Here First
Monday – Friday before 7 a.m.
Start your day with the essentials. Coffee. Breakfast. And the local news you need to know. Host Meghan McKinney rises bright and early to bring you the top news stories from around Iowa in under 10 minutes. Wake up, grab that coffee and get your news Here First. You can support what you hear on this podcast at ipr.org/donate
Latest Episodes
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U.S. Senator Joni Ernst says Congress needs to know the terms of an initial deal to end the war with Iran. Council Bluffs council members voted down a moratorium on data center projects. And there's a new coalition in central Iowa trying to address cancer rates.
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A state auditor's report shows how much the state has spent on the ESA program in its first year. City council members in Des Moines are considering cutting back services to fill in an expected budget gap. And where is Iowa's trash going to go as the state's landfills fill up?
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Another community is pushing back on data center development. There has to be an investigation into the water quality of Bloody Run Creek under a court ruling. And the state's public universities will offer a three year degree program.
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A few Libertarian candidates have been kicked off the November ballot. Cedar Falls is building a gas power plant. And there's a new healthcare job board to recruit more healthcare workers to the state.
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Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn rallied party activists at the GOP state convention Saturday. A new report shows two of Iowa's rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure, and the City of Ames is rolling out its first curbside recycling program this July.
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Stores that accept federal food assistance will have to stock even more foods to meet the Trump administration’s push toward healthier eating. Several Libertarian candidates face challenges to their attempt to appear on the November ballot in Iowa. And, this weekend is the first opportunity for people to see a restored Grant Wood mural in Sioux City.
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Residents in Clinton are pushing back on a proposed data center. A basic income pilot program in Des Moines has ended. And State Auditor Rob Sand says pharmacy benefit managers may have used prohibited drug pricing strategies.
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About 200 people will lose their jobs with the state as part of a plan to outsource state agency IT services. A Libertarian candidate has joined Iowa's 3rd Congressional District race. And Sioux City is adding more automated license plate readers in the city.
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A lawn watering ban is in effect in the Des Moines area because of high nitrate levels in source water. The governor has signed an executive order to create the Office of Outdoor Recreation. And Democrat Rob Sand has announced his running mate in the race for governor.
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Rob Sand has started campaigning as the official Democratic nominee for Iowa governor. The courts will decide what to do with scholarship money at the University of Iowa left behind for Black students. And Iowa has ranked 10th in the nation for child well-being.