Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Rosemary Thompson during the 77th General Assembly
Marion, a suburb of Cedar Rapids, has lost two former female legislators in as many days.
Rosemary Thompson, who was elected into the Iowa House during a 1995 special election, suffered a stroke last week that left her comatose. She held her seat until 2000, when she fulfilled a campaign promise of self-imposed retirement after three terms.
“Rosemary was a very kind and thoughtful legislator,” said Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha. “She was a leader who knew how to bring people together to achieve great things.
“The people of eastern Iowa will surely miss her leadership, selfless nature and hardworking presence.”
Thompson’s death comes two days after another long-term female legislator, Mary Lundby, lost her battle with cancer. It was Lundby’s vacated House seat that Thompson filled in 1995 — Lundby successfully took over an Iowa Senate seat vacated by Paul Pate.
Thompson, who had worked at Linn-Mar Community School District as a student adviser prior to her bid for the legislature, never forgot her roots. She was an advocate for education while in Des Moines, serving as leadership for the House Education Committee.
According to e-mail messages sent from the family, Thompson had experience numbness while on a recent vacation. When she and her husband, Jim, returned home and the episode occurred again, she was taken to Mercy Medical Center. A surgery followed at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, but Thompson never regained consciousness.
The family made the heart-wrenching decision to remove Thompson from life support on Friday. She died this morning at age 72. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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