Zachary Oren Smith
Eastern Iowa ReporterZachary Oren Smith is a reporter covering Eastern Iowa for IPR. A Mississippi transplant to Middle America, he came to IPR as a Talk Show Producer in 2021 after reporting on Iowa City politics for the Iowa City Press-Citizen and Des Moines Register.
You can contact Zach at zsmith@iowapublicradio.org and on Twitter @ZacharyOS.
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A community meal can bring people together. But as small towns shrink and institutions like churches contract, a meal can become vital to the life of a town. One church in northeast Iowa is changing the role it plays and the value it provides to the greater community.
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You turn on the tap and expect clean water to come out, but that comes with a cost you might not realize. It takes a confluence of federal, state and local dollars to keep water flowing to a faucet near you.
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When colleges close, they don’t disappear. Closures leave students in flux and facilities unattended. And in the case of Iowa Wesleyan University, a collection that needs a home. The University of Iowa has taken on the role of safeguarding the now-shuttered university's archival records.
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The second-largest school district in the state has the largest school bond referendum in state history on the ballot next Tuesday. And according to new finance reports, it's getting some help from a state representative's consulting firm.
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One hundred and fifty years ago, the network of tunnels under Iowa City's streets were used to ferment and transport beer. Archeologists are using ground penetrating radar to see just how deep the tunnels go.
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The University of Iowa's original bid of $28 million was reconsidered and chosen as the best and highest option.
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Johnson County Supervisor Royceann Porter has an axe to grind. But to learn why you have to go back days, weeks, even a year to see how bad blood bubbled into the present.
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USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack said unprecedented federal money will promote the planting and maintenance of new trees. His tour to get out the word about the spending began in a town still recovering from the loss of many of its trees.
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Davenport city staff provided testimony, video and even voicemails painting a picture of the mistreatment staff suffered at the hands of Davenport Alderman Derek Cornette. City Council was receptive and removed him from office. But it's an open question whether the council can do that.
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An investigation of the Davenport building collapse reveals failures on the part of the building's owner, as well as his engineering firm and masonry contractors. The collapse, according to the report, could have been prevented.