Samantha McIntosh
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Iowa Public Radio
The southeast corner of the Johnson County Administrative Building will become Dr. Lulu Merle Johnson Plaza, featuring a bronze statue of Johnson alongside plaques celebrating Black Iowans in Iowa City.
Courtesy of Jesus Gomez-Velez / University of Iowa
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On this episode, we talk with the people behind Iowa's two Latino film festivals. The Des Moines Latino Film Festival just held its sixth annual event on April 11. Antonio Romero of the Latino Center of Iowa and Ben Godar of Varsity Cinema, who co-present the festival, share how their partnership has reshaped the festival the last couple years, and their hopes for the future. Then, we get a preview of the inaugural Aqui y Alla Latin American Film Festival happening May 1-3 at Filmscene in Iowa City with programming director Ben Delgado and festival committee member Ariana Martinez. Also, poets JD Schraffenberger and Sean Thomas Dougherty join to discuss their recently published "chapbook" of golden shovel-formatted poems that were inspired by the work of James Hearst. -
A new film festival celebrating Latino culture and community is coming to Iowa City this weekend. The inaugural Aquí y Allá Latin American Film Festival takes place May 1-3 at FilmScene’s Chauncey cinema and features six new premieres. -
Police are investigating a shooting that happened early Sunday morning at the downtown Ped Mall near the University of Iowa campus. Five people were taken to area hospitals. No arrests have been made.
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Larger-than-life bison sculptures made of bronze will make a stop at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History on March 15 as the exhibit heads to Washington, D.C. It's one of several ways Iowa is participating in the 250th anniversary celebration of the U.S. -
The single-day food, literature and music experience is scheduled for April 25 and will take place across several Iowa City venues. -
The new, multi-site, month-long festival in Iowa City centers on Afrofuturistic art, fashion, literature, media and community dialogue.
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Hundreds gathered in downtown Iowa City over the weekend to mourn the death of Alex Pretti, the second Minnesota resident shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement officials this year. Many said they were horrified, disgusted and angered by what they saw in videos of the shooting. -
The prestigious James Beard Awards, which recognize culinary excellence in the U.S., released its list of 2026 semifinalists. It includes a bakery in Iowa City, a cocktail bar in Des Moines and chefs at two Des Moines restaurants. -
The brand-new, two-day music festival will bring artists like Pieta Brown and Frankie and the Witch Fingers to Iowa City in April 2026.
