Iowa Public Radio Site Search | Iowa Public Radio

Children are 40 percent of Afghan refugees. Nonprofits are tasked to find them homes

Scott Simon speaks with Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, about how her organization helps Afghan refugee children resettle in the U.S.

'Swagger' follows a young basketball prodigy, inspired by Kevin Durant's life story

Scott Simon speaks with Reggie Rock Bythewood, director of the new TV drama "Swagger." It's about a basketball prodigy and the family, players and coaches around him.

Isaiah Rashad and Kal Banx lit up the darkness to make 'The House Is Burning'

Isaiah Rashad and producer Kal Banx's relationship reveals how the best artist-producer collaborations work a lot like life — with friends to distract us from and soundtrack us through all our drama.

Local filmmaker Vincent Valdez is making sure Latinos who died of COVID-19 are not forgotten through his series of short films commissioned by the Des Moines Art Center. He set up his production studio in his West Des Moines home.

Iowa man uses film to ensure Latinos lost to COVID-19 aren't forgotten

The traditional Mexican holiday Day of the Dead is a time to honor lost loved ones. And many have been lost due to COVID-19. One Iowa man is making sure their memories live on.

Patricia Maginnis holds her <em>Abortees' Songbook</em> and stands next to a bulletin board full of abortion information. The early abortion rights advocate, pictured here in 1970, died earlier this year.

Inside Pat Maginnis' radical (and underground) tactics on abortion rights in the '60s

Pat Maginnis was out in front of the fight to legalize abortion in the 1960s, but few know her name and the lengths she went to.

Huge pumpkin is disqualified from competition over a small crack

Mike Schmit from Markesan, Wis., grew a pumpkin weighing over 2,500 pounds. But the pumpkin, which was the biggest one in the running, was disqualified because of a fingernail-sized crack.

American Indians and Alaska Natives are disproportionately affected by the pandemic

A Harvard-NPR poll finds American Indians and Alaska Natives were hit by the pandemic's emotional toll the worst. Native researchers say tribal groups have responded with resilience and strength.

A typical sight during the 2019 Village Halloween Parade in New York City.

New York City's Village Halloween Parade comes back to life, saved by a serious fan

Canceled last year for only the second time ever because of the pandemic, New York City's storied Village Halloween Parade returns, partly due to one very generous fan.

"Some of the work is deliberately remaining outside of the structure," says musician and advocate Lilli Lewis of the efforts of Black musicians to make it in country and roots music industries. "We want to center different values and it's really difficult to do that from inside." Lewis just released a new album called <em>Americana.</em>

New roots: Black musicians and advocates are forging coalitions outside the system

The mostly white country and folk music industries remain frustratingly difficult for Black musicians to enter. During one of Nashville's biggest events, one group envisioned a new pathway in.

Decorations are seen during a Halloween at the White House event two years ago.

Don't stop by the White House to trick-or-treat this Halloween

The White House will not hold Halloween its traditional Halloween festivities this year because President Biden and the first lady Jill Biden will be traveling overseas.

Search results for