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.
Gov. Chet Culver spoke to a crowd of about 75 in Iowa City on Thursday as part of his two-day farewell tour. The outgoing governor outlined what he thinks are the biggest successes — namely flood relief, economic resilience and energy policy — and made little mention of his Republican successor or the incoming class of GOP legislators, who are already making plans to cut some of Culver’s hallmark programs.
“We’ve won some tough elections. I’ve won a couple primaries along the way. And last Nov 2nd it didn’t quite work out. You know, winning is more fun. But I’m at peace with the fact that the people of Iowa have decided to go in a little different direction. I do wish the governor-elect and the Branstad-Reynolds administration all the best. I think it’s time to set politics aside. We’ve got the legislature convening next week. We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got to create jobs. We’ve gotta help these Iowans who are displaced, who are looking for work. We’ve got to continue to lead in renewable energy. We have to make sure we have health care and preschool for our kids. We’ve got to continue to fight for civil rights. We have a lot of work to do on flood recovery. That’s gonna take three, five, ten more years depending on where you are in your flood recovery efforts. So I encourage everyone here, whether you’re an elected official or not, to have a voice, to stay engaged, to work with your legislators on both sides of the aisle. Sure, we have our differences right now but I think we’ve already shown that we can convince those in those important positions to change their mind.”
Culver’s term officially ends at the end of next week. The one-term governor said he doesn’t have immediate plans after leaving office. He said he hopes to stay in Iowa and land a job in the renewable energy industry.
Follow Adam B Sullivan 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