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Pat Blank
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All Things Considered Host
Dean Borg
Dean Borg
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Durrie Bouscaren
Durrie Bouscaren
Cedar Rapids Reporter
Rob Dillard
Rob Dillard
Correspondent
Julie Englander
Julie Englander
Weekend Edition Host
Rick Fredericksen
Rick Fredericksen
Correspondent
Ben Kieffer
Ben Kieffer
River to River and Java Blend Host
Clay Masters
Clay Masters
Correspondent
Amy Mayer
Amy Mayer
Reporter
Sarah McCammon
Sarah McCammon
Morning Edition Host
Charity Nebbe
Charity Nebbe
Talk of Iowa Host
John Pemble
John Pemble
Arts and Culture Reporter
Dennis Reese
Dennis Reese
Talk Show Producer
Joyce Russell
Joyce Russell
Correspondent

Sarah McCammon

Morning Edition Host

Sarah McCammon joined Iowa Public Radio in January 2010, where she is the local host for NPR’s Morning Edition and is a reporter covering a variety of topics.  Sarah is an award-winning reporter and newscaster, as well as a frequent contributor to national public media programs including NPR  and Marketplace. As a print reporter, her work also has been published in the Chicago Sun-Times and the Kansas City Star.

Sarah is a Kansas City native, and worked in public radio in Nebraska before coming to Iowa.  She also previously worked as a print reporter in the Chicago area. Sarah also has worked in Washington, D.C., and spent a semester at Oxford University while completing her undergraduate degree in English/Communication.

Sarah's favorite public radio program is This American Life.

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Statehouse and Politics
7:59 am
Fri May 24, 2013

Legislative Wrap-up 2013

Credit Photo by John Pemble
Shortly after 11am the Iowa House of Representative adjourns on May 23rd, ending the 2013 legislative session.
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IPR's Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell joins Sarah McCammon to wrap up the 2013 session. Lawmakers adjourned in their third week of overtime on Thursday, May 23.

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Statehouse and Politics
7:55 am
Mon May 20, 2013

Legislative Preview: 05/20/13

Credit Photo by John Pemble
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Iowa lawmakers are returning to Des Moines for a third week of overtime. The session was scheduled to wrap up May 3, but legislators continue to negotiate education reform, property taxes, Medicaid expansion, and other key issues.

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Health
8:39 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Longer Lifespans For Children with Congenital Disorders Mean New Challenges for Pediatric Doctors

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Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Gina and John Ten Paas of Pleasant Hill bring their son, John, to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for regular follow-ups to check on his heart condition. He was born with a congenital defect called hypoplastic left artery.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
John Ten Paas, 22 months, sleeps during a follow-up procedure to check on the health of his heart. He was born with a congenital heart defect and will require a total of three surgeries by age 5.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Gina and Kyle Ten Paas of Pleasant Hill say they're grateful for medical advances that are giving their son, John, a chance at a much longer life.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Christina "Mousie" Less, 26, has had several surgeries to treat a congenital heart defect. She now lives a normal life in Dubuque, working for an insurance company, attending grad school, and preparing for her wedding next year.
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As medicine advances, babies who used to die from congenital conditions early in life are living longer. That’s the good news. But doctors used to treating children born with heart problems or cystic fibrosis don’t always know how to help them, once they reach adulthood.

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Statehouse and Politics
6:58 am
Mon May 13, 2013

Legislative Preview: 05/13/13

Credit Photo by John Pemble
Iowa's Capitol
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Statehouse and Politics
12:45 am
Sat May 11, 2013

Paul Name Could Be Asset, or Liability, for Rand Paul

Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Sen. Rand Paul headlined an annual fundraiser for Iowa Republicans in Cedar Rapids.
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he’s considering a run for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. He headlined a fundraiser for Iowa Republicans Friday night in Cedar Rapids.

He may be picking up where his father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tx.), left off his 2012 campaign.

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Statehouse and Politics
8:30 am
Mon May 6, 2013

Legislative Preview: 05/06/13

Credit Photo by John Pemble
Iowa's Capitol
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As Iowa lawmakers go into overtime, IPR's Sarah McCammon and Joyce Russell discuss what's left to hash out at the statehouse.

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Statehouse and Politics
9:59 am
Mon April 29, 2013

Legislative Preview: 04/29/13

Credit John Pemble / Iowa Public Radio
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IPR Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell joins Sarah McCammon for an update on legislative news.

