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 latest round of job cuts have begun at The Des Moines Register, with sources inside the paper’s newsroom confirming at least six layoffs and one buyout so far.
The names of those affected by the cuts have not yet been confirmed. A source said the layoffs will continue tomorrow.
Gannett Co, which owns The Register and 84 other daily newspapers around the country, announced to employees in October a plan to reduce payroll by 10 percent, a move which would include layoffs. Since August, Gannett has eliminated 1,000 jobs across the country in what have been called the largest layoffs in the newspaper industry’s history.
Register Editor Carolyn Washburn warned her staff that layoffs were coming at the beginning of August, and by Aug. 19 several veterans of the newsroom were either let go or accepted buyout packages. However, most were well aware that unless Gannett’s financial situation improved dramatically, more job cuts were a foregone conclusion.
Another Gannett paper, The Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle, announced today that it is eliminating 59 jobs.
More on this story as it develops.
UPDATE (Dec. 2 at 9:42 p.m.) — While the exact number of job cuts is still unclear, several sources have confirmed there will many more layoffs than previously reported, most of which will happen on Wednesday. The majority of cuts will take place in the newsroom, but other departments, such as advertising and circulation, will not be immune.
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