Heeeere’s Janey! (Hour 1)

Good morning and welcome, welcome to Matinair on Air.

Jane Matinair, Greg Bach, Calvin Butenoff coming to you live from our studio here at Radio Park in Racine.

You can always join us, call or text.

The numbers is still the same.

855-752-4842.

You can leave a comment.

If you would like on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter, we have a very busy show coming up for you today.

It's Monday, so Civic Media News Director, Shaly Pittman will be here after the 9.30 news to give us a little breakdown and an update of all that is going on, particularly in Wisconsin.

And we have a new candidate for Wisconsin governor.

Indeed we do.

Who has thrown the hat into the ring.

So we will talk about that with Shaly.

Among many other things, Dr. Kristen Lyerle, friend of the show, and host of the Dr. Kristen Lyerle show.

Apply titled.

Apply titled.

Measles continue to spread in Wisconsin.

We have more measles cases.

Used to be we eradicated measles.

Used to be you'd say measles, someone go, what?

Not anymore.

Not anymore.

Measles cases are continuing to grow in Wisconsin.

What does that mean for us?

For those of us who, I don't know, don't want to get measles.

Be exposed to measles.

You have young children who you would rather not have get measles.

We'll be talking to Dr. Kristen Lierly after the 10 o'clock news last half hour of the show as we always do.

We lighten things up with a segment called Audio Sorbet.

And today, Greg and Calvin have put together a list of things that

you want to make sure I'm updated on.

Yeah.

They're good and they're good.

They're neutral, good and great.

We're not going to come into audio sorbet with, so then this happened in a world.

No, it's going to be, we're going to catch you up on the news you may have

missed.

Excellent, excellent.

That's coming up towards the end of the show after 10.30.

And then we will wrap it all up as we always do with this shouldn't be a thing today.

See you later, alligator.

It's pretty much what you think.

It's kind of along those lines.

So I hope you can stick around for that.

We did want to start off with this from the Wisconsin Examiner and Baylor Spears has the byline.

Trump administration cancels grants that support deaf and blind students and special education teachers.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but school is back in session.

Correct.

All over.

Yeah.

I can't imagine there's a school that isn't in but for them to say yes, they are back in school.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction says the U.S.

Department of Education has abruptly, because they're real good at that, abruptly terminated nearly $11 million for two grant programs that have been helping Wisconsin serve kids with vision and hearing loss and others getting special ed services.

Now, we've talked many times in the past about how special ed in Wisconsin has been underfunded for decades.

Yeah.

I mean, well, it's the matching dollars.

The private schools and charter schools, school choice programs, school choice programs get considerably more state dollars for their special ed than public schools get for their special ed.

So we need those dollars from the government.

Yes.

Wisconsin is one of several states affected by these cuts.

Others include Washington, Oregon, a number of New England states.

Wisconsin Superintendent Jill Underly called on the Trump administration to reconsider the decision.

She says, quote, make no mistake, losing these funds will directly impact our ability to serve some of our most vulnerable kids.

Wisconsin had planned work with these funds, including direct support for deaf and blind learners, their families.

and efforts to recruit and retain new special ed teachers.

That is a huge component.

Getting and training and keeping special ed teachers.

This is something where I would say, how much money was it again?

$11 million.

I

would say in a modern world with the understanding that not only do you want to have kids learning in the best way they can to retain the knowledge, but with young people with special needs.

It makes even more sense to invest, I would say, more money into these programs to get the best teachers, to get the best technology available so kids can understand what they need to understand, especially if they have special needs.

I mean, Jane, tell me a more clear, concise way that the GOP, the Trump administration, Madison, Washington, do not care about education when they're cutting funding.

For this

and in the grand scheme of things my friends 11 million dollars is not no a lot of money at all It really isn't

and and I guess that's the thing is you know one one of the things that I was constantly asking the question is Make it make sense to me.

Is there a?

How does doing this make us better?

How does it make America great again?

Please tell me why cutting this money for those students and those teachers will have positive effects for Wisconsin and the nation.

This is

their explanation.

The Trump administration said these programs to which they are cutting 11 million dollars reflect the prior administration's priorities and preferences which conflict with those of the current administration.

So is there some

and that is what goes against the policy preferences and priorities of the new admin of the Trump administration.

The first program to be affected by this cut the Wisconsin deaf blind technical assistance project that helps with technology tools, coaching, family support, professional training for young people up to 21 with vision and hearing loss.

We want these people in

in working programs,

right?

I imagine these individuals want to be educated in a way that allows them to go out into the world and contribute for themselves and their community.

And you just asked a question about whether it's a DEI problem.

I'm gonna take it one step further on the petty scale.

Because there was a veterans program that was signed into law a few months ago and the only difference in the law was it would now say Donald Trump instead of Joe Biden, so I wouldn't be don't Don't do not be surprised if the money comes back to Wisconsin in a new version of this

of

the exact same bill.

But it

just has his name on there because it has to, because this is a petty little man who needs all of the adulation because his father never told him that he loved him.

But don't be surprised if that's the reason, or they're just canceling it outright because they don't care about kids and education unless they go to private school, of course.

Well, that's different.

Yeah, that's different.

The program currently serves 170 students of those 85% have four or more disabilities.

85%, $11 million, two programs, 855-752-4842.

If you would like to join the conversation, we're talking about the Trump administration canceling $11 million in grants that help deaf and blind students and special ed teachers.

Gene from Eau Claire is on the line.

Good morning, Gene.

Thanks so much for joining us.

Gene?

Gene?

All right, we'll come back

to Jean in a moment

when we It's a three-way call now.

