La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

La Crosse Education Association President Jesse Martinez and Wisconsin Assembly Rep. Steve Doyle on the show. Spent most of the time with Martinez talking about the future consolidation plans of the school district and how combining and middle and high school might work — or not work. Doyle joined to talk about Wisconsin's ever-growing budget surplus, that is projected to hit $6.6 billion by July. Doyle has said repeatedly the Legislature should be doing something with this money yesterday. We hear his ideas.

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La Crosse County Board chair Monica Kruse in the WIZM studio. Kicked off talking quick about what she's learned in her 14 years on the board. After that, discussed the news that Wisconsin has a $6.6 billion budget surplus and what the state Legislature could do for counties with that money it has been sitting on since January in an election year. After that, we highlighted the board's passing of a $208 million 2023 budget and ended with where they're at in the hiring process for administrator — the county's most important position.

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UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky in the WIZM studio. Opened the show following up on a conversation from last week about a Florida man packing a gun in a raw chicken while going through airport security. So, we brought in La Crosse Regional Airport director Ian Turner to walk us through what kind of meats we can and can't bring through TSA. After that, WIZM's Brad Williams described the scene at the La Crosse County sheriff's race recount began this morning and dueling lawyers for both parties were present. We also discussed whether Congress is trying to break up the monopoly that is Ticketmaster or is it just trying to appease the hundred million Taylor Swift "Swifties" out there who can't get tickets. Lastly, recapped the amount of money on the ballot in terms of school referendums — and how many passed, which in La Crosse it did not — while the GOP-controlled state Legislature continues to sit on what's estimated to be a $6 billion budget.

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UW-La Crosse Outreach Specialist Spencer Wilken in the WIZM studio to talk science. We hit on everything from space to the Earth, or water. The world now has 8 billion people. Is that sustainable? In relation to that, scientists are growing meat — not the plant-based stuff you see, but basically chicken breasts. Spencer also had to get her take on Betelguese (not the movie Beetlejuice), though that did spark a debate about sci-fi movies. Ended the show talking about the 5,000 Tundra Swans on the Mississippi River near La Crosse right now.

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Our political blowhard, Adam Murphy joins. Murphy ran as a Democrat in the Wisconsin US Senate race for what is now Ron Johnson’s seat for the next six years. We discuss how that happened, as the same batch of voters also elected a Democratic governor. We also talk about how Wisconsin got what’s projecting to be a $6 billion budget surplus and what to do with that now. Murphy owns a small business called Big Bang LLC. He also has degrees in economics — working on his Masters there — and political science from UW-Milwaukee.

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Hit on a lot of topics with La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke. That included Democrats taking control of state government in Minnesota and the almost certainty that recreational marijuana will be legalized, as Wisconsin barely even discusses it on a medical level. What kind of issues does that pose for law enforcement, with people traveling just a few miles to get a drug illegal in Wisconsin? Also hit on election fraud and the kind of cases La Crosse County has seen. Talked about an OWI case in Winona where the driver hit and killed a Winona State student and how that four-year prison sentence came to be and what it might have been in Wisconsin. Lastly, asked if we may take up, again, racial disparities in arrests in La Crosse County, four years after a previous study. Gruenke is part of the Criminal Justice Management Council that meets monthly and it sounds like that may be discussed this week. La Crosse County will also have a new sheriff, after the midterm election results are certified and a potential recount is finished. Gruenke talked about what a new sheriff and the DA may have to discuss as far as potential priorities and needs.

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UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio with a midterm election recap. Most of the conversation was about voter turnout, young voters, Wisconsin state government gridlock vs. Minnesota Democrats taking full control. Capped off the conversation with a story out of Florida, where a man was caught hiding a gun in a raw chicken going through TSA.

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UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Tim Dale in the WIZM studio, recapping the midterm elections. Why are Democrats happy when Republicans won back a majority? How did Wisconsin's elections go? How much more engaged are young people? And do the yard signs work?

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La Crosse County Clerk Ginny Dankmeyer on WIZM broke down election day, what she thought of voter turnout and the processes that happen next.

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Spent most of the show on the referendum by the La Crosse School District's to build a new high school for $194.7 million not passing. WIZM's Brad Williams broke down the news conference the district had Wednesday. We also worked in La Crosse County clerk Ginny Dankmeyer and her post-election day hangover to discuss how everything went and what's left to do, including a possible La Crosse County sheriff race recount.

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