Data centers are driving up Iowa's power demand. On this Newsbuzz episode, whether to build more wind and solar or invest in new gas and coal plants. First, we talk with Jason Clayworth of Axios Des Moines about how Iowa's new 2% property tax growth cap is forcing cities to weigh cuts to police and fire budgets, and Iowa's state climatologist Justin Glisan joins us with an update on September's record precipitation. We talk with higher education reporter Vanessa Miller about a new $5 million investment to speed up cancer treatments, and Emma Stapleton Thornell shares how this year's Iowa Climate Statement describes a "fork in the road" when it comes to electricity generation. We also hear from Hong Kong filmmaker and playwright Jun Li, who is a resident of this year's International Writing Program. Then, IPR’s Lucius Pham grooves us into the weekend.
Madeleine Charis King
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Iowa Public Radio
Eliza Billingham
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Iowa Public Radio
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn met with cancer survivors and advocates to discuss Iowa's growing cancer rate three weeks after Democratic opponent Rob Sand. -
On this episode, we learn about Harvest Academy, a recovery program in Indianola that's building a new campus in Des Moines. We meet Derek Johnson, the program's COO who landed in this line of work after his own years-long struggle with addiction. We also talk with Troy Roberts, a graduate of the program who now goes into Polk County Jail to recruit future students. Then, we talk with Iowa State University professor Raquel Espin Palazon, whose white blood cell research could lead to new cancer treatments. -
Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation and young people — ages 15-49 — are not being spared. The six leading corn-producing states have a cancer rate for young adults that is about 5% higher than the rest of the nation. Host Charity Nebbe speaks with director of the Iowa Cancer Registry Mary Charlton and two young cancer survivors. (This show was originally produced November 24, 2025.)
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand participated in a roundtable Tuesday, where he answered questions about Iowans' concerns about cancer. -
Water quality has become a bigger part of the public conversation in Iowa as the Des Moines metro and smaller communities around the state grapple with high nitrate levels. Many homeowners are concerned about their health and are looking into reverse osmosis to filter out these contaminants. -
Radon gas is naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, and the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Nearly three-quarters of Iowa homes have tested high, and yet most Iowans have never tested their home, and many have never heard of radon. Joined by Maria Steele, retired nurse practitioner and lung cancer survivor, Dr. Richard Deming, medical director at MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center, and Juliann Van Liew, Polk County Health Department Director, we look at the radon problem in Iowa. We talk about what it is, why it's so pronounced in the state, what's being done about it, and how to limit exposure.
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The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the maker of Roundup can’t be sued for failing to warn people that the weedkiller could cause cancer. The decision follows failed efforts in the Iowa Legislature to limit lawsuits over pesticide-related illness. -
The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking, or INSIGHT, will examine how factors like PFAS and nitrate affect Iowans' health -
The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital will receive up to $3 million for pediatric cancer research annually, under a bill signed into law Tuesday.
