Lizzie Hershberger grew up in an Amish community in Minnesota. She is a survivor of sexual abuse and rape, and she left the community, eventually writing the memoir, Behind Blue Curtains: A True Crime Memoir of an Amish Woman's Survival, Escape, and Pursuit of Justice. Hershberger connected with journalist Sarah McClure, who published a year-long investigation about incest, rape, and abuse in Amish communities. Hershberger and McClure then set out on years-long journey filming the documentary Keep Quiet and Forgive, which premieres March 23rd on PBS. Also, water quality is a huge challenge for the Midwest and the Great Plains, but there is a great deal of beauty to be found in the aquatic ecosystems that surround us. ISU professor Amy Burgin joins to share of the Great Plains' water wonders and what she calls "wicked problems."
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On this week's Newsbuzz, a regional domestic violence intervention program is looking to fill the gap left by the impending closure of the University of Iowa's Rape Victim Advocacy Program. -
This year, the University of Iowa says it will close the provider of sexual assault services in southeastern Iowa. A local provider has less than a year to fill the gap. -
The Rape Victim Advocacy Program has provided support for survivors of sexual assault for more than 50 years. An IPR News investigation reveals how its abrupt closure came about and how that puts those services for 10% of the state’s population in jeopardy.
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Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a last minute law Friday to ensure Iowans who were abused by Boy Scout leaders decades ago can get their full payout as part of a national settlement. A lawyer familiar with the case said if the bill did not become law by Friday, Iowa survivors would get less money than survivors in other states. -
As a now ex-University of Iowa employee lied about his identity, the real William Woods ended up in a mental health facility after trying to convince authorities he was who he said he was.
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Roxane Gay's collection of essays "Bad Feminist" became a New York Times best-seller after its 2014 release, and her voice has since become an important part of our social discourse.
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The emergency contraception reimbursement requests for rape victims are pending at Attorney General Brenna Bird's office office months after she put the practice on pause. -
A state board has suspended a former Lone Tree educator’s Iowa teaching license for at least 12 years for alleged sexual involvement with a student nearly two decades ago. But the former student is still barred by Iowa law from seeking justice in the courts. -
A Polk County judge ruled that Pieper Lewis will remain on probation after escaping from a residential facility last November.
