Michael Leland
News DirectorMichael joined IPR in 2015 and has overseen initiatives such as the establishment of IPR’s western Iowa beat, and fulltime health reporting position. He has also led newsrooms at Wisconsin Public Radio and Michigan Radio. Before getting into management, Michael’s reporting career took him to a variety of places, from Chicago City Hall, to a former coal mine 600 feet under southern Illinois, to an Inuit community in far northern Canada. After nearly 35 years in broadcast journalism, Michael says he’s always learning new things and that this is a very exciting and rewarding time to be in journalism!
Michael is a New Englander who came to the Midwest for graduate school in the mid '80s and decided to call this part of the country home. He has a master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication from Kansas State University. His undergraduate degree is in Communications and Business Administration from Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.
Contact Michael at mleland@iowapublicradio.org.
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The Democratic Party isn't planning to hold presidential candidate debates ahead of next year's primaries, and two candidates challenging President Joe Biden made their case over the weekend at the state fair. -
The former South Carolina governor says Republicans don't have the votes in Washington to pass a federal abortion ban.
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IPR's Michael Leland talks with IPR lead political reporter Clay Masters about the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines on Friday evening.
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Gov. Kim Reynolds has three major bills awaiting her signature after Republican lawmakers sent more priorities to her desk last week.
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This is the second legislative session legislators have heard from environmentalists' and landowners' concerns about three carbon capture pipelines in the state. Both chambers are putting forward proposals to set new restrictions.
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Two teenagers were shot and killed Monday at an alternative education program. Police identified an adult who was also shot and seriously injured as the program's founder.
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Halbur has had a career in banking, owns a school supply distribution company with his wife, and is a former CFO of the state Alcoholic Beverages Division.
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The Democrat hoping to unseat Rep. Hinson in November says the incumbent has voted against legislation that will help Iowans, such as the 2021 infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Democrat Rob Sand says the auditor's office should represent all Iowans and not just those of one political party. Sand made his case for a second term in office at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
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Franken defeated two opponents to win the Democratic nomination, including former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer.