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Statehouse and Politics
7:29 am
Mon April 22, 2013

Legislative Preview: 04/22/13

Credit John Pemble
Iowa's Capitol
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IPR Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell joins 'Morning Edition' Host Sarah McCammon for a weekly conversation about legislative news.

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Environment
8:13 am
Fri April 19, 2013

Are Iowa Fertilizer Plants at Risk?

Credit Mike Stone / Reuters
Smoke rises as water is sprayed after an explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas.
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The deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas is prompting questions about regulatory oversight there.  In Iowa, officials say fertilizer is only produced at a handful of sites across the state, but many others store it.

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spokesman says the agency regulates 700 retail facilities in Iowa that store more than 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer, an ingredient that can be particularly volatile.

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Arts and Culture
6:22 am
Fri April 19, 2013

"Trans Oral History Project" Collects Stories of Transgendered People

Credit Trans Oral History Project website
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This weekend in Iowa City, several events are planned around the theme of celebrating and understanding the lives of transgendered persons.

Andre Perez of the Trans Oral History Project in Chicago joins IPR's Sarah McCammon for a conversation about trans issues and workshops designed to gather the stories of transgendered Iowans.

For more information about this weekend's events at the University of Iowa, click here.

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Statehouse and Politics
7:07 am
Mon April 15, 2013

Legislative Preview: 04/15/13

Credit John Pemble / Iowa Public Radio
Iowa Statehouse
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IPR "Morning Edition" Host Sarah McCammon and Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell look ahead to the upcoming week in the Iowa Capitol.

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Environment
8:40 am
Thu April 11, 2013

As Rustic Camps Struggle, Girl Scouts Look at Modernizing Camping

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Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
The Girl Scout logo outside the offices of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois in the Quad Cities.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Mona Woodward, right, is the co-leader of her daughter's Girl Scout troop in Dubuque, IA.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Camp Little Cloud near Dubuque is among the four camps in eastern Iowa. Officials are considering downsizing them and renovating a site near the Quad Cities with more modern facilities.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Girls at the current camps usually sleep outdoors in tents, but the site also has some basic bunk facilities for year-round activities.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois has been gaining members, but losing campers.
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Officials with Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois are voting on whether to downsize four of their Girl Scout camps. The proposal is a step back from an earlier plan, to sell all four camps entirely. Girl Scouts officials say today's girls want a more modern camping experience.

There are certain traditions that are essential to being a Girl Scout: reciting the Girl Scout Pledge, selling cookies, and – for many girls over many decades – going to summer camp.

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Arts and Culture
7:01 am
Wed April 3, 2013

The Latino Experience in Iowa: Many Cultures Over Many Years

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Credit Iowa Digital Library / University of Iowa Libraries
Family posed in front of car, Holy City, Bettendorf, Iowa, 1920s
Credit Iowa Digital Library / University of Iowa Libraries
Mother and children, Holy City, Bettendorf, Iowa, 1920s
Credit Iowa Digital Library / University of Iowa Libraries
Children participating in migrant education program, Mason City, Iowa, 1960s
Credit Iowa Digital Library / University of Iowa Libraries
Migrant workers Virginia and Julia Guzman in kitchen, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, 1960s.
Omar Valerio-Jiménez, Associate Professor of History, University of Iowa
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Latino immigration has helped to shape - and re-shape - Iowa communities for more than a century. Dr. Omar Valerio-Jimenez, associate professor of history at the University of Iowa, joins Sarah McCammon to discuss "The Latino Experience in Iowa." That's the title of a lecture he's giving as part of a series on race and gender at Mt. Mercy University in Cedar Rapids.

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Statehouse and Politics
6:11 am
Mon April 1, 2013

Legislative Preview: 04/01/13

Credit Photo by John Pemble
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IPR's Joyce Russell joins Sarah McCammon for an update on news from the Iowa General Assembly. 

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Statehouse and Politics
7:17 am
Mon March 25, 2013

Legislative Preview: 03/25/13

Credit John Pemble / IPR
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IPR Morning Edition Host Sarah McCammon checks in with Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell on legislative news.

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Statehouse and Politics
6:08 am
Mon March 18, 2013

Legislative Preview: 03/18/13

Credit John Pemble / IPR
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IPR's Joyce Russell and Sarah McCammon check in on news from the Iowa Statehouse.

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Politics
7:04 am
Mon March 11, 2013

Legislative Preview: 03/11/13

Credit John Pemble / IPR
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Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell joins IPR "Morning Edition" Host Sarah McCammon for a preview of this week's Iowa legislative news.

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Environment
8:39 am
Tue March 5, 2013

Some Northeast Iowans Fear Expanded "Frac" Sand Mining

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Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
The sand mined at Pattison comes from a rock layer called the St. Peter sandstone, found in many of northeast Iowa's hills.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
About 90 percent of the sand mined at Pattison Sand Company in Clayton County, Iowa, is used for hydraulic fracturing in other states.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
A pile of sand sits beside a rotary dryer used to remove moisture at Pattison Sand Company.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Pattison Sand Company in Clayton County is the only known place in Iowa where silica sand is being mined for fracking.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Norma and Don Locher, ages 89 and 92, live in Prairie du Chien, WIsconsin. Their house is across from a loading site where Pattison Sand Company transfers frac sand from trucks to rail.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
The Lochner home in Prairie du Chien, where they raised a dozen children. The Lochners say noise and light from Pattison's loading site across the street is keeping them awake at night.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
The Lochners say sand trucks work throughout the night, loading sand from Pattison mine in Clayton County, Iowa at this site across the Mississippi River in Wisconsin.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
A Pattison Sand Company truck parks near several semi-trailers at the rail loading site in Prairie du Chien.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
A rail yard in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin is the transfer point for some of the sand trucked across the Mississippi River from Pattison Sand Company in Clayton County, Iowa.
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Northeast Iowa is known for the big, scenic hills that dot the Mississippi River Valley and beyond.  Many of those hills contain sandstone. They can be used in hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas.

But some residents are concerned that more sand mining would harm the area’s environment.

Iowa Public Radio’s Sarah McCammon looks at the current state of “frac” sand mining in Iowa…and the potential for more.

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Environment
7:24 am
Mon March 4, 2013

Economic Opportunites and Environmental Concerns Set Up Debate Over 'Frac' Sand Mining

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Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
A pile of recently-mined sand sits on the ground at Pattison Sand Company in Clayton County, Iowa.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
At a recent public meeting in Decorah, organizers described what they see as the dangers of expanded mining for frac sand in northeast Iowa.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
Retired teacher Lyle Otte organized a public meeting at Decorah High School focused on frac sand mining. He'd like to see his county, Winneshiek, enact a moratorium on the practice similar to one just passed in neighboring Allamakee County.
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
About 200 people met recently in Decorah to discuss concerns about the possibility of frac sand mining in northeast Iowa's Winneshiek County. There's no active proposal for a frac sand mine, but some residents are raising environmental concerns.
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You’ve probably heard about controversies over the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing – the technique known as “fracking.” There’s no oil or gas fracking in Iowa…but the increasing use of the technique is affecting the state. It’s creating a market for finely-grained silica sand from northeast Iowa.

And some residents of the area are in conflict over the future of frac sand mining.

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Politics
6:59 am
Mon March 4, 2013

Legislative Preview: 03/04/13

Credit John Pemble / IPR
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IPR's Sarah McCammon and Joyce Russell discuss the latest news from the Iowa Statehouse.

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News
7:14 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Iowa Public Radio Board Fires CEO

Mary Grace Herrington
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Iowa Public Radio’s top leader, Mary Grace Herrington, has been fired by the organization’s board of directors. The board voted 6-1 Tuesday to dismiss Herrington. She had been the organization’s chief executive officer since 2009.

The lone dissenter, Mark Braun, is a new IPR board member and the interim Vice President for Strategic Communications at the University of Iowa. 

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News
1:19 pm
Tue February 26, 2013

Snow Piles on Des Moines

Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
A snow plow clears a parking lot near downtown Des Moines.
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A winter snow storm dumped several inches of unexpected snow on the Des Moines area Tuesday morning,  much of it during the morning rush hour.  Forecasters are adjusting their predictions as more snow moves into the region.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Jeff Johnson says the storm's trajectory defied predictions, which had put most of the snowfall in southeast Iowa.

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Politics
7:23 am
Mon February 25, 2013

Legislative Preview: 02/25/13

Credit John Pemble / IPR
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IPR Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell joins Morning Edition Host Sarah McCammon for a weekly preview of Iowa legislative politics.

