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.
A formal complaint filed against Republican state Sen. Merlin Bartz of Grafton will be heard Tuesday by the Iowa Senate ethics committee.
The complaint, filed by former state Rep. Ed Fallon and his wife Lynn, alleges Bartz used his office and public resources to encourage other elected officials to disobey state law.
Bartz used the Web site of the Republican Party’s Senate caucus to urge opponents of same-sex marriage to collect signatures and deliver them to county recorders demanding that they refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in direct defiance of an Iowa Supreme Court decision. Attorney General Tom Miller instructed county recorders that doing so would be illegal, and to date no same-sex couples in Iowa have been denied a license.
Ben Stone, executive director of Iowa ACLU, said the ethics complaint is a threat to Bartz’s free speech.
The ethics committee, which is chaired by Senate President Jack Kibbie, will convene Tuesday at noon at the Iowa Capitol.
Follow Jason Hancock on Twitter
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