MURDER HORNETS, what are they? We talk with Viterbo's chair of biology, Ted Wilson about that. He's an expert in entomology — the study of bugs. 
After that, Firefighters Credit Union president Bruce "the money man" Zmolek, with some news dealing with Food Drive Fridays and a big matching donation.

MURDER HORNETS, what are they? We talk with Viterbo's chair of biology, Ted Wilson about that. He's an expert in entomology &mdash; the study of bugs.&nbsp; After that, Firefighters Credit Union president Bruce "the money man" Zmolek, with some news dealing with Food Drive Fridays and a big matching donation.

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

MURDER HORNETS ... what are they? We've got a bug guy ...

One homeless meeting down, another to go in La Crosse, as Mac Kiel stopped in the WIZM studio for the Rick Solem Show to help break them down, as well as preview committee week.

The homeless conversation centered on a recent two-hour special meeting with a state official, in what Kiel called a “lively discussion and debate” between department heads and council members over short-term enforcement versus long-term solutions. Our chat also looked ahead to the Pathways Home update on Sept 8, where the city and county will review progress on the five-year strategy.

Plus, we unpacked the fallout after the city administrator vote fell just short of a supermajority, examine a closed-session library board meeting addressing a projected $400,000 deficit next year,, dive into new life for the old north side library community plan, and look ahead to committee week (J&A and F&P meeting agendas) — including a proposed charter ordinance on department head hiring, a municipal fine hike, and buying the Girl Scout building back for $1.

Episode Highlights:
Kmart Project Gridlock: Details how changing developer figures and delayed city approvals are stalling the long-awaited site revival.
Homelessness Boiling Point: Recounts a packed two-hour session as city departments and council members clash over short-term enforcement versus long-term plans.
Library Budget Squeeze: Unpacks a closed-session board meeting addressing potential staffing cuts amid wider city deficit fears.
Department Head Oversight: Explores a proposed charter ordinance that would give the city a one-year window to dismiss new hires at will.
North Side Plan Approved: Highlights ECDC’s green light for a community group’s $843,000 vision to repurpose the former library.
Citation Fee Hike: Examines a proposal raising municipal court fines for the first time since 2014 to offset tight city budgets.

Kiel is a former La Crosse City Council member, who is an advocate for providing the public with what is happening with city government. She also serves on some city boards and works with the unsheltered population.

One homeless meeting down, another to go in La Crosse, as Mac Kiel stopped in the WIZM studio for the Rick Solem Show to help break them down, as well as preview committee week.
The homeless conversation centered on a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/08/24/la-crosse-homeless-special-meeting/">two-hour special meeting</a>&nbsp;with a state official, in what Kiel called a &ldquo;lively discussion and debate&rdquo; between department heads and council members over short-term enforcement versus long-term solutions. Our chat also looked ahead to the&nbsp;<a href="https://cityoflacrosse.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1363128&amp;GUID=DB4F45B8-C046-4EE8-B875-24A622D0D6B9&amp;Options=info%7C&amp;Search=">Pathways Home update on Sept 8</a>, where the city and county will review progress on the five-year strategy.
Plus, we unpacked the fallout after the <a href="https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/08/21/la-crosse-mayor-after-city-administrator-vote/">city administrator vote fell just short</a> of a supermajority, examine a closed-session library board meeting addressing a projected $400,000 deficit next year,, dive into new life for the <a href="https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/08/27/northside-neighborhood-center-group-shares-vision-for-former-library/">old north side library community plan</a>, and look ahead to committee week (<a href="https://cityoflacrosse.legistar.com/DepartmentDetail.aspx?ID=21839&amp;GUID=965B0C78-BA24-4C13-B8BD-72479AE9FADC">J&amp;A</a> and <a href="https://cityoflacrosse.legistar.com/DepartmentDetail.aspx?ID=21838&amp;GUID=AB3D3127-B200-48ED-A4D6-764E7E303B9F">F&amp;P</a> meeting agendas) &mdash; including a proposed charter ordinance on department head hiring, a municipal fine hike, and buying the Girl Scout building back for $1.
Episode Highlights:
<ul>
<li>Kmart Project Gridlock:&nbsp;Details how changing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/08/12/state-gives-8-million-loan-for-la-crosses-old-kmart-site-while-developer-speaks-out-about-costly-delays/">developer figures</a>&nbsp;and delayed city approvals are stalling the long-awaited site revival.</li>
<li>Homelessness Boiling Point:&nbsp;Recounts a packed two-hour session as city departments and council members clash over short-term enforcement versus long-term plans.</li>
<li>Library Budget Squeeze:&nbsp;Unpacks a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/08/24/double-squeeze-la-crosse-library-faces-local-staff-cuts-federal-funding-threat/">closed-session board meeting</a>&nbsp;addressing potential staffing cuts amid wider city deficit fears.</li>
<li>Department Head Oversight:&nbsp;Explores a&nbsp;<a href="https://cityoflacrosse.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8189740&amp;GUID=CFA571DD-A11E-4EB2-8882-42373D9753E2&amp;Options=&amp;Search=">proposed charter ordinance</a>&nbsp;that would give the city a one-year window to dismiss new hires at will.</li>
<li>North Side Plan Approved:&nbsp;Highlights&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/08/26/old-north-library-purchase-approved/">ECDC&rsquo;s green light</a>&nbsp;for a community group&rsquo;s $843,000 vision to repurpose the former library.</li>
<li>Citation Fee Hike:&nbsp;Examines a&nbsp;<a href="https://cityoflacrosse.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8189751&amp;GUID=FA7BA102-F73F-493F-BDDF-2A155A3A159A&amp;Options=&amp;Search=">proposal raising municipal court fines</a>&nbsp;for the first time since 2014 to offset tight city budgets.</li>
</ul>
Kiel is a former La Crosse City Council member, who is an advocate for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MacKielforCityCouncil">providing the public&nbsp;</a>with what is happening with city government. She also serves on some city boards and works with the unsheltered population.

