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 nearly empty cafeteria.
That’s what greeted Anthony Porter at Des Moines’ East High School. The co-founder of the New York-based, A Call to Men , which trains men to end violence against women, visited Des Moines to give a four-hour workshop to sexual assault advocates and professionals for the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
Porter also planned to give a public speech at East High School to encourage ordinary men to do more to end violent acts against women.
But the audience on Wednesday evening was practically empty. Just Abraham Funchess Jr., division administrator for the Iowa Commission on the Status of African-Americans and two other women.
Sheri Floyd, a community organizer at Iowa CASA, had envisioned a cafeteria full of men, women and children learning what they can do to stop sexual assaults and violence against women during April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
But not one person on a perfectly mild spring day got that message. What a shame.
It left me wondering about what kind of message the abysmal attendance sent Porter. Will he go away thinking that Iowans don’t care about ending violence against women and girls? Would he think Iowans are in denial about the serious violence and abuse happening in their communities each day?
I don’t know. I felt too embarrassed to ask.
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