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.
The Legislative Oversight Committee will discuss the possibility of an investigation of the state’s film tax credit program when the panel meets Thursday, the committee’s co-chair told Radio Iowa’s O.Kay Henderson.
Sen. Rich Olive, D-Story City, said the legislature may look at all of the state’s tax credit programs in order to ensure taxpayer money is being spent properly.
From Radio Iowa:
“The worst case scenario is exactly what happened and we need to make sure that does not occur any further with any of the tax credits that we give out,” Olive says.
Key questions need to be asked, according to Olive, such as whether the job creation promises made by those getting state tax credits are being met.
“Then, of course, the second step is to make sure that we’re not spending those dollars on Land Rovers or Mercedes — that we’re actually doing this the way the legislation is set up and the way the rules are set up,” Olive says.
Republican legislative leaders wrote a letter to House Speaker Pat Murhpy, D-Dubuque, and Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, asking that the Legislative Oversight Committee look into the program.
The committee is made up of Democratic and Republican lawmakers from both the House and Senate.
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