Sheriff John Siegel said Tuesday morning that La Crosse County is nearing a deal to provide law enforcement services to the Town of Shelby.

Siegel talked about the agreement on La Crosse Talk. 

"So, we've been talking over the last year or so about how could the county provide some services and we're working on doing that with them and contracting which is very popular throughout the state for sheriff's offices to contract with villages and townships," Siegel said.

The sheriff also spoke about a number of other topics related to his job including one of the number one issues that his office deals with: mental health issues. The La Crosse County Jail is the largest provider of mental health services in the county. He detailed the increasing need for individual space for inmates undergoing mental health issues while incarcerated plus an overview of the treatment inmates are provided at the facility.

Sheriff Siegel also discussed the training involved for newly hired deputies lasting weeks compared to only several days when he first began his career 32 years ago. 

There was also a conversation about cooperation between the other law enforcement agencies in the county and how they all benefit from mutual aid and good communication.

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It's the type of service you really don't want to have to use.  But it is one that's important to yours and to public safety. It is the emergency dispatch center of 9-1-1. Monday on La Crosse Talk host Sean Dwyer talked with Director of Public Safety and Communications Kent Stein.

Mr. Stein is new to the position, but he's familiar with emergency response in our area having worked for Tri-state Ambulance.

He talked about how AI is being used at the dispatch center, about bilingual issues, about training, and about the fact that the 9-1-1 dispatch is looking to hire.

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The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area are holding a Lunch and Learn event this week. 

The League believes our government starts right here with our neighbors and communities.

Two league members who play a key role in local government, Lee Donahue, a Town of Campbell supervisor, and Margaret Larson, a La Crosse County Supervisor will speak about civic engagement at the local level.

They will address some of the critical issues facing our community. While the luncheon is sold out this month, you are still able to register to watch the event online. Click here to register. 

The League plans to host future events which are open to the public. 

Leslie Wegener from the League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area joined Sean Dwyer on La Crosse Talk on Monday morning to talk about events both this month and next. 

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Chief Executive Officer Bill Soper joined La Crosse Talk on Friday to talk about all things YMCA.

His headline, "The "Y" is more than gym and swim.

Soper says, the "Y" provides a number of services and community outreach programs and nutrition programs which involve more than providing members a place to run on a treadmill.

Friday's discussion was a wide-ranging conversation about how and why the YMCA is a local hometown asset.

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2nd District Councilmember Erin Goggin spoke on La Crosse Talk with Sean Dwyer on Friday regarding the City Council's vote to end the practice of invocations at the beginning of city council meetings. 

She was one of four members who voted against the measure. The others were Barb Janssen, Chris Kahlow, and Gary Padesky. 

For more on the story, read WIZM's Brad Williams' story below.

No more invocations at the start of La Crosse city council meetings.

Council members Thursday voted 9-4 to end the practice of inviting representatives of the faith community to offer a message at the monthly council sessions. That's a tradition which was adopted by the council in 2009.

Mackenzie Mindel sponsored the resolution at the urging of some members of the public. 

"I'm really glad that's over," Mindel said after the vote, "because it's really difficult ... to have the community so upset about an issue." 

She added that people have asked her for several years to propose an end to the invocation practice.

Mindel argued that the La Crosse County Board also used to have invocations at its meetings, but that practice ended some years ago. 

About 40 to 50 people attended Thursday's meeting, with several supporters of invocations gathered outdoors in the rain before the council session to show their support of the practice.

City leaders said the vote to end invocations would not change other traditions at council meetings, such as a moment of silence or the Pledge of Allegiance. 

In other action, the council approved a move to shorten the term of La Crosse municipal judge from four years to just two years, to align with the custom in other communities.

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The La Crosse Regional Airport, commercial real estate, workforce challenges were some of the topics discussed on La Crosse Talk on Thursday. 

Vicki Markussen is the executive director for the La Crosse Area Development Corporation, or LADCO.  She joined host Sean Dwyer to talk about the business community in the region.

During the discussion, Markussen emphasized the importance of the airport to local businesses and travelers. 

She says the addition of Allegiant airline flights is a boon for area travelers and the community. 

She also talked about the LADCO annual meeting which is set for January 29 at the Cargill Room at the Waterfront in La Crosse. That event is open to the public. Vicki talked challenges, opportunities and future endeavors.

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UW-La Crosse is inviting the community to Mitchell Hall on Saturday for a day of play and remembrance, dedicated to the legacy of Charlie “Bubba” Lonning Weber.

