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.
The Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission, a group appointed by Gov. Chet Culver to assess the damage caused by this spring’s severe weather, has issued its 45-day report calling for immediate action to help individuals and Iowa families meet challenges before cold weather arrives.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver
Officials have said the commission’s report is vital to guiding officials on the long-term rebuilding efforts following flooding and tornadoes that caused damage across the state this summer.
“The publication of the Rebuild Iowa Report signifies an important step in our recovery efforts,†Culver said in a statement, adding that he and legislators will review the commission’s recommendations “with one goal in mind: to quickly and responsibly identify any unmet needs in this state, and then implement the additional measures our administration, and all of state government, can take – working in a bi-partisan, fiscally responsible manner — to help get Iowans back on their feet.”
The report said the damages Iowa suffered by Iowa “defy description†and identifying all the damages and placing a dollar value on them is impossible.
Among the damages include:
-Â Â Â $856 million is for single family dwellings
-Â Â Â Large businesses experienced an estimated $100 million in losses
-Â Â Â $2.5 to $3 billion, estimated total damage to crops and grain, equipment, agricultural infrastructure, and grain storage and handling facilities
The state must ensure housing for all who need to be relocated, temporarily or permanently, before cold weather arrives, the report said. A complete floodplain mapping must be completed for the entire state as well.
The next step is for Culver to decide whether or not he will call legislators back to Des Moines for a special session, an idea that originally seemed inevitable but has become less likely of late. The state is also waiting to find out how much federal aid can be expected, a total that won’t be known until Congress comes back into session later this month.
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