PODCAST · news
La Crosse Talk PM WIZM
by Rick Solem
Listener conversations about the days events in and around the La Crosse area. Weekdays from 5-6pm on WIZM 1410AM and 92.3FM
Episodes
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Who's the next Freddy Krueger? Rivoli's Schlocktoberfest returns
Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Jason and Chucky — we all know the names. So who's next? Jon Gelatt, co-owner of the Rivoli Theatre, in studio talking about the slashers, whether we're making new ones or just living off the life of Freddy Krueger — and the deaths of everyone he kills. We also...
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Cooke-Van Orden debate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Why it's your favorite color, what's the worst color and do Republicans like blue more than Democrats
Republican red and Democrat blue — that hasn’t always been the case, and a study of both sides of the aisle found that one party liked the other party's color more. That was part of an intriguing conversation with UW–Madison psychology professor, Dr. Karen Schloss, whose research looks at why we...
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From Cheese Club to UW-L football, Lauren Wanders talks "One Day"
Everything from the cheese club to UW-La Crosse athletics teams is taking part in year seven of “One Day,” beginning Tuesday across campus. Lauren Wanders, UW-L’s strategic giving programs manager, was in studio to talk about the 24-hour event, which gives alumni, students, employees and…
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Mac Kiel on La Crosse's budget decision, another city administrator proposal
La Crosse is facing a choice: raise property taxes or use city reserves to cover a $681,000 budget shortfall. Mac Kiel stopped in studio Friday to break down the trade-offs, what budget cuts could mean for city services and why the decision isn't as simple as it might seem. We also discussed the...
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Jill Billings on big money in politics, data center tax breaks and school funding
Three donors are funding most of the campaign for Tom Tiffany’s run for Wisconsin governor. Wisconsin state Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) stopped in studio and talked about getting big money out of our elections. We also discussed the timing of a bill to eliminate tax breaks for data center...
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Tom Tiffany on bringing Trump back to La Crosse, $3 billion budget surplus, deer hunting
Donald Trump drew a packed crowd to the La Crosse Center back in 2024. Will Trump return to campaign for Republican governor candidate Tom Tiffany? On the Rick Solem Show this week, Tiffany, a U.S. House Rep. in Wisconsin's 7th District, was asked about bringing Trump back to La Crosse to…
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From SOUP to LAF: Inside La Crosse's ultimate week of food, films, and adventure
Outdoor enthusiasts getting hyped to watch movies inside might seem like a bit of a contradiction, but the La Crosse Adventure Film Festival is leaning all the way into the irony for its fifth anniversary. Mike Crawford and Paige Manges with La Crosse Adventure Films, along with La Crosse SOUP’s...
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UW-La Crosse's Chergosky on millions spent on Van Orden-Cooke race, plus do negative ads work
It’s the sixth-most expensive U.S. House race in the country — and the price tag keeps climbing. Why is so much money pouring into the race between U.S. House Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Prairie du Chien) and Democratic candidate Rebecca Cooke, and what does it say about the fight for control of...
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La Crosse mayor on public safety, the city's image and budget challenges
He wants to swing the wrecking ball, but that might have to wait. Fresh off a couple of groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings, La Crosse Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey stopped in studio to discuss the old Kmart development, before moving into deeper conversations about the state of the city —…
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La Crosse School Board president Sprague on the new branding campaign, students building a racing Harley
La Crosse School Board President Trevor Sprague in the WIZM studio for The Rick Solem Show discussing the district’s new brand and how they’re competing for students. We get into the thinking behind the new ‘Grow here, go anywhere’ identity — and why Sprague sees the $100,000 rebranding effort as...
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Inside the $64 million plan for La Crosse’s old Kmart site — and who swings the wrecking ball
No wrecking ball on the old Kmart in La Crosse yet, but Jeremy Novak from Three-Sixty Real Estate Solutions stopped in studio to talk about when that could finally happen, what's next for the $64 million Copper Rocks development and why the project has taken more than five years to get to this...
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Why rural hospital closures could raise your health care costs
A discussion about rural health care on The Rick Solem Show ahead of two days of health and public health programs hosted by UW-La Crosse this week. Two educators joined, looking at different pieces of the rural health puzzle — Dr. Caitlin Carroll of the University of Minnesota and UW-La Crosse’s...
