La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

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.

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La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds in studio discussing the possible addition of a city administrator, potential parking deregulation and getting the 2025 operating budget passed. 

The city administrator (6:30) conversation kind of intertwined with the passing the 2025 operating budget, which took up most of the show. But meetings about adding the city admin position could happen as soon as next week. 

We ended the show (26:45) discussing parking deregulation in the city, which had a committee meeting last week through the Neighborhood Revitalization Committee.

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William Garcia, the La Crosse County and 3rd CD Democratic Party chair, in studio discussing everything from the policies of Kamala Harris, to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's old Sega Dreamcast to Star Wars The Acolyte being cancelled. We began the show, though, talking about whether Garcia would be continuing his duel roles with the local Democratic parties. Then we got into some of the policies surrounding Harris, before taking a break to talk about science fiction and Walz's Dreamcast. Ended the show taking some texts, which mostly hovered around the economy, "Bidenomics," and Harris.

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La Crosse city council member Barb Janssen joins to discuss committee legislation Thursday to use $270,000 for cleanup and security on city property, plus why the council didn’t appoint a District 5 replacement.

Janssen, who has been on the council seven years, including serving as president, also serves on the Finance and Personnel Committee, which meets at 6 p.m. Thursday.

One of the items the F&P committee will debate is spending $270,000 for cleanup of the La Crosse River marsh, Cameron and Burns parks, plus two parking ramps. That money would also be used for added security at Burns and Cameron parks. This comes a week after La Crosse began enforcing a no camping ban on city property and performed extensive cleanup around the marsh trail area.

We also discussed the Pump House Regional Arts Center asking for additional funds of around $13,000 for renovations of the building, which is owned by the city.

Lastly, we discussed the council not voting to appoint a District 5 replacement on the council after a resignation. A replacement now won’t be voted for until the April 2025 election. 

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Wisconsin Sen. Brad Pfaff in studio back on Aug. 26 discussing the lack of vaping legislation in the state, where are we with PFAS help, and having a debate with his opponent. The vaping discussing evolved from the La Crosse School District putting vape detectors in some bathrooms. Federal law is 21 years to buy those products, but Wisconsin's Legislature won't update state law, and it's led to vaping numbers increasing among young people. We also talked about the PFAS debate in the state, where Republicans and Democrats won't negotiate on details of releasing over $120 million in relief money — as the Town of Campbell continues to use bottled water for over three years now. And, we discussed the Donald Trump town hall, the idea of town halls versus debates and Pfaff having a debate with Republican opponent Stacey Klein.

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UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, in studio, and we hit on a number of things, but the best is where a presidential candidate should stop in La Crosse. If getting in and out for a rally isn't local enough, where, or what business, in the area should the candidate spend some time that people would love?

We began the show discussing some intricacies of Donald Trump's La Crosse town hall, including the ex-president not knowing it was a town hall, or who it was for, and why down-ballot Republicans weren't at all part of any of it — and barely made note of it on social media. 

We got into the visiting La Crosse conversation (18:10) with what we might ask Donald Trump during the show, and how it wouldn't be about policy, it would be his thoughts on something local. That morphed into the candidates should visit the area more versus just holding a rally.

Before that, for a few, with school starting back up, Chergosky discussed (6:50) how he has some exchange students who are very curious in learning about US politics, and he has a class teaching Wisconsin politics.

Ended the show (28:30) trying to coin the phrase DINO, like Republicans have coined RINO (Republican In Name Only), and where Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., fit in that world. Plus, a recent YouGov poll on the popularity of some of Kamala Harris and Trump proposals. 

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La Crosse began clearing the marsh trails and other city properties on Wednesday due to homeless encampments, as council members Mackenzie Mindel and Mac Kiel joined La Crosse Talk Pm to discuss some details surrounding the dilemma.

Kiel goes out weekly with the homeless outreach team and updates us, in the second half of the show (17:45), on the council’s decision earlier this month to ban camping, and dilemma now for homeless people with nowhere to go.

Both Kiel and Mindel are on the Judiciary and Administration Committee, which meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

We discuss some of the things on that agenda (4:10), which indirectly have to do with homelessness, including three rezoning decisions that all deal with housing — the old Lincoln Middle School, the Washburn Community garden area and the county’s Hillview Healthcare Center.

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Two guests on a Tuesday, included Jeff Tripp, the La Crosse airport’s new director, as he prepares for Donald Trump’s visit Thursday, plus Robbie Young, on the bike-ped committee on making the city better for bicyclists.

Tripp joined first (2:00) and we got to know a bit about his responsibilities as the La Crosse Regional Airport director, and what he’s going through, as the Secret Service gets the area ready for Trump’s town hall at the La Crosse Center.

After that (18:00), Robbie Young, on the city’s bike-pedestrian advisory committee and owner of the Coulee Bicycle Co. in Onalaska, talks a bit about how e-bikes are changing. We also discuss the difficulties bicyclists have getting from one end of town to the other, and some of the Wisconsin DOT’s plans for Third and Fourth streets downtown, which include protected bike lanes.

Began the show with a bit of an update on the Trump town hall, where doors will now open at 2 p.m., plus we learned who the moderator will be.

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Covered a lot with La Crosse County Board chair Tina Tryggestad, including passing both a DEI and strategic plan, accepting bids on the Hillview Healthcare Center plus an update on the Pathways Home initiative.

Got into the board recently passing a consultant's year-long Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan (6:10) that was pushed back a month, and morphed that conversation (14:15) into the five-year strategic plan.

In the second half of the show (18:50) we discussed the city-county Pathways Home project to endhomelessness, including its recent successes, the dilemma with the city banning overnight camping and where the plan is at now.

Ended the show (22:50) discussing the Hillview Healthcare Center, after the board accepted bids for the multi-faceted facility that will include an intergenerational care center, bridge housing, crisis beds and more.

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Mark Abraham, better known as “Abe,” in the WIZM studio Wednesday for La Crosse Talk PM. The La Crescent High School cross country coach talked about multiple aspects of doing the job for the past 49 years — 41 as La Crescent High School's coach. 

Last spring, Abraham, now 71, retired as the Lancers track and field coach but says he’ll stay on as cross country coach as long as he feels good doing it. 

Abraham, who said he runs about 10-12 miles a week with the team, talks about how the sport has changed, some philosophies when it comes to coaching and what it’s like having the kids of past athletes now running through the program.

Abraham is a member of the Minnesota Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame, the Houston High School Hall of Fame and the La Crescent Wall of Excellence. 

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