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.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin says federal aid for flood-ravaged portions of the Midwest could be between $3 billion and $4 billion — and that’s just an early estimate.
Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, travels Thursday to Iowa with President Bush aboard Air Force One to help show the nation’s chief executive damage firsthand and make the case for federal assistance.Speaking with reporters on a conference call, Harkin said about $1.8 billion would flow to Iowa and surrounding states hit by flooding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). More than $1 billion more — to start with — will come through other special appropriations, said Harkin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
“There may be more later on,” Harkin said.
The money would go to Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Missouri through small business support, transportation aid, community block grants and agricultural sources.
“We don’t know how much Missouri is going to require because that hasn’t hit yet,” Harkin said.
Harkin said the Department of Labor has signed off on the release of more than $17 million in national emergency monies — including $6 million for Iowa — for temporary jobs aimed at the flood recovery efforts. The jobs would last up to 26 weeks.
“This could provide pretty good jobs for people who have been dislocated,” Harkin said. For information on these jobs call (800) JOB-IOWA.
When asked by reporters what he would talk to Bush about during the tours of devastated regions, Harkin listed funding for disaster loans and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work, along with farm-related assistance.
While it is too early for a final verdict on the coordinated federal and local response, Harkin said it is apparent that lessons were learned from both the floods of 1993 and Hurricane Katrina.
“I was impressed with how fast they moved people to Iowa,” Harkin said of the federal government.
He added, “I think perhaps they learned a lot during Katrina. I think we’re benefiting from mistakes they made during Katrina.”
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