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.
Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose again in June, reaching 3.8 percent.
June’s rate is up slightly from 3.7 percent in June 2006 and 3.6 percent in May of this year. The 3.8 percent rate means 62,500 residents of Iowa are unemployed, up from 59,500 in May of this year and 61,700 in June 2006.
“Although nonfarm employment was at a record high in June, jobs grew at a slower place than usual,” David Neil, interim director for Iowa Workforce Development, said in a prepared statement. “June marked the third straight month that the manufacturing sector lost jobs in the state.”
In April 2007, Iowa’s unemployment rate stood at 3.4 percent. All of Iowa’s figures, however, still fall well below the national average of 4.5 percent for June.
Nonfarm employment in Iowa reached a record of 1,523,200 in June, which was 900 higher than in May and 17,500 higher than in June 2006. Growth was centered mainly in health care services, financial activities, and professional and business services. A large decline of 700 was noted in manufacturing, while smaller declines occurred in mining and construction, private educational services and state government.
The industry sectors that added the most jobs from June to June were professional and business services (up 3,800), education and health services (up 3,300), trade and construction (up 3,100) and construction (up 2,400).
July numbers will be announced in late August.
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