Sandhya Dirks

Sandhya Dirks arrived in Iowa in January of 2012 as a general assignment reporter. Since coming to Des Moines she has covered the Statehouse and traveled across Iowa to bring back stories for IPR. Sandhya was previously a reporter at KALW in San Francisco, covering education and criminal justice issues. Her work was awarded a SPJ Sigma Delta Chi and a regional Edward R. Murrow award.

Most recently, Sandhya earned her Master of Science from Columbia Journalism School in New York. Her masterââ

US News

2:45 pm

Mon April 29, 2013

With Or Without Reform, Immigration Lawyers In Short Supply

Credit Richard Drew / AP

People attend a legal clinic for deferred action applicants in New York in August. Immigration attorneys say demand for their services outstrips the nation's supply of trained immigration lawyers.

By Sandhya Dirks

Originally published on Mon April 29, 2013 5:48 pm

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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. "And we will not have enough resources to serve them."

5:31 pm

Sat November 3, 2012

In Iowa, The Physics Of Politics

Credit Charlie Neibergall / AP

More than half a million Iowans had already voted as of Thursday — a new record.

By Sandhya Dirks

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?

5:53 pm

Wed October 24, 2012

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

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Credit Sandhya Dirks for NPR

Satellite voting locations, like this one at a Latino grocery in Des Moines, Iowa, are designed to make early voting more convenient.

Credit Sandhya Dirks / Iowa Public Radio

Organizers erected signs to draw attention to a one-day voting station at a Latino grocery in Des Moines, Iowa. Satellite voting locations are designed to make early voting more convenient.

Credit Sandhya Dirks for NPR

Democrats have been particularly active in establishing satellite locations. This grocery store location was set up by the Obama campaign.

By Sandhya Dirks

Originally published on Wed October 24, 2012 6:37 pm

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.

6:02 pm

Fri June 22, 2012

A Century-Old Grotto That Might Out-Glitter Vegas

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Credit Denise Krebs / via Flickr

Father Paul Dobberstein began building the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa, 100 years ago. It's covered with stones, rocks, petrified wood and seashells.

Credit Sandhya Dirks for NPR

After he contracted pneumonia, Dobberstein — a priest, a geologist and artist — vowed he would build a shrine to the Virgin Mary if he survived. The Grotto of the Redemption is that shrine.

Credit Sandhya Dirks for NPR

Just about everyone in West Bend — population 785 — is connected to the grotto, which was built over a period of 40 years.

By Sandhya Dirks

Originally published on Fri June 22, 2012 6:11 pm

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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. And the mother of them all — encrusted in $6 million worth of semiprecious stones — is in West Bend, Iowa.

This weekend, the Grotto of the Redemption turns 100.

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