Sheila Brummer
Western Iowa ReporterExpertise: Reporting, writing and producing stories about people and western Iowa life, all with an ear to help IPR listeners and readers understand their communities and a portion of the state that can often feel forgotten.
Education: Masters degree from Buena Vista University, Bachelors degree from Morningside University
Favorite Iowa Destination: The Iowa Great Lakes and the Iowa State Fair!
Experience:
- Covered local and statewide issues and stories, for IPR, as well as for TV and radio stations in Nevada, Wisconsin, Nebraska and across Iowa, including KCCI-TV, WOWT, KMTV and KWIT-KOJI Siouxland Public Media
- Has reported and written features on western Iowa flooding and weather events, immigrant and indigenous communities, agriculture and the environment
- Is a multi-award-winning reporter, including seven regional Edward R. Murrow awards for writing and other reporting, regional Emmy awards through the Upper Midwest Emmys for her TV work, several Iowa Broadcast News Association awards and more
- Has reported and produced features for NPR
- Has served as president of the Iowa Broadcast News Association and on the board for the Midwest Broadcast Journalism Association
My Favorite Stories
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President Joe Biden approved a presidential disaster declaration for parts of northwest Iowa after catastrophic flooding. As the major flood threat moved downstream, one of the hardest hit communities focused on clean-up and finding what could be salvaged. -
Saturday is the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since then, nearly 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have come to the U.S., and one woman has helped bring dozens of them to a northwest Iowa county. -
The new mural downtown features 63 butterflies in all, representing the nationalities of people now living in Storm Lake. -
The annual butterfly migration is underway. For decades scientists have relied on volunteers to tag butterflies to provide details about their journey. -
Principal oboist Jeffrey Paul received a commission to create his own concerto. His vision included creating a brand-new instrument. But reaching his goal proved harder than imagined.
My Latest Stories
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The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is the latest battleground in the ongoing debate over an Iowa law that bans books with sexual content from school libraries and restricts lessons that relate to gender identity and sexual orientation. -
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced plans to ease some restrictions on federal education funding at a public school in western Iowa. -
One of Iowa’s largest school districts will be looking to hire a new superintendent. The Sioux City School Board accepted its leader’s resignation after he spent less than a year with the district. -
It’s no secret people are moving away from rural areas of Iowa. The exodus toward bigger cities has been growing for decades. Fewer than a quarter of Iowans live in the country. In 1960, it was around 50%. One Iowan took an unusual route to reverse that trend. -
For more than 60 years, Iowa State University has sponsored an annual land survey. This year shows a small increase that lags behind inflation.
