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.
Although few Iowa residents are unaware of the continued challenges facing Cedar Rapids in the wake of last year’s unprecedented flooding, people elsewhere are waking up today to news that the state’s second-largest city still has a long journey to recovery.
Betsy Rubiner, writing for Time Magazine, has provided those outside of Iowa an intimate look into the dual emotions of pride and frustration felt by those directly impacted by the flood.
“Survivors BBQ. Everyone Welcome,” read the hand-written sign tacked onto a recently rebuilt home last weekend in a Cedar Rapids neighborhood still ravaged a year after the city’s worst flooding disaster. “We’ve become stronger — more of a family,” says Toni Grimm, the home’s owner, talking about her neighborhood, Czech Village, a historic ethnic area bordering the now-tranquil Cedar River. Last June, the river swamped 10 square miles of Iowa’s second largest city (metro-area pop. 255,000). There are signs of life in the downtown business district, with factories and shops reopened. But whole swaths of neighborhoods along the river remain eerily lifeless, with one abandoned, water-logged shell of a house after another, some spray-painted with warnings and pleas: “We want a buyout,” “This is still my house. Stay out,” “Don’t forget us.”
…
Among residents, tension over the uncertainty is palpable. Some praise the swift early response of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state, which created a special program to help people awaiting buyouts make a down payment on another home. Residents also are thankful for the hard labor of countless volunteers. And in March, Cedar Rapids voters approved a local-option sales tax expected to produce $17 million a year to be used for buyouts. But the city’s plan to improve flood protection, redevelop the riverfront and rebuild public facilities remains another concern, for some. It includes buying out flood-damaged homes in the flood plain to make way for green space, flood walls and levees. “The city didn’t look after their people,” says Frank King, a neighborhood leader. “They have used this flood for economic cleansing, to get rid of the substandard housing that used to be homes for many people.”
Follow Lynda Waddington 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