Rick Brewer

Throughout the last five years of his career as a running back in the NFL, Marshawn Lynch, or "Beast Mode," disengaged with the press and embraced silence as a form of protest. He became known for sitting during the national anthem and pushing back against questions from the news media.

A new documentary, "Lynch: A History," gives insight into what the all-American, all-pro, Super Bowl champion was communicating through silence. 

In Waterloo, many employers, including the city, will soon be barred from asking job applicants about their criminal records until the end of the hiring process. This comes after a “ban the box” hiring ordinance won narrow approval from Wateroo’s City Council earlier this week.

The first freeze of the season is expected to occur in Iowa this weekend, ushering gardens across the state into a new phase. 

Ajay Nair, ISU associate professor and extension vegetable specialist, and Richard Jauron, ISU horticulture specialist, join Talk of Iowa  to discuss the best practices for preparing gardens through the upcoming dip in temperature. 

When Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five was published in 1969, it was an instant success. However, it took 25 years for the author to finish his masterpiece. Some of those years were spent in Iowa and the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop.

Slaughterhouse-Five tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a veteran of World War II, who is "unstuck in time"  and claims to have been abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. The book explores Pilgrim's life and the aftermath of his experience as a prisoner of war in Germany and how it affected his life.

Carson King, 24, has raised over $1 million for charity and a wave of controversy after going viral with a sign requesting beer money at the Cyclone-Hawkeye game on Sept. 14. Media Ethicist and Iowa State University Professor Michael Bugega joins this 'News Buzz' edition of River to River to give his perspective on the investigation of Carson's past tweets by The Des Moines Register and the following backlash. 

Think on this: you’ve lived somewhere your entire life, your family has been there for generations. What if something happens and home no longer feels like home?

Many Iowans experienced that feeling during the Farm Crisis of the 1980s, an event that radically changed our state forever. By the end of the decade, 300,000 farmers had defaulted on their loans. A large number lost their homes and farms.

Untreated sleep apnea can be devastating for health over a long period of time, according to Neurologist and Director of the University of Iowa Sleep Disorders Center Eric Dyken. Dyken joins host Ben Kieffer to give advice to people experiencing sleep problems and explain both the potential dangers of and treatments for sleep apnea. 

Title IX became law in 1972. As a result any school that receives any federal money is required to provide fair and equal treatment of the sexes in all areas, including sports. Change didn’t happen all at once, but during the 1970s girls who had been forced to watch from the sidelines started to have real opportunities to join teams and compete. Melissa Isaacson was one of those girls.

River to River's "Home State View" series helps us understand how the presidential candidates are viewed as leaders in the states they call home. Host Ben Kieffer interviews journalists who have spent years covering the candidates. We get the little-known details about each hopeful's history. Click the "play" button to listen.

The Iowa National Guard has been added to a congressional investigation involving President Donald Trump's Turnberry resort.

On Tuesday September 10, Van Jones spoke at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City. Jones is a news commentator, an advocate for social justice and New York Times bestselling author. He also served as President Barack Obama's special advisor for green jobs. Jones is also the President and Founder of Dream Corp., a justice incubator with the overarching goal of closing prison doors and opening doors of opportunity. His talk at Hancher was sponsored by the University of Iowa College of Law as part of the Levitt family lecture series.

On this Politics Day edition of River to River, host Ben Kieffer speaks with Dennis Goldford, professor of Political Science at Drake University, and Sara Mitchel, F. Wendell Miller Professor of Political Science at the University of Iowa, about the latest national and interantional news in politics. Topics include reactions to North Carolina's special election, the resignation of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, the failed Taliban summit at Camp David and reflections on the changes in politics since September 11, 2001.  

Guests include:

Iowa State University has been undergoing several changes this fall, including the development of new mobile app safety technology.

"One of our new tools that we have in place is something called the ISU Guardian App," said Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen.

Following the resignation of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, experts on foreign policy found themselves recounting President Donald Trump's foreign policy record.  

A community college in western Iowa is reaching out to countries around the world and bringing international students to the area.

Terry Murrell is the president of Western Iowa Tech Community College. He says the school is the only one in North America where South Korea sends students. 

"We’re kind of the Harvard of South Korea, if you will, so if you go to any of the schools in South Korea, the hardest shirt to get is a Western Iowa Tech shirt over Harvard and some of the other schools."

Satisfaction with your home can depend on its size compared to your neighbors' homes, according to new Iowa State University research. Dan Kuhlmann, assistant professor of community and regional planning, found that people are more likely to be dissatisfied with their house if it is smaller than their neighbors'.

