And welcome back.
It is the WXCO morning report part of mornings with Pat Crichtlow here on 98.9 WXCO.
I am Chad Holmes along with Ian Welsh.
Ian, good morning to you.
Good morning, Chad.
We will get back to you coming up in just a little bit.
But first of all, to start things off this morning, very happy to welcome back into studio Julie Bowman, who is the executive director.
As I say all the time, if I sit here in my seat, I look right across the way through the window.
Can't help but see the children's imagination.
Perfect viewpoint
here.
Yes, it's a very uplifting and positive experience, most definitely.
Good morning to you.
Good morning.
I know you've been busy over there.
You said back as you came in this morning.
Very, very busy.
And you have another terrific event coming up this weekend.
One of the things that kind of jumped out about this event is called Constructed Kids.
It's perfect for what's been going on around here for a long time.
Hasn't
it?
Yes, yes.
From road closures to seeing big equipment to seeing workers.
Yes, we are definitely in a live
Instruction area before
we talk about the specifics of this event It really gives in a sense of microcosm of what you're doing because it's not another area just to expose kids to and what the future may involve There are so many different ways that people can take their lives in terms of the kind of work that they do and one of which is Construction because we see all these construction workers around here every day and this is just another Opportunity and that seems to be one of the themes that you have over there is to expose kids to a lot of different ways of looking at
Right exactly as a STEM based children's museum science technology engineering and math in our trades and in construction STEM is an everyday life and so when you're coming in and learning about STEM in our museum we also want to use it as an application in a real-life experience meaning whether you're doing carpentry whether you're doing electrical work whether whether you're building you have to use those STEM skills being in a live construction area that we're at what better partnership what better
place to showcase STEM careers, showcase the opportunities for families and for kiddos at early learning opportunities to
have
those experiences as they move forward in life.
So this event will be coming up this Saturday from 9 a.m.
until 12 p.m.
in the fence construction site directly in front of the museum here in downtown Wasa.
So you're actually using what is happening around you.
It's been such a long time.
I mean you may as well use it to your advantage and to the kids and the family's advantage.
Yes, 100% as our members, as our visitors over the past two years, which is approximately 65,000 people that have come through our doors.
They have been so patient and kind with us through this construction transition, should
we say?
Yeah.
Again, let them know a little bit more about what it takes to get into that industry and experience that in a real life career.
It's really a fun experience that we're providing for these families and kiddos.
What is going to happen?
Because it sounds very interesting to use this.
What is going to happen?
Yeah, so as you come in, it's $5 per person.
It supports the museum.
We will have interactive displays and booths.
For instance, we have the Wasa Area Builders Association partnered with the Wasa Newnoptimus that's going to be doing a carpentry station.
We have Vandert that is there that will be doing electrical, that will be doing some interactive little robots
and
electrical things.
We have Fendorf that's there.
There's Myron Crane.
that is going to be there.
So there's going to be some large equipment for kiddos to explore and see and get up and close to that.
That's part of the fascination is, you know, those vehicles, those experiences and those trades.
So lots of hands-on activities in addition to exploring some of the machinery that goes along with it.
Hands-on is one of, again, the themes I think I've noticed with a lot of your events.
That is what engages the kids is.
And it's having that opportunity to be hands-on.
Absolutely.
I mean, in order to...
to touch and experience and learn is really part of that brain development.
And so in order to get kids exposed to early career exploration, we have to provide these opportunities.
How else are they going to learn?
Digital is great, but
then you
can't feel it, touch it, experience it in a real life situation.
part of this is again, because of everything that's been going on around here.
And you said the folks have been very patient and I imagine you have to be very patient.
But I imagine here, I just, I see the new road is about to be opening.
We see finally some both two-way traffic going in front of our building here in downtown.
I imagine that you feel like there's a great opportunity now that we get towards the end of this process for continued growth for the children's imaginarium.
Yes, 100%.
I mean, so when we started this project 10 plus years ago, we knew
that we wanted to be in downtown Los Angeles.
We knew that we wanted to be a partner in the redevelopment.
We want to bring families and kiddos into the downtown area because it's so important for our economy.
And we have great construction that's going on around us.
We now have the T-Wall completed project of Foundry on Third, which is going to have a wonderful, beautiful living space and retail space at the bottom.
And then it supports our businesses down here too.
if it's the chocolate cafe, or the pine tree, or forward beverage, or the mint.
