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.
State Troopers are now patrolling Iowa's highways in flex-fuel vehicles.
In a press conference Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver announced that the Iowa State Patrol has received its first order of 10 E-85-compatible patrol cars.
The vehicles are built specifically to be able to burn an 85 percent ethanol fuel blend.
Culver said the state patrol has 119 flex-fuel patrol cars on order, and from this year forward all of the cruisers purchased by the state patrol will be E-85 compatible.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver speaks at a press conference Tuesday at the state Capitol to announce the new flex-fuel vehicles purchased by the Iowa State Patrol. Pictured are, from left, Iowa State Patrol Col. Robert Garrison, Culver, Iowa Corn Growers Association CEO Craig Floss and Iowa Commissioner of Public Safety Gene Meyer.
"We are the nation's biofuels production leader, and now we must be the leader in biofuels use as well," said Culver. "And that work begins here in state government. There is no more visible or widely-known symbol of state government in our communities and on our highways than an Iowa State Patrol car."
Culver said that in three years the entire state patrol fleet will consist of flex-fuel patrol cruisers.
Two months ago, Culver signed an executive order stating that 60 percent of the entire state fleet would be flex-fuel vehicles by 2009.
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