IPR News

Martin Luther King Jr. Day during a pandemic means lots of virtual celebrations. And these celebrations come at a tumultuous time in U.S. history.

Find the latest headlines from Iowa Public Radio news in our Daily Digest.

The Republican Party of Iowa's State Central Committee has reelected Jeff Kaufmann as chair and elected former Speaker of the Iowa House Linda Upmeyer as co-chair.

Statehouses across the nation are bracing for spillover from last week’s violent assault in Washington D.C. On this Newsbuzz edition of River to River, a look at extra security here in Iowa.

2020 was a record year for liquor sales across the state, even with people spending less time at bars and restaurants.

Local, state and federal law enforcement officials are working together to brace for potential threats at the state Capitol and elsewhere ahead of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. Officials across multiple agencies say they're not currently aware of concrete, Iowa-specific threats, but that operational plans are in place if needed.

Iowa’s senior U.S. senator is warning that any more small refinery environmental exemptions granted in the final days of the Trump presidency would badly harm the biofuels industry.

The head of the Iowa National Guard said Thursday 250 soldiers and airmen will be deployed to Washington, D.C. to help with security around the presidential inauguration in the wake of last week's attack on the U.S. Capitol and amid the potential for more violence from pro-Trump extremists.

The Iowa Public Health Association sent a letter to all state lawmakers Thursday asking them to require and wear masks at the Iowa Capitol to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The legislative session began Monday with hundreds of people gathering in the building, and Republican leaders did not issue a mask mandate for the Statehouse.

River to River host Ben Kieffer speaks with political scientists Peter Hanson and Dennis Goldford to discuss the latest political news.