WIZM - La Crosse Talk Interviews

The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area are holding a Lunch and Learn event this week.  The League believes our government starts right here with our neighbors and communities. Two league members who play a key role in local government, Lee Donahue, a Town of Campbell supervisor, and Margaret Larson, a La Crosse County Supervisor will speak about civic engagement at the local level....

Chief Executive Officer Bill Soper joined La Crosse Talk on Friday to talk about all things YMCA. His headline, "The "Y" is more than gym and swim. Soper says, the "Y" provides a number of services and community outreach programs and nutrition programs which involve more than providing members a place to run on a treadmill. Friday's discussion was a wide-ranging conversation about how and why the...

2nd District Councilmember Erin Goggin spoke on La Crosse Talk with Sean Dwyer on Friday regarding the City Council's vote to end the practice of invocations at the beginning of city council meetings.  She was one of four members who voted against the measure. The others were Barb Janssen, Chris Kahlow, and Gary Padesky.  For more on the story, read WIZM's Brad Williams' story below. No...

The La Crosse Regional Airport, commercial real estate, workforce challenges were some of the topics discussed on La Crosse Talk on Thursday.  Vicki Markussen is the executive director for the La Crosse Area Development Corporation, or LADCO.  She joined host Sean Dwyer to talk about the business community in the region. During the discussion, Markussen emphasized the importance of the a...

UW-La Crosse is inviting the community to Mitchell Hall on Saturday for a day of play and remembrance, dedicated to the legacy of Charlie “Bubba” Lonning Weber. The festivities kick off at from noon-2:45 p.m. with the Charlie's Kids fest, and lead into the UW-L women's basketball game after that, where attendance is free and they hope to break the WIAC single-game attendance record of...

Ann Christianson is the Executive Director of the Children's Museum of La Crosse, was on La Crosse-Talk Wednesday. Christianson told host Sean Dwyer that the focus and mission of the museum is fun. That includes fun for children, fun for parents, grandparents adults and visitors.  Among the highlights for the past year included new programs, new displays and infrastructure improvements, inclu...

Earlier this week, the Town of Campbell received nearly $40 million dollars in federal aid to help with its PFAS issue. Residents of the town have had to use bottled water for more than five years due to PFAS contamination in its wells. The money from the USDA's Rural Development fund allows the town to finally build out its water supply system it began 20 years ago, explains Campbell Town Supervi...

A deepening federal probe into a sweeping fraud scandal in Minnesota complicated Governor Tim Walz's bid for an unprecedented third term in the state. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but Republicans have sought to blame Walz and Democrats for the massive abuse of taxpayer dollars. Tuesday on La Crosse Talk, Sean Dwyer spoke to WCCO political reporter Susie Jones, who has been covering t...

The Bluffland Coalition announced the approval of four bluff land grants by the La Crosse County Board.  This marks another major step forward for regional trail connectivity and habitat restoration in the county. The group follows a plan to encourage conservation and recreation throughout the Coulee Region. The Bluffland Plan was developed in 2016. Its goals are improving public health, ecol...

Recent fires in La Crosse highlight the importance of smoke detectors in the home.  While many know to replace batteries when we change our clocks each spring and fall, the La Crosse Fire Department's Molly McCormick said it's also important to replace the smoke detectors every seven to ten years to keep everyone in a home safe.  The recommendation is that there's at least one smoke dete...

One of La Crosse's City Council members wants to make sure the public's voice is heard when it comes to the Highway 53 project involving 3rd and 4th Streets in downtown La Crosse.  2nd District Councilmember Erin Goggin said that using social media to speak out isn't the way to express opinions. Emails are. The city is discussing a resolution this week that asks the state Department of Transp...

Travel writers Tom Manus and Kristi Flick Manus are the authors of a new book called Secret Wisconsin: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.  They joined Sean Dwyer recently to discuss what they discovered in their journeys around the state including what is the correct way to eat brats to the story of the second oldest Chinese restaurant in America in the same location is in Janesvil...

