La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

Rick opens the show talking some headlines, including potential cuts La Crosse's library might have to face — one over the city's budget, where a special meeting Monday could see a reduction in staff, while the other comes from the feds potentially cutting internet subsidies to libraries.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They're two of La Crosse's best-ever basketballers but — for being Division I athletes headed overseas for Year 2 of the pros — we find out one of them is utterly terrible at bar-league sand volleyball. Jordan Davis and Lexi Donarski stopped by the studio before heading back to Europe.  We hit on everything from how bad Jordan and his twin brother Johnny are on the sand to how man...

The Wisconsin governor's race has turned into who can run away from data centers the fastest — unless you really love cheese. UW-La Crosse political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio to break down the ironic data center clash between Tom Tiffany and David Crowley and the bizarre argument by Wisconsin's econ chief that hating data centers means giving up dairy. But we start th...

City administrator drama, changing park hours, and clearing up budget confusion with La Crosse Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey in the WIZM studio Thursday for the The Rick Solem Show. Washington-Spivey discusses the council failing to pass a city administrator ordinance again and what the path forward looks like. Plus, we discuss homelessness with two meetings coming up soon, the closure of Karun...

Ahead of Friday night's season openers, both of La Crosse's high school football coaches stopped in studio to talk about why kids don't watch games anymore, what it’s like preparing for the iconic "Ark" rivalry game between them and the evolution of the game — and the athletes. Central’s Michael Arnold and Logan’s Casey Knoble step away from the playbooks for a wide-ranging...

A $1.3 million jail redesign to better handle severe mental health challenges and the future of 111 acres of county farmland in West Salem are two of the big topics discussed with La Crosse County Board Chair Tina Tryggestad. Beyond the big policy votes, Tryggestad shares a personal connection to the old Shelby ball fields on 33rd Street as the county considers a new lease agreement. Plus, a light...

Did a CNN interview about canceling Thanksgiving actually cost Francesca Hong the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor?  UW-La Crosse political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio to break down David Crowley’s wild comeback, progressive — and GOP — strategy missteps, and how Tom Tiffany’s general election playbook changes overnight. Plus, a play-by-p...

Fresh off a wild, razor-thin Democratic primary for governor, Wisconsin State Assembly Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) stopped in studio to unpack what just went down — and where state politics go from here. Plus, we dive into new state safety funding for UW-La Crosse dorms, policy realities on property taxes and marijuana, and a deeply personal story about a "Star Trek" clinical trial that...

What’s the biggest competitor to movie theaters today? It’s not streaming — it’s the little screen in everyone’s hand. Clara and Jon Gelatt, co-owners of La Crosse’s historic Rivoli Theatre, in studio to help us take a break from politics on primary day and chat about our favorite bad movies — including a 1980s Wisconsin-based horror flick playing Friday a...

A committee meeting gets hacked, the ongoing debate over a City Administrator, a $600,000 push for a public market, and millions going toward the old Kmart and Shopko sites — those are just a couple of topics we hit on with La Crosse City Council president Tamra Dickinson in studio, ahead of Thursday's monthly meeting. The council meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall, where members could face a cruc...

Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster in studio, after touring La Crosse and local infrastructure projects across Western Wisconsin — plus we hit him with drivers' real dilemmas like orange-cone gridlock, bike lanes and roundabout madness. KEY TOPICS: The Lansing Bridge Lifeline: Why McMaster says the Mississippi River ferry might be retired sooner than expected, and what contractors a...

What issues are facing young people right now? We got the answers from three La Crosse residents who represent different factions of the Young Democrats. Jake Williams (State Chair of the Young Democrats of Wisconsin), Hannah Dull (Chair of the La Crosse Young Democrats), and Grant Mathu (Vice Chair of the La Crosse Young Democrats & La Crosse County Board Supervisor) stopped by the studio to...

