Meghan McKinney

Missouri is one of 11 states that require nurse practitioners to collaborate with a physician in order to practice. Nurse practitioners want to change that.

KSMU's Meghan McKinney interviewed Fereshte about her time in Springfield and what she hopes for her future.

Hospital emergency departments are continuing to recover from COVID-19 – and they’re looking at ways to better meet the needs of those needing emergency care. KSMU’s Meghan McKinney looks at how the pandemic impacted ER wait times. And she reports on what healthcare systems are doing to address the problem of people waiting hours for care.

According to the Missouri Department of Health in 2020, drug overdoses were the leading cause of death for Missourians 18 to 44-years-old.

The Iowa Senate passed a bill that would change Iowa's foster care training requirements. Under the proposal, the state would determine a training course for each prospective foster parent, with some areas of training still required.

In the year since Iowa lawmakers repealed state civil rights based on gender identity, transgender and nonbinary Iowans have experienced fear, anxiety and uncertainty. The historic legislation has forced transgender Iowans to contemplate their future in the state. Some have left, and others are navigating how to continue living in the state.

Actor, comedian and writer Tom Arnold is performing for the first time in Iowa in over 15 years this week. He joins the show to talk about his childhood in Iowa, how he made his way to Hollywood, and life as a single dad now. Then, Des Moines native Zach Stoppelmoor is the first Iowan to make the U.S. Olympic speedskating team. He spoke with IPR 'Morning Edition' host Meghan McKinney. Then, host Charity Nebbe talks with hockey players and roommates Samuel Hlavaj and David Spacek. They've been playing the last few years for the Iowa Wild team, and will be competing for Team Slovakia and Team Czechia.

Zach Stoppelmoor is on his way to the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy. The 26-year-old from West Des Moines is the first Iowan to make the U.S. Speedskating team at the Olympics.

A study by the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence found that women and children make up the majority of victims of domestic violence homicides in the state. According to the lead researcher, access to guns and a lack of affordable housing could be contributing factors.

Iowans who take in family members in foster care, known as kinship caregivers, can now receive financial assistance equal to foster care parents because of a 2023 federal rule.

It's been two months since JBS told over 200 workers at a meatpacking plant in Ottumwa they would have to find new work authorization after the Trump administration revoked their migrant visas. Now, they’re being forced to re-navigate a legal system that’s become more complex in recent months.

Local Baptist Rev. Travis Decker had been pushing the Ottumwa City Council to pass the Traditional Marriage Proclamation since June, after the city passed a proclamation recognizing Pride month.

Transgender Iowans on Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income individuals, are having to find other ways to pay for some gender-affirming care after state lawmakers passed restrictions in the 2025 legislative session.

Gender identity is no longer part of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The change is part of a sweeping law that also defines a person’s sex by what was assigned at birth. As transgender and nonbinary Iowans navigate the uncertainties, hope is still found in community.