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.
Experts painted a grim picture of fraud and deceit in the for-profit college industry at a hearing led by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin on Wednesday.
At some colleges, investigators posing as prospective students were encouraged to list fake dependents or hide their savings. At others, admissions officials refused to let them consult financial aid officers until they signed an enrollment agreement.
“Contrary to what we’ve heard from the industry, these practices seem to be standard,” said David Hawkins of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. “They do not appear to be isolated acts of bad actors.”
Harkin announced more than a month ago that he would seek increased oversight for for-profit colleges. The Senator from Iowa took issue with the high debt burdens held by proprietary schools.
The most recent hearing follows a scathing report issued earlier this week. The Government Accountability Office revealed for-profit college recruiters were using illegal tactics to attract students and to garner federal aid for those students. Government officials worked under-cover to collect video of some for-profit college staffers encouraging illicit activity.
Harkin said Wednesday that he’ll request documents from 30 for-profit colleges in hopes of determining the scope of illegal practices in the industry.
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