What Silence Actually Sounds Like

The quietest place on the planet sits inside an ivy covered Minneapolis building, right across…

ByByNate EisenmannMar 27, 20248 min read

Can the Midwest be Defined?

Stereotypically it’s beer, casseroles, farmers, but is there more to it? The Midwest, like many…

ByByMichaela BreedMar 26, 20249 min read

The Costumes of Tulip Time

While most people get excited about the hundreds of thousands of tulips sprinkled around Pella,…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniMay 15, 20234 min read

Art & Culture

Policy & Impact

The Forgotten Law

In the spring of 1917, Kansas passed the infamous Chapter 205. This new law gave…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniApr 21, 20237 min read

The Last Gay Bar in Lincoln

Longtime friends Matt Carter and Casey Delong met about 25 years ago at The Q…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniApr 10, 20238 min read

The Freedom To Be

Blame it on the sense of freedom in the air. Or maybe it truly was…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniApr 4, 20236 min read

The Loneliest Radio Station

We went looking for the loneliest radio station in Iowa. KSOI-FM ended up being anything…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniMar 29, 20237 min read

The Squirrel Can’t Hurt You

I started crying as soon as we entered the store. Beady eyes stared at me…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniMar 21, 20239 min read

The Ray Dennison Legacy: Money, Power, & Amateurism, Ep.3

In todays episode, Justine Drake, Jackson Ostroski, and Zac Gideon are going to be touching…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniMay 11, 20227 min read

Out & About

We Can Bring Back The Stars

Paul Bogard spends most of his nights looking up. From his home in southern Minneapolis,…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniMay 6, 202312 min read

The Growing Importance of Native Plants

Douglas Tallamy has two points he wants to make. The first: It’s not too late…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniMay 1, 202310 min read

From Dumpsite to Paradise

Lincoln natives grow up with it. Newcomers embrace it. In a city known for football,…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniApr 26, 20234 min read

Alpacas, Meet Agrotourism

Welcome to the only state where pigs outnumber people seven to one. Agriculture in Iowa…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniApr 4, 20237 min read

Protecting Iowa Pollinators

Bzzzzzzzt. There are few sounds as universally recognizable as the buzzing of a bee. But…

ByByUrban Plains AlumniApr 1, 20237 min read