Katarina Sostaric
State Government ReporterExpertise: Reporting, writing and producing stories to help IPR listeners and readers understand their state government and how it affects Iowans' lives
Education: University of Missouri
Favorite Iowa Destination: Loess Hills hiking trails
Experience:
- Covered local and statewide government issues, local community issues and other news for IPR, as part of the Alaska public radio network, and KBIA in Columbia, Mo
- Has reported and written features on all branches of Iowa's state government, including continued coverage throughout the duration of each annual legislative session
- Is a multi-award-winning reporter, including a regional Edward R. Murrow and an Iowa Broadcast News Association award for her coverage of abortion rights in Iowa and several Eric Sevareid awards for reporting on Iowa's strict time limit on sexual abuse lawsuits, voting rights, social isolation of nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic and the drop in family planning services
- Regularly appears on Iowa Press on Iowa PBS, where she interviews elected officials
- Has reported and produced features for All Things Considered
- Serves as the secretary of the Iowa Capitol Press Association
- Served as a mentor for NPR’s Next Generation Radio in Iowa
Contact Katarina at ksostaric@iowapublicradio.org.
My Favorite Stories
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Iowa's Glenwood Resource Center, which was once home to hundreds of people with disabilities, grabbed national headlines about four years ago when federal investigators found senior staff were conducting harmful human subject experiments and providing poor medical care. It will close on June 30. -
Immigrants and advocates held rallies and marches in four Iowa cities Wednesday evening to protest a law set to take effect July 1 that will allow state and local officials to arrest and deport immigrants who illegally re-entered the country. -
More Iowans with disabilities who work could qualify for government-funded health coverage through Medicaid under a bill in the Iowa House of Representatives. But those who have been pushing for changes say it wouldn’t go far enough to ensure disabled Iowans can continue to receive services if they get a job promotion or get married. -
Iowa’s strict time limit on suing perpetrators of childhood sexual abuse means Iowa victims could see their financial compensation from the Boy Scouts of America reduced by 55 to 70% compared to victims in other states. Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink filed a bill Monday to prevent that from happening. -
A bill advanced Wednesday in the Iowa House of Representatives would limit Iowans’ ability to sue pesticide companies when their products are linked to serious health problems.
My Latest Stories
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Iowa shared voter registration data — including sensitive personal information — with the U.S. Department of Justice, Secretary of State Paul Pate announced Tuesday. The DOJ's demand for state voter lists has raised concerns about data privacy. -
In the final hours of Gov. Kim Reynolds' final legislative session, Republican lawmakers came together around a plan they say will save property taxpayers around $4 billion over six years. -
Rob Sand, the Democratic candidate for governor, has shared priorities for water quality and healthcare for Iowans, including changes to manure management plans and an immediate reversal of the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa. -
A bill banning some food dyes from school meals, authorizing over-the-counter ivermectin and requiring the state to continue seeking limits on what can be bought with food assistance is on its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for her signature. -
Events aimed at resolving Iowans’ arrest warrants without sending them to jail would be prohibited under a bill advancing in the Iowa House, after a woman who went through Iowa’s first-ever warrant resolution clinic was charged with murder a few days later. -
A bill that aims to expand access to subacute mental health care, which is one step below hospitalization, is on its way to the governor’s desk. -
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Thursday that offers child care assistance to child care workers regardless of their income, making a pilot program that started in 2023 permanent. -
U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, a Republican running for governor, said private schools should accept all students who want to attend, as Iowa continues providing state funding to help Iowans pay for private school tuition. -
State Auditor Rob Sand — the only Democrat running for governor — is proposing term limits and cognitive tests for elected officials, along with changes to Iowa’s elections, as part of his plan to promote accountability in the state’s political system. -
A proposal at the Statehouse would put new limits on the governor's emergency authority. Lawmakers for and against the legislation discuss what's behind this bill. Then, a bill at the Statehouse would bar new employment contracts with H1-B visa holders from certain countries. Later in the episode, we hear about a podcast from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach that explores significant changes farmers have made in their business models. (The third segment of this program was produced in November 2025.)