All of these businesses thrive in regards to this, not to mention, it just makes it such a beautiful space, right?
It's a great creativity, great energy that you're in that space as well.
I feel the same here.
For us being here downtown, you feel that energy, and it just adds to what we do, and I know for all other businesses here downtown as well.
Absolutely.
And again, we'll be wonderful to have it.
complete.
Right.
Right.
And there's a lot going on downtown.
Um, so, you know, at the 400 black, they're going to have the harvest fest.
So there's activities down there too.
So you can, you know, just walk a couple blocks over not, I think it's one complete block
over,
um, and just come in and experience this too as well.
The museum will be open as well.
So lots of fun activities and different things going on.
So it's going to be gorgeous weather.
A great
opportunity to be outside.
All right.
Let's get the basics again for this Saturday.
Again, it's this Saturday, October 4th, 9 a.m.
until 12 noon.
What do people need to know as they think about bringing their family?
And again, a very family-friendly event.
Family-friendly event, come on down.
It's $5 per person to get in.
And then you can experience all the wonderful things that are going on there.
I mean, Myron is bringing in this gigantic crane,
which I'm
super excited to have on spot.
So, I mean, it's gonna be a really beautiful, wonderful Saturday.
Come make it a family day in an event.
kids will be excited and you said it's gonna be a beautiful day.
A chance to really explore and see the kids be wondered.
And that's the thing about it as well.
So it looks like it's gonna be a wonderful time here in downtown Wausau on Saturday.
Nine until noon right here across the way from our studio.
The children's imaginarium and take advantage and again bring the kids out and really have some fun and learn a little bit as well.
Julie, it's always wonderful to have you come by.
I'm sure we'll have you back again really soon and great success on Saturday.
All right, thanks so much.
That
is Julie Bowman, again, the executive director of the Children's Imaginarium.
We're going to take a quick timeout.
Have more coming up here on 98.9 WXCO.
in the pack right now.
WXCO morning report.
Had a little issue on my way in, but I will be in a couple of moments.
But to start off, we're going to be on the phone here, and I will soon be sitting across from our friend from the Marathon County Democratic Party, Nancy Stencil Nancy.
Hey, good morning.
Hey, we're going to do things differently here for a couple of moments.
But first, I want to ask you about, because yesterday on Pat's program,
There was an announcement for a new candidate for the 7th Congressional District, Fred Clark.
Could you tell me a little bit about what you know about Fred Clark?
Well, what was really hard is I knew about this for quite a while and I had to keep my mouth shut.
That was really hard.
I'm really excited about this because we finally have a chance of really taking back the Seventh Congressional District and I think Fred is just a wonderful, wonderful person.
He has served previously in the assembly.
He has long, after he retired, he moved way up north and he has lived there for many years and really appreciates the Northwoods and can really identify with the issues that are up there.
That also brings up the fact that since we last talked, it's been four weeks.
It's been four weeks and of course in that time, Tom Tiffany announced that he would be
running for governor.
Before we talk about Tiffany and the governor's race, how does it change in terms of opportunities for the seven?
Do you feel like making it an open seat, making it that there's not going to be a Republican incumbent, makes it a much more doable proposition for Democrats in this district?
Yeah, I do think that it really, it opens up the playing field a little bit better.
And it just...
He's been in there long enough.
It's time for somebody new and I think the Democrats are the people that could take that back.
We haven't had it since Dave Obey and Dave Obey had did such a fabulous job for years with that.
As far as Tiffany, you know, maybe we can kiss goodbye forever because he wasn't very good at being a congressman.
Why would he think he should be any better as a governor?
I don't think so.
Well, and beyond that, it is a different
I don't know.
Different race, I guess, is the way to put it for a statewide office as opposed to just for a congressional seat.
How do you think Tiffany is going to play statewide?
Because it really is.
It is significantly different than anything he's experienced in the past, right?
Right.
A lot of people have been speculating on this because he kind of like had the Northwoods sewn up because people knew who he was, whatever.
But, and still...
for some reason voted for me, even if they knew.
But statewide, he doesn't have that recognition.
I don't think he will fare very well at all.
His issues are known statewide, what he is, how he operates, and I don't think it's going to fly with the rest of the state.
Well, that's as well.
It seems like very quickly folks that oppose Tom Tiffany are going to make sure.
You may know, I may know, but a lot of people probably don't know some of the, I would call them out of the mainstream issues that Tom Tiffany has championed, both in his time in Madison and now in Washington D.C.