Data centers, the Wisconsin governor's race, and how a failed private insurance policy turned him into a defender of BadgerCare — Republican candidate for Assembly District 95, Cedric Schnitzler, stopped in studio to talk about those topics and more. Running against Democratic incumbent Jill Billings, Schnitzler — the Monroe County Board chair — broke down why Monroe paused data...

School is about to start again and the La Crosse teachers' union president stopped in studio to talk about touring the old Trane building donated to the district. La Crosse Education Association president Jill Schams also discussed where the union stands politically in the Wisconsin governor's race, private school voucher funding, and the Act 10 lawsuit. Here's what we covered: Inside the Trane Bu...

It’s committee week in the City of La Crosse, where the creation of an administrator position is back on the agenda, along with new movement on a potential public market. Mac Kiel stopped in studio to help break down the key items up for discussion across Judiciary & Administration (J&A) and Finance & Personnel (F&P). We talk about how a 4,500+ signature petition could lead t...

It’s been a wild 24 hours — and an even wilder three weeks — in Wisconsin politics. Just as the latest Marquette Law School Poll wrapped up, another major candidate dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor. So, who better to help explain that than the premier pollster in the state? Dr. Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, joins alongside UW-L pol...

From the business community's perspective, La Crosse needs a city administrator. La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Sam Scinta and government relations director Allyson Fergot in studio explaining why 99% of their members support the move — and why they believe operating without one is costing the city more in the long run. HIGHLIGHTS : Overwhelming business support: Why 99% of the Chamb...

A day after the first and only televised debate, UW-La Crosse professor emeritus, Dr. Joe Heim, joined to give his thoughts on the Wisconsin governor's race.  Most of the focus was on the race in general, though all five Democratic candidates debated the night before.  Heim talks about Francesca Hong running as a Democratic Socialist and Tom Tiffany being a far-right candidate and h...

We caught up with Emily Berge on the campaign trail for the U.S. House in Wisconsin's 3rd District, getting her thoughts on financial disclosure extensions granted to her opponent. Also, Brad Williams joins us to break down two cases going through the courts — the Cody Alland murder trial and the case of a 61-year-old driver who hit 27-year-old Tarianna Thompson with his pickup after failing...

He's worked with the city of La Crosse on many projects. A popular one right now is redeveloping the old Kmart lot. Marvin Wanders, CEO of Three-Sixty Real Estate Solutions , stopped in studio to talk about his experience working with La Crosse and other municipalities in the region, and how he feels about the need for a city administrator position. City administrator is back in front of council d...

Electability in the Wisconsin governor's race has taken center stage as state Sen. Kelda Roys stopped in studio to discuss her bid to lead the state. With the race reshaped, we talk to Roys about candidate electability and how Francesca Hong's "Democratic socialist" label plays into the strategy to win next month, and in November. Roys also breaks down her proposal to end private school vouch...

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in studio, following his dramatic re-entry into the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor. Crowley breaks down the whirlwind timeline of stepping back into the race, after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out. That includes his post-late-night decision with his wife and how it came about getting the endorsement from Gov. Tony Evers — and if th...

Ahead of his upcoming appearance at the Cappella Performing Arts Center with Ben Wikler, political commentator Todd Allbaugh stopped by The Rick Solem Show to break down an unprecedented stretch in Wisconsin politics. Allbaugh will be in La Crosse with Ben Wiklker, the former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, for an event Sunday (details below). Allbaugh — a former Republican legislat...

As the La Crosse City Council prepares to vote once again on creating a city administrator position, Dr. Mike Ford joins to help break down what the role actually is, why cities have them, and whether La Crosse truly needs one. Dr. Ford, a professor of public administration at UW-Oshkosh and Director of the Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research, is one of the state's leading expe...

Ben Wikler went from The Daily Show stage with Jon Stewart straight to The Rick Solem Show the next day to help make sense of the wild week in Wisconsin politics. The former chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, who will be in La Crosse on Sunday, gives his take on the recent shakeup in the Democratic primary for governor — from Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropping out to David Crowley re-...