Homelessness debate, city admin & committee preview with Mac Kiel

It’s data centers now, because it’s not Francesca Hong.

That looks to be how the Wisconsin governor’s race is shaping up, and state Republican leader Ryan Huebsch stopped in studio to analyze the fight between Tom Tiffany and David Crowley.

Huebsch, the GOP Vice Chair of the 3rd Congressional District, weighed in on whether early Republican attacks against Hong backfired by clearing a path for Crowley, while outlining how Tiffany's team plans to leverage Crowley’s remarks on data centers — plus how a “Double T” strategy, looking back to the GOP Gov. Tommy Thompson days, could be coming.

We also talked about whether voters will get to see Derrick Van Orden and Rebecca Cooke debate, and the partisan argument for avoiding them and town halls. Additional topics included Huebsch's argument that local Assembly lines were redrawn to favor Democrats, as well as the divide over whether state parties should endorse candidates in primary races. which Republicans do and Democrats don’t in Wisconsin.

Episode Highlights:


The Early Ad Backfire: Concedes that early Republican attack ads during the primary may have accidentally weeded out a weaker opponent.


The "Double T" Strategy: Details how Tom Tiffany is leaning into his shared initials with Tommy Thompson to build momentum across the state.


Data Center Showdown: Explores why data centers unexpectedly became the biggest talking point in the governor's race.


The Map Battle: Argues new legislative boundaries divide rural and urban communities to help Democrats retain key Assembly seats.


Party Endorsement Pitfalls: Weighs whether official primary party endorsements actually help candidates or trigger grassroots voter backlash.


Town Halls & Debates: Why candidates on both sides avoid partisan forums, and whether Van Orden and Rebecca Cooke will ever end up on a debate stage.

It&rsquo;s data centers now, because it&rsquo;s not Francesca Hong.
That looks to be how the Wisconsin governor&rsquo;s race is shaping up, and state Republican leader Ryan Huebsch stopped in studio to analyze the fight between Tom Tiffany and David Crowley.
Huebsch, the <a href="https://wisgop.org/the-wisconsin-gop-team/">GOP Vice Chair of the 3rd Congressional District</a>, weighed in on whether early Republican attacks against Hong backfired by clearing a path for Crowley, while outlining how Tiffany's team plans to leverage Crowley&rsquo;s remarks on data centers &mdash; plus how a &ldquo;Double T&rdquo; strategy, looking back to the GOP Gov. Tommy Thompson days, could be coming.
We also talked about whether voters will get to see Derrick Van Orden and Rebecca Cooke debate, and the partisan argument for avoiding them and town halls. Additional topics included Huebsch's argument that local Assembly lines were redrawn to favor Democrats, as well as the divide over whether state parties should endorse candidates in primary races. which Republicans do and Democrats don&rsquo;t in Wisconsin.
Episode Highlights:
<ul data-path-to-node="13">
<li>
The Early Ad Backfire: Concedes that early Republican attack ads during the primary may have accidentally weeded out a weaker opponent.
</li>
<li>
The "Double T" Strategy: Details how Tom Tiffany is leaning into his shared initials with Tommy Thompson to build momentum across the state.
</li>
<li>
Data Center Showdown: Explores why data centers unexpectedly became the biggest talking point in the governor's race.
</li>
<li>
The Map Battle: Argues new legislative boundaries divide rural and urban communities to help Democrats retain key Assembly seats.
</li>
<li>
Party Endorsement Pitfalls: Weighs whether official primary party endorsements actually help candidates or trigger grassroots voter backlash.
</li>
<li>
Town Halls &amp; Debates: Why candidates on both sides avoid partisan forums, and whether Van Orden and Rebecca Cooke will ever end up on a debate stage.
</li>
</ul>