On this Horticulture Day edition of Talk of Iowa, Iowa State University Entomologist Donald Lewis makes the case for the importance of wasps in Iowa's ecosystem, despite their unpopular presence.

He provides information on social wasps, which congregate in colonies and spend their summer gathering other insects as food for offspring. In the late summer season, these wasps reach their peak population and become more visible as they seek out sugar and moisture, Lewis says.

When Iowa and Iowa State renewed their football rivalry in 1977, a group of ordinary guys conceived and created the trophy they would call “the Cy-Hawk.” A new documentary, Birth of the Cy-Hawk, tells this unique, Iowa story.

Since the late 1970s, the Iowa Labor History Oral Project has been collecting interviews from the working class across Iowa. They are collecting history from the ground up, as opposed to leaders or people with power.

Schools are back in session and the fall sports season is underway. We all have heard the horror stories of angry parents on the stands yelling at the coach, the referee, other parents and even student athletes. Last week, the Iowa High School Athletic Association released a statement addressing parent and adult fan behavior at sporting events. They give six ways to behave at games for parents and fans, including “act their age.” Read the IHSAA's full statement here. 

Now is the ideal time to improve lawns before fall, according to Iowa State University Extension Turf Grass Specialist Adam Thoms. He recommends core aerating and applying a fall fertilizer soon to set up for a greener lawn next year.

Iowa State University Horticulture Extension Specialist Richard Jauron and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forester Mark Vitosh also join Talk of Iowa host Charity Nebbe on this edition of "Hort Day" to help listeners solve the issues with the plants and trees in their lives.

It has been 30 years since the movie Field of Dreams was on the big screen. A story about an Iowa farmer who mows down his corn and builds a baseball diamond on his land after hearing a mysterious voice.

Although this movie is a fantasy-drama, Major League Baseball announced that the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees would be playing a game at the beloved film site in Dyersville, Iowa. This event will be the first Major League game ever held in the State of Iowa.

It has been a great year for Iowa ninjas, at least five Iowans competed on NBC's  American Ninja Warrior.  Three athletes who train at Ninja U, an American Ninja Warrior gym in Cedar Falls, qualified for this year's competition. Christi Marie is a PE teacher in Waterloo who made it to the second round of the competition. Jackson Twait, a student at the University of Northern Iowa, also made it to the second round of competition and Scott Behrends, co-owner of Ninja U, will appear in the finals filmed in Las Vegas.

On this edition of River to River, listeners will learn how a pair of Iowa brick-and-mortar retailers have been adjusting to the rise of e-commerce. These retailers are looking to emphasize services that online shopping cannot provide, such as experiences, entertainment options and advice on products. 

The intersection of travel, culture and death are at the heart of Lori Erickson’s new book, Near the Exit: Travels with the Not-So-Grim Reaper.

Erickson joins host Charity Nebbe on Talk of Iowa to share her journey of confronting and contemplating death through travel. After her brother unexpectedly died and her mother moved into a memory-care facility, Erickson began exploring both her own ideas on mortality as well as ideas about death around the world. 

Although oak trees are uniquely suited to the Iowa climate and landscape, many suffer from a variety of ailments stemming from insects, fungal problems, and disease. 

On this Horticulture Day edition of Talk of Iowa, the director of the Insect and Plant Diagnostic Clinic at Iowa State University, Laura Iles, explains common effects of insects on oak trees. She says that after dry weather lace bugs can contribute to the yellowing of leaves. Lace bugs can be identified as black spots underneath yellow leaves, but Iles says it isn't a major concern and recommends not worrying.

The University of Northern Iowa has been facing a series of challenges, including a decline in enrollment, freezing tuition costs and re-branding. On this segment of River to River, host Ben Kieffer spoke with UNI President Mark Nook about these challenges as well as the new renovations on the Cedar Falls campus and what he's most looking forward to for the 2019-20 academic year.

Guest:

Mark Nook, President, University of Northern Iowa

Iowans over the age of 65 are working longer than ever before, and the reasons are varied. Several retirees are still working past their retirement age and chose to live in a retirement community.

Some work because they feel the need to stay busy and it's an ideal way to keep money in their pocket, others keep working because they can't afford to support themselves mostly because they do not have enough retirement savings. 

On this episode of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks with researcher Brian Kaskie about this trend and speaks with several Iowans who are working into their golden years. 

Remember those afternoons at the lake, road trips with the sun blazing through the windshield, hot summer nights? The moments that make up our summer memories are often accompanied by music.