As the final few days of this year's Rotary Lights take place, Pat Stephens joined La Crosse Talk's Sean Dwyer in the studio to look back at the success of the year.  He also discussed the many volunteers and organizations that make Rotary Lights a success. Around 3,200 people each year help with set up, during the event, and taking down afterwards.  In addition to the success of Rotary...

Having a plan in place before heading out to celebrate New Year’s Eve can make the evening go smoother, according to La Crosse Police.   Sgt. Whitney Hughes spoke to Sean Dwyer on La Crosse Talk Wednesday morning about that.   “We do actually have a lot of options in this city. But a lot of times it’s making sure that you hav...

The name is a Veterans Service project in La Crosse County.  Jane Brannan brought the national program to La Crosse County. Brannan is the County Veteran Services Officer.  IANI is an awareness program created to increase the visibility of women veterans, highlights their contributions and confronts the fact that women who served are often overlooked. Brannan says the local service can m...

Catching cancer early is essential to fighting the disease after diagnosis.   Emplify Health by Gundersen oncologist Dr. Kurt Oettel says there have been significant improvements in cancer treatments during his career.   Dr. Oettel was a guest on La Crosse Talk with Sean Dwyer on Monday.   The cancer specialist says environment, genetics and behavior are contributors to cancer, but...

How did the stock market do in 2025? Pretty well says a local Financial Coach.  Brett Sebion of Trust Point said despite some early apprehension, the market was robust during the past year.  While there was some concern about tariffs, he said it overshadowed by strong business performance.  As far as personal investing goes, Sebion urged people to start early and be consistent. He s...

Police and fire departments in southeast Minnesota joined forces to spread some holiday cheer this week. The organization is called Bluff Country Hidden Heroes. The police and fire volunteers come together to help Santa Claus deliver presents to 86 local kids in Winona, Houston and Fillmore counties. The group is led by Investigator Chris Frick of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.  H...

This time of year means family dinner, Christmas parties and gatherings with friends. And often times that involves drinking alcohol.  Emplify Population Health Expert Katie Young says moderation or choosing not to drink at all is a wise and health choice.  Young says another reality is that as we age our bodies metabolize alcohol differently.  Young shared some other tips and sugge...

Only a few days remain before the La Crosse Skyrockers light up the skies above the city with their fireworks shows on New Year's Eve.  Vice President Marty Schmal and Sonya Mix joined La Crosse Talk's Sean Dwyer in the studio to talk about what people can expect to see this year, how the group chooses the fireworks, and how the public can help support their work.  https://www.skyrockers...

Courtney Vaaler from Coulee Region Cooks shared a segment of her show talking about baking some tasty mint kiss meringue cookies for the holidays.  Mint Kiss Meringue Cookies Ingredients 5 egg whites ¼ tsp cream of tartar 1 ¼ cup sugar ¼ tsp peppermint extract Green food coloring Hershey Kisses   Directions In mixing bowl, add egg whites - Beat egg whites on med/high...

On Christmas Day, the Sparta American Legion is expecting to serve more than 700 meals for Christmas for the Sparta community. The free meal is served from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Legion at 1116 Angelo Rd. (Highway 21). One of the organizers, Commander Tym Hyma of the post, joined Sean Dwyer on La Crosse Talk to talk about the event and why it is important for the community.  Delivery or...

Joel Brennan, a former top official in Gov. Tony Evers' administration is running to succeed the two-term Democrat. He joins a crowded primary field for the 2026 election.   Brennan was a guest on Thursday's La Crosse Talk.  He used the often-used talking "affordability"   to set his candidacy apart from other Democrats.   Brennan is president of the Greater Milw...

La Crosse County government sets aside funding for economic development with each budget.  That money is set aside to foster development, housing and community planning.  Community development specialist for La Crosse County Sam Bachmeier spoke about the process during a conversation on Wednesday's La Crosse Talk.  Bachmeier talked about citizen and business applications, art and cu...

A collaboration of local businesses held and event to raise funds for the Hunger Task Force.  The event is called "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant: An evening with Joshua McFadden."  McFadden is a James Beard Award winning chef.  His newest cookbook is called "Six Seasons of Pasta" and is a bestseller recognized by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Bon Appetit. The event featured a boo...