GOP state leader Huebsch on Wisconsin governor's race: Data centers, ads, and 'Double T' strategy

She’s searching for the building blocks of life in deep space, and now UW-Madison astrochemistry Ph.D. student Alejandra Lopez Holguin is bringing that search to Trempealeau.

Lopez Holguin joined The Rick Solem Show to share her journey from a small town in Mexico to studying interstellar molecules — and to preview her hosting Friday’s free “Universe in the Park” event at Perrot State Park.

Lopez Holguin also breaks down the science of her search for life in deep space — including whether she gets to name any new discovery something like “Lil Alejandra” — plus we had to talk space movies — her love for Interstellar and why we’re not living on Mars like in The Martian.

EVENT DETAILS
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Perrot State Park in Trempealeau
COST: Free (No registration required, open to all ages)
WHAT TO EXPECT: A 30-to-40-minute interactive talk exploring how the chemical elements inside our bodies were forged in stars, followed by guided outdoor telescope viewing (weather permitting).

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Odds of life in space: Why discovering precursor organic molecules floating around space means life could easily exist well beyond Earth.
Alejandra’s Project Hail Mary: How a chemical engineer with zero astronomy background sent 100 cold emails, survived 98 rejections, and landed the single life-changing internship that launched her career.
Space Detective: What it’s actually like using giant radio telescopes to hunt down hidden molecules in deep space.
We’re Not Moving to Mars: Breaking down why Elon Musk’s colonization plans hit a wall when faced with real-world space environment realities.

She&rsquo;s searching for the building blocks of life in deep space, and now UW-Madison astrochemistry Ph.D. student Alejandra Lopez Holguin is bringing that search to Trempealeau.
Lopez Holguin joined&nbsp;The Rick Solem Show&nbsp;to share her journey from a small town in Mexico to studying interstellar molecules &mdash; and to preview her hosting Friday&rsquo;s free &ldquo;Universe in the Park&rdquo; event at Perrot State Park.
Lopez Holguin also breaks down the science of her search for life in deep space &mdash; including whether she gets to name any new discovery something like &ldquo;Lil Alejandra&rdquo; &mdash; plus we had to talk space movies &mdash; her love for Interstellar and why we&rsquo;re not living on Mars like in The Martian.
EVENT DETAILS
<ul>
<li>WHEN:&nbsp;Friday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.</li>
<li>WHERE:&nbsp;Perrot State Park in Trempealeau</li>
<li>COST:&nbsp;Free (No registration required, open to all ages)</li>
<li>WHAT TO EXPECT:&nbsp;A 30-to-40-minute interactive talk exploring how the chemical elements inside our bodies were forged in stars, followed by guided outdoor telescope viewing (weather permitting).</li>
</ul>
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
<ul></ul>
<ul>
<li>Odds of life in space:&nbsp;Why discovering precursor organic molecules floating around space means life could easily exist well beyond Earth.</li>
<li>Alejandra&rsquo;s Project Hail Mary:&nbsp;How a chemical engineer with zero astronomy background sent 100 cold emails, survived 98 rejections, and landed the single life-changing internship that launched her career.</li>
<li>Space Detective: What it&rsquo;s actually like using giant radio telescopes to hunt down hidden molecules in deep space.</li>
<li>We&rsquo;re Not Moving to Mars:&nbsp;Breaking down why Elon Musk&rsquo;s colonization plans hit a wall when faced with real-world space environment realities.</li>
</ul>

MURDER HORNETS ... what are they? We've got a bug guy ...

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