La Crosse city council member Erin Goggin in the WIZM studio for La Crosse Talk with Kevin Millard on the closing of the north branch library and the budget.

Earlier this week, the library board voted to close the north branch in June with the system needing to cut nearly $175,000 — a decision Goggin disagreed with.

Goggin, who represents District 2 on the north side, also discussed the city being in a budget crunch for 2026.

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La Crosse library director Dawn Wacek in studio to discuss the closing of the north branch, the budget situation its in and what this all means for the future of the library.

Wacek has been library director the past year and with the La Crosse Public Library the past five years.

Earlier this week, the library board voted 6-2 to close the north branch in June with the library facing a $174,705 budget crunch for next year — and the city facing a $2 million budget shortfall for 2026.

Wacek talks about the public meeting before the board made its decision, the options the board had and what happens now with the Main Street library.

We also talk about some of the reasonings heard for wanting to keep the library open, how utilized the north branch was and how the role of the library has changed over the years.

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Central High School planetarium director Chad Wilkinson in studio spoiling how things went for the dinosaurs and hyping up their upcoming shows, which are selling out fast.

We talk about Central upgrading its planetarium recently and what it can do — like flying to exoplanets to find other life. The planetarium, which was upgraded three years ago, will soon be the only one in town — with UW-La Crosse losing its facility next semester.

While Central’s November shows are sold out, the public can still get tickets for either show on Dec. 12 — Dinosaurs at Dusk (5:45 p.m.) and the Artistic Universe (7:15 p.m.) — and Wilkinson will soon have January’s tickets available on the website. 

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Kathleen Graham in the WIZM studio hyping up Friday’s Downtown Holiday Open House in La Crosse.

The event kicks off at the Cathedral at 4 p.m. The event throughout downtown La Crosse goes until 8 p.m.

Graham, the director of community engagement for Downtown Mainstreet Inc., runs through some of her favorites, including a tree lighting ceremony with Santa at the Grounded patio at 6 p.m.

Downtown Holiday Open House
4-8 p.m. Friday

• Cathedral Holiday Kickoff (4-5:30 PM)
• Organ & caroling
• Bonfire & sweet treats
• Holiday shopping & boutique finds
• Seasonal bites & festive sips
• Student musicians performing throughout downtown
• Tree Lighting at Grounded Patio Café (6 PM)
• Nightcap at The La Crosse Club (until 9 PM)
• Holiday planters + décor by our Design & Beautification Committee

Follow Downtown Mainstreet on Facebook and Instagram, and RSVP to Downtown La Crosse Holiday Open House on Facebook for updates.

La Crosse Talk airs weekdays at 6-8 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find the show on Apple Podcast, Spotify or here.

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La Crosse’s foodie expert, Abram Dyke of Abe’s Raves in studio, discussing what some area establishments are doing to help those in need, the negative posts about restaurants that go viral locally, and some of the cozy places to go as winter comes.

Dyke also talks about some of his ‘best of” surveys he’s done, including the most recent “Best Old Fashioned.” He crowd sources the votes to see what places have the best wings, best burger and best “curated cookie.” 

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A show dedicated to bike lanes in the city with Andrew Ericson in studio, discussing downtown La Crosse bike lanes, the 2nd Street cycle track and talking through the frustrations people have with them.

Ericson is on the La Crosse Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory committee, the Climate Action Steering committee and the MTU Board.

The La Crosse city council, Thursday, will recommend one of four Wisconsin DOT plans to overhaul for 3rd and 4th streets downtown that could include bike lanes. Ericson talks about how important it is to get it right, because downtown won’t get ripped up again for 50 years. The plan is part of a Downtown Corridor Study.

We also discuss the council accepting DOT grant money to update the 2nd Street cycle track and go over some of the common complaints people have with bike lanes.

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We covered a lot with La Crosse city council president Tamra Dickinson in studio, including the potential downtown public market and US House Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s comments about the Salvation Army expansion being held up by the council.

We also hit on bike lanes through downtown, the situation with the Kmart lot, the north side pool situation and the upcoming, potentially “complicated” final budget meeting.

Dickinson also brought up some good things happening on the north side — where her council district is located.

The city council meets at 6 p.m. Thursday for its monthly meeting and then on Nov. 17 will meet to finalize the 2026 budget, where departments have had to come up with $2 million in cuts.

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Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Tara Johnson in studio discussing legislative priorities, role in helping local governments and Democrats' focus heading int next year's elections.

Began the show focused on how local governments are struggling with funding — with the city potentially closing another library branch and the county had been looking at cutting the SMRT bus — and if the Legislature should be doing more.

After that, Johnson talked about bills going through the Legislature, including the Tavern League trying to regulate its competition that's making "hemp drinks."

That led to talk about how Republicans who control the Legislature flooding the zone with all the bills going through just a couple of days in sessions. Johnson said she'd like to see more session days and a better focus on legislation. 

Lastly, we discussed the government shutdown, last Tuesday's election wins, Gov. Tony Evers fight with the Trump administration on SNAP and how Democrats need to focus on affordability.

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From the city losing its north branch library to the University of Wisconsin no longer existing if the football program died with economist, Dr. Adam Hoffer.

We spent most of the show discussing the city’s budget situation and the possible closing of the north branch library, which could happen at a 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday.

We also worked in how the library could be part of an article Hoffer wrote a few weeks ago on “creative destruction,” and just how new technologies change the way of life as we know it — like cars replacing the horse and buggy or what happens next with A.I.

In between that, we discussed the hot take that if the Badgers football program died, that means the university, too, would die. Hoffer explains how ridiculous a notion that would be.

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A special Veterans Day event Tuesday evening at the Rivoli in downtown La Crosse.

The locally created documentary, “Come Here, Brother Wolf: A Veterans' Pilgrimage,” follows a multi-generational group of U.S. military veterans and civilians on a physical, emotional, and spiritual journey through Rome, Poggio Bustone, Assisi, La Verna, and Gubbio.

Co-creator Dustin Luecke joined WIZM to talk about making documentary with Viterbo's Martha Boehm, how the idea for the doc came about, and what audiences can expect at the Rivoli event. 

Doors open at 5 p.m., and the 60-minute film starts at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $5, with proceeds going to support local veterans programs.

The premiere is part of Civics and Cinema, an ongoing series dedicated to sharing films, bringing the community together, and fostering civic conversations. The program is sponsored by the Rivoli Theatre, Rebuilding American Civics, and the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University, with additional support from Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs.

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