Business & Consumer Affairs

How Fumes From Farms Are Harming Our Health— And What We Can Do About It

In the United States alone, air pollution kills about 115,000 people a year — more than three times the number of deaths caused by motor vehicles. Worldwide, some 7 million

By Lindsey Konkel/Ensia Science Journalist

/ 6 Feb 2018

How Fumes From Farms Are Harming Our Health— And What We Can Do About It

Podcast: Finding The Right Blend Of Downtown Iowa Residents

? The mix of University of Iowa students but also non-student, would-be homeowners who want to live in or near downtown Iowa City is out of balance, city housing

By Lauren Wade, with Jeff Stein

/ 29 Jan 2018

Podcast: Finding The Right Blend Of Downtown Iowa Residents

Iowa City Struggles Finding Balance Near Downtown Between Student Renters, Home Owners

Who lives in or near downtown in Iowa City, which houses students from across Iowa and other states, is out of balance, housing and urban planning experts in the city say. It’s that way because, paradoxically, more students can afford housing there because of the rents, squeezing out potential homeb

By Lauren Wade

/ 20 Dec 2017

Iowa City Struggles Finding Balance Near Downtown Between Student Renters, Home Owners

Podcast: Uncertainty for "Dreamers" But Also Others In Diverse NW Iowa Community

One of Iowa's most diverse communities deals up-front with U.S. immigration issues. This podcast takes us to Storm Lake, Iowa, as part of a series called "The Politics of Fear: What are we so afraid of?"

By Madeleine McCormick

/ 21 Nov 2017

Podcast: Uncertainty for "Dreamers" But Also Others In Diverse NW Iowa Community

Iowa Utility Seeking Millions For Grid Offers Few Details

One of Iowa’s two major utilities wants to spend – and charge its customers – nearly $1 billion over the next several years to modernize its grid, and advocates want to ensure that money is spent wisely.

By Karen Uhlenhuth/Midwest Energy News

/ 10 Nov 2017

Iowa Utility Seeking Millions For Grid Offers Few Details

Care Aimed Specifically At Alzheimer's Patients At This Iowa Care Center

Not all care centers have prohibitions against dementia patients. Some, in fact, are designed specifically for people diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

By Cindy Hadish

/ 9 Oct 2017

Care Aimed Specifically At Alzheimer's Patients At This Iowa Care Center

How Undocumented Immigrants Became The Backbone Of Dairies — And How To Keep The Milk Flowing In America's Dairyland

Immigration as a top line issue for dairy farmers would have been unthinkable just a generation ago when Wisconsin’s agricultural landscape was dominated by small and medium-sized dairy farms run by the families that owned them. Now, the nation’s No. 2 milk producing state is home to a growing numbe

By Dee Hall and Riley Vetterkind/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

/ 6 Oct 2017

How Undocumented Immigrants Became The Backbone Of Dairies — And How To Keep The Milk Flowing In America's Dairyland

Podcast: Growing Demand For Rail Shipping In Iowa

Iowa's 3,851 miles of track won't be enough to carry all the freight state Department of Transportation planners think Iowa will handle in the future. Those planners expect demand on Iowa's railroads for shipping goods to increase 52 percent from 2014 to 2040.

By Lyle Muller, with Jeff Stein

/ 3 Oct 2017

Podcast: Growing Demand For Rail Shipping In Iowa

Iowa Sheriffs State Concerns About Handgun Law Impact

Some Iowa sheriffs say an increase in the number of non-professional permits to carry handguns, coupled with new or recent gun laws in the state, have increased safety risks in their counties.

By Krista Johnson

/ 29 Aug 2017

Iowa Sheriffs State Concerns About Handgun Law Impact

Farmland Ownership In the U.S., And How It Relates To Food Security

One important way to ensure food security in the United States is to keep farmland ownership from going into foreign hands. That doesn't always happen.

By Jeff Stein and Lyle Muller, Johnathan Hettinger, Investigate Midwest and Brant Houston

/ 24 Jul 2017

Farmland Ownership In the U.S., And How It Relates To Food Security

Monsanto, Seed-Corn Companies Continue Using Contractors Despite Migrant Labor Abuse Allegations

With morning temperatures approaching 90 degrees one day in July 2015, a migrant laborer walking down rows of corn began to experience symptoms of heat exhaustion, including difficulty breathing and extreme nausea. The laborer was working near Boone, Iowa, for an independent contractor with the St.

By Laird Townsend/For The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 3 Jul 2017

Monsanto, Seed-Corn Companies Continue Using Contractors Despite Migrant Labor Abuse Allegations

Podcast: Lessons To Be Learned About Protecting Your Identity Online

We wrap up our series of podcasts about cyber security's future. The big question: Will cyber theft be more of a danger in everyone’s lives?

By Clayton Bowers and Erich Bogner

/ 17 May 2017

Podcast: Lessons To Be Learned About Protecting Your Identity Online