We're doing this technology Jean was looping someone in the the thing I'll say to this as well And I mentioned this last week with Angela Lang when she was co-hosting the show with me is that We don't get calls from people who are attempting to justify the things that this administration does anymore because they're not able to be justified

My point is, is that all these individuals who said Trump is winning, Trump is amazing, Trump is getting us back on track, all these policies that he's putting out like this one, you can't defend them.

They're indefensible.

That's why we don't get calls from people anymore saying, well, you just don't understand.

Tell me how cancelling $11 million for kids who have special needs and young adults makes America great again.

How do you stand behind it?

How do you say,

Yes, I like that.

Why?

Do you think you're going to get that money?

You're not.

Billionaires are going to get that money.

The other program being cut is the State Personnel Development Grant, which focuses on helping address Wisconsin's critical special ed teacher shortage and helping out with recruitment, retention and development.

Now, I'm sure some there's there's probably an argument that

This is already being covered by some other program.

This is already being covered by some other grants.

Are they doubling up on grants?

So they I'm I'm throwing things out there Okay, but but again I In the grand scheme of things 11 million dollars is nothing.

No, what was the amount that they're gonna spend for the garden of heroes?

$250

million,

I thought it was.

$250 million.

It

was $45 million for the parade.

I thought it was $250 million.

Let me check real quick.

I just want to make sure I have that correct, but I felt like... Again, priorities

just makes me go, hmm.

And every time Jill Underly, head of the Department of Education, at a time when schools in every corner of Wisconsin are struggling to find and keep a special ed educators, cutting this money is unconscionable and harmful to every student.

It looks like 40 million dollars to establish and maintain the National Garden of American heroes 40 million dollars 40 million does so my mistake was I just that that number felt right for oh, it's 250 statues my apologies But still it's just the yeah,

we have 40 million dollars to spend on that but not 11 million dollars to help

kids with special needs.

And if you're right as far as maybe they're doubling up or it's a redundancy of funding or it's able to be covered and therefore the government doesn't have to give as much, that's absolutely fine too.

It goes back to what we've been talking about since January.

If you can find efficiencies, if you can get rid of wasteful spending, go for it.

But it never seems to be the case when you say things to justify the cutting, it goes against, what was the, it goes

against?

Their policy.

The priorities.

Yeah,

and yeah.

Okay, then explain to me, then, what that means.

Because

you love saying why you're gonna do things, but you don't give me details.

We've spent, we've spent a lot of time talking about, there doesn't seem to be a lot of involved thought processes behind these decisions.

Some would say there's no thought processes.

It's just like, well, let's cut that and we'll cut that and we'll cut that and we'll cut that because this is the number we want.

Yes.

Without.

looking at the ramifications and the consequences of these decisions.

Looking at you, Doge.

Yeah, absolutely.

And saying we're going to cut something, especially cutting education, which people call for the destruction of the Department of Education, this makes them look really tough and maybe like, we're telling the states that they're not going to bulk us for any more of your tax dollars.

These are kids who have special needs and they need to learn somehow.

Do you want them to stay home?

Well,

Get them on Medicaid?

Actually, but I, you know, they want to kill the whole Department of Education.

So seems to be they're just kind of chipping and chipping and chipping away.

What's going to what's going to be left for the Department of Education to run?

They're killing all the educational programs.

Yeah, because nothing falls in line with the policies of the Trump administration.

And unfortunately, they don't really give us a nice detailed.

understanding of what those policies and priorities are.

So it just leads me to believe that they hate education.

They hate public school education.

In

particular.

And they don't want people of middle class and lower having access to a decent education because they just be workers.

We're kicking all the undocumented people out of the country.

Go work in the fields.

There's lots of those

jobs available.

Go

work in the fields because that's your place.

There are some very, very disturbing

articles from Farmers.

Speaking of, and I know you talked to Darren Van Roon last week.

So yeah, there's a lot going on.

Coming up, Wisconsin is getting flood relief.

Thanks to who?

Yes, we're giving credit where credit is due.

That's what we do here on Mattenair on Air.

Coming up on the Civic Media Radio Network, stay with us.

Good morning and welcome.

Welcome to Matt and air on air.

Jane Matt and air Greg box.

Sweet Cal V coming to you live from our studio at radio park in Racine where you can join us at 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.

One last.

One final final.

One more time into the breach,

good friends.

One last free ticket Friday for this Brewer's season this coming Friday.

You mean the playoff bound brewers that that would be the team.

Yes, our Milwaukee Brewers this coming Friday You want to be listening for keywords starting with Pat Crite low from six to nine then our show from nine to 11 Tom Hartman 11 to two Todd all but two to four Maggie Don four to six We will each have a keyword for you that you text in via the civic media app only and then you are in the running for a four pack of tickets to the Mel

walkie-brewers club level tickets.

Those are fancy with the cushion seats.

They're good seats.

And there's carpeting in the hallways.

They're special.

They're very

special.

They are special.

Although I will say, I always think it's like whenever I've had the opportunity to get club level seats and I'm always very appreciative because I'm never buying them.

Right.

But you're like, oh, I'm going up a special staircase.

I have to show my special ticket.

There's a guy

right there.

And there's a locked door.

And then as you're walking in, you're like, oh, look at all these suites where way cooler people are having food

and drinks.

And I just look in like a peasant.

You've got free tickets.

But yeah, it's very, very nice.

It is nice.

There isn't a bad seat at the stadium, but these are

really nice.

They're fabulous.

Lest you think that we actually don't do this.

Oh, no, we do we've had Chris and son Prairie and Kimberly and Wauwatosa and Terry from Cross Plains and Jim and Brookfield and Penny from Plainfield They have all won and you can be a winner, too So join us this coming Friday our final final final free ticket Friday of this season starting this Friday coming up 6 a.m With mornings with Pat Crite low this happened while I was away and we do like to give credit when

credit is due.

