A couple of ideas we've been talking about for years on WIZM are now being put into action at La Crosse City Hall.

Jenna Dinkel, an associate city planner, joined to discuss La Crosse bringing back the iconic "Hatched Baby" or blue baby, as well as a the reimagining of Pearl Street in downtown La Crosse. 

Hatched Baby was vandalized years ago and the city had to take it down. But artists have now restored the 9-foot-tall artwork and we are brainstorming the best places in La Crosse to place it.

After that, Dinkel talks about the reimagining of Pearl Street downtown into, what we've been saying is La Crosse version of Madison's State Street — a pedestrian-only street. The city has three concept plans for how it could change Pearl Street ahead of possible construction in 2029.

A couple of ideas we've been talking about for years on WIZM are now being put into action at La Crosse City Hall.
Jenna Dinkel, an associate city planner, joined to discuss La Crosse bringing back the iconic "Hatched Baby" or blue baby, as well as a the reimagining of Pearl Street in downtown La Crosse.&nbsp;
Hatched Baby was vandalized years ago and the city had to take it down. But artists have now restored the 9-foot-tall artwork and we are brainstorming the best places in La Crosse to place it.
After that, Dinkel talks about the reimagining of Pearl Street downtown into, what we've been saying is La Crosse version of Madison's State Street &mdash; a pedestrian-only street. The city has three concept plans for how it could change Pearl Street ahead of possible construction in 2029.

Listener conversations about the days events in and around the La Crosse area.  Weekdays from 5-6pm on WIZM 1410AM and 92.3FM

La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

Rick Solem talks about the days events in and around the La Crosse area. Weekdays from 5:07-6pm on 1410 WIZM

Rick Solem talks about the days events in and around the La Crosse area. Weekdays from 5:07-6pm on 1410 WIZM

WIZM - La Crosse

Blue Baby set to return and the reimagining of Pearl Street in La Crosse

Three Wisconsin billionaires have essentially bankrolled Tom Tiffany’s side of the governor’s race — nearly $24 million of the $26 million he raised in the latest reporting period.

And yet the latest Marquette poll has Tiffany and David Crowley separated by just three points, and 25% of voters still can't say whether they like or dislike Crowley.

UW-La Crosse political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio breaks down how a candidate can be leading a statewide poll while a quarter of voters still aren't sure what to make of him.

Plus Chergosky gets into whether Tiffany's massive money advantage can actually decide a race this close — or does it do him more harm than good — and what happens when one campaign can afford to flood the state with ads.

We also throw Chergosky a wild theory: Maybe Crowley should drop out again.

Conversation Highlights:
Drop out again? Crowley’s lack of name recognition worked once, so we throw Chergosky the slightly insane theory: Do it again.
Follow the money: The three Wisconsin billionaires bankrolling Tiffany’s campaign lead to a bigger conversation about how much power big donors and political parties should have in a governor’s race. 
Who likes Crowley? A 49%-46% lead is pretty good — unless a quarter of voters still can't say whether they even like the guy.
Money overload: Tiffany has enough cash to flood Wisconsin with ads — but could seeing him everywhere actually work against him? 
The weird numbers: Tiffany and Crowley are nearly identical on unfavorables, but Tiffany has an eight-point edge in favorability. So why is the race still this close? 
Just vote R: Chergosky gets into why more voters are simply picking their party and calling it a day.
Data center whiplash: Seventy-four percent say the costs outweigh the benefits, but only 36% say they've heard a lot about them — so what exactly are voters reacting to?