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UW-L's Chergosky on Tiffany’s $16M edge over Crowley — and where the money comes from
Three Wisconsin billionaires have essentially bankrolled Tom Tiffany’s side of the governor’s race — nearly $24 million of the $26 million he raised in the latest reporting period. And yet the latest Marquette poll has Tiffany and David Crowley separated by just three points, and 25% of voters...
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Ahead of Rivoli visit, actor Dan Davies previews 'The Giant Spider Invasion' — movie lore fueled by PBR and Old Style
A Volkswagen Beetle wrapped in fur, cruising down a central Wisconsin highway with eight giant spider legs dangling. That was the scene in 1975 during the filming of what turned into a cult classic, The Giant Spider Invasion — a film based in central and northern Wisconsin that became one of...
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State Rep. Tara Johnson slams powerline proposal, outlines priorities if Dems control government
Wisconsin state Assembly Rep. Tara Johnson in studio breaking down the controversy over the 200-foot MariBell power lines and what a Democratic legislative majority would look like in Madison. Johnson (D-Shelby) helps explain the environmental risks in the Driftless region over those power lines,...
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Breaking down all things art happening this week in La Crosse
A lot happening in the La Crosse art world this week and three people crashed the WIZM studio to break everything down. From the October First Friday Art Walk downtown, to multiple events at the Pump House and on to Viterbo University, we covered it all. Joining The Rick Solem Show included Pump...
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AARP Wisconsin: From retirement to caregiving, key issues voters should track this fall
With election season underway, AARP Wisconsin State director Raj Shukla stopped in studio to break down some key issues impacting local families this fall. Shukla walked through the everyday challenges voters should research before heading to the polls — from helping small-business workers…
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Padesky: November ballot question aims to give La Crosse a voice on healthcare
A new committee on healthcare in the city of La Crosse is a vote away from being created. In November city of La Crosse residents will decide if the Community Healthcare Action Plan gets passed through referendum. Nick Padesky, a campaign manager with Community Action Wisconsin, stopped in studio...
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Mac Kiel on city administrator debate, library cuts, and council pay
It's a bit of a light committee week preview, but there was plenty of city business in La Crosse to discuss with Mac Kiel in studio. Kiel helped break down what was finally a public meeting on — basically — creating a city administrator position, plus major staff cuts hitting the public library…
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Lt. Gov. candidate Godlewski calls out Tom Tiffany, outlines plans for high costs
Sarah Godlewski stopped in studio to talk about her vision for lowering everyday costs for Wisconsin residents. The Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor outlined plans to ease pressure on local budgets — from fully funding public schools to help lower property taxes, to finding ways at…
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GOP State Treasurer John Leiber on Tech for Schools, 77K Acres of Timber, and Running a Zero-Staff Office
He manages a $1.6 billion state fund with no staff and is the only Republican aside from Ron Johnson to win statewide office in the past decade. John Leiber, Wisconsin's state treasurer, stopped in studio to help explain why an office called state treasurer is mostly tasked with buying tech for...
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From accordions to free lunch: Teachers' union president Schams on Oktoberfest and education
Jill Schams is getting her accordion ready as Oktoberfest nears. The Southern Bluffs music teacher and La Crosse Education Association president stopped by to debate whether the area is running low on squeeze boxes, what it takes to land a spot on the Oktoberfest Accordion Club float, and what...
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Republican Assembly candidate Schnitzler on ag issues, gas price fallout, and data centers
Republican candidate for Wisconsin’s 95th Assembly, Cedric Schnitzler, in studio, discussing the critical agricultural and economic issues facing western Wisconsin, and issuing a direct call for the federal government to tackle soaring diesel prices. Schnitzler, a lifelong farmer and Monroe…
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AI ending humanity in 10 years — but first, the 11-year-old Oktoberfest medallion mastermind
An Anthropic insider recently gave humanity a decade before A.I. triggers total extinction, but we only had four minutes to chat about the end of the world on Friday’s Rick Solem Show—needing to talk about more urgent local matters, like an 11-year-old giving everyone a three-day head start…
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La Crosse city planners Trane, Acklin on Kmart timeline, Public Market, and 1980s zoning
A lot covered with the city planning department in studio, from the old Kmart demo timeline and creating a public market to revamping the La Crosse's decades old zoning code. Planning director Andrea Trane and deputy director Tim Acklin stopped in studio to help navigate some of the city's…
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A peek inside La Crosse Oktoberfest with Festmasters Smith, Bakalars
Current Festmaster Brent Smith and last year's leader Mike Bakalars stopped in the WIZM studio for The Rick Solem Show to preview the final countdown to La Crosse’s Oktoberfest — and show how the sausage is made, literally. The two shared what it's really like to keep one of the city's biggest...