You were gone?

Well, not during the flood.

No, like, when did you leave?

I was gone for a couple weeks.

Oh, you just noticed that?

No, thank you.

No wonder.

No wonder.

No wonder I was sitting in the wrong chair the whole time.

It was so odd.

Something seemed odd.

It seems weird.

It seems so much cooler for a few weeks.

Yes, the terrible flooding that we had in southeastern Wisconsin where we got a thousand year flood while I was away.

Very happy to see this.

Yeah.

President Trump has approved $29.8 million in disaster aid for Wisconsin flood recovery and he's crediting Senator Ron Johnson.

We have been critical of Senator Johnson in the past.

Or, I don't know, not necessarily doing a lot of tangible things for his actual constituents.

Does a lot of things out there.

He loves Hydroxychloroquine and Ivor Mectin.

He's all about that the vaccine in Georgia.

Yes them Senator Ron Johnson Getting the credit for securing this money

Trump tweeted, I just informed Senator Ron Johnson that based on his request, I am approving $29.8 million for the wonderful state of Wisconsin to help them recover from the major storms and flooding they experienced in August.

Here's the kicker.

We had huge victories in Wisconsin.

in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

And it's my honor to deliver big four Wisconsinites.

There's just one little detail there, President Trump.

You did not win the 2020 election in Wisconsin.

Joe Biden won in Wisconsin and the entirety of the 2020 presidential election.

That was a political spanking.

That was decisive.

That wasn't even like close.

You did not win in Wisconsin.

Also, as a point of order to the other thing that actually makes me a little more than he was Ron Johnson, Senator Ron Johnson was the last person of all of our elected, all Republicans, all Democrats signed a letter saying, President Trump, please release this aid mind to Wisconsin.

He was the last one to join.

And he didn't join because he wanted to if I'm if you're asking me he joined because people were like you gotta put your name on this dude if you don't put your name This is bad.

Looks bad.

Yeah,

but

now it looks great because lasts to be first the first to be last Thank you run Johnson and and I'm sorry President Trump not congratulating you on your 2020 victory of

Wisconsin.

Yeah, cuz you didn't win.

Yeah in Wisconsin and you didn't win

The 2020 presidential election.

Tony, on the live stream, do we think Ron Johnson actually did anything?

Or is that just who Trump wanted to give credit to?

Fair question.

You think Tom, Tiffany, sitting there going, I did something.

Hey, what about me?

What about me?

I want to be

governor of Wisconsin.

Ron Johnson doesn't even live here.

He didn't even live here.

But we do try.

I tried.

To be fair.

I try to be balanced.

Give credit where credit is due.

We got Wisconsin is getting the money, which people need.

There are 54 homes completely destroyed.

Completely destroyed.

And one thing we've been doing, folks, you know, you can always go to civicmedia.us slash shows and look at past episodes.

We're talking to people, including Brittany Merlot.

We talked to various individuals about prepping for the future, because this is not about an if, this is about a

when, because things are changing.

So we

want to make sure that we're all, we are all capable of being prepared for this.

And one of the things I will say right up front, because one of the first things I did after the floods, I talked to my mortgage lender about floodplains.

You got to make sure.

Because those lines change.

Those lines change.

You

should get a notice, but if it's mail, who knows?

So talk to your mortgage broker, talk to your local municipalities, and ask about floodplains.

See how you can be up to date on whether or not you have that status changed.

Very very important.

Yes.

It is important because that's this is not going away.

Correct.

We have news coming up next and then we have a new race in the race for governor.

Mm-hmm.

Charlie Pittman, Civic Media News Director with all the details coming up.

Stay with us.

You're listening to Matt Nair on air on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Good morning.

Welcome back to Matt Nair on air.

Jane Matt Nair, Greg Bach, Cavanator on the board coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine.

You can join us as well at 855.

7-5-2-4-8-4-2, call or text, or leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.

She joins us every Monday at this time.

She is Civic Media's news director, Shaly Pittman is here.

Good morning, my friend.

How are you?

Good morning, Jane.

Thanks for having me in the studio.

Good to

have you in studio.

Nice to have actual humans.

Join us.

Thanks.

I mean, well, we like having guests in this studio.

It's just, it's nice.

So yes, a lot going on.

And yet another name has jumped in to the Wisconsin governor race.

And she's been a guest on our program numerous times.

Kelda Royce has made her announcement.

Yep.

She announced in a video this morning, early this morning.

And this isn't her first time running for governor.

She ran in 2018.

So this is her second time around.

Obviously, she's a state senator.

She was elected to Fred Risser's seat in Madison in 2020.

And so she's been in the state legislature.

She served two terms in the state assembly before that from 2009 to 2013.

So she's had- She's

got some background.

A while in

Wisconsin politics.

Yep.

And what does she say?

Has she said anything about her motivation for running this time around it?

Because we do have a couple other Democrats who have some name recognition.

David Crowley jumped in.

He made his announcement official while you were away.

But yeah, the field is growing.

Yeah, we're starting to have some competition.

Well, in a video, she talked about women's health care rights, criminal justice reform, fixing income inequality on her website in a press release.

She's also listing things like her BPA Free Kids Act to make baby bottles non-toxic, speaking against Foxconn and against Elon Musk.

She's also, you know, I'm in Madison.

She's also a little bit of a wonk.

And I don't think that that always gets seen.

But she, earlier this year, I was helping a reporter cover a story where she was talking about housing and ADUs, accessible dwelling units, and weed attacks credits.

So she, you know, she's...

been legislating for a while.

Child Care Accounts was another big issue in the last couple of years.

And, of course, one of her priorities being the former Executive Director of NAROL, pro-choice Wisconsin, is abortion.

