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. You can support what you hear on this podcast at ipr.org/donate
Latest Episodes
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Joni Ernst says she has a good relationship with President Trump. A refugee resettlement nonprofit in Iowa says private donations have helped them continue their work. And a large portion of a bicycle trail in central Iowa has been paved. -
There are now five Democrats running for U.S. Senator Joni Ernst's (R) seat. The head of the EPA won't say why five Iowa rivers were removed from the impaired waters list. And Gov. Kim Reynolds has directed twenty Iowa National Guard troops to support immigration enforcement efforts.
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Another undercover video of a state university employee allegedly working around DEI laws has been released. A proposed policy would require educators at the state universities to avoid teaching from one perspective. And new federal policies for wind and solar projects are causing uncertainty.
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A Starbucks in Des Moines is unionizing. A new map from the Iowa DNR shows the destruction to trees from the 2020 derecho. And what did U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins and Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego (D) have to say at the state fair?
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Graduate students at the University of Iowa are accusing the president of the school of joining right-wing efforts. Federal funding for healthy food access for low-income people is going away. And a Boston-qualifier marathon is coming to Iowa next year.
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Iowa will help the Trump administration's deportation agenda. Colleges now have to verify applicants' citizenship status for some education programs. And the Iowa DOGE task force met again to discuss ways to save the state money.
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Requests for mutual aid for transgender support are going up. Many immigrant workers in Iowa meatpacking plants are at risk of deportation. And how are some trying to reduce nitrates in Iowa drinking water?
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Scientists studying Iowa's water quality say data collection is critical to improving water. Gov. Kim Reynolds says she's wanting to adopt MAHA policies in the next legislative session. And the Des Moines School board chair is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
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The Iowa attorney general says investigating the University of Iowa over alleged violations of state anti-DEI laws will take a bit. Iowa's child care website is getting positive feedback. And Des Moines hosted the National Senior Games.
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A temporary director has been appointed for the new Center for Intellectual Freedom at University of Iowa. Southern rust is more widespread in corn this year in the state. And how far does some food have to travel to get to the table?