Sandhya Dirks

With Or Without Overhaul, Immigration Lawyers In Short Supply

Sandhya Dirks — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:47:00 +0000

With immigration a hot-button issue in Washington, some version of immigration reform is likely this year. Even so, immigrant activist Sandra Sanchez concedes that the country might not be ready for an overhaul of its immigration laws.

Sanchez, director of the American Friends Service Committee Iowa's Immigrants Voice Program, doesn't mean that in political terms, but in practical ones. "We need to be prepared for the wave of millions of potential applicants that will be needing ... legal services," she says.

In Iowa, The Physics Of Politics

Sandhya Dirks — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Both campaigns want to claim momentum heading into the final days of the campaign. This is especially true in battleground states like Iowa, where enthusiasm and voter turnout can make all the difference.

It's a common political metaphor — momentum — but is it a good one?

Iowa State University physicist John Hauptman knows a thing or two about momentum: "Take an object. It's the mass of that object times it's velocity," Hauptman tells Iowa Public Radio.

Vote While You Shop: 'Pop-Up' Poll Sites Sweep Iowa

Sandhya Dirks — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:45:00 +0000

In a number of swing states, early voting means many people are already casting their ballots. Typically, that entails voting by mail or visiting a county elections office.

But in Iowa, satellite voting — where "pop-up" polling stations allow people to vote at convenient times and nontraditional locations — is growing in popularity.

On a recent afternoon in a Des Moines strip mall, families are stopping in at La Tapatia Tienda Mexicana for their weekly grocery haul.

A Century-Old Grotto That Might Out-Glitter Vegas

Sandhya Dirks — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0000

The Midwest is known for its roadside attractions — world's largest ear of corn, heaviest ball of twine, biggest truck stop.

But it's also home to one of the largest collections of grottoes in the world. Most of these man-made caves were created by immigrant priests at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Economic Impact Of Killing 'Pink Slime'

Sandhya Dirks — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:00:00 +0000

"Pink slime" has been all over the news recently. Now the fear over the so called slime is beginning to have economic effects. This week Beef Products Incorporated, or BPI, temporarily closed down a total of three meat processing plants in Kansas, Texas and Iowa. The social media backlash over the processed meat may end its use, which could mean a lot of lost jobs. So the governors of those states are doing damage control. On Thursday they toured the only BPI factory still open, in South Sioux City, Nebraska.