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.
Jim Gibbons, the former Iowa State University wrestling coach vying for the Republican nomination in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, has brought on a former aide to U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., to run his campaign.
Gibbons announced Wednesday that Brian Chatwin will serve as campaign manager. Most recently, Chatwin was an aide to Ensign, but he previously worked on the 2000 and 2008 John McCain presidential campaign, as well as the 2008 GOP National Convention in Minneapolis. Brian is a native of Las Vegas, Nev., and has family in Keokuk County.
Of the five men seeking the GOP nomination to take on incumbent Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell, Gibbons has managed to garner the most attention, thanks to his ties to a number of wealthy Republican power brokers, including Gary Kirke, Bruce Rastetter, Denny Elwell and John Ruan. Those associations mean Gibbons will likely be the candidate with the best fundraising operation, a key factor when taking on an eight-term incumbent.
In addition to Gibbons, Dr. Patrick Bertroche, former pilot Dave Funk, retired architect Mark Rees and state Sen. Brad Zaun are also seeking the GOP nomination.
Follow Jason Hancock on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter