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Here First podcast from IPR
Here First
Monday – Friday before 7 a.m.

Start your day with the essentials. Coffee. Breakfast. And the local news you need to know. Host Meghan McKinney rises bright and early to bring you the top news stories from around Iowa in under 10 minutes. Wake up, grab that coffee and get your news Here First.

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Latest Episodes
  • Republican state lawmakers are trying to ban instruction about LGBTQ topics in middle and high school. Several higher education bills are making gains in the legislature. And how might the NIH funding freeze impact research?
  • Some Republican lawmakers are trying to change the definition of bullying in Iowa. Changing the weather via chemtrails, a conspiracy theory, could be outlawed in the state. And a nonprofit is ready to challenge the recently approved Cedar Crossing casino.
  • Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order creating an Iowa DOGE task force. The owner of a Davenport apartment that partially collapsed in 2023 will not be held criminally responsible for three deaths and one injury from the event. And a snowstorm warning is in effect overnight in much of Iowa.
  • Protesters will gather at the state capitol today rallying against a bill involving pesticide companies. The Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office is under investigation after the sheriff said he won't help ICE with potential detainers. And the City of Des Moines is fully enforcing its camping ban ordinance today.
  • A northeastern Iowa county sheriff says his office won't help ICE detain residents. The long disputed casino in Cedar Rapids has been approved by state regulators. And what Iowan will be playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday?
  • Four protesters were removed from the state capitol yesterday. Governor Reynolds says Iowa was doing DOGE before it was a thing. And will Linn County get a gambling license today?
  • Freezing rain is expected in much of the state today. An attempt to stop casino development in the state for the next five years has been blocked by the Iowa Senate. And immigration advocates in northwest Iowa are trying to stop misinformation while also supporting migrants.
  • Iowa Republicans and Democrats propose different amounts to increase education funding. Students and community members gathered in Iowa City last night protesting against mass deportations. And, yes—it has been a very mild winter.
  • Bird flu was detected in an Iowa commercial poultry flock over the weekend. Caitlin Clark has retired her University of Iowa jersey. And it's legislative Monday! Will a casino license moratorium pass the Iowa Senate this week?
  • Iowans with disabilities are asking lawmakers to loosen Medicaid income limits so they can advance their careers and get married without losing coverage. An investigation by the state auditor's office found that an Iowa Workforce Development program director embezzled more than $430,000 over a seven year period. And a bill advancing in the Iowa House would prevent in-state tuition hikes of more than 3 percent at Iowa's public universities.