Presidential campaigns descend on La Crosse, the Shopkos are gone but Kmart remains and changes atop UW-L rank among WIZM’s top stories of 2024

It was a whirlwind of a year in La Crosse from just about every angle.

Presidential campaigns barnstormed the city, including the very last day before the election. Leadership at UW-La Crosse changed hands, while the city will be seeking someone new. And development in the area saw some things change — like every old Shopko — and other things stay the same — the Kmart development getting put on hold.

Those themes, La Crosse development, politics and leadership at UW-L are the WIZM News top stories of 2024.

JOE GOW IS GONE, JAMES BEEBY TAKES OVER AT UW-L

A rollercoaster of a year is ending for UW-L, where the timetable to appoint a new chancellor had to be moved up after a porn scandal.

In the fall of 2023, Dr. Joe Gow announced it would be his last school year as chancellor. But, just after Christmas, the UW Board of Regents learned that Gow and his wife had produced and appeared in pornographic videos with adult film stars, which led to his firing.

The fight in 2024, though, was whether Gow would remain as tenured faculty.

A university committee heard Gow’s arguments for keeping his job, during a two-day formal hearing at the Onalaska OmniCenter. Gow challenged claims made by interim chancellor Betsy Morgan and others that his actions had caused damage to the school’s reputation.

While that was happening, the search for a new chancellor led to the hiring of Dr. James Beeby, a native of Wales, who had spent the past couple decades in New Hampshire. On assuming the post in July, Beeby told reporters that he would work to give thousands of students what they need from the university.

Meanwhile, in September, the Board of Regents voted 17-0 to remove Gow as UW-L faculty, and the story could go on into 2025. Gow has said he plans to appeal.

Beeby has now completed a semester as chancellor and said one of his goals now is getting the second phase of the Prairie Springs Science Center built.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DESCEND ON LA CROSSE

Another top story for 2024 covered by WIZM News included the political campaigning done by big-name candidates to the area, including Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and their running mates, J.D. Vance and Tim Walz.

Harris made two trips to the city, one in the spring to talk women’s health, before she became the presidential nominee and another in the fall, holding a rally at UW-La Crosse as the official candidate.

Before that, Donald Trump held a town hall at a packed La Crosse Center, where people lined up around Riverside Park to see him.

And, the day before the election, both vice presidential candidates stopped in the city, with then Ohio Sen. JD Vance going to the La Crosse Center and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stopping at The Main, downtown.

That, however, wasn’t the only politics happening. Not as headline making but more impactful, the La Crosse School District got its $53.5 million elementary school referendum passed, while seeing just two school board candidates run for three open seats as multiple people ran write-in campaigns for the final seat.

And La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds also announced he would not seek reelection, after one term in office.

LA CROSSE DEVELOPMENT THRIVING

Also prominent in 2024 was business and residential development in La Crosse. While the former Kmart on State Road is still standing, every Shopko in the area has been redeveloped.

Three-Sixty Real Estate Solutions is in charge of converting the old La Crosse Kmart lot into a mixed-use development, but asked and was granted by the city council for an 18-month extension to move forward on those plans. That extension ends in February.

Meanwhile, the three area old Shopkos have been converted into a pickleball facility, an Aldi grocery store and a TJ Maxx, along with other stores.

At the Valley View Mall, the old Macy’s was torn down to make way for a Star Bucks, a Raising Canes, a Panda Express, a car wash and more parking.

The River Point District saw its first housing development come online — though we also learned it could have been a Costco.

Red Lobster abruptly closed and could become a carwash, the Pink Palace by the Main Street library has been gutted and to the OK from the city to be converted into affordable housing, plus the Glory Days bar downtown was demolished after a fire two years ago destroyed most of the building.