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 lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Iowa’s Smokefree Air Act has been dismissed after coalition of Iowa bar owners decided to drop their court challenge.
The lawsuit was filed last year by Choose Freedom Iowa, the Iowa Bar Owners Coalition, Clinton’s Organized Bar & Restaurant Owners and Froehlich Properties Inc. just as the state’s smoking ban went into effect. The suit claimed that the ban was unconstitutional.
The groups sought a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the ban while the lawsuit worked its way through the courts, but a judge last August refused to grant the order.
One of the plaintiffs, Brian Froehlich of Wilton, told the Associated Press that the group was “redirecting their efforts and will support the bars that are going to court to protect their businesses.”
In a statement released after the lawsuit’s dismissal, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said there are 44 liquor license enforcement actions involving the smoking ban currently before the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division.
“We will continue to support enforcement of the law and defend any challenges to the constitutionality of the law,” Miller said. “The great majority of Iowa businesses are obeying the law, and we will not allow a small minority to flout it.”
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