Yeah, she's a fourth Democrat to announce.

Of course, we also have Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez, beer vendor Ryan Sternad, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, as you mentioned.

There's also Zachary Roper, who has filed paperwork.

And on the Republican side, businessman Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schellman.

I suspect this isn't the last person to announce.

We still have a while to go.

We do.

Oh, yeah.

We do.

The fields are going to be huge on both sides.

But it's Wisconsin, so that means we're going to beat this to death.

Yep, yep, yep.

We still have more than a year to go until the election.

A little less than before the fall primary now.

Also of note, Wiedic secretary and CEO, Missy Hughes, is resigning her position, and that could potentially signal a gubernatorial run that's credit to you with politics.

One last thing to say about Kelda Roy's is about, so I talked with her after Tony, Governor-

The survivors announced that he wouldn't run for a third term.

There was an article with her in the Cap Times in early August, where in both conversations, reading that article in the Cap Times and in speaking with her, she's expressed a real concern about her safety and security running.

for governor.

And she did say she didn't feel a significant rush to announce a decision, right?

As you said, we have a long, long time to go.

It's gonna feel like a long time too.

She didn't say that part.

But

she also talked about running for governor in a time of increased political violence, which I think is all very much on our minds right now.

But this was right after the shooting of Mark and Melissa Hortman and killing of Mark and Melissa Hortman.

She told the Cap Times that she was considering her security and that of her family and people who share her last name when she's running for governor.

And if I can quote them, she told the Cap Times, what feels different now is the permission given to really violent rhetoric, not just nasty and personal.

As a woman who's been on the internet for 20 years, I'm kind of numb to all the ways I can be told that I'm fat or ugly or stupid or whatever, but a genuine safety concern that feels very different because of the way that the Trump administration has really given permission to some of the most violent elements in our society."

Unquote.

So it's a long quote, but...

It's a very real concern, though.

I mean...

Absolutely.

That's something that a lot of people had to reckon with last week.

I mean, we should be reckoning with it all the time, but in this situation, and I don't want to go too deep into the event because we all know, but those who work in media, who make their living off of giving opinion or in the very least reporting news that people don't like, we all had to sit back and go, okay, like you really need to do some thinking.

So I understand that completely.

It's terrifying.

It is.

And I want to say that I have been saying this for the last 10 years.

When I believe things really started to change and the rhetoric really started to change I have never even ten years ago.

I had never seen so many people Looking forward to the opportunity to commit violence on the other That has been a really shocking really horrifying development in the last decade.

I think

Yeah, last week we did a story, our news team did a story about Wisconsin lawmakers considering their own security after the Charlie Kirk assassination.

And, you know, Speaker Robin Voss commenting that, look, most political or most violence happens in people's homes, right, or at least outside the Capitol,

right?

So increased

security at the Capitol, what is that going to do?

I have seen calls for though, because there aren't medical metal detectors.

No, and very pointedly so, right?

It's the people's house.

Right.

It's a public space.

I mean, I've talked with Todd about this.

I don't know if you have, but he has some opinions about it as well, right?

Being a former staffer

in the

state Capitol, he's like, are you really going to have fourth graders line up outside the Capitol on their field trip?

To go through a

metal detector.

Yes, because that's what you have to do sometimes.

Sorry, I don't mean to get heat about, but I feel like you're introducing a hypothetical inconvenience, but still at the end of the day, we're talking about the safety of others.

And if one of those fourth graders are the victims of violence in a house that has no security,

Those parents are going to be upset.

And also, I'm going to go back to something that State Senator Chris Kapping has said in an interview he did with Upfront this year.

He said that he believes that only elected officials should be able to carry weapons in that room, and they should be able to defend nobody else except for security in them, because he feels their lives are at risk of being harmed.

And therefore, of course, he should be able to carry a weapon.

I think that's also incorrect.

I don't think that elected officials should be able to carry weapons.

Their job is not to protect the people.

The security guards' jobs are to protect the people.

Once again, I apologize for getting heated, but I feel like, especially now, a little inconvenience, which brings a little bit more security, is absolutely justified, in my opinion, personally, so.

I think that's an interesting topic to carry on, and we'll bring that back.

Exactly, exactly.

We'll bring that back because this problem is not going away, tragically.

No.

The problem is not going away.

If you're just joining us, our guest acidic media's news director, shawley pitman is here on just bringing us up to speed on some things happening in wisconsin talking about kelderoy's.

Announcing this morning that she is jumping into the governor's race as a democrat.

Um, I, I, this is purely speculative, uh, speculative Charlie, but, uh,

Josh Call is still one Attorney General, Josh Call.

There's been speculation, will he, won't he?

I don't know.

He doesn't say, does he, or doesn't he?

It's a real Ross and Rachel.

Yeah, I know, it's like, but I don't think he's gonna run.

You

know, he's been pretty mom and it's not for lack of trying from reporters.

To get him on the record for something?

Yes.

Just after, just after Governor Emers announced he wouldn't run for a third term, there was a,

press conference.

I was coming to the

word just as you were.

It

was a little more than a press conference.

It was Shade Robinson's mother in Violence Against Women.

Anyway, he was there and of course reporters wanted to ask him about

his

right and they did so some did so during the press conference and and Were rebuked but but outside, you know, he was pretty mom and I have nothing to say about and say at this time and

I don't know.

Your guess is as good as mine.

Yeah.

And I think at an event like that, it's pretty good to stay and to be like, we're not here for this right now.

This is, but yeah, it's

interesting.

Yeah, exactly.

And, you know, as you mentioned, Shali, this is a, this is a topic which will be discussed for many, many more months to the point where we're going to be so angry at talking about elections again in Wisconsin.

