La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

Did a CNN interview about canceling Thanksgiving actually cost Francesca Hong the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor? 

UW-La Crosse political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio to break down David Crowley’s wild comeback, progressive — and GOP — strategy missteps, and how Tom Tiffany’s general election playbook changes overnight.

Plus, a play-by-play of a five-hour La Crosse city council meeting that ended with no city administrator, but tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars for other priorities, with WIZM's Brad Williams and Kevin Millard helping break things down.

Key Topics:

• The Crowley "Comeback:" Did David Crowley need to drop out of the race to pull off a razor-thin victory over Francesca Hong?

• The "Thanksgiving" Breakthrough: How a 2020 tweet and a viral CNN interview with Caitlin Collins became the turning point that reached casual voters.

• The Progressive Sitting-Out: Why Bernie Sanders and AOC opted not to endorse Hong, and what it signals about the national power struggle within the Democratic Party.

• GOP Primary Mind Games: Did Republicans attack Hong too early, and did seven-figure "reverse psychology" ads in Madison and Milwaukee backfire?

• City Administrator Denied: Brad Williams breaks down the 5-hour La Crosse City Council marathon that came up one vote short of a two-thirds majority.

• French Island & TIF Debates: The city's move to spend $90K fighting French Island’s incorporation, plus a $600K study for a permanent public market.

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Fresh off a wild, razor-thin Democratic primary for governor, Wisconsin State Assembly Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) stopped in studio to unpack what just went down — and where state politics go from here.

Plus, we dive into new state safety funding for UW-La Crosse dorms, policy realities on property taxes and marijuana, and a deeply personal story about a "Star Trek" clinical trial that saved her mom.

In this episode:

• Primary Fallout & Strategy: We break down David Crowley’s dramatic primary victory over Francesca Hong, how key endorsements shifted momentum late, and what messaging actually broke through to nonpolitical voters as Democrats turn their focus to Tom Tiffany.

• Reaching the Unaligned Voter: A candid look at voter instincts on the ground, how past communications can haunt candidates, and what the primary results signal about the state of the party.

• Policy Realities & Revenue: The debate over legalizing marijuana, and the hard math behind funding universal childcare without a New Mexico-style oil boom.

• Local Action & UW-La Crosse: Securing state funding for new fire sprinklers and alarms in UW-La Crosse dorms, local development updates, and her mom's "Star Trek" cancer trial.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the biggest competitor to movie theaters today? It’s not streaming — it’s the little screen in everyone’s hand.

Clara and Jon Gelatt, co-owners of La Crosse’s historic Rivoli Theatre, in studio to help us take a break from politics on primary day and chat about our favorite bad movies — including a 1980s Wisconsin-based horror flick playing Friday at the Riv — the need to keep physical media, plus kids and screen addiction.

In this episode:

• Screen Time Battles: Both being parents, we talk navigating kids on phones, attention span fatigue, and the house rule against "dual screening."

• Wisconsin B-Movie Horror: Jon breaks down his obsession with Blood Hook (1985) — a cult slasher about a killer fisherman shot in Hayward, WI — playing at 10 p.m. Friday, plus the upcoming screening of the regional horror film Dead Media with the director stopping at the Rivoli.

• Our Favorite Good-Bad Movies: Rick defends Vin Diesel’s sci-fi epic The Chronicles of Riddick, while Clara makes the case for the sheer chaos of Jurassic World Dominion.

• Taste of the Movies & Local Events: How pairing catered meals with films (and hosting community screenings like the International Owl Center's documentary) fills the theater.

• The Death of Digital Ownership: Why digital platforms deleting purchased movies help inspire the Rivoli’s new second-floor Video Rental Closet and monthly "Video Lounge" happy hours.

• Theater Perks: Late-night screenings, Mario Kart on the big screen, and community event programming.

Check out upcoming showtimes, special event tickets, and membership details at Rivoli.net.

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A committee meeting gets hacked, the ongoing debate over a City Administrator, a $600,000 push for a public market, and millions going toward the old Kmart and Shopko sites — those are just a couple of topics we hit on with La Crosse City Council president Tamra Dickinson in studio, ahead of Thursday's monthly meeting.

The council meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall, where members could face a crucial vote on creating a city administrator position. It’s a debate that’s been building for over three years, but one of many interesting things happening at council Thursday.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Zoom Hijacking Investigation: What happened during last week's committee meeting, how quick IT action shut it down, and where things stand with Zoom and local police.

