October 2015

Food

Originally broadcast 10/16/2015
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Todays's show focuses on Food topics and events in Ames. We begin the show talking with Sang Kang, a Ph.D. student at ISU who is teaching the Fine Dining Event Management Course at ISU, and Shane Brewer, a Senior ISU student who is taking this course. We will be learning about the Fine Dining Dinners that ISU students will be presenting to the public over the next month. I am then giving a news update on the Fall mushroom season (see the picture of Chicken in the Woods). Marg Junken will be joining us. She is the owner of the Cook’s Emporium in downtown Ames and she will be talking about her business. Finally, We have Merry Rankin back for her monthly report on Sustainability. Today she is wearing her hat as the City of Ames sustainability coordinator and talking about the City of Ames Smart Business Challenge. Joining her segment are Ebby Brown and Drew Loiacono who are seniors at ISU and helping her as interns with Smart Business Challenge. Yes, even this topic has a food element. So Stay tuned and learn more about Food in Ames. Bon appetite!

Indian Summer Surprise and Lost Schools

Listen Here Now Originally broadcast 10/14/2015
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Local Talk hosts Susan Franzen and Sam Womley visited the Iowa Country Schools Conference at the Iowa Arboreum. There we heard from Cecile Unruh, Wesley Peters, Hal Tuttle, Colleen Lemkuil about Iowa Schools and took a surprise visit with Nerida Ellerton about the huge one room school moved to TooWoomba, Australia with an invitation to come and see it.

We then heard a description of the "Lost Schools" project at the Des Moines Register from Jason Clayworth, the Des Moines Register Reporter who published many of the newspaper articles on the subject. In addition to announcing the theater oremiere of the documenary "Lost Schools" at the Varsity in Des Moines on October 18 and its showing on Iowa Public Television on October 22, Jason described the Register's interactive website where pictures and information about abandonand or demolished schools may contributed and viewed. Hollis Monroe carried forth the spirit of the season reading the poem "Indian Summer." and Ursula Ruedenberg interviewed Asa Wentzel-Fisher and Tibi Chelche, printmakers involved with the Post Print Festival in Perry on October 19.

Used Books and Planned Parenthood

Originally broadcast 10/12/2015
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Imagine inheriting a million books. Or buying them for a mere buck at one of central Iowa's two major used book sales this past weekend, continuing into today at deep discount.  Ames Public Library Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Bohlke talks about the quirks of the Friends Foundation book sale, and how the sale supports both the mission and bottom line of the library. The 55th annual Planned Parenthood of the Heartland book sale is pretext for a conversation with that organization's CEO, Suzanna de Baca, about the intense scrutiny it has received in past months. Suzanna describes Planned Parenthood's pregnancy counseling process, and shares how the fraudulent "sting" operation conducted against Planned Parenthood has only galvanized support for its work. Finally, we speak with Leanne Harter of Story County about Iowa DOT's plans to re-engineer traffic on Highway 30 between Ames and Nevada, and other topics of county governance.

Human Sciences Week, Ames Area Studio Tours

Originally broadcast 10/09/2015
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Iowa State University Human Sciences Week will from October 12 to 16. The ISU website describes it as: “Celebrating the ISU College of Human Sciences' unique, innovative, people-oriented programs and its rich traditions with food, dance, speakers, and philanthropic events.” The event is described by Dr. Pamela White, the Dean of the Iowa State University College of Human Sciences and two students from the College of Human Sciences who have helped organize it, Danielle Bursell and Kelsey Finn. Then we hear about the Ames Are Studio Tour, organized by the Ames Community Arts Council and which will be happening Saturday, October 10 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday, October 11, from 12:00 noon to 4:00 PM. Director of the Ames Community Arts Council, Rhonda Scott, explains how to take the tour and two hosting artists describe their work and studios: Dan Marks, and Catherine Reinhart.

Alex Braidwood, Sound Artist

Listen Here Now Heart of Iowa program originally broadcast 10/08/2015
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Co-hosts Greta Anderson and Paul Hertz speak with Alex Braidwood of ISU's College of Design faculty about his field of study / performance / practice, which involves sonification of data, "experience design", collaborations outside his field, and a lot of cool equipment and arrays he creates himself. In one project, Alex wove a ambient music composition from temporal strands of data extracted from a research buoy on Lake Okoboji. In another, he recorded sounds from a master archer striking targets of different materials, then simultaneously live-looped these sounds in performance. In our modern world, we tend to "tune out" the sonic environments we ourselves have created; Alex's work teaches us to tune in and reflect on our place in Nature.

Chautauqua, Fiddles, and Wine

Listen Here Now Originally broadcast 10/07/2015
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Hosts Fritz Franzen and Susan Franzen set off on a country road trip which turned into an adventure of discovery for the community events at last Saturday’s “That Chautauqua Thing” in Webster City, described by Jean Eells, Maureen Seamonds, and Mike Brandrup of Legacy Learning. They were able to get a picture of Levi and Clancy Kroese just before their wedding at Mulberry Center Church in Wilson Brewer Park, visit the Brigg's Woods Park Cabins , and hear from Mary Schaffer-Losure and Dave Losure of Flying Pig Fiddle and Banjo as well as attending the wine tasting before Webster City Community Theatre Company's production of "Drinking Habits." Tuning in to Agriculture was visit with vintner Ann Swink from Soldier Creek Winery near Fort Dodge with mention of the fledgling Backcountry Winery near Stratford.

photo credit: Levi and Clancy Kroese

ISU Race Forum, an Immigrant's Story, Safety Tips

Originally broadcast 10/05/2015
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Co-host Gale Seiler brings us audio from last Wednesday's ISU Discussion on Race, Diversity and Inclusion , a forum organized by a newly formed student group, Students against Bigotry. At the forum, students presented their experience of racism on campus, including the incident at the Cy-Hawk tailgate, to President Leath and other administrators. Then, we hear the story of a 19-year-old Mexican who immigrated to the U.S. six months ago when his family's finances collapsed. He now lives in central Iowa attending high school, working two jobs, sending money home and saving for college. Finally, Keith Morgan of Story County Emergency Management Agency gives us safety tips for the coming season.

Iowa Resource for International Students (IRIS)

Originally broadcast 10/02/2015
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Today's show highlights international exchange opportunities in Ames. I talked to Del Christianson, the executive director of IRIS regarding bringing international visitors to Ames. This was followed with an interview with Joan Herwig, a local club leader in friendship force, about the exchange of people traveling around the world. Finally, Susan Gwiasda, the public relations officer for the City of Ames talked about city events for the month of October.

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