Kate Wells
Kate Wells is an award-winning reporter who covers politics, education, public policy and just about everything in between for Iowa Public Radio, and is based in Cedar Rapids. Her work has aired on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. She's also contributed coverage to WNYC in New York, Harvest Public Media, Austin Public Radio (KUT) and the Texas Tribune. Winner of the 2012 regional RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award and NBNA Eric Sevareid Award for investigative reporting, Kate came to Iowa Public Radio in 2010 from New England. Previously, she was a news intern for New Hampshire Public Radio.
Kate graduated with honors from Principia College in 2010, where she studied comparative religion and political science.
Kate's favorite public radio program is Radiolab.
-
A former U.S. Olympic gymnastics team doctor pleaded guilty today to child sexual abuse. Larry Nassar admitted to abusing young girls under the guise of medical treatment. It was a surreal, emotional moment – especially for survivors who say they reported the abuse years ago.
-
A 19-year-old black woman was killed by a white man on the front porch of his suburban Detroit home. Relatives of the victim say she was in a car accident and going door to door looking for help when she was shot by the homeowner who thought she was a burglar
-
President Obama visited Iowa City this week as part of a three-state tour. As it was four years ago, Iowa will be an important state in the general election, which is expected to be a matchup between Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. Here's a look at ground operations for both candidates. -
China's Vice President Xi Jinping is coming to America. Next week, he'll meet with President Obama at the White House. He'll lead a trade delegation to California. And he'll also make a stop in Muscatine, Iowa. Xi visited the town (population 22,886) in the 1980s, as part of an agricultural mission. -
The Iowa Republican Party has certified the results of its caucuses earlier this month. Rick Santorum is 34 votes ahead, but the party will not declare a winner because there are missing results in eight precincts. Before the certification process, Mitt Romney had been declared the winner.
-
If Iowans feel they've been bombarded by political ads in recent weeks, that's nothing compared to what the next eight days will be like. With the caucuses only a week from Tuesday, the ad wars are changing gears for the final stretch. -
Mitt Romney has made far fewer visits to Iowa in 2011 than he did during his first run for the GOP nomination four years ago. Friday, Romney appeared in Cedar Rapids, just weeks ahead of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.