• City Administrator Debate: The amount of public outreach on creating the position, how much we've covered it on the show, and what needs to happen before a final vote.

• Public Market Push: Allocating $600,000 to update a 2017 feasibility study and partner with the RDA on pre-development plans.

• Kmart & Shopko Site Funding: Redirecting up to $3 million in TID 11 funds toward critical underground utility infrastructure to support new developments at Bridgeview Plaza and the former Kmart lot.

• Healthcare Committee Referendum: A petition drive with around 5,000 valid signatures puts a new Citizens Advisory Healthcare Action Committee on the November ballot.

• North Side Railroad Crossings Saved: How local pushback forced the DOT to abandon plans to dead-end Avon and St. Cloud streets.

• 18-Month Data Center Moratorium: Why the city is pausing new data center builds to align with county policy while studying future land use.

• Bird City Designation: Why La Crosse is reapplying for Bird City status—and how local stray cat policies keep it off the "high-flying" list.

Check out the full Thursday City Council meeting agenda and details on the La Crosse Legistar Page.

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Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster in studio, after touring La Crosse and local infrastructure projects across Western Wisconsin — plus we hit him with drivers' real dilemmas like orange-cone gridlock, bike lanes and roundabout madness.

KEY TOPICS:

• The Lansing Bridge Lifeline: Why McMaster says the Mississippi River ferry might be retired sooner than expected, and what contractors are doing to accelerate the new bridge opening.

• The Federal Stance on Bike Lanes: Where federal taxpayer dollars are going, why motor vehicles are getting top priority under USDOT, and where that leaves city bike projects.

• "Turbo Roundabouts" & Traffic Lights: From multi-lane intersections to cutting 12 months off environmental reviews, McMaster breaks down how D.C. plans to fix everyday traffic.

• First Impressions of La Crosse: Why McMaster called La Crosse a "great little town"—and the one traffic light he made a mental note to report back on.

• From Corporate Executive to Federal Highways: What brought the former Boeing and HNTB leader back into government, and what his wife really complains about when they hit the road.

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What issues are facing young people right now? We got the answers from three La Crosse residents who represent different factions of the Young Democrats.

Jake Williams (State Chair of the Young Democrats of Wisconsin), Hannah Dull (Chair of the La Crosse Young Democrats), and Grant Mathu (Vice Chair of the La Crosse Young Democrats & La Crosse County Board Supervisor) stopped by the studio to break down the political and economic landscape for people in their 20s.

SHOW TOPICS:

• The Affordability Grind: Why rent, groceries (frozen pizzas) and healthcare make saving for a home feel impossible — and what government is (not) doing about it.

• Data Centers & 160-Acre Pickleball Courts: Mathu breaks down the La Crosse County Board's 28-2 vote to pass a data center moratorium, why the issue is uniting voters across party lines, and what happens to these massive facilities in 20 years.

• The Governor’s Race & Primary Politics: Navigating the Dem Party's primary neutrality, candidate dropouts, ranked-choice voting, and Francesca Hong’s viral stance on data centers.

• Local Headlines & Pop Culture: Reacting to a bizarre Zoom-hacking incident at a La Crosse Finance & Personnel meeting, local road and pool closures, and why Real Steel and Oblivion hold the answers to modern politics.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Data centers, the Wisconsin governor's race, and how a failed private insurance policy turned him into a defender of BadgerCare — Republican candidate for Assembly District 95, Cedric Schnitzler, stopped in studio to talk about those topics and more.

Running against Democratic incumbent Jill Billings, Schnitzler — the Monroe County Board chair — broke down why Monroe paused data center developments, slammed lawmakers in Madison for walking away from the $2.3 billion state budget surplus deal, and called for cutting red tape to aid rural childcare providers.

Key Topics

• • Data Centers: Discusses the state's role in regulating data centers as Monroe County enacts an 18-month moratorium to study local impacts.

  • Healthcare: Explains why he supports BadgerCare based on personal family experience and calls for more cost transparency in the system.

  • State Budget Surplus: Shares his perspective on the failed $2.3B surplus package and why lawmakers need to stay in Madison to fund special education and property tax relief.

  • Childcare: Addresses rural childcare shortages and advocates for regulatory relief for local providers.

  • Governor’s Race: Weighs in on potential Francesca Hong vs. Tom Tiffany matchup and advocates for a return to middle-ground governance.

