La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

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 Chergosky does explain the situation President Donald Trump and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers are currently in as wobbly ducks, and how it affects their agendas getting passed. 

Before we dive into that, though, WIZM's Brad Williams helps start the show to break down Holmen’s Kornfest being canceled and now, possibly, back on for August. Williams also talks about the La Crosse airport getting its first Allegiant Air flight from Arizona just hours before.

After that, Chergosky explains the BK child labor violations that include locations in La Crosse, Onalaska, Holmen, Sparta, Black River Falls, and Tomah.

We also discuss how these violations could be used politically in an election year, especially following recent Republican efforts to relax state child labor laws.

The second half of the show focuses on Evers and Wisconsin Republicans attempting to negotiate a plan on property tax breaks — or at least pretending to do so. That led to talks about Evers and Trump being lame ducks.

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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.

Johnson offered a bit of a civics lesson on how members try to get bills passed, how they co-sponsor colleagues’ legislation, and if any Democratic-authored proposals might actually make it to a vote. We also recap her first year in office and how she has prioritized being available to her constituents throughout the district.

Regarding legislative hurdles, Johnson highlighted some of the culture war issues Republicans are pushing — like making English the official language — while arguing that affordability should be the top priority. That led to a conversation about tax on tips and what Johnson actually thought should have been in that GOP bill.

Johnson also speculated that Republicans might try to use up the budget surplus before Democrats potentially take control of the Legislature next year.

Lastly, we touched on the governor’s race following Josh Schoemann exiting the field. That leaves Tom Tiffany as the lone major Republican in the race, while Democrats have seven candidates vying to win the August primary.

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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 about finding a social outlet and a community as it is about earning a degree.Walsh, who spent 11 years working inside the La Crosse County Jail before taking over the program, understands that stability requires a support system.

Project Proven works across La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau, and Jackson counties to help people navigate everything from GED prep to college enrollment. But it’s the community side where the program really stands out. Through initiatives like the Rec Club, which organizes sober community outings, and the Leadership Group, which focuses on community advocacy, the program helps people build a new social circle. By focusing on these connections, Project Proven has helped drop the local recidivism rate to around 37% — nearly half the national average.

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We get a little “old curmudgeon” with UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio Friday with the cellphone ban and movie theatre talk — since we didn’t have cellphones in school and couldn’t reserve recliner seats back in the day. 

We also dive into lawsuits against the major social media companies, examining claims that they’re additive and cause personal injury — litigation that could put Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, and other high-profile owners, on the stand.

In the Wisconsin governor’s race, we discuss President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Republican Tom Tiffany, which led Josh Schoemann to drop out — leaving just one major GOP candidate while Democrats have seven in the running. We also explore whether endorsements actually help and if Gov. Tony Evers will weigh in.

In regards to Wisconsin government, last session, Gov. Evers did sign a cellphone ban, but as the Legislature races to Feb. 19 to be done with its work for all of 2026, one of the bills is to ban cellphones from “bell to bell.” So, we talk about how that might affect students, how it takes away local control and if lawmakers and parents now — vs. 10 years from now — might see a cellphone ban very differently, having grown up without one in school.

Regarding our cellphone ban conversation, as the Legislature races to a Feb. 19 deadline to be done for the rest of 2026, we dissect a new proposal. While Gov. Evers previously signed a limited cellphone ban, this new bill aims to take them out of students’ hands from “bell to bell.” We analyze how cellphones affect students, the loss of local control and how perspectives on phone bans could change between generations — lawmakers 10 years from now wouldn’t know life without a cellphone. 

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La Crosse School Board president Deb Suchla in studio discussing naming the new elementary school, what to do with the old buildings in the district, plus the district's unique intra-city rivalry and the “400-year veto” of taking $325 in per pupil funding.

With the demolition of the 125-year-old Hogan building now underway, Suchla outlines the timeline and process to naming the elementary school that will eventually house Emerson and Spence students.

The process starts with community surveys in February, with a goal to have the name, mascot, and colors finalized by this summer. That process could also cover State Road Elementary, which is going through renovations.

Suchla explains that with Hintgen students moving to that site this fall, the board wants to find a name that represents both merging student bodies so it feels like a unified school rather than one group just moving into another's building.

The district is looking for names that are neutral and inclusive, with a specific policy against naming buildings after living people. 

Looking further ahead, Suchla discusses the district's long-term roadmap on both building consolidation and potential upgrades, as a referendum retires in 2033. This includes weighing options for aging middle schools built in the 1930s and modernizing high school spaces, like science labs and technical arts shops, to keep the district competitive for area families.

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A week ahead of the La Crosse common council voting on creating a city administrator position, there’s dueling legislation on the matter.

City Council member Aron Newberry stopped in studio to discuss his separate proposal for creating the position. Also joining the conversation is Mac Kiel, helping break down that role, plus what’s happening in city government throughout February.

The city admin position has been a topic of study and discussion within La Crosse government for about two years now.

Newberry presents his charter ordinance proposal as a more simplified version versus the one the council put on the February agenda last spring.

With Kiel, aside from the city admin debate, we talk about the airport landing United Airlines and how the council next week will vote to confirm Lauren Koss as the official airport director.

