Newsmakers

Local Food- The Wisconsin Local Food Network recently held it's annual summit in La Crosse. We talk with members about the state of the local food movement in the Coulee Region and state of Wisconsin.

Infrastructure Series Part 1- We begin a series examining the infrastructure needs of communities in southwestern Wisconsin. Our guests talk about the need for a revolution in funding projects across the country, how we got to the point that revolution is needed and what other states are doing to solve infrastructure needs.

The Trump Effect- We talk with UW-La Crosse political scientist Joe Heim and Wisconsin Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, about the early impact Donald Trump could have on issues that are important to western Wisconsin residents as he becomes the 45th President of the United States.

Heroin Prevention Update- With Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker calling a special legislative session last week to address a heroin addiction problem that continues to grow, we talk with state and local people who have been working on the issue.

United Way Changes- The United Way of the Greater Winona Area closed at the end of 2016, leaving partner agencies in Winona County in Minnesota and Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties in Wisconsin without a funding source for some programs in 2017 and potentially beyond. We'll talk about the future with two agencies that are affected and the head of the Great Rivers United Way in Onalaska, which is picking up part of the fundraising duties of the Winona office.

Couleecap turns 50; James Loewen- We talk about regional and national poverty issues as part of the 50th anniversary of Couleecap and we talk with James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me.

Driftless Oaks Project- We talk with the lead researcher of the Driftless Oaks Project, which looks at hundreds of years of climate data in the Driftless Area by studying tree ring samples from 400 old oak trees in southwestern Wisconsin.

Businesses and Sustainability- A statewide conference on business sustainability is being held next week in Onalaska. We examine why a growing number of Wisconsin companies are adding sustainable measures to their business plan, feature the story of how Empire Screen Printing in Onalaska committed to sustainability measures and learn about how the next generation of business leaders at UW-La Crosse are incorporating sustainability into their education.

Aging and Culture- As part of our monthly series on issues related to a growing aging population, we talk with a group of 60-somethings from various backgrounds about the difference and similarities of growing older.

2016 Election Recap- Political analysts from UW-La Crosse and Viterbo University talk about what results of this week's elections mean for the Coulee Region, the state of Wisconsin and the United States.