It's going to be vital to let folks know exactly who Tiffany is.
Right.
He's absolutely awful.
His environmental record is terrible.
You know, he overturned the proof at first.
We've talked about that many, many times when it came to anything environmental.
He's been extremely bad.
He doesn't feel that the big bad bill is bad enough.
And he definitely sits at the right hand of Trump.
And we do not need that in this state.
What about the Democratic field right now?
I mean, it keeps being an attitude, attitude, attitude.
One of the things that kind of stands out to me is that we have a wide range of Democrats, and that should lead to, I think, a very robust conversation in the next, well, I'll think about 10 and a half months until the primary.
How do you see the field right now for the Democrats on the gubernatorial side?
Saturated would be a good word, I guess.
There's an awful lot.
I hear good and bad about there being that many.
But I do think, like you said, it's going to really open up a lot of conversation on a lot of different issues that are our priorities for these candidates.
And we'll see who comes out of that.
One aspect that it appears to me when it comes to the discussion.
is that there still is a discussion on uh... it was back to the budget conversation how much of a for lack of a better term fighter do you have and i think we'll be talking about them nationally in terms of this discussion that you know in terms of all of the shutdown but do you think that right now the folks on the democratic side to really talk about basically of the inner party struggle until the primary next summer do you think that
Democrats are looking for maybe somebody that throws the elbows a little bit more.
Yes, I do.
And there's a couple of them out there without mentioning any names, but definitely we have to come back bold and come back as fighters.
This playing nice is the time for that is long gone.
We need to stand up for what we really believe in and we need to fight for what we believe in.
And I think the people will follow that.
All right, Nancy, I will be across from you for the next thing that's coming up.
Okay.
Bring it back to Pat and more important to Pat Kratlow here on 98.9
WXCO.
And welcome back.
It is Morty's with Pack Right Look here on 98.9 WXCO.
I am Chad Holmes and it's good to see Nancy Stencil
sitting across.
It was kind of strange the first time.
You
handled yourself very well and I apologize for
being
out of the office there for a few minutes.
But let's talk about what's going on here because I know that you've been so very active over the last number of months and I think so vitally important to raise the voices for people to give an opportunity and where
There are times, I gotta admit that, sometimes it feels like people like Tiffany and Trump and others aren't listening, but at the same time, it does feel like it, because you look at some of the popularity numbers, that a lot of these protests are working, it's keeping a lot of these issues in the forefront, and I know you're continuing to do that.
What's
gonna be coming up?
Tomorrow we will have the first Fridays in front of Tom Tiffany's office as usual You know we thought well feels kind of strange that you know if he's running for governor now We're still from his congressional office, but as we were talking off the air to it You know like you say he's clowns a bad name, which is very just good night.
Good idea for a sign too You know it's just the fact that
He can't even function as your congressman and now he wants to be your governor.
This is ridiculous.
Well, and the thing about it is it's still vitally important because right now he is one of the people that are standing there and providing the support and the votes for this silly government shutdown.
He is.
He thinks the big bad bill isn't bad enough.
And even with the protests and that, you know, you begin to wonder yourself like, geez, are these doing any good or whatever.
Right.
But one, you are energizing people that, that want to do this.
And we are sending a message loud and clear.
And I have been fighting a lot of people coming and saying, I'm so glad you're out there.
It's making us feel better.
Or, you know, there are a lot of people that'll just admittedly say, I couldn't stand out there and do that.
Like, come on, join us.
It's really super easy.
But, um,
You know they They're appreciative that you're out there and you're getting that
across And something else and I don't think sometimes it seeps into the coverage of of Trump and his minions and I'll put Tom Tiffany is part of his minions.
Oh, yes
We
are seeing both and I'm not a big guy that's on polls I don't talk a lot about polls, but I talked the other day about five different polls that have Trump at his lowest ebb
Ever.
Yes, ever.
Ever.
But his first term, he was never that popular.
And yet, I think a lot of the coverage comes across as he's still this powerful being, like the great Oz behind the curtain.
When you pull back the curtain, there's not a lot there right now.
The people are seeing this, aren't they?
Yes, they definitely are.
And I think more and more people are becoming worried about it.
They're seeing what's coming down the pipe and how this is going to affect them.
And I mean, look at the people that are losing health care.
Um, Tammy Baldwin was in the state, you know, last week doing, um, you know, listening sessions and talking to average everyday people that, you know, say you work for a business that is small and you have to get your insurance on the marketplace, that how much that insurance is going to go up and people just cannot afford that.