Cause we're always in election season, but there will be questions about Josh call as far as like his inability to move quickly on.

putting forth a prosecution against those who tried to overthrow the election through the fake electors, which, you know...

That's

done.

I mean, it's going through the courts now, but a lot of people will see that as too little, too late.

So I will be very interested to see one, if he makes the announcement, and two, what even Democrats will say to his running and will they be for it.

But that's when you make, when he makes the announcement, you will let us know and we will talk about them.

I will note that one note about that, I...

Our inbox seems to be flooded nowadays in the last couple of months with Wisconsin has signed on to a lawsuit opposing Trump administration X, Y, and Z. So there seems to be at least many Wisconsin signing onto lawsuits from him.

Not a ton coming from Wisconsin, though, where Wisconsin is leading the charge.

And then we do still have, of course, the Republican side and something interesting that was in the journal Sentinel this morning.

Wisconsin U.S.

Senator Ron Johnson says it's not his place to steer the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

That's not his job.

He's kind of like, yeah, whatever happens in Wisconsin, I have my things over here.

Which actually I don't disagree with to a certain extent so when you I understand that you know that the GOP of Wisconsin It's its own entity and they have a leader in Brian shimming and people are either really happy with him or don't like him at all, but that's I don't know what influence Ron Johnson would truly have on the Wisconsin GOP

as a machine Well, I think but I think it's part of it is monetary because it's all about raising money It's all about bringing in bringing in cash to it and and

He's essentially saying, that's not my job.

That's not my job.

I do my job here, he says, at the U.S.

Capitol.

When asked about his role as being a top Republican in Wisconsin, I never had any aspirations of being the party leader, even though back in 2019, he said he did embrace being the titular head of the Republican Party after Democrats swept state-ride races that year.

Not anymore

though.

Well, you know, Governor Evers has said,

somewhat of the same thing about the Democratic

primary,

right?

He said,

I'm not going to pick anyone

yet.

I believe, right?

And part of the reason why is because this is a rare election or will be a rare election year.

I'm reading the same JS online article you are, but this is the first open gubernatorial race since 2010.

Yeah, right.

It's been a long time.

And then before that, that was the first open race since 1982.

Oh

my gosh.

So this is an interesting moment.

Yeah.

Right.

It very much is because and to look at the numbers, when you look at the presidential election versus state local elections at Supreme Court specifically, the way it reflects Wisconsin is so weird.

It's very purple.

It really is.

Very.

So it'll be interesting to see.

What we'll do

next.

All my baby's coming home tomorrow.

Ain't that good news?

Good morning.

Welcome back to Matt and Air on Air.

Jane Matt and Air, Greg Bach, Calvi8day on the board coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine, where you can always join us, call or text at 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.

Brewers are off today.

A little loss yesterday.

Doesn't matter.

I told you, we don't talk about losses.

Saturday's game was great.

I went to bed on Saturday night thinking, uh, okay, and I woke up the next morning and I to no one yelled, good job, boys, to no one.

Yeah, they came back in the 10th.

I think so, yeah.

And they

also clenched.

Playoffs spot and

so they have a deserve a day of rest today.

They will be back in action tomorrow Brewers hosting the angels our broadcast starts tomorrow at 6 0 5 and you can listen on terrestrial radio on WRCE and Richland Center W ISS in Oshkosh and here in Racine and Kenosha on WRJN 99.9 FM 1400 AM crew hosting the LA Angels

Tomorrow it starts at 6 0 5 right now.

Shallie Pittman is here civic media news director We were talking before the break about Kilda Roy's jumping into the governor the governor's race and I guess Eric from while we Tosa is on the line We'll take you real quickly Eric before we move on.

Good morning Eric.

Thanks for joining us

Yeah, thank you.

Thank you real quickly.

I would just like to say I just heard the news about Kilda Roy's on your show.

So that's great

I voted for her in 2018.

I'd hope she'd be governor then.

And she'll make a great governor.

I will vote for her in the primary and the general election six times over before I ever touched Josh Call's candidacy.

Yeah.

So that's the Josh Call, but I think he was waiting for Calderois to decide because he can't beat Calderois, I don't believe.

So he'll be good staying as AG if he picks up a few more things.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Wow.

I don't think he's good again.

I don't think I think There were a lot of people who were upset by his lack of action is is how the people perceived it and Him just not doing enough and and so I think that would really work against him if he if he jumped in

plus as a statewide elected official He has probably more name recognition than most of them So therefore the fact that he didn't pounce on it and go first or second

It's

kind of indicative.

We

wanted to talk a little bit about flags.

I love flags.

I know.

Are you not a vexillologist?

No.

Serious, glass-wearing, paisley-jacketed nerd, you.

Oh, my God.

I understand some of these arguments at the same time.

There are so many other issues in this country.

Flags are

important.

In the state.

that I would say are more important than flags.

But we're gonna talk about flags because they're talking about flags in the Wisconsin State Capitol.

Well, I've registered your discontent with the subject.

However, there's been a lot going on, right?

And this has an undertone to it in my eyes.

Maybe at the end, you'll agree with me.

But let's get into it.

So last Thursday,

By the way, I was up in Green Bay training our new reporter, Connie Feldman.

I'm so excited about it.

Welcome, Connie.

So I watched this after the fact.

But there were all sorts of items up in an assembly floor session last Thursday, which was September 11th.

There were bills on in-person office work for state employees.

There was a bill on exempting tobacco bars from a public smoking ban, recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month.

You're right.

I do want to talk about flags instead.

There's a bill in the state capitol that would prohibit any other flag than, well, then a lot of flags, really, but other than the US flag.

in the state of Wisconsin and a number of other exemptions from being flown above the state capitol or from any local government municipal building, school building, et cetera.