The festivities kick off at from noon-2:45 p.m. with the Charlie's Kids fest, and lead into the UW-L women's basketball game after that, where attendance is free and they hope to break the WIAC single-game attendance record of 2,112 fans.

erseys. Each jersey will be inscribed with the names of 19 infants who have passed away, serving as a visual memorial to raise awareness for pregnancy and infant loss.

Know before you go: Bubba's Youth Day & Charlie's Kids fest

If you are planning to help "Fill Mitchell Hall" Saturday, here is the schedule and what you need to know:

• Charlie's Kids fest (Noon–2:45 p.m.): The pre-game party takes place in the Mitchell Hall Fieldhouse. It features inflatables, obstacle courses, and activity stations for kids (preschool through 8th grade).
• The Big Game (3 p.m.): Stick around as UW-La Crosse Women’s Basketball takes on UW-Platteville. This is the official push to break the WIAC attendance record of 2,112 fans.
• Admission is FREE: Both the fest and the basketball game are free for fans of all ages.
• Registration & Waivers: While the event is free, children participating in the fest must be accompanied by an adult. You can save time by signing the required waiver online before you arrive.
• The Cause: The event is hosted by Bubba’s Fund, which supports the Charlie’s Kids Foundation. Their mission is to provide SIDS education and "sleep safe" resources to new parents, a mission that has already significantly impacted childcare safety in the La Crosse area.

While the record is a target, organizers say the primary goal is to "Fill Mitchell Hall" with support for a cause that has already transformed local childcare safety.

The event supports Bubba’s Fund, established by UW-L women’s basketball coach Moran Lonning and her husband, Alex Weber, after their son Charlie passed away in 2024 at just three months old.

Since then, the fund has reached a major milestone in successfully providing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to every state-licensed childcare facility in La Crosse.

Saturday’s events will help sustain that momentum and support "Rising Athletes," a nonprofit that removes financial barriers for local youth sports.

Charlie’s Kids Fest at Mitchell Hall Fieldhouse is free for children (preschool through 8th grade) and features inflatables, obstacle courses, plus a chance to play alongside UW-L student-athletes.

Parents are encouraged to sign a participation waiver in advance at bubbasfund.org.

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Ann Christianson is the Executive Director of the Children's Museum of La Crosse, was on La Crosse-Talk Wednesday.

Christianson told host Sean Dwyer that the focus and mission of the museum is fun. That includes fun for children, fun for parents, grandparents adults and visitors. 

Among the highlights for the past year included new programs, new displays and infrastructure improvements, including remodeling bathrooms. 

On the more fun notes, future 2026 plans include what Christianson says will be an uptick in the programming targeted for children and families.

Christianson talked about the importance of volunteers. The people who help the museum impacts programming throughout the year.

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Earlier this week, the Town of Campbell received nearly $40 million dollars in federal aid to help with its PFAS issue.

Residents of the town have had to use bottled water for more than five years due to PFAS contamination in its wells.

The money from the USDA's Rural Development fund allows the town to finally build out its water supply system it began 20 years ago, explains Campbell Town Supervisor Lee Donahue.

She said they put in water mains for a water utility around the town but stopped. Donahue said that the utility is now the best solution to the PFAS issue to getting water to individual homes.

There are several aspects of the utility, she said. 

"So what this money will do is it will help pay for the second municipal well. We'll need two. We've already drilled one. And it will also help pay for the pump house treatment building. Not treating for PFAS but treating for iron and manganese and so forth," Donahue said. 

The money also is for a storage tank that Donahue said would be on the western side of French Island. It is designed to hold approximately 880,000 gallons of water. 

"It will provide a lot of pressure for residents. So when you turn on your faucet, you'll get more than a drip. You'll get a traditional, you know, good amount of water that will come out of your tap."

In addition to the usual approvals, the town had to receive special clearance from the FAA due to the nearby airport. 

The final part involves piping to distribute the water to individual homes throughout Campbell.

Work on the water utility is set to begin this year with completion in 2027 according to Donahue.

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A deepening federal probe into a sweeping fraud scandal in Minnesota complicated Governor Tim Walz's bid for an unprecedented third term in the state. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but Republicans have sought to blame Walz and Democrats for the massive abuse of taxpayer dollars. Tuesday on La Crosse Talk, Sean Dwyer spoke to WCCO political reporter Susie Jones, who has been covering the scandal and the Governor's political career. Topics included the fallout from the scandal and future developments. Walz's announcement and the continuing scandal is and will change the political landscape in the Gopher State.

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