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.
While seeking comment on another story, The Des Moines Register’s Clark Kauffman discovered that Gov. Chet Culver and his family are once again vacationing in the million-dollar condo of real estate developer Bill Knapp.
Culver also stayed at Knapp’s Florida condo for a week during the 2008 legislative session.
Knapp has said Culver pays him $1,000 a week when staying at the condo.
A penthouse condo in that area would normally rent for at least $2,700 per week, plus 11 percent tax, according to Ronnalyn Crain, owner of Seaside Resort Rentals & Management.
Iowa law says public officials in Iowa should be “extremely cautious” about accepting gratuities or favors from anyone who has an interest in the legislative or political actions of that official.
“Even where there is a genuine personal friendship, the acceptance of personal benefits from those who could gain advantage by influencing official actions raises suspicions that tend to undermine the public trust,” the law states.
In addition to serving as co-chair of Culver’s 2006 bid for governor, Knapp also donated more than $110,000 to the campaign. He has since given $25,000 to Culver’s 2010 re-election campaign. A spokesman for Culver said Knap is “a longtime family friend of nearly 40 years” and the arrangement is legal because the governor is paying for use of the condo.
Kauffman found out the governor was in Florida while seeking comment on a story about deaths at a state-run nursing home called Glenwood Resource Center.
[Culver Communications Director Phil] Roeder told the Register the governor’s schedule “ended up getting away from him” and so he had no time to talk to a reporter about Glenwood.
When asked whether the governor was in Iowa, Roeder said he was not. Asked where the governor was, Roeder said, “I’m not sure where they went off to.”
Roeder issued a statement about the governor’s trip after the paper made a formal request for Culver’s travel records.
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