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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.
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Iowa will rely more on reserve funds to fill a growing budget gap left by declining tax revenues. The chair of the Des Moines school board is out of the 2026 Senate race. And low levels on the Mississippi River could force farmers to pay higher prices for fertilizer.
A second city in Iowa has affirmed protections for LGBTQ residents. Some airports are refusing to play a video from U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. And domestic violence homicide has gone up in Iowa.
Cancer researchers say the tobacco tax needs to be higher in Iowa. The state auditor is going to look into Des Moines Public Schools' finances. And another Republican is trying for Iowa's 4th Congressional District.
A Republican has dropped out of the race for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. The nation's largest book supplier has suddenly closed. And lawmakers are trying to address agricultural cyberattacks.
A Democrat from eastern Iowa is running for U.S. Senate. Newspaper company Lee Enterprises will stop printing on Mondays. And new kinship licensing requirements makes it easier for kinship caregivers to get financial assistance.
A southwest Iowa teacher facing termination for her social media comments about Charlie Kirk's death is suing her school district. There is a woman county sheriff for the first time in over 100 years in Iowa. And how are Iowa farmers feeling about dropping land prices?
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an executive order that requires work authorization checks for new state employees. The Iowa Supreme Court is deciding if low-income Iowans should have to pay court fees if their case is dismissed. And methane from landfills in Dubuque is converted into natural gas to power homes.
Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says she will hold a town hall when "hell freezes over." Community members had mixed feelings at the Des Moines school board meeting last night. And a request for a fence around an immigration enforcement office in eastern Iowa has been approved.
The Department of Homeland Security says former Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts has several past criminal charges. Google wants to build a data center in eastern Iowa. And how are Midwest grape growers dealing with low wine sales?
Des Moines Public Schools is suing the search firm they used to hire former superintendent Ian Roberts. Some Iowa immigrants are struggling to pay increased federal application fees. And an Iowa Libertarian has announced a bid for U.S. Senate.
Community members attended a town hall for the former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent. The Johnson County Sheriff is now seeking a bond initiative to fund a new jail. And what can agricultural employers do to prepare for federal immigration officers showing up on U.S. farms?
Sen. Chuck Grassley says he isn't sold on President Trump's proposal to use tariff revenue for farmer aid. Early radon testing at Iowa public schools show some have high levels of the radioactive gas. And work-based learning is becoming more common in Iowa schools.
The Des Moines Public School Board has accepted Ian Robert's resignation from superintendent. DMPS students walked out of classes yesterday in connection with ICE detaining Roberts. And DMPS is now under investigation for what the Department of Justice is calling race-based employment.
The Des Moines School Board has placed Superintendent Ian Roberts on unpaid leave as he remains in federal detention, and the state has revoked his education license. Abortions provided by clinicians in Iowa dropped significantly in the first half of this year. And one of the Republicans running for Congress in northwest Iowa has dropped out of the race.
The Des Moines School Board voted over the weekend to place Superintendent Ian Roberts on paid administrative leave, following his arrest Friday by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. On Saturday, supporters for Roberts protested outside the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center in Sioux City, where Roberts is currently being held. Farmers' soybeans may be stranded this harvest as China, the biggest buyer of soybeans on the international market, has yet to make a single purchase from the U.S. for the upcoming year.
Tax changes in President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will reduce Iowa’s revenue by about $400 million this fiscal year. Iowa says its efforts to help a few dozen struggling public schools are showing encouraging results. And the University of Northern Iowa is set to kick off a year-long celebration for its 150th anniversary.
Gov. Kim Reynolds says Iowa school performance is progressing because of her administration's policies. New law enforcement technology is coming to an eastern Iowa town, despite residents' pushback. And UnityPoint nurses in central Iowa say the company is trying to stop union efforts.
A Mount Pleasant man is suing the Trump Administration over a new immigration policy. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand backs the Oskaloosa school board for firing a teacher over comments about Charlie Kirk's death. And a community land trust is coming to the Des Moines area.
More law enforcement agencies in the Midwest are working with ICE. The director of the state's largest agency has resigned. And an AmeriCorps program in Waterloo is back up and running.
The Oskaloosa art teacher who was fired over a social media post about Charlie Kirk's death is now suing the school district. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird talks free speech on college campuses. And Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was in Iowa over the weekend.
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