Now let's talk about what this bill also exempts and then I'll tell you what it is.

doesn't exempt.

I see where this is going.

The bill also exempts, in a carve out, POW or MIA flags or other military veteran flags, a flag of a local governmental unit, a flag of firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs or first responders, or in instances of special ceremonial or occasional purposes, a flag of federally recognized tribe or band, a flag of a state or

territory of the U.S., a flag of a foreign nation in some kind of ceremonial instances, also a flag that borders Wisconsin at a shared weighing station or at a port of entry, or a flag of a school or university of a mascot.

So that's a lot.

So those are all included.

You can hang

those

flags.

That's a lot of exceptions.

There's some wiggle room for those special ceremonial or occasional purposes, like when a dignitary visits.

Yes.

Here's what's not included.

A flag related to a political party, a political or social cause, quote unquote, a sexual orientation or gender identity, a political, ideological or religious viewpoint, a gang of extremist groups as designated by the FBI, and quote, a flag that's been used for or is used for ceremonial purposes and was designed to recognize a holiday, unquote.

just to make sure we're not going to be flying the flag of gay pride and the juggalos.

So good.

All right, we're good to go.

We're safe.

Well.

So, Governor Evers, when he took his first spring in office, 2019, yep, I have that right in my head, so long ago.

In 2019, he became the first to fly the Pride flag.

Hoist it on up above the state capitol.

And then the following year, he flew the Juneteenth flag in 2020.

And so those are the two flags that I can think of.

That

have prompted this whole thing.

One wonders.

This bill has changed a little bit.

It would have caused more complications, I think, in the beginning for municipalities.

But yeah, that's where we are.

Representative Jerry O'Connor says it's not the role of government to pick the winners and losers on partisan and activist issues.

Shaly Pittman is Civic Media's news director.

She's fantastic.

She joins us every Monday.

Thank you so very much, Shaly.

We have news coming up next.

When we return, Dr. Kristen Lyrely will be here to talk the return of measles.

You're listening to Matt Nair on air.

Stay with us.

We are coming to you across the vast statewide, countrywide, pick us up in Portugal on the app, baby, on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Good morning, welcome, welcome to Matt and Air on Air.

Jane Matt and Air, Greg Bach and Callie Butenoff coming to you live from our home studio here at Radio Park in Racine.

You can always join us, call or text.

The number is the same.

855-752-4842.

You can also leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.

Coming up later on this hour for Audio Sorbet after the 1030 news, Greg and Calvin bring me up to date.

Things I might have missed.

There's this new thing called eBay.

You can buy and sell anything.

So they're going to bring me up to date with some lighter things after the 1030 news for Audio Sorbet.

And then we'll wrap it up with this shouldn't be a thing today.

It's the see a later alligator kind

of along the

lines of what you might be thinking.

So stay tuned for that right now.

Delighted to be joined by our friend and colleague and host of the Dr. Kristen Lyrely show.

Dr. Kristen Lyrely is here.

Good morning, my friend.

How are you?

Good morning.

I'm well.

How are you guys?

Good.

We are good.

We're all back together.

Happy to be, happy to be back.

Happy my key card still worked.

You've got this like thing about you right now, Jane.

I don't know, Greg, do you see it?

She's got like, I don't know, you are kind of glowing a little bit like, like you feel good.

Relax.

Relax.

Had a chance to, I read some books like actual books.

How do I

look?

You look fabulous, Greg.

You look gorgeous.

I just saw you.

You look, you know, you

look like Greg.

Good save, wow.

Holy cow.

You look like...

But just real quickly, if you need a book that's actually going to make you laugh out loud, get the book High Fidelity, which is an old book now.

They made it into a movie with John Cusack.

The book is hilarious.

And I would

be

sitting into a movie with John Cusack.

The book is hilarious.

Where is that coming

from?

No idea.

I don't hear it.

Oh, that was very odd.

I heard myself coming back about five seconds

late.

Oh, I thought you were like making some sort of a gesture.

I was like, Jane, they can't see you on the radio when you're doing that with your face.

Anyway, read the book High Fidelity by John Hornby.

You will laugh out loud.

It is hilarious.

One of the funniest books I've read in decades.

And Tony on the live stream says, Greg, you look like you've been watching the news.

We all do.

Yeah,

there is there is something to be said.

for getting off of social media, getting off of your devices, and touching grass.

How

do you do it though?

Because we are so connected in so many ways for so many different reasons.

You know, I was having this conversation with somebody the other day and she was advised to get off her social media, but you can't.

It's

really hard.

You can change what you're doing maybe, but we, especially people like us who are paying attention, we have a thirst and need to know.

Some people can just turn it off.

Some people can just walk away, but we feel like we need to stay in tune because we're part of the solution.

I think that's how I feel.

Well, we're sharing information and it is incumbent then upon us to have information and as much information as possible, right?

And so that's part of our responsibility.

It is.

Also, what would any of you do if I walked in one day and you're like, let's talk about this?

I don't know what that is.

Didn't you read about that?

I don't read the news.

I don't read the social media.

You know, it's part of our job.

That's just the part, that's just that thing of maybe it's about taking all of your social, I'm on a lot of social media.

Maybe it's about saying, all right, here are the things that, here are the things I can use for my job.

The other things are extraneous.

I'll either deactivate them, sign out, delete the app, come back if needed, but say, all right, I need this, I need this.

Cool, I have these things done.

I mean, even

while while I was off and I would still check every day, but I wouldn't be on it for three and a half hours.

I would do my one check in the morning, turn it off, do another check and then turn it off and read an actual book book or or sit outside and look at the moon or whatever.

It really.

I understand completely what you're saying, Kristen, in that we can't shut all of it off, but taking a little break and taking a little carve out is really critical.

