La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

City council president Tamra Dickinson in studio helping discuss regulating e-bikes, defining downtown, and the missing public meeting on city admin while the public hears about pools and Pearl Street.

We open the show though with a quick nugget about why United Airlines is delaying flights between La Crosse and Chicago until October. We also talked quick about filling city committee roles and whether to consolidate some of those meetings.

The two big topics though were about the council meeting Thursday over e-bike regulations, which deal somewhat with whether Riverside Park is part of downtown (because you can't bike on sidewalks downtown). 

After that, Dickinson was asked where the city administrator conversation is happening. While the city conducts public meetings on a potential indoor aquatics center and a new look for Pearl Street downtown, nothing has come on city administrator — which has been a focal point of city government talks for two years. 

Also, with the city council having intensive conversations in committee and at monthly meetings over the budget, we talked about how a city administrator might facilitate those talks.

We also hit on the council having final say on historic status of buildings, including Emerson Elementary School, the city cutting down trees on Rose Street, Drift Cycle spots on the north side.

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Mac Kiel in studio helping break down what’s happening in La Crosse city government, including a look at e-bike regulation and why the seems to be no city administrator conversation, while we’re conducing pool and Pearl Street meetings.

First, though, Kiel talks a bit about the Finance and Personnel Committee meeting’s discussing Thursday about the budget. Kiel talks about how the council had some good questions for the finance director on why the city puts its budget together the way it does. This was a topic last year, as the city scrambled to balance the budget and talked about the same dilemma with the order it’s constructed.

After that, we weaved a city administrator conversation into the public meetings the city is having surrounding the potential building of a $30 million indoor aquatics facility and the other public meeting about a new vision for Pearl Street downtown.

Lastly, we talked about the Judiciary and Administrative Committee’s look at what could be considered regulation or deregulation when it comes to e-bikes and e-scooters. It’s illegal to bike in Riverside Park? That was one part of the conversation.

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Sam Scinta wears a few different hats in the Coulee Region. He’s the CEO of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce. He's a political science professor at both UW-La Crosse and Viterbo, where he's also involved with servant leadership.

So, naturally, we brought Scinta on the Rick Solem Show to spend most of our time talking about ... movies? It'll make sense when you listen, but we did eventually wrap up with the state of the Chamber.

Scinta co-hosts the Civics and Cinema program that's been going on the past two years at the Rivoli Theatre. Along with Dr. Rick Kyte — director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership — the two invite the public to come watch a historical movie, followed by a group discussion about its impact.

Scinta sees the series as a way to step back from the current political noise and use classic films to talk about the fundamental building blocks of a healthy community. It’s less about a current events Q&A and more about a shared experience in a dark theater that gets people thinking about our civic responsibilities in a different way.

This month, they'll be watching the 1976 Watergate classic, All the President’s Men. We talked why Hollywood doesn't really make "adult" movies — Scinta's word — like this anymore — films that drive real conversation. The screening will happen at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Rivoli. The cost is $5 and 100% of the proceeds go back to local nonprofits.

We did wrap up the conversation by getting into what exactly the Chamber of Commerce is and who is actually involved. Scinta admits it’s a bit of a "mystical entity" to some, but it's really a network that includes thousands of local employees — from the big corporations down to the one-man shops and even college students.

We also hit on the "big three" issues the Chamber is looking at right now, like the push for a city administrator in La Crosse and how the region is going to handle the "demographic cliff" and keep young talent in the area.

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We learn a little bit about Parkinson's Disease and how to stave it off with Bri Holden.

She's the program coordinator at the Star Center in La Crosse. The Center has its 4th Annual Parkinson's Walk and Awareness event from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday at Myrick Park in La Crosse.

Holden talks to us a little bit about the disease, which isn't curable, and how to fight it off through exercise — which is exactly what they do at the Star Center.

Click here for info and to take part in Saturday's event, which will feature a 1-mile walk, along with food trucks, live music, exercise demonstrations, resource booths and children's activities.

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Ingrid Lyons, executive director of Save the Boundary Waters, joined to talk about a renewed mining threat to the pristine wilderness area that encompasses 1.1 million acres in northern Minnesota.

We start off with the unique landscape of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the new dilemma with a foreign mining company (Antofagasta/Twin Metals) wanting to mine upstream.

Lyons explains the havoc that sulfide-ore mining wreaks on the region and the irony of branding it a "national security" project when the extracted minerals are destined for China.

Next, how we got here: Republicans leveraged a legislative tool that previously had never been used to overturn a mineral withdrawal — the Congressional Review Act (CRA) — to undo a 20-year protection order put in place in 2023.

Then Republicans in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House (with only one exception) passed the legislation and President Donald Trump signed it into law last week — essentially throwing out 675,000 public comments overwhelmingly against mining the area and years of scientific study pointing to its ill effects.

Lastly, we try to understand the end game, because very little of this will benefit the U.S. or Minnesota — and maybe not even the mining company. Lyons addresses whether the project is even economically viable, noting it doesn't appear to benefit the Chilean billionaire's company directly since they have zero-dollar smelting contracts to send those minerals to China.

