Economist Hoffer discusses ideas for a better La Crosse after council votes on bike lanes, city administrator

Economist Dr. Adam Hoffer in studio to discuss some wild ideas we have, a day after the La Crosse council took votes on city administrator and the “bike lanes” plan for downtown. Hoffer, the director of excise tax policy at the Tax Foundation, helps brainstorms some new ideas for La Crosse, like t…

La Crosse state Rep. Jill Billings on most chaotic end to session of career, as she gets 3 bills through committee

Wisconsin Assembly Rep. Jill Billings hopped on La Crosse Talk PM on Wednesday from Madison to describe what she called the most chaotic end to a legislative session of her 15-year career. Most of the conversation centered on the volume of bills moving through committee and the frenetic pace for l…

Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin calls for ICE agents to 'take the masks off' in Senate funding battle

US Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) joins as a midnight Friday deadline looms to fund the Department of Homeland Security and rein in what she describes as "unidentified, masked, armed, untrained agents" roaming residential streets. The negotiations come in the wake of the killing of 37-year-old A…

City administrator, bike lanes or no and all the airport hype with city council president Dickinson

 To bike lane or not to bike lane? That’s one of the questions La Crosse's city council will answer Thursday at its monthly meeting. If that isn't enough, the council will also vote on whether to hire a city administrator. Council President Tamra Dickinson stopped in studio to help break down the …

From 8Ks to 100 miles — the mindset of winning national titles and ultramarathons with the Matthai twins and Julia Hartig

From 8k to 100-miles, we covered the distance runners with UW-La Crosse national champions, Aidan and Grant Matthai, and ultramarathoner Julia Hartig in studio. The Matthais are in the midst of trying to win back-to-back triple crowns — winning national titles in cross county, plus indoor and outd…

Onalaska state Sen. Pfaff on school cellphone ban, no tax on tips vs. raising minimum wage and regulating ICE

Covered a lot with Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska), including the GOP-led Legislature ending its work for the year by Feb. 19. We looked at bills butting up against that clock to legalize recreational marijuana, ban cellphones in schools, and exempt tips from taxes — thought Pfaff wou…

Viterbo immunologist, Dr. Chris Mayne, on the dangers of a measles comeback

Measles is making a comeback, chicken pox hides in your brain and — once more — we discuss why vaccines don’t cause autism with immunologist Dr. Chris Mayne. The Viterbo University biology professor joins us as Wisconsin sees its first case of measles — a University of Wisconsin student — and as o…

Chergosky on Trump and Evers as lame ducks, plus the politics of Coulee Region Burger King child labor violations

Lame ducks and property tax breaks, Coulee Region Burger Kings breaking child labor laws, and putting a "K" in Kornfest with UW-La Crosse political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio. Does the political scientist know the origins of the phrase lame duck? No, we had to tell him but C…

State Rep. Tara Johnson on her 1st year in office, the sprint to ending work for 2026 on Feb. 19

Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Tara Johnson (D-Shelby) in studio to discuss the couple of days Republicans have scheduled for the Legislature to work this year. The Republican majority intends to end the 2026 session by Feb. 19, meaning a slew of bills have very little time to clear the floor. Joh…

Colin Walsh on building community and careers through WTC's Project Proven

The stated goal is to “reduce recidivism,” but in talking to Colin Walsh, manager of Project Proven, it’s about more than that. The Western Technical College program works to break the cycle of incarceration by providing a clear pathway back to normalcy. For those trying to reset, it’s as much abou…