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.
An audit conducted by the inspector general’s office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development claims the state’s Department of Economic Development improperly awarded more than $10.5 million in federal grants for flood-damaged businesses in Cedar Rapids.
The accusations, which were first reported Friday morning by The Des Moines Register, point to lax oversight by the state in how it awarded grants through the Jumpstart Iowa Small Business Assistance Program.
From The Register:
The audit’s criticism of the disaster funds program marks the second time in recent months that the Department of Economic Development has come under scrutiny. Department Director Mike Tramontina resigned in September after irregularities were found in the Iowa Film Office, which administered state tax credits to filmmakers.
In the Jumpstart case, HUD auditors said state and Cedar Rapids officials who administered the program failed to verify that grant recipients didn’t receive duplicate benefits though any other disaster assistance programs, insurance or other source.
A state-level review is underway, but IDED officials deny any wrongdoing. Gov. Chet Culver’s office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday by The Register or Friday morning by The Iowa Independent.
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