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.
A $750,000 allocation to help restore Des Moines’ historic downtown library secured by U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Des Moines, is a waste of tax money and further proof that many lawmakers are “money junkies,” a Republican candidate for Boswell’s seat said Friday morning.
Dave Funk
Retired pilot Dave Funk, one of five Republicans hoping to challenge Boswell for the 3rd District Congressional seat, questioned why the project received funding during a time when “Iowans are losing their jobs, the Iowa Food Pantry is at devastatingly low levels and the state itself is facing major budget cuts across the board.”
“Sir, how dare you waste honestly earned, taxpayer money when the State of Iowa, Iowa’s largest employer, faces a 10 percent budget cut across the board, which inevitably means job cuts?” Funk said in a statement.
The money, which was part of the $446.8 billion FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2009, will go toward the year-long, $30 million effort to transform the former downtown library into the Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates. The city vacated the century-old building in 2006 and it was taken over by the World Food Prize Foundation, founded by Iowan Norman Borlaug.
Nearly $25 million of the $30 million needed to renovate Des Moines’ 1903 downtown library building and convert it into combination headquarters, museum and conference center has already been raised from mostly private donations.
The building, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, is scheduled to be completed late next year.
Funk said the funding is unnecessary because the project won’t create jobs.
“How can you stand proud of $750,000 given to the World Food Prize when Iowa’s unemployment rate has increased from October 2008 (4.3) to November 2009 (6.7), a 55 percent increase?” Funk said, later adding: “We all deserve these answers. Please give us this common courtesy and explain to us how you so comfortably give away our hard-earned money.”
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