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Environment
7:17 am
Wed February 20, 2013

Frack Sand Mining Stirs Up Controversy in Northeast Iowa

Credit Kathleen Masterson / Harvest Public Media
The Pattison Sand Co. in Clayton County, Iowa, is mining sand for use in hydraulic fracturing. Residents of neighboring counties are concerned mining may expand there.
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Controversy over so-called “frack” sand mining is heating up in northeast Iowa. A community meeting Wednesday evening in Decorah will focus on concerns about the possibility of mining development in Winneshiek County.

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Politics
6:44 am
Mon February 18, 2013

Legislative Preview: 02/18/13

Credit John Pemble / IPR
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IPR's Morning Edition Host Sarah McCammon checks in with Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell for a look at the week ahead at the Iowa Legislature.

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Politics
8:06 am
Mon February 4, 2013

Legislative Preview: 02/04/13

Credit John Pemble / IPR
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IPR's Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell joins Morning Edition  Host Sarah McCammon for a look at the upcoming week in Iowa legislative politics.

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Science/Technology
7:00 am
Thu January 31, 2013

"Sue the T-Rex" Comes to Iowa

Next imagePrevious image
Credit John Pemble / IPR
IPR's Sarah McCammon stands in front of Sue the T-Rex. The dinosaur measures 12 feet tall at the hip. The replica will be on display beginning Feb. 2 at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines.
Credit John Pemble / IPR
Michael Paha of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago oversees the assembly of the fossil replica at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines.
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A replica of a rare, 67,000,000-year-old dinosaur fossil is in Iowa for a little while. “Sue" the T-Rex was discovered in South Dakota in 1990.

The Science Center of Iowa is hosting a traveling exhibit about the dinosaur Feb. 2 to May 12. Workers have been busy this week setting up the replica of the towering fossil.

That’s where IPR's Sarah McCammon caught up with the Science Center’s exhibit director, Allison Shwanebeck, and Michael Paha of the Field Museum in Chicago.

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Environment
4:09 pm
Mon January 28, 2013

The Silver Lining In Drought: 5 Upsides To Rain-Free Weather

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Credit / iStockphoto.com
Credit Sarah McCammon / Iowa Public Radio
John Larson, owner of Snus Hill Winery in Madrid, Iowa, blends wine from Iowa grapes with grapes from other parts of the country. He says the area's lack of rain was really good for grapes.
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Originally published on Mon January 28, 2013 5:23 pm

Drought is mostly seen as a bad thing — and for good reason. It dries up crops, destroys landscaping and stops ships from moving. But even the lack of rain clouds has a bright side.

Good For Grapes

Last summer it seemed like all Midwestern farmers were upset over the lack of rain. But not all of them were; those growing grapes were embracing the drought.

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Politics
6:43 am
Mon January 28, 2013

Legislative Preview: 1/28/13

Credit John Pemble / IPR
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IPR's Sarah McCammon and Joyce Russell catch up on the week's news from the Iowa General Assembly.

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Environment
7:52 am
Thu January 24, 2013

Does Drought Have an Upside?

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
Snus Hill Winery is already bottling some white wine from the 2012 grape harvest, which was improved by the dry weather.
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
John Larson is a co-owner and winemaker at Snus Hill Winery.
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
The 2012 grape harvest is over, but Iowa growers say the drought protected the crop from pests and disease that can alter flavor.
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
Iowa is known for corn and soybeans, but it also has a small wine industry. The 2012 grape harvest was improved by dry, hot weather.
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
Snus Hill Winery uses a mix of Iowa-grown grapes and fruit from elsewhere to bottle its wines.
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
Winemaker John Larson mixes wine in a tank at his winery and vineyard in northern Iowa.
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
Winemakers at Snus Hill use large tanks to mix wine pressed from local grapes as well as varieties produced in other places.
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
Snus Hill Winery in Madrid, Iowa
Credit Sarah McCammon / IPR
John and Diane Larson grow grapes and make wine at Snus Hill Winery in Madrid, Iowa.
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Over the past several months, we’ve been reporting on lots of problems caused by a lack of rain. And for good reason – the historic drought plaguing Iowa and much of the nation has dried up crops, destroyed landscaping, and killed off fish.

But like with most things, there can be a silver lining.

John Larson makes wine at Snus Hill Winery in Madrid, Iowa. This time of year, he’s not growing grapes – but he is mixing wine in giant, silver tanks.

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