Neve Kelley

The Granny Basketball League is growing fast, and this year's national tournament is in Ankeny. We hear from the Cedar Rapids Sizzlers, the Iowa Gold Stars and league founder Barb Tomlinson Trammel. We learn all about the sport, the league and how it connects with a rich history of women’s basketball in Iowa. Then, the freedom to wear trousers was one that women had to fight for and one of the earliest styles of pants that began to give women the freedom to move without restriction were called bloomers. Amelia Bloomer, women’s rights pioneer and reluctant fashion icon who lived in Iowa, inspired the name.

The Iowa Water and Land Legacy (IWiLL) Constitutional Amendment passed in 2010 with 63% of the vote. It was designed to fund a Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation trust fund, but 16 years later the trust has never been funded. A new effort to fund the trust is underway. On this episode, we hear from Adam Shirley, CEO of Iowa’s County Conservation System, Anna Gray of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and Lindsay Price of Audubon Upper Mississippi River. We talk about the strain of stagnant or dwindling funding on county conservation boards and what IWiLL could mean for those programs. Then, we listen back to a conversation about some of the oldest book clubs in Iowa from their members. (Part of this show was originally produced March 31, 2026.)

Nationally, deaths from suicide, drugs and alcohol are declining. But in Iowa, they're rising, and they're often referred to as "deaths of despair." On this episode, we hear from Lauren Williams, an Iowa woman who lost her brother to suicide, and from Kayla Mayer of Cherokee County Public Health, who's working to decrease the local rate of suicide. We also talk with Daniel Wheaton of the Midwest Newsroom and Dr. Alison Lynch of the University of Iowa on why our state is seeing more deaths of despair and what can be done about it.

Iowa sees its first measles case of the year. On today's Newsbuzz edition episode, we talk with Polk County Public Health director Juliann Van Liew about how Polk County is guarding against the highly contagious virus. We talk with Luke Nozicka of NPR's Midwest Newsroom about the rise in dementia cases and lack of specialists to keep up. We hear how Iowa's drinking water nitrate violations more than doubled last year from Cami Koons of the Iowa Capital Dispatch. IPR's Rachel Kramer shares how Iowa volunteers are racing to track the state's disappearing bumblebees, and we talk with Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders about the budget gap created by the new property tax law. Then, IPR's Cece Mitchell grooves us into the weekend.

Thanks to storms and severe weather, tree limbs are down while tree stress is up. But there are ways to help the timber in your area and to keep damage from happening. On this Horticulture Day episode, Caitlin Troutman sits in for Charity Nebbe. We talk with Iowa State University professor of horticulture Jeff Iles about helping trees with storm damage, as well as preventative measures to consider before the next round of severe weather. Then, Iowa State University Extension Horticulturist Aaron Steil joins us to answer listener questions.

Thanks to storms and severe weather, tree limbs are down while tree stress is up. But there are ways to help the timber in your area and to keep damage from happening. We talk with Iowa State University professor of horticulture Jeff Iles about helping trees with storm damage, as well as preventative measures to consider before the next round of severe weather.

The Supreme Court just finished one of its most consequential terms in years. Drake University law professors Sally Frank and Miguel Schor break down what the 2026 rulings mean for Iowans. They discuss the landmark win for birthright citizenship, the loss of deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, new limits on transgender athletes and more.

Tensions flare again between the U.S. and Iran and NATO leaders wrap up a tense summit. On this Politics Day episode, we discuss the political fallout with political scientists Jim McCormick of Iowa State University and Evan Renfro of the University of Northern Iowa. We hear about the new round of U.S.-Iran hostilities that overshadows the days-long funeral for Iran's Supreme Leader, take a look back at the nation's 250th birthday celebration and more.

On this episode of Talk of Iowa, we talk with Dan Roche, author of Eyes By Hand: The Prosthetics of Art and Healing, a book on how prosthetic eyes are crafted and how ocularists provide care for those that have experienced eye loss. We hear about his experience losing an eye, how he became interested in researching prosthetic eyes and what he’s learned. We also talk with Lindsay Wagner-Pronk, one of just a few ocularists in Iowa, who is featured in the book. (This show was originally produced August 18, 2025.)

More than 100 new Iowa laws just took effect on abortion, crime, and policing. On this episode of River to River, we talk about what’s changed and who it affects. We hear from Erin Murphy of the Gazette who gives us a quick survey of the most significant new laws. Then, IPR's Natalie Krebs explains the new telehealth restrictions and what options remain for abortion pill prescriptions. Mahaska County Attorney Andrew Ritland tells us about Iowa's new mandatory minimum for repeat felons. And state Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines shares her thoughts on a new law that removes the annual police bias training requirement.