We also discuss the Wisconsin DOT’s hybrid plan for downtown La Crosse, which is currently going through committee.

Lastly, Kiel brings up two other items: the Feb. 5 Executive Committee meeting happening right before the monthly council vote — which could provide a way to publicly discuss the city admin position further — and a special strategic planning meeting happening Feb. 18.

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Tearing up downtown La Crosse from storefront to storefront for bike lanes, extended sidewalks, a roundabout and more is the plan. Michelle Howe, major study supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, joins the show to help break it down, along with two other projects underway in La Crosse.

Howe, the major studies supervisor for the DOT Southwest Region, discusses their "hybrid" recommendation for the Highway 53 corridor — a compromise designed to keep all on-street parking between King and Vine streets while introducing sidewalk-level bike lanes from Vine to La Crosse Street. These would be the first sidewalk-level bike lanes ever featured on a Wisconsin state highway.

The plan also includes a new roundabout at the Highway 53-La Crosse Street intersection to serve as a traffic-calming "gateway" to downtown. With a planning horizon looking out to the year 2050, the downtown work is currently slated to begin in 2030.

Sticking with downtown, we also threw a couple of random thoughts at Howe, including the feasibility of adding EV infrastructure when everything is torn up and if the DOT has ever considered turning downtown back into two-way traffic.

Howe also provides updates on the preliminary design for the WIS 35 (George Street/Lang Drive) plan, plus the early-stage study for the Highway 16 corridor.

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Missy Hughes stopped in studio on a frigid Friday to discuss her bid for Wisconsin governor.

We began by talking about her background leading the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for six years under Gov. Tony Evers and her 17 years as general counsel for Organic Valley.

Then we got into her newly released “Unlock Wisconsin” economic plan, which proposes specific targets for housing, job training and small business creation.

Hughes notes she is the only Democratic candidate in the field who isn’t from Madison or Milwaukee and hasn’t run for office before. Drawing on Viroqua her roots and her tenure at Organic Valley, we talked about how she tries to get through to rural voters, who typically lean Republican.

Other topics included setting herself apart from the field, and GOP candidate Tom Tiffany. We also hit on the state’s estimated $4 billion budget surplus, plus what her priorities might be if she wins the governor’s race alongside a Democratic majority in the Legislature.

We ended the conversation by getting her take on data centers, which are a growing presence in Wisconsin.

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Rivoli Theatre co-owners Clara and Jon Gelatt in studio discussing the changing landscape of movies — stemming from Matt Damon’s criticism of Netflix — a YouTuber’s horror film coming soon thanks to fan emails and how they stay relevant with community events ranging from politics to the outdoors.

One of the nice things about going to a theatre is you’re basically commanded to put your phone away. We talked about comments recently by Damon suggesting movies are now being made to be the "second screen" — dumbing down the film because people aren’t paying attention.

This led to Jon’s "research" on the ideal movie runtime. While long epics like Lord of the Rings have their place, Jon breaks down why 90 minutes is the sweet spot for both viewers and theatre owners, and why the 110-to-130 minute range is often a "cursed" era for film quality.

On the flip side, fan requests have brought YouTuber Mark Fischbach’s film Iron Lung to the Rivoli at the end of the month. We talk about that changing landscape, plus how they decided to give the go ahead on bringing a YouTuber’s film to the big screen.

Before that happens, Jon will host another Cult Movie Night on Saturday — if you want to get out of the house, despite the cold — featuring a 16-year-old Tom Cruise in Legend (1985) and a 36-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Destroyer (1984).

Beyond these unique ways to get people to the theatre, we also previewed the upcoming La Crosse Adventure Film (LAF) event and post-viewed the Civics and Cinema discussion.

LAF happens Feb. 6 — a free event thanks to the Beer By Bike Brigade, B.L.A.C.K. and ORA Trails. It is at capacity, but check with LAF to get on the wait list — featuring multiple short films about the outdoors, including one about, coincidentally enough, Greenland.

We also recapped the Civics and Cinema series that happened earlier this week, where they watched The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The viewing was followed by a civics conversation led by Sam Scinta and Rick Kyte as part of the Rebuilding American Civics series with Viterbo’s D.B. Reinhart Institute.

Lastly, we talked about the perks of owning a theatre — 2 a.m. movies all to yourself, unlimited popcorn, Christmas gatherings or playing MarioKart on the big screen.

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UW-Oshkosh's Dr. Mike Ford, Director of the Whitburn Center of Governance and Policy Research, joins to break down everything "city administrator," ahead of next month's council vote on creating the position.

Ford explains why La Crosse is currently in the minority among Wisconsin cities of its size and addresses the growing "nationalization" of local politics.

We dive into where Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey and the city council are at in the process of making a decision, plus some of the lead up to getting here.

We also look at the true cost of a $250,000 salary, and why Ford warns against "reinventing the wheel" when it comes to the city’s charter ordinance.

Last week, Washington-Spivey said he hopes next month's vote on creating the city admin position fails, so La Crosse can do more study on crafting the position — the ordinance the city is putting forward is over a decade old.

Additionally, Ford explains how professional leadership can actually increase democratic accountability rather than dilute it.

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