La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

No Fazoli’s, no drink refill station at McDonald’s, is ranch dressing and cheese curds a Wisconsin thing — just some of the things we utilized UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky for on the Rick Solem Show on Friday. We did also talk some politics with some new revelations about the $1.8 billion budget surplus deal falling through. Chergosky called it...

A discussion about Flock cameras, the role he played in shutting down the Ridgland Farms beagle breeding facility and La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke's thoughts after his office put away Josie Dikeman for the death of a 6-year-old. Those were the topics we covered Wednesday on the Rick Solem Show with Gruenke, who we learned has a beagle himself. But we started with the scope of the...

Wisconsin Assembly Rep. Jill Billings could have made some big money betting on the prediction markets over the $1.8 billion budget surplus deal that fell through last week. Now, though, that's illegal, after a Gov. Tony Evers executive order banning state employees and their families from making those types of bets. We get into all of it with Billings (D-La Crosse) — specifically how the de...

The two Democratic candidates competing to face Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden this fall brought their campaigns to La Crosse on Tuesday night. Emily Berge and Rebecca Cooke answered 22 questions during a fast-paced forum that lasted about an hour and a half.  The event, driven by questions submitted by Democrats across Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, covered a wide arra...

US House candidate Emily Berge in studio, discussing the issues she’s hearing from the people around Wisconsin’s 3rd District — healthcare, money in politics, the price of gas, and healthcare (again). We started the show, though, discussing party “infighting” — this trigger word political parties use to call out the other side, and how maybe this “infighti...

A day after a conversation about creating a county committee on data centers, UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky joined and toyed with the idea of also having a committee for bringing Costco to the area. It's a matter that was discussed years ago, when River Point District, downtown, had interest from Costco, and was rehashed this week with the La Crosse County Board c...

He might feel the rumble of nearly 200 motorcycles ride by his house Saturday, as Big Bikes for Little Tikes celebrates 30 years with 9-year-old Tucker Lovelace. The ride through the Coulee Region helps raise money for the Viroqua kid who has medical needs nobody—especially a 9-year-old—should ever have to endure. The ride should be buzzing by his house as they take off from Great Rive...

We couldn't get La Crosse County Board chair Tina Tryggestad to ban data centers, but we did have a good talk about a new committee being formed to study the structures. We also navigated the budget landscape at the state, city, and county levels — including the benefits of the county having an administrator while the city still toils with the idea. We looked at how the county stays stable w...

Saturday marks the 30th year of Big Bikes for Little Tikes. For those who don’t know, this is the Coulee Region’s version of Make-A-Wish — with motorcycles. This year, they ride for a 9-year-old Viroqua boy named Tucker Lovelace, who is going through medical hardships no person — let alone child — should have to endure. Bags from 95.7 The Rock — which hosts the...

La Crosse teachers’ union president Jill Schams in studio discussing how political groups like theirs needs to be, how things might be different without Act 10 and her thoughts on historic status of district buildings. Schams, who’s president of the La Crosse Education Association, also talks about the school cellphone ban, new names and mascots for the new and renovated elementary sch...

City council president Tamra Dickinson in studio helping discuss regulating e-bikes, defining downtown, and the missing public meeting on city admin while the public hears about pools and Pearl Street. We open the show though with a quick nugget about why United Airlines is delaying flights between La Crosse and Chicago until October. We also talked quick about filling city committee roles and whe...

Mac Kiel in studio helping break down what’s happening in La Crosse city government, including a look at e-bike regulation and why the seems to be no city administrator conversation, while we’re conducing pool and Pearl Street meetings. First, though, Kiel talks a bit about the Finance and Personnel Committee meeting’s discussing Thursday about the budget. Kiel talks about how th...

Sam Scinta wears a few different hats in the Coulee Region. He’s the CEO of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce. He's a political science professor at both UW-La Crosse and Viterbo, where he's also involved with servant leadership. So, naturally, we brought Scinta on the Rick Solem Show to spend most of our time talking about ... movies? It'll make sense when you listen, but we did eventu...

