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.
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The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety is warning that a series of e-mail and text messages distributed this week claiming that an AMBER Alert had been activated in Monroe County were a hoax.
The messages contained either the following information or a closely-worded variant: “AMBER Alert! A 3 year old girl was taken by a man driving a new silver truck with license plate #72B381 Monroe County, Iowa.”
Officials want the public to know that no such AMBER Alert was activated in Iowa, or anywhere else within the U.S.
“Iowans should be able to tell an AMBER Alert message like this is a hoax, simply by reviewing its source,” stated a press release from the Department of Public Safety. “If you didn’t receive the information directly from a law enforcement agency or credible news organization, it likely began circulating as a prank. Remember, true AMBER Alerts are hard to miss.”
Iowans who would like to receive text messages of activation notices are encourage to visit the Iowa AMBER Alert Web site and sign up.
Officials want Iowans to be vigilant about debunking hoaxes and about reporting suspicious activity.
“If you do think there is a credible threat to a child, the first thing you should do is contact your local law enforcement. Over the past few weeks, numerous reports of child enticement or attempted child abductions have been reported in central Iowa. We applaud children, parents and community leaders for reporting these incidents. Typically, two-thirds of all crime goes unreported,” the officials wrote.
The AMBER Plan, a cooperative and voluntary agreement between officials and media outlets, began in 1996 and is named in honor of Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington, Texas. According to data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there have been 467 successful recoveries credited to the program.
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