Iowa lawmakers are following suit with other Republican-controlled states as bills targeting LGBTQ subject matter and students in public schools make their way through the Statehouse.
In this episode of River to River host Ben Kieffer is joined by Des Moines Register politics reporter Katie Akin to discuss the debate over these bills, plus excerpts from Under the Golden Dome — the IPR podcast that brings listeners into the Statehouse. Also, The Gazette's energy and environmental reporter Brittney Miller, a Report for America corps member, shares her reporting on an unlikely but proposed solution to chronic water shortages in the west — diverting water from the Mississippi River to the parched region.
In the second half, the National Motorcycle Museum will close later this year after more than two decades in Anamosa. Board chair Jill Parham talks about the decision to close and some of the two-wheeled gems that will be auctioned. The series What Dennis Found in the Basement returns with audio of poet and social activist Lawrence Ferlinghetti performing in Iowa City in 1966 and Studio One host Cece Mitchell helps listeners groove into the weekend with tracks from Squirrel Flower and Boy Genius.
Guests:
- Katie Akin, politics reporter, Des Moines Register
- Brittney Miller, energy and environmental reporter, The Gazette
- Jill Parham, board chair, The National Motorcycle Museum
- Dennis Reese, retired IPR midday host
- Tim Walch, director emeritus, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
- Cece Mitchell, Studio One host, Iowa Public Radio