What do you think about?
Cause right now I still am very nervous about the democratic leadership in terms of.
Wilting here.
It's time to stand up.
Do you
agree with that?
I definitely agree.
Definitely.
And I think we need somebody who is big and bold.
And I know we always go back.
We were talking about Mamdani before.
But I think that is what we need.
You know, no holds barred.
Tell people what you're going to do.
And like Mamdani's message is what the people want.
And I think it's a time.
in our history where there's going to be a big change.
I mentioned this during the show the other day about, and I said this the year off the air, that it is the 50th anniversary in 2026 of Jimmy Carter being Elect
President.
I know, and I think that that was a once in a lifetime event, because normally, and I don't think before, or even since then, somebody like Carter, who is a one-term governor, who had been out of office to say, I'm gonna run for president, and in the post-Watergate year, it was a
sense of, hey, this is what we need.
I have this sense.
And I know that in terms of the number of gubernatorial candidates here in the state of Wisconsin, and even looking ahead to 2028, that I don't think it's going to be the same old, same old, both here in
Wisconsin and in the country here next couple years.
Nope, that's not going to fly anymore.
It needs to be rebranded.
It needs to be something new, fresh, and definitely something that is going to help the people.
They're paying attention.
And also something I said to you, and I wanted to get your thought on this.
We still
And I heard of this on a very network yesterday.
Talking again about going too far to the left, the far left, blah, blah, blah, blah, the both sides thing.
And we never hear that you're too far to the right when you're actually just flushing money down the toilet to give to billionaires and millionaires.
Exactly.
It's
never too far to the
right for
that.
But you talk about, you know, trying to afford rent and trying to afford groceries and trying to afford
healthcare.
How can that be too far to the left?
It can't be too far to the left.
The rules of engagement have to change in a sense in my opinion.
Yes.
The way we talk about things.
Yes.
Instead of talking about too far left or too far right, we have to start talking about those issues that Mandami
is talking about.
We do.
We do.
And what the Democrats in Wisconsin have to talk about in the next year.
And there's an opportunity here for the next, because it's not until next summer that the primaries, there's an opportunity to talk about a lot of important issues in the right way.
Definitely, definitely is.
And there's nothing wrong with people saying, you know, look, I can't even afford groceries anymore.
And on doors, we're hearing a lot of that.
Oh, real
fast.
One example here.
I went shopping for my dinner the other night.
Yeah.
The amount of ground beef isn't seen.
If you can't afford, you know, a pound of ground beef costs more money than an hour
on minimum wage.
You're right.
I mean, it's just it's it's amazing and Trump has to be held accountable.
He said on day one I'm gonna I'm gonna make sure that prices not just mean they're going down I
haven't seen anything go down.
Everything's going up And I know I had a friend of mine too that he says I just had to run to Walmart to get some deodorant He said, you know, I'm minimum wage.
That's more than an hour's wage to buy
Yeah, and he's gonna be held responsible for things.
He said it would happen that are not happening
Yeah, exactly.
And when, you know, we need to start stepping up and getting this message out there more and more and more.
It just feels like Democrats are held to a different standard than Trump is.
We can't always play nice.
We need to get more bold.
Yeah.
Nancy, I know we're gonna be bold every time we get a chance to talk
to that.
Oh, yes, we are.
Thanks for coming on
in.
You bet.
Coming up, I will be joining Pat Crichtlow.
So maybe I'll be bold with Pat.
Yes.
Tell him.
I love listening to you guys.
But that's coming up here on 98.9 WXCO.
Good morning.
Welcome back.
It is the WXCO morning report part of mornings with Pat Crichtlow here on 98.9 WXCO online at WXCO FM mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the civic media app It is a another very pleasant start here in North Central, Wisconsin live from our downtown studios at the corner of Washington Street in North Third Street
The time is 823 the temperature is 58 degrees under partly sunny skies again going through an incredible wave of weather in
Again, I just think that it's this been very unusual and again.
It's becoming a new normal We are not seeing the same kind of falls we used to see and folks can put their head in the ground if they want to but there's something going on out here and we have to think about a lot of these things as we move into the future but Absolutely, but it's gonna cool off eventually, but I we should have a contest or something Like when will the first snow be that the first snowfall there were it sticks a lot of people I do like to
I predict that.
It's getting later and later these years.