We learn a little bit about Parkinson's Disease and how to stave it off with Bri Holden. She's the program coordinator at the Star Center in La Crosse. The Center has its 4th Annual Parkinson's Walk and Awareness event from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday at Myrick Park in La Crosse. Holden talks to us a little bit about the disease, which isn't curable, and how to fight it off through exercise —...

Ingrid Lyons, executive director of Save the Boundary Waters, joined to talk about a renewed mining threat to the pristine wilderness area that encompasses 1.1 million acres in northern Minnesota. We start off with the unique landscape of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the new dilemma with a foreign mining company (Antofagasta/Twin Metals) wanting to mine upstream. Lyons explains th...

State Assembly Rep. Tara Johnson in studio discussing whether Wisconsin should get into the gerrymandering wars, ways to better communicate with constituents and some of the dilemmas she’s hearing from those in her district. We started the show discussing outreach — holding office hours, hosting town halls and other ways to reach constituents. That conversation started because Johnson...

One of the biggest events that happens in La Crosse every year is going to remain a staple of the city through the year 2034. The WIAA and UW-L worked out its longest deal ever, eight years, to keep the state track and field meet here. La Crosse is always looking to expand the types of events it can host but state track has been a staple since the early 1990s. But, recently we've seen the addition...

From A New Hope to The Mandalorian, it's a Star Wars day on this May the 4th with Rivoli Theatre co-owners Jon and Clara Gelatt in studio. What's your first Star Wars memory? Did mom also throw all your toys away? Are the old movies still the best? Is the Star Wars universe oversaturated thanks to Disney?  The Rivoli is playing A New Hope at 5 p.m. and 7:40 p.m. with discounts for those who d...

Todd Fergot joined to talk about the big role he was just awarded, becoming the executive director of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and some their priorities, like implementing a shot clock and expanding the state tournament. Fergot has been the boys basketball coach at Central High in La Crosse for 22 years and that’s not changing. But he now takes over this statewide organiz...

It's not often you randomly go to interview someone and learn she's the wife of your old high school coach, but that's just what happened in talking with Stephanie Hauser. Not only is she the WIAA's executive director, but her husband is my old basketball coach from Hortonville High School. But we skipped right over how much Dave Hauser may have yelled at me in gym class and immediately had to tal...

The director of "sin" tax — or excise taxes — joins to talk about the effects of a gas tax holiday, what Wisconsin gains and is missing out on with legalizing sports betting and marijuana, plus Adam Hoffer is on a mission to walk every street in the city of La Crosse. We start with the definition of sin or excise tax, and why Hoffer views the gas tax differently as a "user fee" for roa...

La Crosse’s housing crisis is a multi-front battle involving soaring rents, stagnant inventory, and a lack of available homes. To highlight these challenges and explore potential solutions, Natalie Heneghan, community outreach director at Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region, joined us in studio to preview Housing Week. From the drivers behind high rent to the struggles of lo...

Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska) in studio to discuss the "good old days" in Madison, how partisan politics affects getting bills passed, where he stands on online sports gambling, and what the state should do about AI data centers. We also talked about the upcoming open house at La Crosse County’s newly renovated Hillview Healthcare Center. As a member of the county bo...

William Garcia, the 3rd Congressional District Democratic Party chair in Wisconsin, joined to discuss Wisconsin's candy-soda ban, Democrats winning on the economy for the first time since 2010 — according to FOX, yes FOX — and just how he's feeling about the midterms. We began the show with then-and-now, asking Garcia about the "mixed bag" of the 2024  election —balancing he...

A 10 out of 10. That’s how interesting, or maybe it was how "important," Mac Kiel thought the April monthly city council meeting was. She stopped in studio to help recap the meeting, which included things like the city police being a couple hundred thousand dollars over budget, while other city departments were under budget and how the city council learned of this over the past few weeks.&nb...