Kate Payne
ReporterKate Payne was an Iowa City-based reporter and served as a co-host of Iowa Public Radio's podcast Caucus Land. Kate has won Regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her feature reporting and her sound editing. Her political reporting has been featured on Morning Edition, All Things Considered and The NPR Politics Podcast. She's been a guest on MSNBC, CBSN, KQED, WGBH, CapRadio, WYPR and New Hampshire Public Radio.
Before coming to IPR, Kate was a reporter and fill-in host at WFSU in Tallahasse, FL. She is a proud North Florida native and a dyed-in-the-wool hand talker.
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Iowans serving a life sentence can't qualify for parole, unless they get a commutation from the governor. During her time in office, Gov. Kim Reynolds hasn’t approved any commutations. Some advocates say it’s time for reform. -
A Grinnell man was sentenced to life in prison Monday for the brutal killing of Michael Williams, a Black man whose body was found burning in a roadside ditch in 2020. The judge gave a blistering rebuke of Steven Vogel, calling him a "cold-blooded murderer with hatred in his heart." -
One of the teenagers accused of killing a Spanish teacher in Fairfield last month is asking a judge to transfer him to juvenile court. Sixteen year olds Willard Miller and Jeremy Goodale were both criminally charged as adults in the killing of Nohema Graber. Miller is asking a judge to send him to juvenile court. -
Investigators say that officers shot and killed a man in Iowa Falls Wednesday morning, following a request for assistance from a woman who said he was stalking her. According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, officers responded to the call near Rock Run Elementary School, where the man reportedly drove his car into the woman’s car. -
Last week’s runoff election in Cedar Rapids is sparking interest in rethinking how the city chooses its mayors. The runoff was triggered when no candidate won 50 percent of the vote plus one during the regular election, forcing the top two to face off again. Now the top two candidates say they're open to the city reassessing the runoff process. -
Doug Jensen, an accused Capitol rioter from Des Moines, had been ordered back to jail after violating the conditions for his pre-trial release. Now he's asking for another chance to be let out of jail. In a court filing this week, his attorney apologized on his behalf, while taking issue with the judge's orders he stay off the internet. -
A judge has decided not to lower the bail for two Fairfield teenagers accused of murdering a Spanish teacher. Judge Joel Yates has ruled that bail for Jeremy Goodale and Willard Miller will remain at $1 million, cash only. -
Former TV journalist and nonprofit leader Tiffany O’Donnell beat out attorney and businesswoman Amara Andrews to become the next mayor of Cedar Rapids. The Democratic-leaning city is continuing its pattern of electing moderate Republican mayors. -
Researchers say investing in renewable energy is vital to staving off the worst impacts of climate change. But a utility-scale solar project in Linn County is drawing opposition from some residents who are opposed to the development being built on farmland. -
Iowans will get a chance to weigh in on a proposal to build a carbon dioxide pipeline that would run the length of the state. Dozens of public meetings kicked off Monday on the Heartland Greenway project, which is expected to draw opposition from farmers and environmentalists alike.