It is, it is.

I personally found what I've been trying to do lately is, because I'm very much an offender of this, whatever.

I commit this all the time.

I'm watching a TV show on my television while looking at my phone.

So what I do now, and it has to be a purposeful,

and an intentional act.

I have to take my phone, put it across the room, upside down so it goes into do not disturb mode, and I just watch the TV show I'm watching or the movie that I'm watching, and then, or at the very least, if I say I want to check something on my phone, I pause the TV so I at least am giving attention to one thing and one thing only, but that's like, that can be a start.

I'm not

asking everyone to delete everything on their social media, but there is something to be said about at least

giving your attention to one thing at one time, because when you're watching a movie and you're not watching it and you're doing this thing, nothing is happening.

Nothing's happening.

I can't tell you the number of people that we saw when we were away, and you've got a family of four, and you're at a beautiful restaurant, and the ocean is in the background, and all four of them are on their phones.

And it's like, are you...

Are you seeing any of what is happening around you and are you taking any... You're missing it.

We're missing life so many times, I think.

I do too.

And I think part of it for all of us as individuals is we have to figure out how to live with this.

It's like any other thing that you can get addicted to.

How do you do that thing in moderation so that it works in your life, but it doesn't consume you?

And it doesn't start to cause physical or mental health problems for you.

And that answer is going to be different for everybody.

I know for me, I am not a big consumer of social media, but I am a producer

of social media.

So that is where it ends up being a problem.

And I've got to figure out how to make myself more efficient because I want to keep putting videos out there because I think that the information that I'm putting out there is combating some of the misinformation that other folks are putting out there.

And I hope I feel like it does help.

So I don't want to turn that off.

But I also don't want to sit and doom scroll before I go to sleep at night because that's not good for my brain.

It doesn't help my sleep patterns.

And in general, it is not something that is good for

me.

screen before you go to sleep.

Yes.

And I've done an experiment with just with myself as opposed to reading an actual book book as opposed to even reading a book on my Kindle.

And I do not sleep.

It takes me much longer to fall asleep when you're on a screen.

Because it turns your brain on.

The light turns your brain on.

Absolutely.

So yeah, I try to no screen time for at least an hour before going to bed.

My brother-in-law, who Dr. Lila, you know, you went to medical school with him.

He, and if you know me, you know I've struggled with sleep issues for a very long time, shout out to the CPAP.

But one of the things I do, I still do.

I have a TV in my bedroom.

I have a phone in my hand, and he has told me more than one time.

He said, he said, at three hours, stop doing work.

At two hours, turn off all screens.

At one hour, get yourself ready.

And in that place, four bed.

And he goes, and Greg,

bed is for two things.

That's it.

And I said,

what are they?

Moving on.

But I mean, it's but I feel so uncomfortable right now.

Sleeping.

You laugh.

Oh, my giggles, you giggler.

But it's.

It's not, and that's what's crazy is if you said that to people, if you put just put that out there in the world said three hours, stop working before bed, two hours, turn off all screens, one hour, prep yourself.

And he says, he's like, I don't even suggest you read in bed that much, read for a little bit, but don't read half the book.

You've got to let yourself, because even when you're reading a book, a physical book, your brain's still working.

You've

got to give yourself time to slowly ramp down and then get yourself some good sleep.

And that's different for everybody.

I don't subscribe to eight hours because it's different for everybody.

But that at least is a good way of looking at it and something I personally still struggle with getting myself to that place.

Because also as you just said, Jane,

it feels like we're connected, but we're not, but it's how we stay connected.

We stay in them because now everything's so instant.

How many times have you had, oh, did you hear about that thing that just happened right now that

I saw on the social media?

It was four minutes ago and I missed it.

Yeah, it's fear of missing out.

Yeah.

You know what I've noticed though in my kids who are all Gen Zs?

They are not like we are about responding to texts.

And this might also be a gender thing because they're all guys, but I'll send texts to them and they won't be like Johnny on the spot about returning that text.

And in fact, sometimes they won't return the text at all.

So I think that they have, because they've grown up with it, they already have some skills that we don't have because we incorporated it and we're trying to juggle it with all the other things that we're doing.

So hopefully.

the younger generations will be better at this than we are.

That's really interesting.

By the way, Dr. Kristen Lyrely is our guest, our friend and colleague and host of the Dr. Kristen Lyrely show.

There is something with the generation I grew up in the generation of if the phone rang because that was when we had landlines only.

Oh, yeah.

If the

phone rang, you answered it every time it rang.

Because if you didn't, you would

miss.

You didn't know what you were missing.

So I think I'm the same way with text.

It's like I got a text.

I must instantaneously

answer this because that's what we do.

And there's an automatic offense that comes you feel inside when someone doesn't get back to you.

Now you're dissing me.

Exactly.

It's been five whole seconds.

And you have to do that passive aggressive thing where like, oh, I sent you that message.

Did you see that message?

And inside you're like.

Recognize my validate me.

But yeah, that's very tough.

I will say one thing about the landline thing.

You answered the phone at nine oh one at night and the first words out of your mouth.

You say, why are you calling so late?

No, it was true.

No, it was Matt near funeral home.

That was

okay.

That was how I answered the

phone because you had to answer the phone.

I count resident young person as far as responding to texts and stuff like that.

Are you, will you.

You don't blow me off because you know I'm an old person and I will ask, did you get this?

Why are you not responding?

Did you get my

text?

Are you

in a ditch?

Are you okay?

Yeah, well see that's the thing is I'm probably on my phone so the odds are I see the text message.

So if it's my mom or if it's work related or if it's...

Jane and I need to help her out.