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La Crosse should turn Trane property into new high school
What does the La Crosse School District do with the gigantic Trane property? Economist Dr. Adam Hoffer in studio with a hot take: Turn the 40-acre site into a high school. Voters shot down a Trane site high school back in 2022, but with the company donating the land and the district facing…
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FACT OR MYTH: Did Heileman start Oktoberfest just to sell beer?
As La Crosse's Oktoberfest gets underway, we look back on how it all started — and Brad Quarberg reveals the festival wasn't actually a secret ploy for G. Heileman Brewery to sell beer. In fact, the brewery once ran the numbers on how much beer fest-goers actually drank, and how long it took to...
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Council president on Kmart demo timeline, restarting city admin talks
The demolition of the old Kmart might have a due date, and La Crosse leadership is about to restart the city administrator conversation again. Council president Tamra Dickinson stopped in studio, ahead of Thursday’s monthly meeting, where the council will vote on giving final approval to a...
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Bye Kwik Trip roller grills, medieval weapons at TSA, and new Facebook rules for kids
A packed Friday, where we get the La Crosse airport director’s reaction after someone tried sneaking a foot-long medieval weapon through security, and dive into Kwik Trip ditching roller grills — can you really call it a Tornado if it didn't spin? Plus, UW-La Crosse political scientist Dr.…
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WisDems chair Remiker: Why the goal is more than just the governor’s mansion
The biggest race in Wisconsin isn't for governor — not according to Devin Remiker. He wants Democrats to win the whole thing. Remiker, who’s been the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for just over a year now, sat down with us at the 26-year running corn roast on Wednesday and made it...
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In West Salem, David Crowley talks affordability, Housing First, and corn etiquette
David Crowley sat down with us from the corn roast in West Salem on Wednesday. Along with why he’s the favorite parent at home, the Democratic candidate for governor was asked about how he plans to tackle housing, healthcare, and childcare affordability across Wisconsin. As La Crosse gets set for...
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Brainstorming a La Crosse Hallmark Christmas movie with Teddy Eck
A Hallmark Christmas movie right out of La Crosse — why not? A fun conversation with Teddy Eck, executive director of Coulee Arts in downtown La Crosse, where we get a little nuts on a La Crosse Hallmark Christmas, talk about the movie industries new tax incentives to come to Wisconsin and how...
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Reshaping La Crosse schools: Superintendent Engel on Trane gift & what’s next
La Crosse School District Superintendent Dr. Aaron Engel stopped in studio to unpack the massive 42-acre Trane property donation, breaking down how the surprise gift is reshaping long-term facility plans. The handoff opens up possibilities the district couldn't have imagined just a few months ago…
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Despite $250M Facebook settlement, Pfaff says Wisconsin isn't doing enough regulating tech
Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff stopped by the studio to warn that despite a landmark Meta settlement, state lawmakers are failing to pass lasting regulations on Big Tech. Coming off the multistate lawsuit settlement — where Wisconsin is set to receive over $250 million from a $17 billion…
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Dem leader Garcia on Van Orden’s AI ‘slop,’ data center politics
Democratic Party Chair for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, William Garcia, stopped in studio to unpack why he believes U.S. House Rep. Derrick Van Orden is running a “desperate” re-election campaign. Garcia highlights Van Orden’s use of AI deepfake videos on social media and bringing...
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Homelessness debate, city admin & committee preview with Mac Kiel
One homeless meeting down, another to go in La Crosse, as Mac Kiel stopped in the WIZM studio for the Rick Solem Show to help break them down, as well as preview committee week. The homeless conversation centered on a recent two-hour special meeting with a state official, in what Kiel called a...
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GOP state leader Huebsch on Wisconsin governor's race: Data centers, ads, and 'Double T' strategy
It’s data centers now, because it’s not Francesca Hong. That looks to be how the Wisconsin governor’s race is shaping up, and state Republican leader Ryan Huebsch stopped in studio to analyze the fight between Tom Tiffany and David Crowley. Huebsch, the GOP Vice Chair of the 3rd Congressional...
