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.
More positive legislation affecting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) was passed during 2009 than the previous two years combined, according to a new report by the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT lobbying group and political action committee in the country.
Despite setbacks — including Maine voters rejecting same-sex marriage law and legislators in New York and New Jersey unable to pass marriage equality bills — 300 “good” LGBT bills were introduced across the country last year and 50 passed, compared to 69 “bad” bills with four passing. The report pointed to the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling last April legalizing same-sex marriage (and lawmakers pledging to abide by it), as well as anti-discrimination legislation in Delaware, domestic partnership legislation in Washington and Nevada, and a Washington, D.C., law allowing domestic partners to be presumed as parents of their partner’s biological children and to be included on birth certificates as some of the year’s biggest highlights.
“We have had moments of genuine disappointment this year,” the report said, later adding: “Eventually, these moments of frustration will be a mere blip in history as we remember all our victories in 2009.”
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