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.
DENISON — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is earning significant points with the Hispanic community for supporting driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants — a controversial issue on which his chief rivals either disagree with him or have heavily nuanced positions.
Federico Pena, the former Clinton administration transportation official who is supporting Obama for the presidency, said the driver’s license issue has traction in the Latin community.
“Sure, because it is a practical approach,” Pena, the former Denver mayor, told Iowa Independent. “We have to get back to things that work. What we’ve learned in states like New Mexico and other states is that motorists do not want to be worried about getting hit by a person driving a car who has never taken a driver’s course.”
Pena said 40,000 people are killed annually on highways.
“We have to find other ways to reduce the fatalities,” he said.
Pedro Rodriguez of Denison said the Hispanic community sees Obama, an Illinois Democrat with a mixed-race family, as having a bird’s-eye view of many cultures.
“He’s got a knowledge of how to approach things from a different cultural level,” said Rodriguez, 51, a supervisor with a packing house in Denison.
During an event here with Pena, Rodriguez and Luis Navar, a local Latino activist, served as pitch men to their community for the Illinois senator.
“He can bring together all the communities,” Navar said.
Navar, who runs a construction company here, held an event in his home for Pena. For his part Navar said he went with Obama over New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Navar said Pena swayed him.
Pena said he believes Obama can put an end to the cultural wars of the baby boom generation.
“The reason that I’m supporting Barack Obama is that he doesn’t participate in those old battles of the last century,” Pena said. “He’s really a 21st century leader, and I think the world is looking for a 21st century leader in the United States. We don’t need to fight the old partisan battles and the old cultural battles of the last century. We are fastly moving into a new century.”
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