Schnitzler has served on the Monroe County Board for nearly 30 years — including a decade as chair — and spent 30 years as an organic dairy farmer before transitioning to beef cattle. Beyond county government, he serves on the Wisconsin Counties Association Board of Directors and acts as a caregiver at home for disabled children.

Read more on his campaign page or on Facebook.

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School is about to start again and the La Crosse teachers' union president stopped in studio to talk about touring the old Trane building donated to the district.

La Crosse Education Association president Jill Schams also discussed where the union stands politically in the Wisconsin governor's race, private school voucher funding, and the Act 10 lawsuit.

Here's what we covered:

• Inside the Trane Building: What Schams saw during her walk-through, why the space is brighter and more usable than it looks from the outside, and how the district could roll it out in phases for teacher training, higher-ed partnerships, and sports facilities.

• Starting School on Aug. 20: How applying for a DPI waiver saves the district roughly $200,000 by aligning busing schedules with local private schools—and why teachers and parents prefer structured mid-year breaks.

• The Act 10 Lawsuit Heading to the State Supreme Court: What a potential reversal would mean for local teachers looking to regain full collective bargaining rights over class sizes, workday hours, and working conditions.

• Voucher School Funding & Political Endorsements: Why the state union is backing candidate Kelda Roys in the primary, plus the push to itemize private voucher school costs directly on local property tax bills, and how over $2 million leaves La Crosse public schools annually.

• Elementary Consolidation & Teacher Layoffs: How the merger of State Road into Pamel Creek and upcoming building closures will impact staffing, and why natural retirements should prevent major teacher layoffs.

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It’s committee week in the City of La Crosse, where the creation of an administrator position is back on the agenda, along with new movement on a potential public market.

Mac Kiel stopped in studio to help break down the key items up for discussion across Judiciary & Administration (J&A) and Finance & Personnel (F&P).

We talk about how a 4,500+ signature petition could lead to a new committee, TID funds slotted for the old Kmart and Shopko sites, and a proposed pause on data center developments.

Plus, Kiel helps break down the city’s projected $8 million budget shortfall for next year and how that compares to this time last year, when La Crosse was facing a $5 million shortfall at this time.

Just to note, the J&A committee meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday (agenda) due to National Night Out, while the F&P (agenda) meets at its regularly scheduled 6 p.m. Thursday time.

Topics moving through committee:

• Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan: Key updates and greenway adjustments

• Public Market: $600,000 in TID funds proposed to update feasibility studies

• Capital Improvement Project: Reviewing the $60 million CIP budget

• Downtown Parking: $187,000 assessment for properties in the downtown district

• Town of Campbell Incorporation: $90,000 allocation to support the city's legal appeal

• Legal Settlement: $75,000 city payout for a vehicle accident claim

• Public Safety & Environment: Police department SAFE camera donation and filing to reinstate La Crosse as a official "Bird City"

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a wild 24 hours — and an even wilder three weeks — in Wisconsin politics. Just as the latest Marquette Law School Poll wrapped up, another major candidate dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor.

So, who better to help explain that than the premier pollster in the state? Dr. Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, joins alongside UW-L political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky.

Together, they break down the latest polling data, unpack the chaos of a rapidly shifting candidate field — including Franklin’s story about hearing Mandela Barnes dropped out right after putting out a new poll and nearly driving into a ditch — and look under the hood at how modern polling actually works in a high-stakes swing state.

MAIN TOPICS:

• The Primary Moving Target: Dr. Franklin shares his real-time reaction to major candidate exits (including Barnes dropping out right after polling completed) and explains how pollsters re-allocate "second choice" votes and "leaners."

• The Rise of Francesca Hong: A breakdown of candidate trajectories — how Hong built steady, organic momentum among younger and very liberal voters while other campaigns remained flat or stalled out.

• How Polling Actually Works Today: Busting the myth of random digit landline calling. Dr. Franklin explains Marquette's modern hybrid methodology using voter lists, text/email links, online panels, and how they filter out low-attention or "trash" responses.

• MAGA, Socialist & Political Buzzwords: A look at Marquette's polling experiment on "Democratic Socialism" vs. "DSA" — and a discussion on how labels like "MAGA," "Socialist," and "Fascist" are weaponized on the campaign trail and whether overusing them dilutes their impact.

• The Limited Power of Endorsements: Why 89% of state Democrats approve of Gov. Tony Evers, yet his endorsement of David Crowley hasn't automatically translated into primary vote totals — plus why primary voters consistently make up their minds in the final days.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.