Rick Brewer

Each year, nearly 200,000 children worldwide are born with a deformative skeletal birth defect known as clubfoot. On this edition of River to River, host Ben Kieffer is joined by Tom Cook who is the author of the new book "Clubfoot: The Quest For A Better Life For Millions of Children." 

On this edition of River to River, award-winning historian Andrew Roberts joins host Ben Kieffer to talk about his latest book “Leadership In War, Essential Lessons From Those Who Made History.”  In his book, Roberts makes a comparison of nine world leaders who guided their nations through the greatest wars the world has ever seen and how their unique strenghs and weaknesses changed the course of human history.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks with local historian Larry Grill of Schleswig and amateur naturalist Glenn Pollock of Omaha, Nebrasksa about their research of an 1820 expedition through Iowa. 

On this edition of Talk of Iowa with host Charity Nebbe, guests and callers reflect on how the public television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood affected their lives. The co-hosts of Iowa Public Television's Kid's Clubhouse Adventures, Dan Wardell and Abby Brown, share how Fred Rogers' philosophy has influenced their own children's show. Des Moines Register Storyteller Daniel Finney remembers how returning to Rogers' material changed his outlook on life and helped him through difficult times. 

ISU Extension Wildlife Specialist Adam Janke joins this weekly 'Horticulture Day' edition of Talk of Iowa with host Charity Nebbe.  He explains how to transform a landscape into a wildlife-friendly space. He says diversifying your yard with a water source, dead logs and branches, rocks, and native plant species will help entice a range of wildlife from birds to salamanders to deer.

Thirty years ago this month, the Berlin Wall fell. It was both a symbolic and a physical division, and during this hour of River to River, Iowans who lived in East and West Germany share their first-hand accounts of life before and after this moment in history with host Ben Kieffer, who was working as a reporter in Germany when the wall fell. 

Common Sense Media is a non-profit organization that educates and advocates for families regarding questions around technology and media. A new survey shows dramatic trends among young people, including increases in smartphone usage. 

Late last month, freshman congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez officially endorsed Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for president. In his latest swing through Iowa, Ocasio-Cortez joined Sanders on the campaign trail, marking her first trip to the state. 

How much does her endorsement mean to likely caucusgoers in Iowa? 

Organic farming is on the rise in Iowa according to ISU Extension Organic Specialist Kathleen Delate.

"Unique advantages associated with organic practices are pushing the industry forward," she says. 

Delate joins Talk of Iowa host Charity Nebbe to talk about organic farming and how crop diversity can optimize profits during this episode of the show. By cultivating many different types of organic plants, she says farmers avoid the risk of growing just one or two failing crops.

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

When cellist Hannah Holman began her YouTube series exploring the lives of female cellists throughout history, she did not anticipate getting many views or subscribers. Austin McConnell, a YouTuber with nearly one million subscribers, recently promoted Holman's channel in one of his videos, helping Holman develop a larger audience. 

"Suicide Woods" is author Benjamin Percy's latest collection of short stories. The book delivers a combination of horror, crime and weird happenings in the woods. This book is a dark, inventive collection full of eerie and provocative tales.

An estimated 400 deaths per year in Iowa are caused by radon-induced lung cancer. That is approximately the number of Iowans who die in traffic accidents each year. All of Iowa's 99 counties have the highest potential for radon levels and is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.   

Since 2003, The Iowa Center for the Book has been picking an All Iowa Reads book. The goal is to foster a sense of unity in our state through reading. Starting in 2018, the All Iowa Reads Committee expanded the program to include three books, one for adults, one for teens and one for children.

There are more than five thousand religious communities across the state. The Comparison Project, based out of Drake University, seeks to bring people into the hundreds of faith groups based in Des Moines through “Meet My Religious Neighbor,” a monthly open house project.

President Trump's poll numbers are rising, but not in the categories he would like. Unfavorable feelings toward the President are climbing up, according to the newest results from the Grinnell College National Poll that came out Tuesday. 

At least 76 Iowans fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War despite Iowa's status as Union State. A new book,  Iowa Confederates in the Civil War, dives into the history of these soldiers and their motivations for leaving Iowa to fight for the Confederate States of America. 

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 Marine Corps confirmed after 74 years this month that one of the men featured in Joe Rosenthal's flag-raising photo at the battle of Iwo Jima was misidentified. A private Military historian from Johnston, Brent Westemeyer, helped reveal the true identity of one of these Marines as Harold 'Pie' Keller from Brooklyn, Iowa. 

On this edition of River to River, higlights from The Burden of Gun Violence: Trends And Policy Solutions presented by the Univerity of Iowa Public Policy Center. Host Ben Kieffer moderated the conversation.

When Neal Smith was born, the 19th amendment to the Constitution had yet to be ratified, which gave women the right to vote. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1958 during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, and is Iowa's longest serving congressman (1959-1995). 

With just over 100 days left until the Iowa caucuses, River to River  is kicking off a series of conversations with presidential candidates. Julián Castro joined host Ben Kieffer in IPR's Iowa City studio to discuss the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and the Newton Maytag plant that went from manufacturing washing machines to wind turbines. Castro also answers questions from listeners.

By mid fall, spiders gain their most visible presence as they reach full maturity, build larger webs, and prepare to lay their egg sacs for the spring. 

ISU Professor of Entomology Donald Lewis joins Talk of Iowa host Charity Nebbe for this weekly edition of 'Horticulture Day.' He shares facts, debunks myths, and offers words of appreciation about spiders.

Global climate change is a huge challenge, but it also presents real opportunities for business. Joe Bryan and John Morton of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center were guests of the Greater Des Moines Committee on Foreign Relations on Tuesday October 15. Host Ben Kieffer discusses how climate change and energy policy impact military capability and economic competitiveness, as well as international trade and diplomacy.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe sits down with Bill McAnally to talk about the best strategies for preparing your home for the winter season. McAnally also answers listener questions about various other home improvement projects, including insulation, molding concrete and the best methods for caulking sidewalks. 

Guest:

Bill McAnally, Home Improvement Specialist

Four hundred years ago, in 1619, the first enslaved African people came to what would become the United States. As we mark that anniversary, there are many projects underway to bring a fuller understanding of the devastation caused by the institution of slavery and how this institution continues to shape the United States today. 

Indigenous People's Day was first celebrated in 1989 in South Dakota, and it has gradually caught on around the country as an alternative to celebrating Columbus Day.

Several cities and towns across Iowa declared the second Monday of October to be Indigenous People's Day in 2017. Governor Kim Reynolds made a statewide declaration in October 2018, and this year many other communities in Iowa have joined the movement. 

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.