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.
More than 50 years have passed since CRANDIC (Cedar Rapids AND Iowa City) trains have carried passengers. They returned for free demonstrations Saturday for a special “Corridor Train Excursion” on the Hawkeye Express. The train is owned by Iowa Northern Railways and the rails by Alliant Energy.
The day was part of a plan by Johnson and Linn counties and Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, North Liberty and Swisher city governments to gauge customer interest in commuter trains in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids Corridor.
Video is available below the fold.
If federal monies can be secured, Joshua Sabin of Iowa Northern Railway Company says that the first phase would re-establish passenger trains from Iowa City to North Liberty. The next phase would expand to the Cedar Rapids Airport and then to Cedar Rapids.
The CRANDIC line sees little use; Sabin said there are currently only two freight runs made on the line per week.
Each leg of the train ride lasted 90 minutes, a far cry from quick but congested highway I-380, which an average 11,000 people use everyday.
A study suggests that for $70 million, the tracks can be upgraded for faster travel, depots can be built, and train equipment can be procured for full competitive service. In contrast, the estimate for adding just one lane of traffic to I-380 would run $400 million.
The event attracted rail fans from across the country, including William Kuba, President of the Iowa chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. He rode the last official run of the CRANDIC Interurban passenger train in 1953 and says he came back for the “nostalgia.”
Serious rail fans were easily identified in the crowd, but many local families enjoyed the leisurely rides. Almost two thousand passengers were carried on two round trips between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.
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