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.
They may not agree on much (health care reform, climate change, housing terrorism suspects in Illinois) but Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Democratic U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley have found common ground on at least one issue — loud television advertisements.
Asked by reporters if he’d be willing to support a bill passed by the U.S. House Tuesday targeting loud television ads, Grassley said he would but hasn’t seen the specific bill yet.
“Since I control the channel switcher in my house, I get tired of my wife telling me to turn it down every time a commercial comes on,” he said.
The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM Act, ends the practice of advertisers adjusting the volume of their television ads to be excessively and disproportionately loud during normal programming. The legislation passed the House by voice vote.
Braley issued a release about the bill shortly after its passage, saying it would help prevent “noise pollution.”
“This legislation will finally provide some relief from blaring television ads, which can disproportionately affect or cause hearing damage for Iowa’s seniors, small children and those who use hearing aids,” Braley said.
It now goes to the Senate, which is considering an identical bill, the Associated Press reports.
Grassley concluded his conference call with reporters by explaining how he manages to control the remote instead of his wife of 55 years, Barbara.
“It’s difficult,” Grassley said. “I can move faster than she can.”
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