Stories

The company that tried and failed to construct a coal-fired power plant in Marshalltown is contemplating giving it another try, this time with natural gas.

A national commission investigating immigration enforcement under the Bush administration has released a comprehensive new report documenting the impact immigration raids have had on families, workplaces and communities across the country, drawing on information from raids in Postville and Marshalltown.

Conservative Ken Black of the Marshalltown Times-Republican published a column Sunday under the headline, “Elections Have Consequences.”  In it, he criticizes voters for electing Democrats, who he says killed the proposed coal-fired power plant that was set to be built in his city:

As Sen. Tom Harkin moves closer to making recommendations, outgoing U.S. Attorneys Matt Whitaker and Matt Dummermuth leave behind a legacy that shows the power of the position.

Two out of the three test balloons floated 11 years ago by the Clinton Administration and Congress as possible ways to lessen the nation’s illegal immigration problem popped quickly. A third, known since 2007 as E-Verify, continues to float around the nation. While both private and government organizations have been critical of the tool, new voices have begun to emerge to question not only the effectiveness but the politics behind its continuance.

The Iowa Utilities Board heard testimony last week on a proposed Alliant Energy coal plant in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Among those testifying in support of the plant was Iowa Valley Community College District Chancellor Tim Wynes. He supports the building of the 650-megawatt facility because of “the economic development that will come with the plant,” which he [...]

Dr. James E. Hansen, the NASA scientist who is world-renowned for his work on global climate research, will return to Iowa next week when he appears before the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB). Hansen will again lobby for a ban on new coal plant construction and make stops in Des Moines and Iowa City to join [...]

Ignoring the relatively high concentration of Hispanic people in Marshalltown, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney told a crowd of almost 200 there Friday that “you probably don’t have a lot of immigrants legally” in Iowa.

Marshalltown, which is home to a meatpacking plant operated by Swift and Co., was at the epicenter of a nationwide string [...]

With aid from the Marshall County Sheriff, the Marshalltown Police Department arrested 16 people in Grinnell last Friday under forgery and identification theft charges.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokeperson Greg Palmore said that ICE provided expertise, “assistance and administration processing,” to local police but did not initiate the investigation.

Warrants had been prepared for 26 [...]

Approximately 20 workers were arrested at the Monsanto Seed Company Friday morning in Grinnell. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has stated that this is a local law enforcement operation and that arrests were made on criminal charges.

ICE was notified one week ago about this local operation which involves people from Marshalltown who were subcontracted by Manpower, [...]