Three Wisconsin billionaires have essentially bankrolled Tom Tiffany&rsquo;s side of the governor&rsquo;s race &mdash; nearly $24 million of the $26 million he raised in the latest reporting period.
And yet the latest Marquette poll has Tiffany and David Crowley separated by just three points, and 25% of voters still can't say whether they like or dislike Crowley.
UW-La Crosse political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio breaks down how a candidate can be leading a statewide poll while a quarter of voters still aren't sure what to make of him.
Plus Chergosky gets into whether Tiffany's massive money advantage can actually decide a race this close &mdash; or does it do him more harm than good &mdash; and what happens when one campaign can afford to flood the state with ads.
We also throw Chergosky a wild theory: Maybe Crowley should drop out again.
Conversation Highlights:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Drop out again? Crowley&rsquo;s lack of name recognition worked once, so we throw Chergosky the slightly insane theory: Do it again.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow the money: The three Wisconsin billionaires bankrolling Tiffany&rsquo;s campaign lead to a bigger conversation about how much power big donors and political parties should have in a governor&rsquo;s race.&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Who likes Crowley? A 49%-46% lead is pretty good &mdash; unless a quarter of voters still can't say whether they even like the guy.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Money overload: Tiffany has enough cash to flood Wisconsin with ads &mdash; but could seeing him everywhere actually work against him?&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">The weird numbers: Tiffany and Crowley are nearly identical on unfavorables, but Tiffany has an eight-point edge in favorability. So why is the race still this close?&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Just vote R: Chergosky gets into why more voters are simply picking their party and calling it a day.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Data center whiplash: Seventy-four percent say the costs outweigh the benefits, but only 36% say they've heard a lot about them &mdash; so what exactly are voters reacting to?</li>
</ul>

UW-L's Chergosky on Tiffany’s $16M edge over Crowley — and where the money comes from

A Volkswagen Beetle wrapped in fur, cruising down a central Wisconsin highway with eight giant spider legs dangling.

That was the scene in 1975 during the filming of what turned into a cult classic, The Giant Spider Invasion — a film based in central and northern Wisconsin that became one of Mystery Science Theater 3000’s most popular episodes.

Ahead of his visit to La Crosse on Friday, actor and UW-L grad Dan Davies — who plays newscaster Ted Tittman — joined to spill set secrets that coincidentally featured two distinct Wisconsin beers. One, feeding Old Styles to “The Skipper” from Gilligan’s Island, and the other, basically holding a screenwriter hostage with promises of PBR for pages, as they rewrote the movie while shooting.

Davies and 89-year-old director Bill Rebane will be at the Rivoli Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday night to party with moviegoers for the 50th-anniversary screening and do a Q&A.

Episode Highlights:
Volkswagen Terror: How Wisconsin filmmakers slapped fur and giant legs onto a VW Beetle chassis to build a 50-foot spider—and sent it blindly driving toward terrified extras.
Beer On Set: Why Hollywood stars like "The Skipper" from Gilligan's Island (Alan Hale) fell in love with northern Wisconsin culture and cold cans of Old Style.
Writing for PBR: Dan breaks down the chaotic mid-shoot panic after Hollywood demanded a giant spider to rival Jaws—leaving producers no choice but to lock a writer in a room with a daily sandwich and a beer quota.
MST3K Roasting: Dan breaks down how director Bill Rebane actually reacted when Mystery Science Theater 3000 poked fun at his film—and the surprise honor MST3K gave him years later.
Ted Tittman's Debut: How the team created a new campy Rhinelander news anchor character to seamlessly stitch the reboot's plot holes together.
UWL Nostalgia: Davies shares memories of his 40-plus family members attending UW-La Crosse and classic 1980s 3rd Street happy hours.

A Volkswagen Beetle wrapped in fur, cruising down a central Wisconsin highway with eight giant spider legs dangling.
That was the scene in 1975 during the filming of what turned into a cult classic, The Giant Spider Invasion &mdash; a film based in central and northern Wisconsin that became one of Mystery Science Theater 3000&rsquo;s most popular episodes.
Ahead of his visit to La Crosse on Friday, actor and UW-L grad Dan Davies &mdash; who plays newscaster Ted Tittman &mdash; joined to spill set secrets that coincidentally featured two distinct Wisconsin beers. One, feeding Old Styles to &ldquo;The Skipper&rdquo; from Gilligan&rsquo;s Island, and the other, basically holding a screenwriter hostage with promises of PBR for pages, as they rewrote the movie while shooting.
Davies and 89-year-old director Bill Rebane will be at the Rivoli Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday night to party with moviegoers for the 50th-anniversary screening and do a Q&amp;A.
Episode Highlights:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Volkswagen Terror: How Wisconsin filmmakers slapped fur and giant legs onto a VW Beetle chassis to build a 50-foot spider&mdash;and sent it blindly driving toward terrified extras.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Beer On Set: Why Hollywood stars like "The Skipper" from Gilligan's Island (Alan Hale) fell in love with northern Wisconsin culture and cold cans of Old Style.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Writing for PBR: Dan breaks down the chaotic mid-shoot panic after Hollywood demanded a giant spider to rival Jaws&mdash;leaving producers no choice but to lock a writer in a room with a daily sandwich and a beer quota.</li>
<li aria-level="1">MST3K Roasting: Dan breaks down how director Bill Rebane actually reacted when Mystery Science Theater 3000 poked fun at his film&mdash;and the surprise honor MST3K gave him years later.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Ted Tittman's Debut: How the team created a new campy Rhinelander news anchor character to seamlessly stitch the reboot's plot holes together.</li>
<li aria-level="1">UWL Nostalgia: Davies shares memories of his 40-plus family members attending UW-La Crosse and classic 1980s 3rd Street happy hours.</li>
</ul>

