous-drivers/ Wisconsin state budget: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/06/29/wisconsin-republicans-send-budget-state-to-democratic-gov-evers-after-assembly-passage-thursday/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura Godden, a UW-La Crosse Archivist and member of Heritage Preservation Commission, joined to discuss the city’s most endangered buildings, the controversy over making Lincoln Middle School a historic landmark and if K-Mart is next. Began the show, however, talking about what being an Archivist is and the kind of things she’s seen, while working at UW-L. After that, we talked a bit about the city’s Top 10 most endangered buildings list and the thought process behind it. The bottom half of the show, we dissected the Lincoln Middle School dilemma, where the Heritage Preservation Commission granted it landmark status, but the La Crosse School District is unhappy about that, because it is trying to sell the building. Godden breaks down why the district might actually benefit from historic status in selling Lincoln. Lastly, we got Godden’s personal Top 10 Least Endangered Buildings list, which may or may not have had something to do with the food those buildings produced. Top 10 Most Endangered buildings: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/05/24/lincoln-hogan-schools-glory-days-bar-on-la-crosses-top-10-most-endangered-buildings/ Heritage Preservation Commission grants Lincoln historic status: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/06/22/la-crosses-lincoln-middle-school-gets-landmark-status-but-that-could-complicate-sale-of-the-building/ School Board wants to appeal Lincoln historic status: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/06/27/la-crosse-school-board-votes-to-appeal-historic-status-for-lincoln-school-building/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sherry Picah, owner of Sprout Childcare on the south side of La Crosse, joined to discuss the dilemma Wisconsin facilities and families are in, after childcare funding was cut out of the state budget. Last week, at 2:30 a.m., Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee voted to end what's called the Child Care Counts program — $340 million in funding the last two years that allowed facilities to stay in the margins. Picha talks about the repercussions from those cuts — the crunch that puts, not just childcare facilities in, but also families and other businesses. We also talk about what the next steps could be — would childcare facilities strike — and how important childcare centers are for those first years of a kid's life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff joins. We discussed the discrepancies in the GOP tax cut plan, where top earners see a sizable tax break and lower income get about $2.67 back a month. We also talked about the Joint Finance Committee cutting a childcare funding and not implementing an equal replacement in the state budget. Pfaff also hints on some some amendments to the budget Democrats want to propose when the Senate votes on Wednesday. We did take some calls, as well, including a Town of Holland bridge being unusable right now and the plan to fix that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

W-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky joins La Crosse Talk PM to break down the GOP-proposed Wisconsin budget, Trump on top among state Republicans and the deal with lab-grown meat. Began the show, though, talking about Taylor Swift taking over St. Paul with a Friday night concert, where the cheapest ticket was around $800 and the most expensive just hours before the show was nearly at $10,000. Most expensive Taylor Swift ticket on Stubhub just hours before St. Paul show.Spent quite bit of time discussing the tax cut plan put forward by Republicans crafting Wisconsin’s two-year budget, along with Brewers stadium funding and cutting childcare money that has created an uproar. And how that now kind of feels like it's being fast-tracked, despite a $7 billion budget surplus, because the top Republican has a work-cation July 4. Also talked about the Wisconsin GOP Party straw poll on presidential nominees. In between that, however, we discussed billionaires offering $127,000 to be dog nannies and two companies getting approval to sell lab-grown chicken. But the latter conversation was more about the horrible terminology and terrible names of these two companies. Story links: Wisconsin GOP budget breakdown: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/06/23/tax-cuts-and-a-uw-squeeze-a-look-at-the-proposed-republican-backed-wisconsin-state-budget/ Lab-grown meat: https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/21/business/cultivated-meat-us-approval/index.html GOP cuts Wisconsin childcare funding at 2 a.m.: https://www.wizmnews.com/2023/06/16/wisconsin-republicans-vote-at-2-a-m-to-end-funding-for-child-care-program/ Billionaire's dog nannies: https://www.ktvu.com/news/billionaires-offering-dog-nanny-job-with-127k-salary-pull-ad-after-surge-in-applications Wisconsin GOP Party straw poll for president: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/wispolitics-wisconsin-gop-activists-prefer-trump-for-president-tiffany-for-u-s-senate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin state Rep. Jill Billings joins just as the figures come out on the Republican tax cut plan for the state. We also talked about GOP's 2 a.m., bar time decision to defund childcare and we may have solved the Brewers stadium situation. Began the show on the tax cut plan that doesn't increase, but decreases the number of brackets in the state and gives the largest tax break to the wealthiest. After that, we discussed the GOP plan not to fund the UW-La Crosse Prairie