Here First
Monday – Friday before 7 a.m.
Start your day with the essentials. Coffee. Breakfast. And the local news you need to know. Our Morning Edition host rises bright and early to bring you the top news stories in under 15 minutes. Wake up, grab that coffee and get your news Here First.
Latest Episodes
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Iowa Senate Republicans are proposing putting school districts in control of state money that goes toward Area Education Agency services. Salaries for direct care workers in Iowa have remained stagnant in recent years, according to a new report. And a school district in northwest Iowa will change extracurricular activity policies after a hazing incident involving members of the high school wrestling team.
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Iowa Senate Republicans say they’re getting close to unveiling their own version of a bill to overhaul Area Education Agency services in the state. Two new housing projects in Sioux City are aimed at putting at least a dent in the need for affordable housing. And the University of Iowa women’s basketball team is among the Number One seeds in this year’s NCAA tournament.
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School districts in Iowa have to submit their proposed budgets today - but they still don’t know how much money they’re getting from the state. A bill to define man and woman in Iowa law appears dead for this legislative session. And, a small town in western Iowa is still recovering from a flood that hit the community five years ago today.
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Iowa lawmakers are trying to move bills along before a Friday deadline that could leave some legislation dead for the session. On Wednesday, the House approved a bill to allow school districts to use state funding to pay for guns for staff members. In the Senate, a bill that critics fear could have affected in vitro fertilization did not advance.
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A proposal that would keep the Iowa DNR from acquiring land for public use if it was bought at an auction is moving ahead in the House. The NAACP says it’s concerned about a bill that would ban citizen police review boards in Iowa. And, Perry’s mayor says he’s trying to find ways to help nearly 1,300 Tyson workers who will lose their jobs when a processing plant closes in June.
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Perry is losing its largest employer. Tyson Foods says it will shut down its pork plant in the city, where 1,200 people currently work. Trial begins today for a Coralville resident challenging a new state law related to protesting. And a northwest Iowa high school wrestling coach is resigning, following allegations that some of his players tasered younger teammates last month.
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Iowa lawmakers are advancing a bill that would restrict the use of artificial intelligence in elections and campaign materials. Another bill would require new homes in the state to have radon mitigation systems. And, crews are repairing the Mississippi River bridge at Lansing, which was shut down last month after two of its piers shifted.
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Democrats say a bill in the Iowa House could threaten fertility treatments. It would raise the criminal penalty for causing the death of an ‘unborn person.’ A bipartisan bill in the House would give raises to teachers and other school workers. And a lack of affordable housing is one reason the University of Northern Iowa expects more students to live on campus next year.
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Parents in Iowa would have to give permission before their kids could open a social media account, under a bill moving ahead in the Iowa House. Lawmakers are also advancing legislation that makes it easier for school employees to carry guns on the job. And, a report says more than two dozen Iowa hospitals aren’t fully complying with federal price transparency requirements.
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Iowa Democrats say more than 12,000 people participated in the party's first-ever mail-in caucus, with President Joe Biden capturing more than 90% of that vote. Iowa House Republicans have passed a bill putting more restrictions on absentee voting. And the Senate has passed a bill that would make it is a crime to enter the state if they were already deported or refused entry to the U.S.