She honestly Jane has texted me like three times total since I've worked here, so she's exaggerating a little um But yeah And I get back to those type of things right away, but me and my friends like we're just having a casual conversation We'll go hours or days without returning

to

the conversation.

How are you people

so confident in your own selves?

I don't understand this

like I'll put a text up there like hey guys, what do you want for dinner?

Hello?

Oh, yeah.

Send it

into the

voodoo.

Which Dr. Lylear, what you say to one of them and say, hey, you know that person you find really cute and might want to ask out?

They wanted to know what you'd like for dinner tonight.

And then they're like, oh, I see what you did there.

Throw

a little candy.

Throw a little candy.

Throw a little candy in somehow.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally.

Yeah, that's

not going to be the candy.

The candy is going to be, did you see that new video game?

That is the only thing that's going to bring them

in.

It's called What Do You Want For Dinner?

Or What Time You're Coming Home.

Tony on the live stream says, phone's ring.

I thought those were just alarm clocks.

Yes, Tony.

Phone's actually used to ring.

I saw, I was watching, I can't remember what movie I was watching this weekend, but they were on their cell phones.

And cell phones in movies have come a long way before.

They would just have the front screen on.

You're like, you're not talking to anybody, but now they have it.

But this person got hung up on, and you just heard a dial tone.

I'm like, that's not what happens on cell phones in 2025 or ever.

It's just, you stop.

We we need to bring that back

slamming down that's such a good feeling

phone receiver

was

a very very satisfying Oh, yeah, we take that yet.

That's not the same.

No, we're gonna continue our conversation with dr. Kristen Lyrely about measles You're listening to Matt near on air coming to you across the civic media radio network stay with us

Good morning and welcome back to Matt Nair on air, Jane Matt Nair, Greg Bach, the Board Lord, coming to you from our studio.

At Radio Park in Racine, you can always join us, call her text at 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.

We're joined by Dr. Kristen Lierly, friend, colleague, host.

of the Dr. Kristen Lyrely show.

And we wanted to talk a little bit about measles because measles cases continue to grow in Wisconsin and grow nationwide from what I've been saying.

It's in almost every single state, but what we're seeing here in Wisconsin is Ocanto County is the nightest of this infection.

And right now there are 36 cases, so up nine cases from this time last week.

We'll get a new updated number tomorrow.

They check every Tuesday and Friday.

So measles is incredibly contagious.

We all know that COVID is contagious.

Measles is way more contagious than COVID.

And you're

best bet at not getting measles is making sure that you are vaccinated and if you are not vaccinated get your vaccine if you can.

We all have to do that in order to protect really young kids who can't get the vaccine yet and people who are just around in our community who also either can't get the vaccine or for whatever reason just don't develop that immunity.

They need herd immunity.

95% of us have to be vaccinated in

order to

provide that herd immunity.

And right

now, Ocanto County, I think the kids vaccination number is like 74%.

They are very low.

Wisconsin is the second worst state when it comes to vaccinating our kids for measles.

So I'm really concerned that this 36 cases in Ocanto right now is just the tip of the iceberg.

Well, school is just getting started.

So, you know, it's only gonna, as you said, I'm with you, I think it's only going to grow.

And I also think, Dr. Lierly, that there is this assumption, because we've had it under control for so long, that it's not that serious of a disease.

That if I get measles, you get measles, and you're down for a week, and you get some red spots, and you go on with your day.

That's not necessarily true.

Well, nobody knows that better than you, Jane.

I think of you every time somebody says that to me and how you've had measles.

You are sick as a dog

when you had

it.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I got the red measles.

And there were, with some of these old wives tales, there is a grain of truth to them.

But what I remember is my mother keeping me in a dark

room for two weeks because of concerns that because I had the measles light could destroy my vision.

Now, there is an element of people who have measles that that can affect their vision, correct?

I mean, there are far more serious ramifications from measles than people are aware of anymore because we had eradicated it for so long.

Yes.

One to three out of every thousand children who get measles will die.

Will die.

will die.

But that doesn't take into account the kids who have permanent hearing loss, who suffer from brain infections, who go blind because they get a measles infection, and then they're permanently disabled as a result of it.

So for folks out there who are saying, just get the disease and then you'll be immune, well, that is true, but it's risks versus benefits.

And the risks of the shot are incredibly low.

We've had the MMR vaccine for decades.

We know that this is safe.

for almost everybody, but the risks of actually getting measles are real.

And they're very real for young children who are incredibly vulnerable.

I know that they're, I'm not going to get into all of it regarding the vaccines, but I feel like there was a time when it was just the COVID vaccine was something we, you know, you could easily say, I don't want it because of whatever.

And no one really touched our preexisting vaccines.

for the most part.

I mean, you have the

people...

They did.

Okay.

Well, I guess

it's just... They actually did.

Because here in Wisconsin, we've had an exemption for whatever reason.

So parents could just decline any vaccinations for any reason.

And that is why our vaccine rates are so low.

This is something that the Wisconsin Medical Society, which tends to be a pretty conservative organization, has lobbied on repeatedly because over the past 15 years, and I hate to make it political, but it is...

our Republican controlled legislature has really pushed back on vaccines.

And it's been difficult for us to try to protect the public in general to try to reinforce our public health measures.

So,

yeah.

And I'm sorry to have to say this, but we lost, there were at least two children in Texas who died from measles this year.

This is happening now.

This isn't from the 1940s, the 1950s.

This is happening now, where we have children dying from diseases we, for the most part, have eradicated.

The

thing that makes me so crazy about this, too, is every time I post about this, people say they're just illegals.

You know, they get pulled into this whole political.

They must be saying something on Fox News that these folks who are getting measles are undocumented immigrants and tying those things together.

I don't know that

for sure.

I

haven't heard it, but I definitely see that argument coming up over and over and over again.