Ahead of Rivoli visit, actor Dan Davies previews 'The Giant Spider Invasion' — movie lore fueled by PBR and Old Style

Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Tara Johnson in studio breaking down the controversy over the 200-foot MariBell power lines and what a Democratic legislative majority would look like in Madison.

Johnson (D-Shelby) helps explain the environmental risks in the Driftless region over those power lines, how the state’s Public Service Commission works in deciding what happens, and where this all wraps into the AI data center conversation — one in which she believes an 18-month moratorium is needed. 

We also discuss the top priorities that Democrats are outlining if David Crowley wins the governorship and her party flips both the Assembly and Senate. Johnson pointed out that under current Republican control, only 19 of the 500 bills Democrats authored in the last session even got a committee hearing, and what her party’s priorities are if they win the trifecta.

Episode Highlights:
MariBell Lines Backlash: Proposed towers threaten legacy farms and fragile karst aquifers across the Driftless region.
Data Center Pause: Johnson advocates for an 18-month moratorium and a long-term plan around energy usage while studying the local impacts of massive data centers.
Underground Priority: Johnson details legislation to force power companies onto existing rights-of-way and mandate underground lines over giant towers.
How the PSC Works: A quick civics lesson on how the Public Service Commission operates and how local residents can actually influence their final rulings.
Intervener Funding Stripped: GOP budget cuts on the Joint Finance Committee eliminated extra legal and expert assistance meant to help everyday property owners fight utility applications.
Predatory Park Hikes: Mobile home residents face sudden double-digit lot fee increases and steep pet surcharges with no practical way to move their homes.
Democratic Trifecta Hit List: What a unified Democratic government in Madison would prioritize on day one — and the massive legislative roadblock currently standing in their way.
Brewers Magic but Not "The Big Mozzarella": We open with Milwaukee's historic 103-win season and a failed attempt at coining a pitching nickname for Jacob Misiorowski.

Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Tara Johnson in studio breaking down the controversy over the 200-foot MariBell power lines and what a Democratic legislative majority would look like in Madison.
Johnson (D-Shelby) helps explain the environmental risks in the Driftless region over those power lines, how the state&rsquo;s Public Service Commission works in deciding what happens, and where this all wraps into the AI data center conversation &mdash; one in which she believes an 18-month moratorium is needed.&nbsp;
We also discuss the top priorities that Democrats are outlining if David Crowley wins the governorship and her party flips both the Assembly and Senate. Johnson pointed out that under current Republican control, only 19 of the 500 bills Democrats authored in the last session even got a committee hearing, and what her party&rsquo;s priorities are if they win the trifecta.
Episode Highlights:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">MariBell Lines Backlash: Proposed towers threaten legacy farms and fragile karst aquifers across the Driftless region.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Data Center Pause: Johnson advocates for an 18-month moratorium and a long-term plan around energy usage while studying the local impacts of massive data centers.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Underground Priority: Johnson details legislation to force power companies onto existing rights-of-way and mandate underground lines over giant towers.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How the PSC Works: A quick civics lesson on how the Public Service Commission operates and how local residents can actually influence their final rulings.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Intervener Funding Stripped: GOP budget cuts on the Joint Finance Committee eliminated extra legal and expert assistance meant to help everyday property owners fight utility applications.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Predatory Park Hikes: Mobile home residents face sudden double-digit lot fee increases and steep pet surcharges with no practical way to move their homes.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Democratic Trifecta Hit List: What a unified Democratic government in Madison would prioritize on day one &mdash; and the massive legislative roadblock currently standing in their way.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Brewers Magic but Not "The Big Mozzarella": We open with Milwaukee's historic 103-win season and a failed attempt at coining a pitching nickname for Jacob Misiorowski.</li>
</ul>

Blue Baby set to return and the reimagining of Pearl Street in La Crosse

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