Cause I remember when I was younger, it would always, I mean, my birthdays, December 2nd, it used to be, it would always be a lot of snow on the ground then.
And then it's turned into where it's rarely got snow on the ground on December 2nd.
So
last year we didn't have much snow on the ground and well, very much at all.
I
mean, it would snow for like a couple of days and then it would just get, it would just melt away and it was pretty.
Yeah.
Didn't have a lot of snow.
And we should make a contest out of it.
You know, I will give it a prediction here.
I will say the first snowfall will be a December
5th.
Okay.
We're talking about this with the accumulating snow.
Yeah.
I think that's actually a pretty good guess.
December 5th.
I think it's going to be earlier because we still have
from time to time with our wildly varying weather where you have a snowfall and then you'll have a hot streak where it will go away quickly.
So I do think that by November 15th we'll have an accumulating snowfall, but I predict as well it will go away because it'll warm up again.
Because we have such varying weather so we'll see we'll see and
We'll keep that in mind and
keep and for folks here in central, Wisconsin Obviously, it's a case where we have granite peak people love to be able to go and go skiing and snowboarding and sledding and cross-country skiing And we've had years in snowmobile trails.
I mean how many times in recent years have the snowmobile trails not opened Very often because we just don't have snow and when you see temperatures around 80 degrees here
early October, it just makes you think, man, I mean, what is it going to be one of those years again?
And that hurts folks.
It hurts the folks that sell snowmobiles.
It hurts the folks that deal in outdoor activities.
So
you have to have a certain amount of
snow in order for the trails to be open.
Otherwise those snowmobiles are not going to travel very far.
So it's part of the gig for our elected officials to see what's going on here.
I mean, let's not wait until the last moment to say, hey, me, we have had an issue in that perhaps some sort of policy will be needed in order to save our environment along those lines and the such.
So again, it's like everything kind of connects here.
And I found it interesting yesterday listening, and I actually re-listened because all of our programs, whether it's this show or Pat's show or Todd's show or anybody else, is a part of a podcast.
And I went back yesterday.
I was listening to Pat's segments with Fred Clark, who is the new candidate for the 7th Congressional District in Wisconsin.
We are part of here in Marathon County and I found it very interesting and I think he came across really well He's a man that I think thinks about all of these issues and I'm curious and I hope to have him on this program and be able to talk to him sometime soon as well But I just find that these discussions and as we get into election season and be in October of 2025
2026 will be here very, very soon.
An election season will be here.
It's important to talk about issues instead of talking about horse races and talking about generalities.
Yeah.
And, and vibes and personality.
Theatricality.
Yeah.
And there's real, that's the thing you know about.
You'll, you'll call us all when you see that theatricality, right?
Cause you know what it is.
That's where you can be on stage and you can have all
that.
You have to have an actress to know the difference between a good acting and a bad acting and after.
And you watch a people's behavior and the way they talk and certain emotions and their The way they tell stories If you're an actor you have a pretty good intuition about you know, what's real and what's Hadramatized
you're exactly right and that's one thing in that interview yesterday that
we're watching a soap opera and it's And it's you know all the bad stuff is happening.
It's very
Yeah,
yeah, and that's one thing that came across to me that Fred Fred Clark came across as authentic to me and I do think that's important because I was talking to Nancy off the air and one thing that a candidate has to be able to do is connect with their voters and More than just even issues more than a lot of other aspects you can be connected on the issues, but if you don't
Connect with a voter and then it's difficult.
I think that Fred Clark had That was an initial impression and there's gonna be a lot of time to get further oppressions as the campaign goes as well.
Mm-hmm We need to do our number for the day quiz.
You have to get it right today Pressure's right on it is and district seven.
We've mentioned Fred Clark new candidate.
Mm-hmm What percentage of the vote did the Democratic candidate get against Tom Tiffany in the last election in 2024?
So Tom Tiffany won of course what percentage of the vote did Kyle Kilburn get in that election?
Okay, was it 32.4% was it 36.4% was it 40.4% So 32 36 or 40.4% you know, I'm gonna
say 32 32 final answer
36.4%
man
That was my gut feeling too.
You normally go with the middle.
I thought you were going to go with the middle.
Well, you better get it right tomorrow.
I certainly hope so.
Have a great rest of your day, Ian.
You too, Chad.
Happy Thursday, everybody.
We'll be back tomorrow.
But more Pat Crite low next on 98.9 WXC.
