La Crosse County Board chair Monica Kruse joined. We hit on a slew of topics the county is working on, including fixing the roads, a new childcare initiative, homelessness and how partisanship has crept into nonpartisan races.

La Crosse County Board chair Monica Kruse joined. We hit on a slew of topics the county is working on, including fixing the roads, a new childcare initiative, homelessness and how partisanship has crept into nonpartisan races.

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

La Crosse County board chair Kruse on fix the roads, homeless, childcare, "nonpartisan" elections

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds in studio discussing reelection, potential vote on city administrator, veto on Pump House request for more funding and La Crosse Center accounting change.

Spent a lot of time going over, in different ways, the upcoming, potential vote Thursday by La Crosse’s city council on hiring a city administrator position. Reynolds talked about the cost of the position versus savings it would do with city, how the 2012 referendum that voted down the proposal was an outlier and what he expects the city council to do at the meeting.

Also talked about Shaundel Washington-Spivey’s announcement to run for mayor and brought up multiple times — and almost got Reynolds to reveal — if he was seeking reelection. 

Next month the 2025 budget will be finalized and one thing that may have help with that is some changes in accounting at the La Crosse Center, which Reynolds breaks down. 

Lastly, we hit on his veto last month of a request from the Pump House Regional Arts Center, downtown, for more funding, which the council could override Thursday. The Pump House is a city-owned building that just did over $300,000 in renovations, but ended up asking the city for an additional $13,290.03 — which Reynolds vetoed and he explains why.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds in studio discussing reelection, potential vote on city administrator, veto on Pump House request for more funding and La Crosse Center accounting change.
Spent a lot of time going over, in different ways, the upcoming, potential vote Thursday by La Crosse’s city council on hiring a city administrator position. Reynolds talked about the cost of the position versus savings it would do with city, how the 2012 referendum that voted down the proposal was an outlier and what he expects the city council to do at the meeting.
Also talked about Shaundel Washington-Spivey’s <a href="https://www.wizmnews.com/2024/10/08/shaundel-washington-spivey-becomes-first-2025-candidate-for-mayor-of-la-crosse/">announcement to run for mayor</a> and brought up multiple times — and almost got Reynolds to reveal — if he was seeking reelection. 
Next month the 2025 budget will be finalized and one thing that may have help with that is some changes in accounting at the La Crosse Center, which Reynolds breaks down. 
Lastly, we hit on his veto last month of a request from the Pump House Regional Arts Center, downtown, for more funding, which the council could override Thursday. The Pump House is a city-owned building that just did over $300,000 in renovations, but ended up asking the city for an additional $13,290.03 — which Reynolds vetoed and he explains why.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds on reelection and what city council should do on administrator position

We're back! UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, back in studio to talk the $110 million of outside money in WIsconsin's US Senate race, the second TP shortage of the 2020s, Kamala Harris campaigns at the GOP's birthplace in Ripon, plus going 90 mph down Lang Drive.

Chergosky also paid a bit of a tribune to La Crosse Talk host Mike Hayes, who is battling pancreatic cancer. 

We also hit on the Brewers blowing Game 3 of the wildcard to the Mets and how it's that stupid mascot Grimace's fault, as well as just being back on La Crosse Talk PM, with WIZM shuffling some in the absence of Hayes.

The two big political stories we got into included outside money in the US Senate race in Wisconsin, where $57 million is being spent on Democrat Tammy Baldwin and $53 million on Eric Hovde — on top of Baldwin spending $42 million on her own campaign, and Hovde spending $20 million. 

Then we hit on Harris campaigning with Republican Liz Cheaney in Ripon, Wisconsin, where the GOP Party was birthed.

The toilet paper shortage stems from people freaking out about the longshoremen's strike, which will not be the "October surprise," as they've delayed it until January.

And, lastly, La Crosse police arrested this week a 19-year-old driving 90 mph down Lang Drive near Menards during "rush hour." 

We're back! UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, back in studio to talk the $110 million of outside money in WIsconsin's US Senate race, the second TP shortage of the 2020s, Kamala Harris campaigns at the GOP's birthplace in Ripon, plus going 90 mph down Lang Drive.
Chergosky also paid a bit of a tribune to La Crosse Talk host Mike Hayes, who is battling pancreatic cancer. 
We also hit on the Brewers blowing Game 3 of the wildcard to the Mets and how it's that stupid mascot Grimace's fault, as well as just being back on La Crosse Talk PM, with WIZM shuffling some in the absence of Hayes.
The two big political stories we got into included outside money in the US Senate race in Wisconsin, where $57 million is being spent on Democrat Tammy Baldwin and $53 million on Eric Hovde — on top of Baldwin spending $42 million on her own campaign, and Hovde spending $20 million. 
Then we hit on Harris campaigning with Republican Liz Cheaney in Ripon, Wisconsin, where the GOP Party was birthed.
The toilet paper shortage stems from people freaking out about the longshoremen's strike, which will not be the "October surprise," as they've delayed it until January.
And, lastly, La Crosse police arrested this week a 19-year-old driving 90 mph down Lang Drive near Menards during "rush hour."

UW-La Crosse's Chergosky on the $110 million in outside money in Wisconsin's Senate race, going 90 down Lang Dr.

Jill Schams and Jesse Martinez, the co-presidents of the La Crosse Education Association (LEA) — or the teachers’ union — in studio, discussing the district’s $53.5 million referendum on the November ballot, school funding in general and how a cellphone ban in schools has worked.

Schams is a K-5 music teacher at Southern Bluffs Elementary School, while Martinez teaches 7th grade math and social studies — and Spanish emersion — at Logan Middle School.

We began the show with a quick overview, but also getting to know Schams a bit, as she's never been on before and she teaches music, which is fascinating to some talk show hosts. 

After that (8:20), we got into the La Crosse School District's $53.5 million referendum and whether LEA supports it. The overview of that plan would be to:

Create eight new classrooms and a new gym at State Road Elem.

Tear down the Hogan Administrative site.

Close Emerson and Spence elementaries and move those students to a new school, built on the Hogan Administrative site.

Close Hintgen, consolidate most of those students to State Road's school.

We also talked about school funding in general interweaved into that conversation.

Lastly (33:15), we discussed the cellphone ban that Logan MS had last year, how that went. The school, along with Logan High School have cellphone bans this year.

Jill Schams and Jesse Martinez, the co-presidents of the La Crosse Education Association (LEA) — or the teachers’ union — in studio, discussing the district’s $53.5 million referendum on the November ballot, school funding in general and how a cellphone ban in schools has worked.
Schams is a K-5 music teacher at Southern Bluffs Elementary School, while Martinez teaches 7th grade math and social studies — and Spanish emersion — at Logan Middle School.
We began the show with a quick overview, but also getting to know Schams a bit, as she's never been on before and she teaches music, which is fascinating to some talk show hosts. 
After that (8:20), we got into the La Crosse School District's $53.5 million referendum and whether LEA supports it. The overview of that plan would be to:
Create eight new classrooms and a new gym at State Road Elem.
Tear down the Hogan Administrative site.
Close Emerson and Spence elementaries and move those students to a new school, built on the Hogan Administrative site.
Close Hintgen, consolidate most of those students to State Road's school.
We also talked about school funding in general interweaved into that conversation.
Lastly (33:15), we discussed the cellphone ban that Logan MS had last year, how that went. The school, along with Logan High School have cellphone bans this year.

La Crosse County board chair Kruse on fix the roads, homeless, childcare, "nonpartisan" elections

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