Samantha McIntosh

Actor Will Ferrell and writer Harper Steele have been collaborators and friends for 30 years.

From Muddy Waters to The Lumineers, a venue located in the basement of Iowa State University's Memorial Union has seen 50 years of music, theatre, comedy and more.

A recent poll from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 62% of adults say democracy in the U.S. could be at risk in the 2024 presidential election.

Every spring, nearly a million sandhill cranes pass through an 80-mile stretch of the Platte River in Nebraska on their northward migration.

“Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” was screened earlier this month in Iowa City and will air on PBS as part of "American Masters" on Aug. 25.

Myrna Johnson steered IPR through the pandemic, the transition to an independent nonprofit and through the loss of federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The Archdiocese of Dubuque is ending weekend Mass at 76 of its 160 parishes. The Journey in Faith initiative aims to create a sustainable future for the archdiocese, which is facing a decline in Mass attendance.

On this episode we listen to highlights from a conversation with political scientist Jeffrey Winters of Northwestern University. His book, 'The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy,' examines the failure of democracy to address wealth inequality, why it's by design. This conversation was recorded at The Englert Theatre, presented by the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council. (This episode was originally produced May 19, 2026.)

On this episode, we listen back to some of our favorite state fair interviews. We talk with Iowa State Fair butter sculptor Sarah Pratt and her apprentices, her twin daughters Hannah and Grace, about working together and making buttery artwork. Then, we travel to the fairgrounds to take a ride on the Sky Glider with Tracy Shedd. Shedd has worked on the Sky Glider in some capacity for the last 50 years. (Portions of this episode were originally produced August 2025 and August 2024.)

In 1973, Ron Rosmann gave up his plans to go to graduate school and moved back home to Westphalia to run the family farm. In 1973, he did something radical — he stopped using chemical inputs. Rosmann has been farming for more than 50 years, and he's one of the founding members of Practical Farmers of Iowa, a farmer-led community that focuses on sustainable agriculture. He joins us on this episode to talk about his book, 'A Practical Farmer's Journey: A History of Community, Stewardship and Resilience.' We also talk with Steve Hopkins, a member of Practical Farmers of Iowa and an innovator in regenerative agriculture and water conservation.