"Newsmakers" is a weekly news and current affairs talk show produced by WPR's La Crosse News Bureau. The program's host/producer is Ezra Wall (pictured above) with La Crosse senior news editor/producer John Davis. Interviews on the program explore politics, education, the environment and other regional issues relevant to southwest Wisconsin and adjacent portions of Minnesota and Iowa.
For some fifty years, radio listeners in the greater La Crosse area have heard in-depth discussions on important public affairs topics on “Newsmakers,” first on UW-La Crosse’s radio station WLSU, […]
10 May 2024
‘Ugly Lies the Bone’ at Commonweal
A new production at the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, Minnesota is bringing attention to the plight of the modern military service veteran. From Commonweal’s online description of “Ugly Lies the […]
With Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) closing both Sacred Heart (Eau Claire) and St. Joseph’s (Chippewa Falls) hospitals and Prevea health centers in Western Wisconsin also closing, business and healthcare leaders are scrambling to fill the gaps. Today on “Newsmakers,” David Minor, President and CEO of the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, talks with […]
12 Apr 2024
Access to housing remains a challenge in southwestern Wisconsin
In this episode of Newsmakers, we’re talking about multiple aspects of the ongoing challenge of finding affordable housing. First, why is it so hard for many in the Driftless Area to afford a home to rent or buy? Guests from Habitat for Humanity and Extension La Crosse County are among those participating in an upcoming […]
29 Mar 2024
Granny Basketball set for spring season
In southwestern Wisconsin, two basketball teams are getting ready for their spring season. But the teams are not bitter rivals. In fact, many of the players are friends. And unlike the March Madness action currently occupying TV and mobile screens, these players participate in a gentler version of the sport. In this “Newsmakers” conversation, host […]
22 Mar 2024
HSRA introduces Wisconsin students to motorsports
In June, the Wisconsin-based High School Racing Association will be off to the races for their fourth season. The Association allows high school students to get behind the wheel of a real stock car and race in authentic, sanctioned events at local tracks in Wisconsin and Illinois. That includes tracks in La Crosse and Tomah […]
8 Mar 2024
UniverCity Alliance adds Driftless Area projects
The UniverCity alliance is a program that marshals the research capacity of UW-Madison students in service of the unique needs of cities, counties, villages, townships and others across the state of Wisconsin. The Alliance has helped some communities learn how government bodies can operate more efficiently, and others determine how to address needs like childcare […]
1 Mar 2024
New behavioral health resource; International Women’s Day
A new resource aimed at providing information about behavioral health is now available, following an eight-year project funded by the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment. Joining us to talk about it are Diana DiazGranados, Project Director of Better Together in La Crosse County; and Catherine Kolkmeier, Executive Director of the La Crosse Medical Health Science […]
23 Feb 2024
New focus on workforce skills for Boys and Girls Club
A planned addition to the Terry Errickson branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse will provide area youth access to important workforce readiness skills. The project is slated to break ground in the summer of 2024. Brian Fukuda is the Director of Workforce Readiness for the Boys and Girls Clubs of […]
16 Feb 2024
Enduring Families Project brings Black history to life
The Enduring Families Project uses dramatic monologues, short films and other means to bring to life the stories of Black people who lived in the La Crosse area in the second half of the 19th century. Denise Christy is the organization’s producer and co-founder. She and her team will be depicting several characters at a […]
9 Feb 2024
Jazz artist brings Langston Hughes to the Driftless
Langston Hughes was an American poet and activist known as a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. Among his later works was an epic poem called “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz.” An effort to compose musical accompaniment to the poem, following Hughes’s own written instructions, has been led […]
3 Feb 2024
Public comments open on Coon Creek dams proposal
Members of the Coon Creek Community Watershed Council join “Newsmakers” host Ezra Wall to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy watershed. The Council says farmers, recreators and government entities all have a role to play in protecting it. They also talk about a new proposal that would decommission some of the dams […]
3 Feb 2024
Local libraries promote good 2024 reads
Today we’re talking to two Driftless Area librarians about how to find your next great read of 2024. Maggie Strittmater from Viroqua’s Mcintosh Memorial Library and Barry McKnight from the La Crosse Public Library let us know about some new releases they’re looking forward to. They also talk about how to help library guests find […]
19 Jan 2024
How about a mental wellness check-in?
On this episode of WPR's "Newsmakers," find out why our panel members don't recommend taking a "New Year's Resolution" approach to mental health.
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