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Mark Munger/Siouxland Public MediaAt a rehearsal for Sioux City’s Sound and Style fashion show, Mark Munger meets the people bringing local designers’ work to life. First-time and returning models share what draws them to the runway, from cultural expression and family connections to the confidence of feeling fully themselves. The show is presented by the Sioux City Conservatory of Music at the Abu Bekr Shrine Temple. -
[Note: This interview was made for listening. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print.]Following her reelection, Iowa State Senator Catelin Drey joins Mark Munger to discuss the personal connections behind political participation. Drey reflects on a demanding year that included cancer treatment and campaigning, and explains why voters’ experiences cannot be reduced to economic statistics or advertising messages. Their conversation explores political accountability, the influence of money, and concerns about proposed data centers, including environmental impacts, data security and local control. Drey emphasizes listening, finding common ground and staying engaged after election day.
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Charts showing how voting in Northwest Iowa counties has trended since 2012. -
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The Ruralists celebrate their new album, Letting Go, with a live edition of SPM PM from the Back Back at the Fruited Plain in Sioux Center. Mark Munger joins Luke Hawley and Laremy De Vries for a song-by-song conversation about growing older, questioning beliefs, practicing forgiveness and making a life with the people around you. Along the way, they share stories of the family, friends and neighbors whose voices and instruments helped shape the record and the community that makes their music possible. -
In this Manager’s Special, Mark Munger visits Dr. Jeff Peterson to discuss the lasting effects of a September shooting that left three people dead in Peterson’s Sioux City neighborhood. Peterson remembers Amanda, a neighbor who helped bring residents together through Oktoberfest on Douglas, and describes efforts to help her leave an abusive relationship. He reflects on the grief, guilt, counseling costs and loss of safety that followed the violence. Their conversation explores gaps in support systems, firearm safety and the challenge of finding common ground on prevention. -
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Jeanette Hopkins remembers her late husband, educator, author and activist Bruce Hopkins, in a conversation with Mark Munger. Bruce died September 18, 2026, after living with Alzheimer’s for more than a decade. Through stories of his rural childhood, love of forests, poetry and handwritten notes, Jeanette reflects on their shared life and the compassion she found in caregiving. Even as Bruce’s memory faded, she says, their connection endured through gratitude, tenderness and love. -
Gia and Ron Emory from the Sioux City Conservatory of Music stop by to talk about the Sound and Style Fashion Fest next Friday at the Shrine Auditorium -
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Western Iowa Tech Community College’s TRIO Talent Search program has secured a new five-year grant, bringing relief after uncertainty about its future. Director Kathy Lehmann joins Mark Munger to discuss new federal priorities emphasizing career and technical education, digital credentials and workforce preparation—and how the program will continue supporting low-income and first-generation students pursuing college. -
Listen to Michael Maxwell as he recommends The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy.
