This week (October 23-29)

[UPDATE: Link to submit public comments online regarding Xcel (aka Northern States Power Wisconsin) request to increase rates and fixed fees again is now fixed. Come to the 10/25 public hearing and/or submit comments online at: http://apps.psc.wi.gov/vs2015/ERF/comment/filecomment.aspx?util=4220&case=UR&num=123. For more info about this issue, see links below.]

So much is going on this week, we will all need clones. If your event is missing email coulee progressive at hotmail or use the form.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23
UWL Fashion Week begins with speakers, films, discussions, and events. Fashion week - fashioning resistance, identity, future purpose.

6:00 p.m. Bluffside Neighborhood Association monthly meeting at the First Congregational Church (Losey Blvd & Main Street)

7:00 p.m. Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul - Lecture by Dr. Tanisha Ford in 1400 Centennial Hall, UWL

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24
4:00 p.m. Transformation and Legitimation in Post-Apartheid Universities, a talk by JC van der Merwe, director of the Institute of Reconciliation and Social Justice at the University of the Free State, South Africa in room 3314 of the UWL Student Union

6:00 p.m. Mariah Idrissi: Changing the Face of Fashion, part of Fashion Week, in the UWL Student Union Theater

6:00 p.m. Upper Northside Logan Neighborhood Association monthly meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church

6:30 p.m. DACA Dreamers, a discussion with Ryan Cornett of Senator Tammy Baldwin's office at the First Baptist Church, West Ave. & Main Street

7:00 p.m. Groundwater Pollution in La Crosse County - Where? Why? What Can We Do? a public forum hosted by the Sierra Club at the Holland Town Hall, W7937 County Rd MH, Holmen. "The World Watch Institute has considered factory farms to be “mini Chernobyls” due to the endless amount of pollution created by these operations and emptied out into the air, groundwater, and soil. The damage will only continue to escalate without some type of intervention in the way we allow food to be produced." - The Agriculture Society

7:00 p.m. Corporate Slaughterhouse info meeting hosted by Concerned Citizens for Smart Growth at Westby Elementary School, 122 Nelson Street This forum is concerned with issues similar to the water pollution forum - industrial farming, lack of regulation, lack of local control, pollution of precious and vital resources

7:00 p.m. Book Discussion - For the Love of Cities at Pearl Street Books

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25
noon Social Justice Teach-In in the UWL Student Union Theater

3:00 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING concerning Xcel Energy request for ANOTHER rate increase at the Main Public Library, 8th and Main. Xcel continues to request (and get) rate increases so they can maintain a 10% or more rate of return for investors.Read details in the Initial Brief of Northern States Power Company Wisconsin at this link. In addition to increases in the cost of electricity and gas, they also want an increase in the fixed customer charges for residential, farm and small commercial classes from $14.00 to $17.00. Part of the "need" for the increase is reduced demand for energy (interestingly, the "need" for the dangerous, expensive high voltage power lines now crisscrossing much of the Coulee Region was based upon Xcel's prediction of increased demand. Huh.) In addition, "the Company is proposing to separate or 'unbundle' the current volumetric energy rate into a delivery charge and an energy charge to be listed separately on the customer's bill." As efficiency of lights and appliances increases, solar prices drop like a stone, and home batteries become more affordable, the possibility of cutting the cord from ever increasing rates for mostly-coal-generated power is becoming more attractive and feasible. Until then, this is an important opportunity for public input. (You are also supposed to be able to submit written comments by October 26 but the portal for comments is closed at the moment.

4:00 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING on DNR public recreation opportunities at the Stoney Creek Inn in Onalaska

4:30 p.m. FILM: The True Cost (of Clothing), part of Fashion Week programming in UWL's Graff Main Hall Auditorium

5:00 p.m. Community reception to thank and honor Ruthann Schultz of the La Crosse YWCA at the Freighthouse.

6:00 p.m. La Crosse Area SURJ discusses Reparations - no location given but I think it's at People's Food Co-op

6:30 p.m. Downtown Neighborhood Association Organizing Meeting at WTC's Integrated Tech Building (325 8th St. North) in room 401

6:30 p.m. The Phosphorous Paradox: Global Change in Freshwaters a talk by distinguished speaker in the life sciences, Professor Stephen Carpenter, Ph.D in room 1309 Centennial Hall, UWL

7:00 p.m. Fair Votes, Fair Maps: How Partisanship Threatens Democracy a program hosted by the League of Women Voters- La Crosse in room 102 Wimberly Hall at UWL.

7:00 p.m. FILM: Screaming Queens - The Riots at Compton's Cafeteria hosted by the UWL Pride Center in the UWL Student Union Theater

7:00 p.m. Sustainability in the Fashion Industry a talk by Dr. Anupama Pasricha in room 1400 Centennial Hall at UWL.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26
9:30 a.m. Help Restore the Hoop House with Hillview Urban Agriculture (sign up for a shift - see link) meet at Washburn Neighborhood Garden

noon  Women's Fund of Greater La Crosse Fall Luncheon - register ASAP - at the UWL Student Union

5:00 p.m. Matter Behavior in Exotic States - Topological Defects and Phase Transitions a public lecture by Nobel physicist Michael Kosterlitz in 1400 Centennial Hall, UWL (reception for Dr. Kosterlitz begins at 4:30 p.m.)

6:30 p.m. League of Women Voters book club: Al Franken - Giant of the Senate at JavaVino

7:00 p.m. Meet your county and state government hosted by Our Wisconsin Revolution - La Crosse in the County Admin Building (6th and State) basement auditorium

7:00 p.m. Oskar Ly - Queer Activism and Design Aesthetic, part of Fashion Week, in the UWL Student Union Theater

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27
9:30 a.m. Help Restore the Hoop House with Hillview Urban Agriculture (sign up for a shift - see link) meet at Washburn Neighborhood Garden

5:30 p.m. Measuring Resilience - Whole Ecosystem Experiments a talk by distinguished lecturer in the life sciences, Professor Stephen Carpenter, Ph.D in 1400 Centennial Hall, UWL

5:30 p.m. Think and Drink with La Crosse Area Freethought Society at JavaVino

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28
1:00 p.m. March for Health Round 3 for Change hosted by Indivisible La Crosse at Cameron Park

8:00 p.m. Queer Halloween at American Legion Hall, Post 52 (711 6th Street South)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29
10:00 a.m. No Longer Business As Usual - How Systematic Racism Affects Faith Communities Sunday service of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of La Crosse at 401 West Ave S.

Also, Democracy for America is looking for people to host November 2 phone banks to help GOTV for Virginia's November 7 elections. If you can host an event (or even just sign up to call yourself), visit the link. The Sierra Club notes, "A win for Koch-funded climate-change denier Ed Gillespie would be a victory for Trump's toxic agenda in 2018 and beyond -- so we need to pull together behind Democrat Ralph Northam now." A strong GOTV effort is needed to counter (unfathomable) Democrats' notoriously low turnout in "off" years.

And, the McCabe for Governor campaign is seeking field team and activist volunteers to help knock doors, make calls, canvass, host events, and more. If you can help, sign up at the link. (McCabe is scheduled to appear at the October 28 March for Health)