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.
Nine former workers at a Department of Education contractor in Coralville who allegedly tried to access the student loan records of President Barack Obama pleaded not guilty in a federal court Monday, the Associated Press reports.
The indictments were handed up in U.S. District Court in Davenport. Authorities say that between July 26, 2007, and March 13, 2009, the defendants accessed the records while employed at Vangent Inc., which contracts to handle incoming calls for a variety of agencies, including calls on federal student aid for the U.S. Department of Education and calls regarding Medicare and Medicaid for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
From the AP:
Authorities have not said why the nine people sought access to the records or if the information was used in any way.
Vangent Inc. spokeswoman Eileen Rivera said earlier this month that the workers were let go last June for violating the company’s security policy after it learned what had occurred. She said it didn’t appear the former workers had misused any information.
The charges are punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
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