Newsmakers

Infrastructure Education- While much of Wisconsin's infrastructure is aging and in need of replacement, so are the workers who keep it running. They will be retiring in larger numbers in the coming years. We talk about how the next generation is being educated to deal with infrastructure challenges.

Logging In Wisconsin; This Storied River- We learn more about a couple of recently published books that touch on the history of logging and communities large and small up and down the upper Mississippi River.

Wisconsin Cranberry Production; Chronic Wasting Disease- We talk about the problems over-production has caused for central Wisconsin's cranberry industry in recent years. It was 15 years ago that Chronic Wasting Disease was discovered in Wisconsin's deer herd. We talk with wildlife experts from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa about what's new with CWD as hunters take to Wisconsin's woods for the annual gun-deer hunt.

La Crosse Arts and Economic Prosperity Study; Higher Education Economics Roundtable- We talk about a recent economic study on what the arts meant for the city of La Crosse in 2015 and we talk with a panel of economists about trends in higher education economics.

Burden of Risky Alcohol Use in La Crosse County- The final report of the Changing the Culture of Risky Drinking Behavior finds alcohol use costs $105 million annually in La Crosse County.

Mississippi River Dredging (Lower Pool 4)- People who live near Alma and Wabasha, Mn. have been up in arms since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft 40-year report in May to deal with future storage of dredge sand from the Chippewa River to keep the navigational channel of the Mississippi River open. We'll talk about a potential solution that's in the works.

AARP Seeks Family Care Benefits- We talk about family caregivers, and proposed state and federal legislation that would give family caregivers tax credits and other forms of support.

Habitat for Humanity-La Crosse Area 25th Anniversary- From its grassroots beginning in 1992. to an expanded non-profit with plans to build six homes a year, more than three times the number of homes it builds now, we talk with the organizations leaders, volunteers and a homeowner about the agency's first 25 years.

Wisconsin 2017-19 State Budget- We talk with State Representatives Treig Pronschinske, R-Mondovi, Jill Billings, D-La Crosse and Steve Doyle, D-Onalaska about the recently passed two year spending bill that was two months overdue.

The Infrastructure of Emergency- Whether its a power outage or road repairs, when there is an emergency like flooding, or a hurricane, someone has to fix infrastructure problems and pay for them. We'll learn more about that process from our guests.