June 2014

Ames History, 4th of July, Ella Bartlett

KHOI reporter Tom Beell interviews Terry Adams of the longstanding Adams family of Ames. Terry describes how life was in Ames when it was a small town.

Originally broadcast 06/23/2014
Listen here now

Ames Hugh School Junior Ella Bartlett reads her award-winning flash-fiction piece, "Vertebrate." Ella won the prestigious national medal in scholastic arts and writing.

Nate Logsdon of Maximum Ames describes the music that will be on the stages during the downtown street festival July fourth and fifth on Main street and Douglas Avenue. Various local musicians will perform with headliners: Sierra Leone All Star Refugee Band, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, and Buckwheat Zydeco.

Historic District, Habitat for Humanity, Heartland Marimba Festival

Originally broadcast 06/20/2014
Listen here now

Kay Puttock interviews Jason Cantonwine and Shelly Jasperine Habitat for Humanity of Central Iowa, this month's featured organization for KHOI's Community Service Appreciation series.

Paul Hertz interviews Mathew Coley, producer of the Heartland Marimba Festival & Workshop happening in Ames June 25 - June 28. Coley will also be performing at the festival.

Sharon Wirth from the Old Town Historic District Association describes the historic district in downtown Ames and the people who built it and lived there. Sharon described their upcoming< Old Town Neighborhood Home and Garden Tour, part of the Ames sesquicentennial celebrations and also in honor of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Ames Historic District, Sunday June 22 from 1:30 - 4:30PM. Tickets can be purchased at Ames History Center, 416 Douglas, or Unity Church, 226 Ninth Street.

Family Solstice Activities

Originally broadcast 06/18/2014
Listen here now

After a brief update on the Summer Learning Program at the Ames Middle School, we presented this month's edition of Family Talk, produced by Sandra Looft, and explore the many events and activities that families can enjoy on these longest days of the year. Sandra speaks with Ed Engle of Ames Area Astronomers about the "Star B Q" event this Saturday, June 21, and then visits with Sydney Algreen of Story County Conservation about catching fireflies with children, and two other upcoming events, the Doolittle Prairie Evening Walk, on June 25, and the Moonlight Paddle in July. Get out your tents! We also introduce the Great American Backyard Campout, scheduled for June 28, and listen to Andy Griffith tell a classic campfire story. Music by Frances England, The Mills Brothers, and the Waterboys.

Antique Tractors

Originally broadcast 06/13/2014
Listen here now

Donna Cowan Newbrough speaks with us about Emma McCarthy Lee Park in Ames. The city recently planned to build four lighted sand volleyball courts in the park. According to the Ames Tribune, plans have been delayed over concerns about potential impact on the park and community. Donna voiced concerns ina letter to the editor and is one of a number of people who are circulating a petition claiming that Emma McCarthy Lee Park is not the suitable location for volleyball courts since it was granted as a natural reserve area and has an important ecosystem that would be destroyed for family use.

Al Cox, B, and Steve Hanson from the Gilbert Tractor Club describe the Antique Tractor Show to be held Saturday June 21 from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM in the parking lot of Ace Hardware at Grand Ave. and 24th Street. They describe the culture of antique tractor collection and teaching young people about these machines. Cynthia McClure describes the Iowa sheep and wool festival at the Jasper county fairgrounds in Colfax, Iowa.

Goodbye To Another Ames Trailer Park

Originally broadcast 06/13/2014
Listen here now

Greta Anderson covers the stories of residents of the College Grove trailer park on Lincoln Swing St. in Ames, who are being forced out to make way for the development of upscale student housing. Then, she speaks with Terry Lowman about the backstory of this May's enactment of a new HIV-AIDS bill, which removed the extremely harsh penalties on individuals with HIV for failure to disclose their status to sexual partners. Finally, Ursula Ruedenberg interviews Marsha Kisner, an organizer of Skunk River Valley Days, a family-friendly event going on June 13-15 in the fair town of Cambridge, 8 miles south of Ames.

Traveling Folk Singers at KHOI

KHOI listeners had an unexpected treat Thursday afternoon, June 12, when regular programming was interrupted for an impromptu live performance by two traveling folk singers. Avery Hill and Dan Weber were en route to Hampton for a show there when they pulled off the highway to visit Ames. They found their way to the Ames History Center, where they had a short jam session with staff member Alex Fejfar. Then curator Dennis Wendell walked them next door to KHOI, and within minutes they were on the air.

Pigs, Poetry & Politics

Originally broadcast 06/11/2014
Listen here now

The majority of this program looks at the recent approval given by the Story County Board of Supervisors for a 4600-head hog Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) in Milford Township, just a few miles northeast of Ames.

On May 27, the Story County Supervisors held a well-attended hearing about this proposed CAFO that continued for a record 3 hours. As the Tribune reported it, comments at the hearing ran 2:1 against it, and 500 Story County residents signed a petition against it. The application was given a passing score in the county test for safety and the Supervisors gave their unanimous blessing for the proposal to move forward. The application is now with the state DNR for final approval.

We spoke with Margaret Jaynes, head of the Department of Environmental Health in Story County, Evan Burger of Iowa CCI, which has made a case against the proposed operation and its approval, and Paul Toot, Chair of the Board of County Supervisors.

At the beginning of the hour, we visited with Jason Arbogast, who will reading from his book on Thursday evening at Della Viti Wine Bar in a poetry and prose reading orgainized by a local publishing company called Red Orchid Press.

Scandinavian Days

Originally broadcast 06/09/2014
Listen here now

Paul Wierson was our host for the program on the 49th celebration of Scandinavian Days in Story City. Kate Feil of the Story City Historical Museums gave us a brief history of the event in connection with Norwegian heritage. KHOI reporters Richard Morrison, Cynthia McClure and James Winters captured the excitement of the 5K race, the Kumla eating contest, funnel cakes, and the always popular carousel. We gave previews of the other county events during the rest of the Summer and added a special memory of Mildred Bredeland of Kelley.

Responsible Dog Ownership

Originally broadcast 06/06/2014
Listen here now

This program concentrates on the absolute first step in responsible dog ownership: finding a dog to adopt, whether from a shelter, a rescue organization, or from a breeder. What makes a good breeder and how do you find one? And what about the pejorative term term “puppy mill,” a term which is in fact often used very loosely to cover different sorts of organizations? This show throws some light on the this controversial topic.

Primary Election

Originally broadcast 06/04/2014
Listen here now

co-hosts Greta Anderson and Tom Beell reflect on the results of the June 3rd primary elections. Then, we explore the Summer Learning Program spearheaded by United Way of Story County, which will serve 200 at-risk students in Ames, and dozens more in Nevada. Jean Kresse, the director of UWSC, explains how United Way has been looking into the causes of systemic poverty and has focused on literacy and hunger as ways to break the cycle. We speak with Leslie Kolhaus, the volunteer coordinator for the summer programs and Diana Schmidt, who is developing the "STEAM" (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) curriculum for the 3-4 graders, and has recruited Ames's finest organizations to be involved. You can be involved, too, by volunteering at the UWSC website.

Search form

You are here

Pages