Route 51

Art therapy has experienced tremendous growth over the past two decades, not only advancing treatment options but also advancing into different populations and treatment settings. In particular, art therapists have been working with a very special and unique population — the military. Thursday, April 4 at 10 a.m., Wisconsin Public Radio “Route 51” host Shereen Siewert welcomes U.S. Air Force veteran and artist Shawn Ganther, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art Executive Director David Hummer, and U.S. Navy veteran Ken Amundsen. Siewert and her guests will discuss the healing power of art for veterans who are dealing with the crippling effects of combat trauma and post-traumatic stress.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the longest international struggles in modern history. Host Shereen Siewert welcomes Alison Glick, director of Churches for Middle East Peace and Claudette Harring, organizer of the Pilgrimage to Peace Tour. Siewert and her guests will discuss the realities of the Middle East peace process, the human impact for those living in and around Israel, and what local communities can do to promote peace in the Holy Land.

“Route 51” host Shereen Siewert welcomes Marathon County Circuit Court Judge Michael Moran, Marathon County District Attorney Theresa Wetzsteon, and Ashland attorney Blake Gross for a look at how low pay for state public defenders is causing gridlock on the entire Wisconsin court system. The Wisconsin State Public Defender’s office can only accommodate the cases of about 60 percent of indigent defendants, so it pays private attorneys to take the additional cases. But, because they pay the lowest rate of any state in the nation, the office struggles to attract attorneys, especially for rural clients, leaving many defendants waiting months for an attorney or even going to trial unrepresented. Gross will discuss a federal lawsuit stemming from the public defender shortage and explain why the plaintiffs feel their constitutional rights are being violated. Moran, who spent years as a public defender before being elected to the bench in 2011, will talk about the crippling effect the shortage is having on defendants, court calendars, county jails, and county budgets. Wetzsteon will explain the ripple effect the shortage is having on her own office, and on the victims who can be forced to wait for months or even years for justice to be served.

The 2019 Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention is around the corner, and this year’s theme is “Paying it Forward”. We’ll talk with the two keynote speakers, one an ecological economist and the other an entomologist, to learn about the relationship between humans and the natural world. Dr. Kate Brauman is the lead scientist for Global Water Initiative at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, where she studies the coupled interaction of land-use change and water resources. Kate brings together the study of hydrology and plant-water relations with economics and policy to explore the effects of land cover on water delivery to downstream users. Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has taught for nearly forty years. Dr. Tallamy is the author of the best-selling garden book, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. We'll also talk with Patrick Goggin, a lakes outreach specialist with UW Extension Lakes who helps homeowners and lake organizations get involved in shoreland restoration and protecting healthy lakes, and Eric Olson, director and outreach specialist with UW Extension Lakes. He helps lake organizations increase their capacity to be active players in protection and restoration of Wisconsin’s water resources.

What effects will Governor Tony Evers’ recently released state budget proposal have on the citizens of Central Wisconsin? Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Route 51” welcomes representatives from Wisconsin’s 71 st and 72 nd Assembly Districts to discuss the details with host Rick Reyer. From infrastructure to education spending, Republican Scott Krug (Rome) and Democrat Katrina Shankland (Stevens Point) will share their perspectives on the proposed budget, their party’s priorities and how the proposal addresses the issues most important to their constituencies.

“Route 51” takes to the sky to learn about a program designedto address the looming shortage of pilots, air traffic controllers and aircraft mechanics. Learn Build Fly is a local youth aviation program pairing aviators with elementary through high school students. John Chmiel, co-owner of Wausau Flying Service, Inc. (WFS) and Wausau Downtown Airport (WDA) manager, and Dave Conrad, president of Learn Build Fly will join host Rick Reyer. Chmiel and his wife, Angela, have operated WFS and the WD Airport since 1992. WDA is the home base for over 85 local aircraft including Piper Cubs through turbo prop aircraft and business jets. Once know as Wisconsin’s fastest teenager, Conrad has been an aviator for more than 35 years with more than 1,000 hours of flight time to his credit, most of which in planes he’s built.

When Crystal Benes graduated from Antigo High School in 2011 she weighed over 400 lbs. Today, at 26, Benes lives and works in Fort Wayne, Ind. where she has become a celebrity. Shortly after landing in Fort Wayne, Benes was cast as a contestant on “ Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner ,” an intensive healthy-lifestyle program that she credits to losing more than half her bodyweight in less than 10 months. At 10 a.m. Feb. 21 Benes will join host Rick Reyer on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Route 51” to share her physical and emotional journey from being the biggest person in the room to a Healthy Lifestyle Influencer. Kelly O’Heron, manager of Aspirus Ideal Weight Solution , will also join the program. O’Heron is a Registered Dietician certified in adult weight management. Ideal Weight Solution has helped more than 3,000 individuals meet their weight loss goals through its clinics in central and northern Wisconsin. Here's a link to Fort Wayne's NBC feature on Crystal Benes.

What does a new administration in the governor’s office and in the Department of Natural Resources mean for conservation in Wisconsin? Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Route 51” explores that question and others with host Rick Reyer and conservation writer Bill Berry.

Last week, reporter and “Route 51” host Glen Moberg retired from Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR). On Thursday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m., Moberg joins Rick Reyer to share his experiences covering news for nearly a half-century, favorite moments on “Route 51”, and his journey battling terminal cancer. In addition to the Ideas Network broadcast, the show will be streamed live at http://wpr-ice.streamguys.net/wpr-events-mp3 . Listeners can join the conversation at 800-780-9742. You can also leave a comment below. Moberg came to WPR in 2003 after two decades as a television journalist in Chicago and Wausau. He and Reyer created “Route 51” as a regional opportunity to discuss the issues and culture unique to central Wisconsin. Over the past 15 years, Moberg’s writing, reporting and hosting earned awards from The Associated Press Wisconsin, the Midwest Broadcast Journalism Association, the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Milwaukee Press Club and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. Moberg earned the title of Distinguished Broadcaster in 2016, an honor conferred by the chancellor of UW-Extension.

Hmong-American high school students from the Coulee Region are launching a podcast this fall that explores a series of social issues they are facing. The podcast series called HmongBAEs tackles issues like racism and gender. The initials in the name stand for Building Awareness and Empowerment. “The goal was to provide an opportunity for young Hmong people to explore their social identity, being race, or immigrant children, or gender. To allow them to feel empowered by understanding who they are,” said Ponyu Moua, social justice director of thr La Crosse Hmong cultural agency Cia Siab, Inc . “Definitely to create media for young Hmong people from across the state and the country, and those who are interested who are not Hmong to learn more about the Hmong experience, especially our young Hmong folks.” The podcast is being produced with assistance from Wisconsin Public Radio-La Crosse.