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From Mexico to UW through deep space with Astrochemist Alejandra Lopez Holguin
She’s searching for the building blocks of life in deep space, and now UW-Madison astrochemistry Ph.D. student Alejandra Lopez Holguin is bringing that search to Trempealeau. Lopez Holguin joined The Rick Solem Show to share her journey from a small town in Mexico to studying interstellar…
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Wisconsin AG Kaul on governor’s race, PFAS lawsuit, following in mom’s footsteps
We got the guy to blame for all the chaos in the Wisconsin primary election in studio to defend why he chose not to run for governor. Attorney General Josh Kaul played along with the bit that his decision not to run caused multiple people to drop out of the Democratic primary, before David…
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La Crosse Library facing potential staffing and federal funding cuts
Rick opens the show talking some headlines, including potential cuts La Crosse's library might have to face — one over the city's budget, where a special meeting Monday could see a reduction in staff, while the other comes from the feds potentially cutting internet subsidies to libraries. See...
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Lexi Donarski & Jordan Davis: Guarding Caitlin, Johnny's rise & bad bar volleyball
They're two of La Crosse's best-ever basketballers but — for being Division I athletes headed overseas for Year 2 of the pros — we find out one of them is utterly terrible at bar-league sand volleyball. Jordan Davis and Lexi Donarski stopped by the studio before heading back to Europe. We hit on...
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If you like cheese, you'll love data centers — UW-L's Chergosky tries to make it make sense
The Wisconsin governor's race has turned into who can run away from data centers the fastest — unless you really love cheese. UW-La Crosse political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio to break down the ironic data center clash between Tom Tiffany and David Crowley and the bizarre...
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La Crosse's mayor on city admin, park hours, homelessness and “$8M budget shortfall”
City administrator drama, changing park hours, and clearing up budget confusion with La Crosse Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey in the WIZM studio Thursday for the The Rick Solem Show. Washington-Spivey discusses the council failing to pass a city administrator ordinance again and what the path...
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Culture, tech, and The Ark: La Crosse football coaches Casey Knoble & Michael Arnold
Ahead of Friday night's season openers, both of La Crosse's high school football coaches stopped in studio to talk about why kids don't watch games anymore, what it’s like preparing for the iconic "Ark" rivalry game between them and the evolution of the game — and the athletes. Central’s Michael...
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$1.3M jail redesign, next steps in selling La Crosse County farmland with board chair Tryggestad
A $1.3 million jail redesign to better handle severe mental health challenges and the future of 111 acres of county farmland in West Salem are two of the big topics discussed with La Crosse County Board Chair Tina Tryggestad. Beyond the big policy votes, Tryggestad shares a personal connection to...
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Did Thanksgiving Cost Hong the governor's seat? UW-L’s Anthony Chergosky breaks down a wild election
Did a CNN interview about canceling Thanksgiving actually cost Francesca Hong the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor? UW-La Crosse political science professor Dr. Anthony Chergosky in studio to break down David Crowley’s wild comeback, progressive — and GOP — strategy missteps, and how Tom...
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La Crosse Rep. Billings on governor's race, universal childcare math & UW-L upgrades
Fresh off a wild, razor-thin Democratic primary for governor, Wisconsin State Assembly Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) stopped in studio to unpack what just went down — and where state politics go from here. Plus, we dive into new state safety funding for UW-La Crosse dorms, policy realities on...
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Rivoli owners on best bad movies, bringing back video rentals and screen addiction
What’s the biggest competitor to movie theaters today? It’s not streaming — it’s the little screen in everyone’s hand. Clara and Jon Gelatt, co-owners of La Crosse’s historic Rivoli Theatre, in studio to help us take a break from politics on primary day and chat about our favorite bad movies —...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Listener conversations about the days events in and around the La Crosse area. Weekdays from 5-6pm on WIZM 1410AM and 92.3FM
HOSTED BY
Rick Solem
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does La Crosse Talk PM WIZM have?
La Crosse Talk PM WIZM currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is La Crosse Talk PM WIZM about?
Listener conversations about the days events in and around the La Crosse area. Weekdays from 5-6pm on WIZM 1410AM and 92.3FM
How often does La Crosse Talk PM WIZM release new episodes?
La Crosse Talk PM WIZM releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
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You can listen to La Crosse Talk PM WIZM on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts La Crosse Talk PM WIZM?
La Crosse Talk PM WIZM is created and hosted by Rick Solem.
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