Caitlin Troutman

2 weeks ago | iowapublicradio.org | Grant Gerlock |Katarina Sostaric |Caitlin Troutman

The second deadline of the 2025 legislative session has passed. Iowa Statehouse reporters talk about which bills are alive or dead after last week’s funnel week at the Statehouse. There are proposals targeting diversity programs at government agencies and in university classes, possible changes to those who can access Medicaid and ongoing debates over carbon pipelines and eminent domain. Guests:Erin Murphy, Des Moines Bureau Chief  Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register Statehouse reporter

2 weeks ago | iowapublicradio.org | Charity Nebbe |Caitlin Troutman |Madeleine Willis

Iowa City’s annual Darwin Day is an opportunity for scientists to share their knowledge and research with each other and the public. This year it comes at a moment when funding for a lot of scientific research is at risk. Host Charity Nebbe speaks with evolutionary biologists about how they’re standing up for science and moving forward in the face of uncertainty – and what we can all learn from frogs.

3 weeks ago | iowapublicradio.org | Natalie Dunlap |Caitlin Troutman |Ben Kieffer

United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy recently suggested that farmers should consider letting bird flu run through the flocks to identify birds that are immune to it. On River to River, Dr. Yuko Sato, Iowa State University Poultry Extension vet, responded to that proposal and answered more of our questions about the disease destroying flocks, raising egg prices and threatening wildlife. Can farmers let bird flu run its course?

3 weeks ago | iowapublicradio.org | Madeleine Willis |Ben Kieffer |Caitlin Troutman

Looking back at the dark times during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Des Moines Register’s Courtney Crowderreflects on a moment when it felt like light emerged within Mercy Greenley Medical Center in Ames. As a patient was taken off a breathing treatment, the tune of the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” played through the hospital speakers. “It was this moment of elation,” recalls Crowder. This conversation was originally featured on River to River, hosted by Ben Kieffer.

3 weeks ago | iowapublicradio.org | Natalie Dunlap |Caitlin Troutman |Charity Nebbe

World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has spent the last 40 years of her life traveling the world, sharing her experiences with chimpanzees in an effort to save them from extinction. She recently made a stop in Sioux City, and ahead of her appearance she spoke to Charity Nebbe about why she spends 300 days a year on the road. “We are divorcing ourselves from the natural world, and yet we're part of it,” she said.