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.
Legislation calling for $56 million from the state’s $155 million emergency fund to be used to provide relief for victims of last summer’s floods and tornadoes was unanimously passed by the Iowa House Tuesday night.
The bill calls for $24 million for housing assistance, $10 million for individual assistance administered by the Department of Human Services and $22 million for community disaster grants administered by the Department of Management.
Gov. Chet Culver had originally requested $43 million to be used from the emergency fund. He also requested $2 million for the Rebuild Iowa Office, money that was not included in the bill. It does, however, allow for the Rebuild Iowa Office to create a 14-member council to help coordinate state agencies. The budget of the office will be debated later in the session, legislators said.
Despite this, Culver said he is pleased with the legislation as it stands and hopes the Senate will pass it quickly.
“Though months have passed since the storms of 2008, many Iowans are still feeling the effects,” the governor said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Senate to pass disaster relief legislation, which will help communities rebuild stronger and safer, and move our state further down the road to recovery.”
The Senate will debate the bill Wednesday.
In the Senate, a measure that would expedite the process of putting a local option sales tax on the ballot for flood damaged areas was passed on a 32-18 party line vote. Republicans argued that rushing the measure into force would effectively preclude efforts to organize opposition to the higher tax.
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