OMG! If you’re looking for a raucous good time to escape the oppressive summer heat, I’ve got just the thing: Mean Girls at Countryside Community Theatre with book by the brilliant Tina Fey of Saturday Night Live fame, and under the incandescent direction, choreography, and costuming of Ashley Mills Becher, whose dazzling talent I’ve seen many times at Circa 21 and she outdoes herself with this show. Husband Bobby Becher takes on the task of Music Director and the result of this team is an explosive, riotous, energetic extravaganza of entertainment that will have you out of your seat for a “Standing O.”

Staying hydrated is essential for feeling your best during the summer months. This episode shares practical tips to help you increase your water intake, recognize hydration-rich foods, and build healthy hydration habits.

Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for Illinois Governor, talks about the reasons for his candidacy, how he would address the skyrocketing cost of living, ethics reform, an Illinois DOGE, property tax reform, jobs and much more. He also discusses his decision to live in Chicago to help bridge the partisan and rural-urban divide.

What happens when pollution flows downstream into our communities? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Art Cullen joins Rooted: Girls, the River, and the Fight for Environmental Justice to talk about how he uncovered the truth about agricultural pollution in Iowa's rivers and why clean water matters to everyone. Hosted by Kayla Babers and Jasmine Babers-Gunn.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed 78 bills last week, including one designating July 25 as Emmett Till Day in Illinois.

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen has been tabbed to lead a new legislative panel on weather preparedness.

Something unusual is happening in this year's elections.

Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center to reduce patient population, staff amid operational changes

Water quality has become a bigger part of the public conversation in Iowa as the Des Moines metro and smaller communities around the state grapple with high nitrate levels. Many homeowners are concerned about their health and are looking into reverse osmosis to filter out these contaminants.

A new report identifies challenges to agricultural diversification in the Corn Belt, and policy changes that could make it easier to grow different crops or integrate livestock and trees.

A new outdoor climbing area in Jackson County is the first of its scale to open in the state in more than a decade. Volunteers passionate about opening more access to climbing in Iowa developed the site earlier this summer.

Google has been eyeing a site for a potential data center that's currently in unincorporated Linn County but could be annexed into Palo city limits. This week, Palo put a data center ordinance in place, while Linn County opened up talks to circumvent its newly instated moratorium.

When Congress allowed Affordable Care Act tax credits to lapse, healthcare premiums spiked for millions of Americans — especially self-employed farmers and ranchers. That added cost is multiplying the stress on their already stretched balance sheets.

Animal rescue leaders say new rules meant to prevent the spread of the livestock parasite make sense. But they are also costly for overcrowded shelters in Texas, which transfer many pets to other states.

Corn and soybean growers have seen several years of low commodity prices and increased costs for supplies like fertilizer and fuel. That has many farmers worried about whether they'll turn a profit this year and drawn some comparisons to a dark time in American agriculture.

Attorneys say cases that claim the popular weedkiller causes cancer will have to change course to move forward in court after the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the agriculture company last month.