https://www.radioiowa.com/ Iowa's Radio News Network Thu, 28 May 2026 01:54:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://cdn.radioiowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/LEARFIELD_FAVICON-150x150.png https://www.radioiowa.com/ 32 32 https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/27/iowa-democrats-make-pitch-for-moving-caucuses-back-to-first-in-the-nation/ Wed, 27 May 2026 20:18:11 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180323 Iowa Democratic Party officials are asking national party leaders to restore their Iowa Caucuses to first-in-the-nation status, and former Iowa Democratic Party Chair Scott Brennan — a member of the Democratic National Committee — says the party’s decision about the 2028 presidential campaign calendar should be made after the November election. “Iowa is very competitive […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/27/planters-made-a-lot-of-passes-through-iowa-fields-last-week/ Wed, 27 May 2026 19:13:37 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180320 Another dry week helped Iowa farmers push planting closer to completion. The U.S.D.A. report shows 94% of the corn crop was in the ground by Sunday. That puts the planting right were it was last year at this time. The amount of corn that’s emerged went from 46 to 72%. Soybean planting hit the 90% […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/27/iowans-can-take-hands-on-role-in-tracking-water-quality-in-okoboji-region/ Wed, 27 May 2026 18:00:45 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180307 Volunteers are needed to help monitor the water quality in northwest Iowa’s Great Lakes region. Megan Vigdal, an environmental lab analyst at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, says they need help with what’s known as CLAMP, the Cooperative Lakes Area Monitoring Program, an effort that’s been underway every summer for more than 25 years. “It’s a […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/27/iowa-biodiesel-plants-buoyed-by-rfs-announcement/ Wed, 27 May 2026 17:00:54 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180316 Iowa’s biodiesel industry is beginning to rebound after several plants suspended production this winter. Dave Walton, a farmer from Wilton who’s vice president of the American Soybean Association, says biodiesel plants have a big impact on Iowa’s rural economy.  “A lot of those biodiesel plants are in those small communities and they’re good paying stable […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/27/more-arrests-made-in-iowa-city-ped-mall-shooting/ Wed, 27 May 2026 16:00:19 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180314 More people are now charged in a fight and shooting at the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall on April 19th. Police charged 17-year-old Ka’Mari Dozier with five counts of attempted murder. He allegedly supplied the gun that 17-year-old Damarian Jones used to fire into a crowd after a large fight at the Ped Mall. Both are […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/27/despite-record-high-grocery-prices-iowans-are-still-grilling-up-tons-of-meat/ Wed, 27 May 2026 13:33:05 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180304 With the forecast calling for highs in the upper 80s and low 90s across Iowa today, it’s starting to feel like summertime, and many Iowans are firing up their backyard grills. Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says despite higher prices at the grocery store, beef is the centerpiece for most […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/27/iowa-governor-signs-vape-tax-funding-for-pediatric-cancer-research/ Wed, 27 May 2026 11:09:03 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180300 Governor Kim Reynolds has approved a new state tax on vaping products, including nicotine pouches, and each year $3 million of that new tax revenue will go toward pediatric cancer research at the University of Iowa. Reynolds held a bill signing ceremony at the Stead Children’s Hospital on the campus in Iowa City. She was […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/27/ui-hosts-symposium-to-help-first-responders-better-cope-with-stress/ Wed, 27 May 2026 11:00:09 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180267 Several hundred firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS crews and other first responders from all across the nation will be gathering in Iowa City later this week for a conference designed to decrease their levels of stress and burnout. Dan Clay, dean of the University of Iowa’s College of Education, says the four-day event is called […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/iowa-lottery-leader-taking-job-with-private-marketing-firm/ Tue, 26 May 2026 22:26:16 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180295 Iowa Lottery CEO Mat Strawn is leaving to take over as the president and CEO of the West Des Moines marketing and communications firm Strategic America. Strawn became on the third person to lead the Lottery when he took over in 2019, and says he is ready for a new challenge.  “It really is a […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/feenstra-casts-his-iowa-gop-primary-ballot-in-orange-city/ Tue, 26 May 2026 21:56:04 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180291 Three-term Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says he’s confident he’ll win the Republican Party’s nomination for governor next Tuesday. “I will win the majority and I’ve done it, all right? I’ve delivered results time and time again. I was head of sales of a large candy company and grew it. I was city administrator of our […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/more-fisher-sightings-reported-in-northeast-iowa-so-far-this-year/ Tue, 26 May 2026 18:53:20 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180287 We’ve seen moose, bears and mountain lions wander into Iowa from other states, and now a smaller animal is on that list. Iowa DNR wildlife biologist Vince Evelsizer says the latest visitors are mammals called fishers. “We have seen a few more fishers in northeast Iowa. We’re trying to monitor their whereabouts or the prevalence […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/as-iowas-2026-primary-approaches-pate-touts-election-security/ Tue, 26 May 2026 18:38:30 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180283 State officials say Iowa elections are “more secure than ever” due to “many layers” of security. “I want Iowans to hear this clearly: when you cast your vote in June for the primary, your vote will be counted fairly, accurately and securely,” Secretary of State Paul Pate said last this morning. Pate held a news […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/iowas-most-populous-county-launches-water-quality-education-campaign/ Tue, 26 May 2026 18:00:34 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180265 Iowans with concerns about water quality and its impact on health have a new resource, as the Polk County Health Department is launching a “Know Your Water, Know Your Health” campaign. Health department director Juliann Van Liew says water quality is an important issue that needs transparency. “In this campaign, we commit to really sharing […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/iowa-women-announcer-series-against-uconn/ Tue, 26 May 2026 17:56:38 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180279 https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/iowa-democrats-to-propose-changes-for-their-2028-caucuses/ Tue, 26 May 2026 15:10:22 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180273 Iowa Democratic Party leaders have developed a new plan for the 2028 Iowa Caucuses, hoping national party leaders will put Iowa back in a lead-off position for the next presidential election. In an interview with The Des Moines Register, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart indicated two big changes will be proposed to answer critics. […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/feds-consider-relocating-massive-corn-seed-bank-to-iowa-from-illinois/ Tue, 26 May 2026 14:27:37 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180263 The USDA proposes moving a large seed bank for corn from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to the central Iowa city of Ames. There’s concern the move would endanger the climate-controlled 100,000 samples of corn, some of them a century old, in addition to being redundant and very expensive. Iowa U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/memorial-day-crash-on-i-29-kills-southwest-iowa-man/ Tue, 26 May 2026 12:48:35 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180260 One person died, another was injured, when a semi collided with a pickup Monday afternoon in southwestern Iowa. The accident happened on northbound Interstate 29 near 25th Street in Council Bluffs at around 4:25 PM. The Iowa State Patrol says for reasons unknown, a pickup was stopped on the traveled portion of the road, when […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/even-at-10-a-pack-some-iowans-need-more-motivation-to-quit-smoking/ Tue, 26 May 2026 11:00:54 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180185 Nearly 17-percent of Iowans smoke, and if you’re one of them, you probably already know how hard it is to quit. Michelle Gilbertson, a wellness education specialist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says it can be overwhelming trying to beat a nicotine dependency, but it’s far from impossible. She suggests starting small. “A lot of […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/26/iowa-gop-candidates-for-governor-focus-on-population-growth/ Tue, 26 May 2026 09:42:21 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180241 Iowa’s June 2 Primary is a week away, with a key race among five Republicans vying to succeed fellow Republican Kim Reynolds as governor and they have struck a common theme on the campaign trail: Iowa’s population has to start growing. Congressman Randy Feenstra has been promising to take Iowa to new heights. “We have […]]]> https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/05/25/uni-professors-book-retraces-dragoon-trail-through-iowa/ Mon, 25 May 2026 20:00:11 +0000 https://www.radioiowa.com/?p=180107 A University of Northern Iowa history professor’s new book retraces how an 1835 expedition across Iowa sparked the evolution of the state. Kevin Mason’s book is titled “Retracing the Dragoon Trail in Iowa.” “Iowa changed more than any place on planet Earth across the 1800s,” Mason said. “Sometimes we think about the prairies changing or […]]]>