Representative Tara Johnson

25 years ago today, tragedy struck our nation in the form of the 9/11 terror attacks. I’d like to share with you what’s on my mind as we remember this day.

My husband, Tim was working out of town. Our two year old daughter and four year old son were at child care. I remember resisting the instinct, the urge, to drive over and pick them up early to be with me. I knew they were not seeing it on tv. They were not heartsick, angry, confused like I was. At least not yet. Their innocence would shatter soon enough. I waited. Of course everything changed that day. Everything. I had had decades on this earth under my belt at that point. Our kids’ lives were just starting. I think about how nearly every moment of their time on this earth has been framed, shaped and influenced by 9/11. Their incredible tenacity, compassion and resilience and that of their emerging generation are especially on my mind today.

It was an honor to welcome Rep. Angelito Tenorio, lead author of the 100% Clean Energy by 2050 Bill, for a day of valuable conversations here in La Crosse! Great meetings with local stakeholders discussing the future of green energy in Wisconsin!

Check out more here: https://www.wxow.com/news/wisconsin-politics/wisconsin-lawmakers-highlight-green-energy-in-la-crosse-press-conference/article_6455969b-017e-450b-83d2-3947bdf26eab.html

Another great day in the beautiful 96th! Congratulations to Westby Cooperative for the unveiling of their new state of the art cottage cheese production creamery - the first of its kind in the United States! In addition to being safer and more efficient than the nearly century old system it replaced, the production equipment can produce 12,000 pounds of cottage cheese in just 8 hours! That’s twice as fast as the old system. Lots more happy customers eating delicious Westby cottage cheese. 😊

The 2nd most common answer in our summer survey was…
Addressing Healthcare Costs!

Keep an eye out for more Survey Says posts coming soon!

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!
So proud of my husband, Tim Padesky, who was the Parade Marshal for La Crosse’s Labor Day Parade today. His 53 years of membership in the IBEW inspires me every day! “In union there is strength.”

Check out this link for more: www.news8000.com/tncms/asset/editorial/da4a13f9-dd0a-45c9-96e9-439b7e3412c9

A perfect day for La Crosse’s Pride in the Park! So many amazing resources and booths, yummy food, and cold beverages to beat the heat- Riverside Park was full of community and coming together today. And, the premier performance of Driftless Pride Choir- they were fantastic! Hats off to The Center: LGBTQ+ Connection for a truly wonderful day!

Rep. Steve Doyle and I recently had the opportunity to have a wonderful conversation with University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor James Beeby. Included in our conversation was all of the ways UWL and the state of Wisconsin build each other up. 81% of UWL’s 10,000+ students are Wisconsin residents. With over 150 programs ranging from undergraduate to doctoral, and an over 85% freshman retention rate, UWL provides opportunities for so many members of our community. Thank you chancellor Beeby, and go Eagles!

This marks the first post in a series breaking down the survey that went around the district earlier this summer, keep an eye out for future posts talking about the other survey responses!

Team 3 Lyons, 1 Tiger 1 Bear, Oh, My! had sooo much fun in Westby today doing the Selfie Scavenger Hunt, a Benefit for Westby Storm Relief!!! Huge shoutout to the Westby Community Action Team for designing the fun! They worked in partnership with River to Ridge Disaster Resilience r2rdr.org to raise money for their neighbors.
The patio at Bekkum Library was the perfect place to launch all the fun and their new gardens are beautiful thanks to a Vibrant Spaces Grant from WEDC.
This is what community looks like! 💕

Thanks to the Town of Greenfield for hosting the Wisconsin Towns Association (WTA) meeting last night.  WTA unit meetings are a good opportunity for town officials to exchange information and learn… controlling invasive species was on the agenda yesterday with lots of great information from DNR’s Jason Granburg. I always appreciate the invitation to attend and learn with my colleagues who hold local office in the beautiful 96th.