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 historic flooding that hit Ames over the last two days, as well as floods that have ravaged many eastern Iowa cities over the past few years, are the “new normal” and a sign the state must improve flood-prevention efforts, Gov. Chet Culver said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.
“We are seeing unprecedented flooding – the flooding in Ames is worse than ’93,” Culver said. “Anything the state can do in terms of flood mitigation will be done. We can be smarter in terms of planning and conservation efforts. We need to be aggressive in terms of taking steps regarding flood mitigation.”
Culver’s statement comes as the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization points to weather-related events of July and August — from wildfires in Russia to floods in Iowa — as signs that the impacts of climate-change are already underway.
From the Associated Press:
The experts now see an urgent need for better ways to forecast extreme events like Russia’s heat wave and wildfires and the record deluge devastating Pakistan. They’ll discuss such tools in meetings this month and next in Europe and America, under United Nations, U.S. and British government sponsorship. …
In Iowa, soaked by its wettest 36-month period in 127 years of recordkeeping, floodwaters from three nights of rain this week forced hundreds from their homes and killed a 16-year-old girl.
The international climate panel projected increased U.S. precipitation this century — except for the Southwest — and more extreme rain events causing flooding.
Earlier this year, a Gallup poll found Americans continue to grow more skeptical of the threat of global climate change, with nearly half of all respondents saying the threat is exaggerated.
Back in Ames, where broken water mains buried under flood waters have left 56,000 residents without water, Culver said the state is working to make sure adequate drinking water is available. Six trucks of water have already been secured for Ames and more than 20 are ready to send. Earlier Thursday, U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, a Republican who represents the portion of Iowa that includes Ames, said local residents are “in desperate need” of water and called for companies and individuals to donate bottled water by visiting several distribution locations.
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