Spring Science Center. I floated Billings my idea to solve the Brewers stadium situation and we ended the show trying to decipher why Republicans cut a very popular, effective childcare subsidy plan that's been working for years out of the budget — while the state sits on a $7 billion surplus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Shafer joins to talk about Wisconsin politics. Shafer, an independent journalist, runs the site The Recombobulation Area — a name with a pretty funny backstory he tells. On the show, we dive into the shared revenue plan, as well as Republicans cutting childcare funding from the state budget, the backlash from that and potential repercussions. We also discussed the state Legislature and governor fight over who can be responsible for giving money for Milwaukee Brewers stadium renovations. Also threw Shafer an idea for that plan he hadn't heard before. But, we began the show talking a bit about a tour of La Crosse's wastewater treatment plant, hosted by the superintendent of the facility, Jared Greeno. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron joined to talk about what he called "challenging incidents" over the past week, including a drive-by shooting on 3rd Street that injured seven, a big drug bust and a knife being pulled on an officer. We also talked about Minnesota legalizing recreational marijuana, and the challenges that brings. Before that, WIZM's Brad Williams updated us on the hung jury over the West Salem triple homicide and we concluded the show discussing the governor signing a shared revenue bill and the UW System president saying college campuses could close, as they're under threat of being defunded.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse city council member Barb Janssen joined to help break down better the homeless situation in La Crosse and an amendment that went before the council last week, and will go through committees in July dealing with banning camping in parks. Before that, however, and a a few days after a drive-by shooting injured seven people in downtown La Crosse, WIZM's Brad Williams calls in from the courthouse reporting on the alleged shooter's first court appearance. We also discussed the Vernon County Sheriff's deputy killing of someone during a traffic stop.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky joins. Broke down some middle-of-the-night votes by the Wisconsin state Legislature, ending childcare funding. Also discussed a couple conspiracy theories of Solem's on Gov. Tony Evers and the GOP Party convention, as well as the US Supreme Court. And we did have some fun with ways to get Chergosky's daughter to walk on her own, as well as a Reddit post about what purchases you shouldn't go cheap on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chanin Kelly-Rae joined to talk about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), after she was hired by the La Crosse County Board as a consultant. Kelly-Rae is gathering DEI data and help the county government come up with a five-year strategic plan. We talked about some of her findings so far, as well as simply defining the terms diversity, equity and inclusion. Kelly-Rae also recently presented the county board an initial report from her findings, so far. Kelly-Rae is the head of the aptly named Chanin Kelly-Rae Consulting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Tom Schelsinger and Nick Nichols joined. They're from Climate Alliance for the Common Good out of La Crosse. We discussed some recent news about La Crosse County's landfill becoming a "land-full," and how that relates to the Xcel incinerator on French Island. We also talked recycling in Wisconsin We also talked recycling in Wisconsin. Schlesinger has a Ph.D. in Political Science specializing in health care policy, and a master’s in international environmental policy. Nichols is the former La Crosse County sustainability coordinator. In regards to the incinerator, Tony Gibart, the executive director with Midwest Environmental Advocates out of Madison, came on for a bit to add to that conversation, including a possible dilemma with PFAS waste. We also discussed with the Climate Alliance pair the difference with recycling in Wisconsin — where about 40% of cans/plastic bottles get recycled — and in Oregon, where 98% of those items are recycled. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds joins to talk about three huge topics affecting La Crosse — the recent shared revenue deal, the new homeless plan and the city about to charge for downtown parking. After some filibustering, Reynolds joined and first gave a "shout out" to the UW-La Crosse track and field team for winning the D3 National Championship and being invited to the White House. After that, we hit on the shared revenue deal — the state's way of funding local governments — and some of the good and bad there. After that, we discussed the city and county's new approach to helping the homeless, and Reynolds did some venting along those lines. Ended our talk with a new plan the city is hashing out to charge everyone to park in downtown La Crosse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio, and Wisconsin state Rep. Steve Doyle live from his parent’s estate sale, where he’s hoarding all his childhood belongings. We also get both their takes on the shared revenue deal. Began the show, however, talking about 4,000 people showing up to Thursday's Moon Tunes concert, the challenges that come with that and some half-baked solution ideas. Then we get Doyle from his parent's estate sale (they have moved out of their old home) and some of the things he's found in their two-car garage that couldn't retain any cars. We also talked about the local government funding plan announced