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.
More than 30 employers will participate in a job fair today designed to help ex-offenders get jobs.
The I-80 Re-entry Job Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Polk County Convention Complex in Des Moines. The job fair is open to the public but will focus on ex-offender populations. More than 300 people are expected to attend, an official said.
Advance Asphalt, Banker’s Trust, Marketlink, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Seibert Trucking and dozens of other employers are expected to participate.
Brenda Tart, a workforce advisor at Iowa Workforce Development, said this is the first job fair of its kind for ex-offenders. She said her phone was “ringing off the hook” from ex-offenders and their family members who heard about the job fair and need help. Some employers may be able to offer employment on the spot, she said.
“We’re really trying to let employers know that this is a viable work force,” Tart said. “These employers that are participating should be commended. They are stepping up to the plate to help the offenders and their families.”
Officials from ex-offender reentry programs will also participate.
State officials are working on ways to help ex-offenders stay out of prison. The prison population has been increasing, and the state tops the nation for imprisoning blacks at a rate that is 13.6 times that of whites, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Sentencing Project.
The job fair is sponsored by Iowa Workforce Development, Federal Probation and Parole, Spectrum Resources, Urban Dreams, the Iowa Department of Corrections, Creative Visions, Iowa Employment Solutions and The Director’s Council.
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