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.
First-term Democratic state Rep. Larry Marek thinks the best way he can represent his district is to support a vote on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, reports the Lone Tree Reporter (circulation 647).
Marek said same-sex marriage is a highly emotional issue on both sides of the debate. The best way he says he can represent all of his constitutions is to see that the issue goes before the citizens of Iowa on a ballot.
“There are a lot of tough decisions to be made,” Marek noted, “and emotional feelings involved. I try to do what’s best for the area, with some people happy and some unhappy.”
If his position was characterized accurately, it would mark another disagreement between Marek and his party’s leaders in the House. During the 2009 session, Marek helped kill union-backed legislation that would have required state-funded public works projects to pay a “prevailing wage” to workers. House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, felt the bill was so important that he kept the voting machine open for an entire weekend, hoping Marek or another “no” vote might switch.
Marek lives in Washington County, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by nearly 2,000 registered voters. Among Democratic state representatives, his district is arguably one of the most conservative.
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