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.
Rod Roberts
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rod Roberts of Carroll supports the ouster of three Iowa Supreme Court justices that are up for retention votes in 2010 due to their verdict legalizing same-sex marriage earlier this year.
Roberts said he will personally vote “no” on all three who will appear on the ballot — Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices Michael Streit and David Baker — and will use his campaign to encourage Iowans to do the same.
“We need to send a message to the Iowa Supreme Court that they are accountable to the people of Iowa,” Roberts said. “The problem with judicial activism is that it thwarts the will of the legislature and of the people of Iowa. Next November, it is our duty as voters to let these justices know what we think of their judicial activism.”
Roberts has long been critical of the court’s April decision in Varnum v. Brien, in which six same-sex couples sued Polk County Recorder Timothy Brien for not issuing them marriage licenses. The court unanimously ruled that Iowa’s law denying same-sex couples the right to marry violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution.
In Iowa, Supreme Court judges are up for retention every eight years.
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