Talk of Iowa

Sports betting can elevate a sports fan's connection to the game, but can lead to corruption and decimate savings. Des Moines resident Caleb Tessmer shares his positive experience casually sports betting. Then, Justin Balthrop joins the program. He gambles in the low seven figures each year, but his research reveals the harmful nature of online sports betting. Later in the hour, Dave Bluder, author of The Great Gamble, dove into the world of sports betting corruption for his novel and shares how the gambling industry continues to alter his view on sports. (This episode was originally produced March 27, 2025.)

On this episode, we listen back to a 2023 conversation with Iowa Playwrights Workshop alum Samuel Hunter about his play-turned-film 'The Whale.' Then a 2025 conversation with Emili Johnson who created a blog and podcast about the Black experience in Iowa. (Portions of this episode were originally produced in Feb. 2023 and Aug. 2025.)

Thousands of monarch butterflies are finishing their annual migration to Mexico. On this episode, Samantha McIntosh sits in for Charity Nebbe. We talk with Mykayla Hagaman of the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, who gives us an update on Iowa's monarch population. Then, Laura Iles of Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management and Extension Horticulturist Aaron Steil join us to answer your questions.

On this episode, we listen back to a 2025 conversation with Dawson resident and Air Force veteran Justin Wolfe, who received bronze at the 10th annual Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada. Adaptive sports have helped Wolfe push past limitations from his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Troy Peterson, a fellow veteran and Winterset resident, helped Justin turn to sports through his non-profit ValorFit. Later in the hour, research from ecologists Steven Dinsmore and Victoria Fasbender at Iowa State University demonstrates that humans can tweak their behavior in relatively small ways that could make a positive impact for the pectoral sandpiper, a migratory shore bird that often stops in Iowa on the way from breeding grounds in the Arctic to where they winter in South America. (This episode was originally produced Feb. 25, 2025.)

The Americans with Disabilities Act has done a lot to improve accessibility in public spaces, but people with physical disabilities still encounter barriers every day. Host Charity Nebbe interviews Iowans who are trying to make our state more accessible. (This episode was originally produced Jan. 23, 2025.)