Iowa Public Radio

06/05/2026

Federal mortality data reveals a 16% decrease in so-called "deaths of despair" caused by alcohol, drugs and su***de, but cuts to public health infrastructure may make it challenging for the trend to continue.

➡ Read the full story from The Midwest Newsroom.

Federal mortality data reveals a 16% decrease in so-called "deaths of despair" caused by alcohol, drugs and su***de, but cuts to public health infrastructure may make it challenging for the trend to continue.

06/05/2026

The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority is consolidating routes and increasing frequency of service. The changes will start June 14 and all bus routes will be free to ride from June 14-30 so riders can adjust to the changes.

Changes to the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) will start on June 14. The bus system currently has 27 routes that are being consolidated into 10 main ones.

06/05/2026

Iowa farmers and pork producers are urging the U.S., Mexico and Canada to renew a massive trade agreement in the coming weeks. Around 40% of Iowa’s goods are exported to the two countries, with corn, soybeans, ethanol and tractors at the top of the list.

06/04/2026

The first drive-in movie theater opened 93 years ago in New Jersey on June 6, 1933. Today, that historic shift in how audiences watched movies is celebrated on National Drive-In Movie Day.

In Iowa, there are only four theaters left.🍿Find a screen near you to celebrate the annual event this weekend.

Celebrate the anniversary of the first drive-in movie theater by visiting a theater near you. Just four remain in Iowa.

06/03/2026

University of Iowa researchers announced a new research program focused on understanding how environmental exposures affect human health.

The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking (INSIGHT) is a partnership between the UI’s Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination and IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering department.

The project will study how environmental factors like nitrate and PFAS affect Iowans’ health.

“We want people to understand their environmental vulnerabilities, so they can actually take action or talk to their representatives and figure out how to address it, and not just engage in conversations that may not be relevant to them or their community,” said David Cwiertny, director of the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination.

The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking, or INSIGHT, will examine how factors like PFAS and nitrate affect Iowans' health

06/03/2026

The Certified Wildlife Habitat program is a national effort that helps people restore habitats for local wildlife and insects by implementing sources of food, water and shelter in their own yards.

Iowa recently reached 2,000 habitats across the state through the Iowa Wildlife Federation, with a majority in Des Moines and more popping up in smaller towns.

The habitat restoration program was created by the National Wildlife Federation in 1973, and it’s been a part of the IWF's programming for about four years.

Keep reading. ➡

The Iowa Wildlife Federation promotes the national program, which helps people certify their yards and other outdoor spaces as healthy habitats for local wildlife.

06/03/2026

Businessman Zach Lahn won the Republican nomination for Iowa governor Tuesday night and will face Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand in the general election.

Lahn received 37.8% of the vote, and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra got 37%. Feenstra conceded the race to Lahn Tuesday night. It was a major upset for Feenstra, who was initially viewed as the frontrunner and was endorsed by President Donald Trump a few days before the election.

Lahn, who lives in Belle Plaine, has campaigned on combating Iowa’s high cancer rates, preserving family farms, keeping young people from leaving the state and improving the state’s education system.

➡ Read more.

Businessman Zach Lahn won the Republican nomination for Iowa governor Tuesday night and will face Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand in the general election.

06/03/2026

Polls have closed across Iowa. ➡ See who voters picked to represent their party in November’s general election.

Polls have closed across Iowa. See who voters picked to represent their party in November’s general election.

06/02/2026

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law more than doubling the mandatory minimum sentence for people convicted of a third felony offense, along with two other laws that restrict pretrial release and ban warrant resolution clinics.

Keep reading at ipr.org ➡

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law Tuesday more than doubling the mandatory minimum sentence for people convicted of a third felony offense, along with two other laws that restrict pretrial release and ban warrant resolution clinics.

06/02/2026

With the massive success of 'Michael,' Studio One looks back on some of the great music biopics and some of the ... not so great.