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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Iowans protested at No Kings rallies across the state. SNAP recipients might not get November food assistance benefits because of the government shutdown. And another Democrat is running for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. -
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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?