Episode 107: Dr. Bob Continues His Descent Into Madness. This Isn't What the National Guard is For. Top 5 One-Hit Wonders.

Podcast Segments:

* Iowa Coast to Coast (statewide news)

* From KCRG: The University of Iowa announced Monday that its Summer Writing Festival will be discontinued. Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) has decided to discontinue the Summer Writing Festival due to ongoing funding challenges. The festival will be discontinued starting December 31, 2025. Iowa CLAS says the decision is based on the resources required and not a reflection of the dedication or effort of the staff. The Iowa Summer Writing Festival brought adult writers from across the country to lead in-person workshops in Iowa City every summer since 1987. The festival is for writers of all levels and backgrounds. The Iowa Summer Writing Festival says they’re forever grateful to all of the writers who have participated in the festival since 1987.

* Governor Reynolds orders Iowa Guard to Assist ICE - From KCCI: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has directed the Iowa National Guard to assist in an immigration mission alongside federal agents. According to the governor's office, 20 Iowa National Guard soldiers will help Iowa-based Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents by providing administrative and logistical support beginning Sept. 8. “Just as we supported Texas when the Biden Administration left them to defend the border, Iowa will continue to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws — this time, by working with the Trump Administration to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in our state,” Reynolds said in a news release announcing the mission. “By providing administrative and logistical support, the Iowa National Guard will free up local ICE officials to continue their work outside the office to enforce the law and keep our state safe.” The authorization is approved through Nov. 15, according to the governor's office. During a conversation with Democratic State Rep. Angel Ramirez, Iowa's first Latina elected to the legislature, KCCI spoke with her about this move. "I think it's deplorable that the governor would scare her residents like that. I think it's deplorable that we would waste tax dollars on that," said Ramirez. "We're talking about such a small population of our people, our community. These are human beings. We are all people. We all want the same things: love, happiness, and success for ourselves, for our kids, for our parents, for our neighbors."

* Trump EPA takes impaired rivers off Iowa list - From Iowa Capital Dispatch: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its previous decision to add seven segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters due to their high nitrate concentrations. In November the agency decided the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ list of impaired waters only “partially” met the requirements of the Clean Water Act to identify waterways with identified pollutants in excess of water quality standards. The EPA review of the list identified seven additional segments with high levels of nitrate and nitrate plus nitrite. Despite pushback from the DNR, and comments that the EPA had a “patchwork approach” to regulating nitrate across the country, the federal agency finalized the decision in January. According to reporting from the Des Moines Register on Tuesday, the EPA office informed the DNR in July it had rescinded its decision. A spokesperson for the DNR confirmed the action in an email with the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Board president Jenny Turner said the EPA’s decision to rescind the segments from the list was “an affront to the health and well-being of Iowans.” “Issuing this reversal on the heels of Central Iowa Water Works first ever lawn watering ban and consistently high nitrate levels in these very same water segments is tone deaf, appalling,