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State Assembly Rep. Tara Johnson in studio discussing whether Wisconsin should get into the gerrymandering wars, ways to better communicate with constituents and some of the dilemmas she’s hearing from those in her district.

We started the show discussing outreach — holding office hours, hosting town halls and other ways to reach constituents. That conversation started because Johnson has put 70,000 miles on her car, including hosting town halls throughout the state on her proposal for a BadgerCare public option.

After that, we got into some of the issues she’s hearing, including one that’s a big off the radar but relatable to the housing crisis happening everywhere — outside entities are coming into Wisconsin, buying up mobile home parks and jacking up the rent and utilities. 

The second half of the show dealt a bit with the gerrymandering wars, as Republican states are changing their voting maps and stopping elections in the middle of voting, while Democratic states are going to the polls and asking voters if they want to change their maps. An issue started by Donald Trump telling Texas Republicans to change their voting maps. 

Johnson was asked multiple times if she would be in favor of changing voting maps if things kept getting worse for Democrats.

In Wisconsin, politicians who control the Legislature decide how the maps are drawn but Gov. Tony Evers called a special election a month ago to change this process to a nonpartisan voting commission. Though Republicans have gaveled in and immediately out of all 13 prior Evers’ special elections, this one remains open. And Johnson talks about where she stands on the issue. 

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One of the biggest events that happens in La Crosse every year is going to remain a staple of the city through the year 2034.

The WIAA and UW-L worked out its longest deal ever, eight years, to keep the state track and field meet here.

La Crosse is always looking to expand the types of events it can host but state track has been a staple since the early 1990s. But, recently we've seen the addition of the WIAA state team wrestling meet in town, as well as other regional and national events.

Helping bring those events to the region is Explore La Crosse. Jeremiah Burish is the sports sales director there. He joined to help discuss getting the state track deal done, what other events could be in the works — like potential bids for state gymnastics or cross country — and some of the high-profile competitions coming to the area.

That includes a massive showcase later this month, as UW-La Crosse prepares to host the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships at Roger Harring Stadium from May 21–23, and the La Crosse Center will host the DIII wrestling championships next year.

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From A New Hope to The Mandalorian, it's a Star Wars day on this May the 4th with Rivoli Theatre co-owners Jon and Clara Gelatt in studio.

What's your first Star Wars memory? Did mom also throw all your toys away? Are the old movies still the best? Is the Star Wars universe oversaturated thanks to Disney? 

The Rivoli is playing A New Hope at 5 p.m. and 7:40 p.m. with discounts for those who dress up or bring their lightsabers. The night will feature specialty drinks — perhaps some blue milk — and preshow trivia. A New Hope will also play through Thursday.

Aside from Star Wars, we wrapped up the show looking ahead to a massive month at the Rivoli including:

May 9 — The Greatest Showman: Sing and Dance Along!

May 12 — Civics and Cinema Presents: All the President's Men, that will include a discussion following the movie led by political scientist Dr. Sam Scinta and Viterbo's Dr. Rick Kyte.

March 18 — Kings of Kubb: about the Nordic lawn game. The night will feature documentary Upper Midwest Emmy Award filmmakers B.J. Hollars and Steve Dayton for a brief Q&A following the showing.

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Todd Fergot joined to talk about the big role he was just awarded, becoming the executive director of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and some their priorities, like implementing a shot clock and expanding the state tournament.

Fergot has been the boys basketball coach at Central High in La Crosse for 22 years and that’s not changing. But he now takes over this statewide organization that oversees both boys and girls basketball.

We talk the WBCA’s big priorities, including the positives and negatives around implementing a 35-second shot clock, what it means to expand the state tournament and getting participation back up in girls basketball.

Along with state tournament expansion, we also talked about the idea of playing at other venues, like Lambeau Field or the Brewers stadium. 

Fergot noted part of the deal to take on the WBCA role was to remain coach at Central and we discuss some of his legacy there, like getting to state six times, winning and losing titles and coaching players like Johnny Davis, who was taken No. 10 in the NBA draft. 

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It's not often you randomly go to interview someone and learn she's the wife of your old high school coach, but that's just what happened in talking with Stephanie Hauser. Not only is she the WIAA's executive director, but her husband is my old basketball coach from Hortonville High School.

But we skipped right over how much Dave Hauser may have yelled at me in gym class and immediately had to talk about their son, Sam Hauser, who's a starter for the Boston Celtics, an NBA champion and one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. Then we talked about their daughter Nicki Hauser being an assistant volleyball coach at Missouri, which is playing Nebraska at Wrigley Field this fall.

After that, we got into some WIAA business, including keeping state track and field at UW-La Crosse through 2034 — an eight-year deal and one of the longest deals they've ever done. Before we discussed that deal — which she told me after the podcast (because she was off on her figures at the end) is for $145,000 a year — we talked about my idea to have state football at Lambeau Field or state baseball at the Brewers stadium.  

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