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Bitterness mounts among Polk County officials

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River to River, hosted by Ben Kieffer

Polk County administrator John Norris was placed on administrative leave and was asked to resign last week. This follows a long period of "power struggles, allegations of harassment and defamation and political featherbedding," as watchdog reporter Lee Rood reports.

On this news buzz edition of River to River, Sam McIntosh fills in for host Ben Kieffer to cover some of the most interesting stories of the week, including Rood's reporting on Polk County tensions. McIntosh also gets a statehouse preview from IPR's Katrina Sostaric as the legislature starts the 2025 session on Monday. Iowa State columnist Travis Hines discusses how coach Matt Campbell's success with the Cyclones makes him attractive to other teams, like the Chicago Bears, who will be interviewing him soon.

Guests:

  • Katarina Sostaric, Statehouse reporter, Iowa Public Radio
  • Philip Joens, real estate and retail reporter, Des Moines Register
  • Lee Rood, watchdog columnist, Des Moines Register
  • Sheila Brummer, western Iowa reporter, Iowa Public Radio
  • Rob Davis, flood control system manager, Cedar Rapids
  • Travis Hines, Iowa State columnist, Des Moines Register
  • Tony Dehner, Studio One host, Iowa Public Radio
Samantha McIntosh is a talk show producer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from St. Cloud State University. Since 2022, McIntosh has worked with IPR's talk team to bring news and features to IPR's listening audience.
Dani Gehr is a talk show producer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University. Since 2022, Gehr has worked with IPR's talk team to bring news and features to IPR's listening audience.