Good morning, La Crosse.

Viterbo University honored five community champions—Bill and Cindy Berg, Msgr.

Joe Hirsch, Chris Sanger, and Mary Jo Werner—during a Thursday evening banquet on campus in La Crosse. The award recognized decades of service in education, business, and religious life.

The Great Rivers United Way launched its 2026-27 campaign this morning at the Radisson Hotel where community + business leaders gathered to review the plans to expand services and boost donor numbers.

The group is urging supporters to bring a friend to multiply its good work.

Students seeking high-demand career training face waitlists up to two years at Western Technical College as high costs limit program growth; college officials are linking waiting students with enrolled peers (and offering shorter-term credentials) to help them meet local employers’ needs.

UW-La Crosse kicked off its fall semester today as Chancellor James Beeby welcomed faculty + staff at a campus meeting and picnic, highlighting plans to upgrade dorms and build a second science center to open by spring.

The school is set to add 100 residence hall spots as enrollment grows.

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse welcomed new freshmen on Wednesday with 150 volunteers helping move students into campus housing; officials caution that traffic backups may persist through today — drivers are advised to plan ahead.

Local officials approved a resolution to finalize the Copper Rocks development agreement that could spur local property growth & set further project steps, with more details on scope and timeline to be shared as planning continues.

La Crosse Wastewater Utility now uses three electric vehicles to cut costs and meet the Climate Action Plan.

The department started with a golf cart (its first in 2023) and expanded in 2025 by adding another cart and a van that serves treatment plants and lift stations.

La Crosse County Jail has launched a Medication for Opioid Use Disorder program using $110,000 of opioid settlement funds to start inmates on buprenorphine injections, with officials saying the treatment will lower overdoses and reoffending once released.

Rural areas face a veterinarian shortage as high demand and steep education costs push graduates toward urban clinics, forcing farmers and pet owners to drive farther for care.

Lawmakers signed a bill offering up to $100,000 in loan forgiveness to retain rural vets (UW vet dean Jon Levine).

The 10th-ranked Eagles will open the season on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Saint John's in Collegeville, Minn in a 10 v 11 matchup + they are led by new head coach Michael Zweifel and 76 returning letter winners from an 8-3 season aiming for a fifth playoff trip.