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.
Earlier this year, Republican Brenna Findley struggled to outline the differences between herself and incumbent Attorney General Tom Miller. She called for a “new direction” in the attorney general’s office, but stopped short of calling for any specific reforms.
That’s changed.
Gov. Chet Culver was quick to try to quell criticism over an audit which showed the Department of Natural Resources — under direction of a Culver appointee — is non-compliant with 16 state laws. Previous audits of the DNR have produced similar findings, even while the department was headed by Republican appointees, Culver spokesman Jim [...]
The DNR director’s failure to comply with a slew of state laws marks the second time this year that an appointee of the Democratic governor has faced criticism for alleged corruption or mishandling.
Culver was criticized earlier this year for lobbying the state Racing and Gaming Commission to grant casino licenses to four applicants — a decision governors have traditionally declined to take a stance on.
Iowa’s local telephone and Internet service providers took a hard financial hit last year when the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) issued a ruling forcing them to lower access rates charged to other companies using their phone lines. And now they say the loss of revenue could result in massive layoffs at some of rural Iowa’s largest employers.
During a stop in Ottumwa Tuesday, GOP lieutenant governor candidate Kim Reynolds appeared to offer a different economic vision than the man at the top of the Republican ticket, Terry Branstad. However, Branstad’s campaign said the ideas shared by the two running mates are not mutually exclusive. Last week, Branstad told a crowd in Marshalltown [...]
Without a state-level body, every state agency, the 99 counties, almost 1,000 cities and all the many other governing bodies around Iowa are each charged with enforcing public information rules. That sometimes means enforcement isn’t uniform through every level of government. And — between county attorneys, the state ombudsman, the attorney general and litigation — the channels to appeal information denials aren’t always clear.
The National Rifle Association is threatening to take action against two Iowa communities that have proposed or enacted bans on carrying firearms on public property, saying they violate the U.S. Constitution, The Des Moines Register’s Jason Clayworth reports. West Burlington has a ban on carrying weapons in municipal buildings and Hancock County is contemplating a [...]
Expert: Iowa’s open records and open meetings laws have “many obvious problems” and reform is “very badly needed.”
For years Iowans, even those who reside in the state’s largest cities, have remained blissfully ignorant of the transportation woes that impact drivers throughout the nation. In fact, easy commutes to and from work are one aspect of Iowa life promoted by the state’s tourism and economic development agencies to prospective residents and businesses. But [...]
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