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 Polk County Board of Supervisors denied a request from the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) for a $1.6 million loan to help pay damages associated with five recent pedestrian accidents, according to the Des Moines Business Record.
Four out of the five pedestrian accidents were significant accidents, with three individuals actually being run over by a bus, [DART General Manager Brad] Miller said. The most recent accident happened in October, when a bus making a left turn hit a pedestrian who was crossing the street.
The trials in lawsuits related to the pedestrian accidents are expected to go to court in late 2009 or early 2010, Miller said, making it pertinent to include the money to cover the judgments in the upcoming ’09 and ’10 budgets, which are currently being drafted.
The Board, however, said it would be unwise to budget money that might be lost in a lawsuit before any lawsuit takes place.
“If you’re on the witness stand and the plaintiff’s council says ‘Well isn’t it true that Polk County has guaranteed your liabilities to the extent of $2 million?’ you’re under oath, you have to say ‘yes’ and you have essentially written a check for $2 million,” said Michael O’Meara, first assistant county attorney.
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