Thursday, as well as where the state Legislature is at with a two-year budget. Lastly, we got Chergosky's take on some of the shared revenue, and the oddity Wisconsin Republicans go after Milwaukee, but also have agreed to hold the GOP National Convention there, as well as hold the first presidential debate. That led into not one, but two conspiracy theories Solem had on the matter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a couple hours after Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced a deal with the state legislature on a shared revenue plan, Onalaska Mayor Kim Smith joined to talk about what that will mean for her city and other local governments around the state like it. Before that, however, WIZM's Brad Williams joined, back from Winona where police there held a news conference on the Madeline Kingsbury case, where it has now gone from a missing person to murder. Began the show just highlighting those two things, along with a bit of a rant on the idea of punishing homeless people for camping in parks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Sampson with the city of La Crosse and Isaac Hoffman with the county join to talk about the area's homeless situation, a day after local leaders held a public meeting on the unsheltered. Hoffman is the La Crosse County supervisor of prevention and community programming. Sampson is the city’s Homeless Coordinator. We further discussed the first steps of what the county-city collaborative announced the previous night in bringing together a five-year plan. We also talked about not just the hardships that go into helping the unsheltered, but even discussing the multi-faceted situation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse Schools superintendent, Dr. Aaron Engel, joined, we discussed some of the ins and outs with the state budget and state funding for next school year, being an unknown, how truancy has increased to alarming rates and why Hamilton will no longer be year round. Started the show, though, talking about the school year ending and just throwing some ideas at Engel about teacher or class of the year. After that, we talked about Hamilton ending year-round school and why that happened. Mid-show, we discussed the state budget process and how Wisconsin schools have no idea what their funding will be for the upcoming year, and that led us to whether there will be pay raises in the district. We also changed gears a bit and got into Artificial Intelligence and the benefits and hindrances of that in schools for teachers, students and parents. Ended the show with some alarming figures on truancy in the district and why that might be happening.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

La Crosse County and 3rd Congressional District Democratic Party chair William Garcia in studio. We talked about a host things, including incumbents sacrificing their seat for more power, the new Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse and the upcoming state convention. In the midst of the conversation about incumbents, we discussed what Republicans would run against US Sen. Tammy Baldwin and the situation state Sen. Brad Pfaff could be in if he decides to run against Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd. We also discussed Pride month a bit, and corporations using it for profit, and ended the show on the all-caps tweet from Donald Trump basically pointing to his getting charged in the classified docs case.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Bizarro World with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, as Donald Trump takes the high road, Bernie Sanders and Ron Johnson vote together, and Wisconsin is a doughnut desert — not to be confused with dessert. Began the show talking about the debt limit deal passing the Senate but the oddity of Republicans and Democrats voting together no on the package. After that, we discussed how Wisconsin Republicans voted against funding Phase II of the Prairie Spring Science Center at UW-L. After that, we break down whether or not Wisconsin is a doughnut desert, depending on what you qualify as a place to get doughnuts — does Kwik Trip count? Also discussed a couple of things Donald Trump said this week on campaigning on being "anti-woke," as well as his new ability, apparently, to make fun of himself and how that could change the game in his candidacy. Ended the show quick about a ridiculous pair of stories where a guy drained a reservoir in India to get his phone, and a bear raided a bakery in Connecticut. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-La Crosse outreach specialist, Spencer Wilken, joins to talk about getting and living on Mars, NASA going public on UFOs, but not calling them that, and apparently, we just discovered that Earth has a second moon. We also talked about some of the science-type camps coming up on campus, including an International Youth Media Summit, where three 18-24 year olds from La Crosse are eligible for scholarships.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A three guest Wednesday, including Chris O'Hearn with River Clean Up La Crosse, WIZM's Brad Williams on another Gov. Tony Evers visit — this one on fixing the roads — and Sam Bachmeier with the county on broadband for all. O'Hearn kicked off the show talking about River Clean Up La Crosse, and shared a funny story about one of the weirder things he's pulled out of the river. Williams came on after that talking about Evers riding a cement roller, fixing the roads in Onalaska. And Bachmeier, the county's Community Development Specialist, capped off the show talking about their effort to get everyone hooked up to the internet in an affordable fashion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.