PlatPhorm Podcasts
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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7/1/2026
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Here First
A new state law taking effect today changes how Iowans access medication abortions. The Planned Parenthood clinic in Iowa City is closing. And an environmental advocacy group is suing the EPA for records about a nitrate health study.
View original6/30/2026
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Here First
The speed limit on some Iowa highways is set to go up. Iowa schools will be required to have policies to identify and support gifted students. And how will SNAP payment error rates affect funding for the federal food assistance program?
View original6/29/2026
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Iowa is gripped by the first heat wave of the summer, big cuts for the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, and a popular lake in northwest Iowa reopens as part of a state program marking its 20th year.
View original6/26/2026
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The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the maker of Roundup over cancer warnings on pesticide labels, a new facility could support more conservation on farms across the state, and some farms are growing something you might find in your own backyard, serviceberries.
View original6/25/2026
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A termination letter shows why a former IPERS official was fired. Libertarians running for Iowa governor and lieutenant governor are suing to be put on the ballot. And a museum in Waterloo is bracing for funding cuts.
View original6/24/2026
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Iowa's SNAP restrictions have been blocked by a federal court. Woodbury County has passed a moratorium on data center projects. And U.S. senators are still working on a new farm bill.
View original6/23/2026
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There are fewer Iowans enrolled in SNAP since a federal law change. The governor has appointed a new director of the state's largest agency. And Des Moines area residents are still under a lawn watering ban.
View original6/22/2026
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A program at the University of Iowa will study how environmental exposures affect human health. Gov. Kim Reynolds shares her thoughts on a gas tax. And year-round sale of E15 could hurt the soybean market.
View original6/19/2026
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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.
View original6/18/2026
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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?
View original6/17/2026
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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.
View original6/16/2026
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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.
View original6/15/2026
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Here First
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.
View original6/12/2026
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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.
View original6/11/2026
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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.
View original6/10/2026
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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.
View original6/9/2026
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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.
View original6/8/2026
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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.
View original6/5/2026
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The governor has signed a bill that requires immigration status checks for public workers. Death is more likely to occur in domestic violence when a gun is involved. And how have 1970's federal laws cleaned up rivers in the U.S.?
View original6/4/2026
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A new study will look at how environmental factors affect Iowan's health. Governor Kim Reynolds reflects on her last legislative session as governor. And former residents of a teen treatment center in Missouri say they were abused there.
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