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.
Officials from three Iowa banks that received money from the U.S. Treasury as part of the federal bailout passed in September will be questioned by the state legislature’s Government Oversight Committee today.
Iowa Banking Superintendent Tom Gronstal and officials from West Bank, MidWestOne Bank and Heartland Financial have been asked to appear before the panel.
Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, said last week that the goal of calling the banking executives before the legislature was to ensure the money the banks received is helping keep families in their homes.
“We want to make sure that the money they received, that they’re willing to discuss it with us and if they aren’t I think it’s a good reason for people to even inquire more if they don’t,” he said, adding: “We want to make sure that people are accountable whether it’s local money, state money or federal money.”
West Bancorporation received $36 million on in federal bailout money on Dec. 8, Heartland Financial received $81.7 million on Dec. 10 and MidWestOne received $34.9 million on Dec. 15.
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