Iowa
updated
6:49 a.m.
Contains only posts that are ID'd as local content. An explanation. Want to help improve our local content filter? Add keywords here.
Share anything that's on your mind this weekend in the comments below. Yesterday the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Justice jointly hosted a workshop in Ankeny devoted to concentration in agriculture, antitrust issues and market practices. After some controversy over the speakers scheduled initially , more farmers and producers were able to speak during the workshop....
Bleeding Heartland - Sat 5:21 p.m. - 3 clicks 
I've heard some strange arguments against marriage equality, but the latest from Iowa Family Policy Center President Chuck Hurley is a doozy. ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Sat 7:03 a.m. - 2 clicks
I've heard some strange arguments against marriage equality, but the latest from Iowa Family Policy Center President Chuck Hurley is a doozy. Reacting to a new report on HIV and syphilis rates among gay and bisexual men , Hurley asserted , "The Iowa Legislature outlawed smoking [in some public places] in an effort to improve health and reduce the medical costs that are often passed on to t...
Bleeding Heartland - Sat 4:46 a.m. - 4 clicks
Homosexual activity is “more dangerous for individuals who engage in it than is smoking,” and because of this, state lawmakers need to pass a constitutional amendment overturning last year’s Iowa Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, according to Iowa Family Policy Center President Chuck Hurley. Hurley was responding to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and [...]...
Iowa Independent - Fri 3:04 p.m. - 4 clicks
In the year 2015 the Monsanto Co. patent on the Roundup Ready soybean will expire. The problem is that, at least for now, no one really knows what that means. Ray Gaesser, an Iowa soybean and corn farmer and vice president of the American Soybean Association, says that the primary issue being related to his organization [...]...
Iowa Independent - Fri 2:19 p.m. - 3 clicks
U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, has recorded a promotional video for the “Take the Town Halls to DC” campaign, promising activists some more results for this bout of lobbying. “These members of Congress cannot reject you if you come here and look them in eye,” says King. To some extent, this round of activism is kabuki for [...]...
Iowa Independent - Fri 10:18 a.m. - 8 clicks
U.S. House passes bill addressing GOP fundraising letters disguised as census documents. Two Grassley’s file paperwork Thursday for 2010 campaign. State revenues are up but won’t impact overall budget picture. Iowa First Lady to tout “Big Lug” in western Iowa. State Senate passes bill creating Iowa Public Information Board. ...
Iowa Independent - Fri 9:49 a.m. - 2 clicks
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who campaigned in Iowa on behalf of Barack Obama, says he has returned to the state “for another learning opportunity.” “The people of this state have taught me that no matter how improbable the task, I learned that it can always get underway with a start in Iowa,” he said. Noting that [...]...
Iowa Independent - Fri 9:03 a.m. - 4 clicks
Bret Hayworth has the story at his Politically Speaking blog: David Dawson, a former prosecutor in the Woodbury County Attorney Office, will be the Democratic candidate in Iowa House district 1. He sounds like a great candidate for that Sioux City district. He will face Republican high school teacher Jeremy Taylor, who almost beat retiring State Representative Wes Whitead in 2008. Our previous...
Bleeding Heartland - Fri 9:02 a.m. - 3 clicks
The good news is, an important public safety bill went to Governor Chet Culver's desk on March 11. Senate File 2357 was one of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller's legislative priorities this year. The bill prohibits Iowans from owning guns and ammunition if they have been convicted of a domestic violence crime or are subject to a protective order. Since 1995, 205 Iowans have been killed in dome...
Bleeding Heartland - Fri 6:04 a.m. - 5 clicks
Republican operative Ralph Reed, who once headed the Christian Coalition , is building an Iowa branch for his latest venture, the Faith and Freedom Coalition . Reed spoke at an Iowa Christian Alliance event on Tuesday and promised the crowd that the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition will get "people who share our values" elected "from governor all the way down to the statehouse and school board...
Bleeding Heartland - Thu 1:06 p.m. - 4 clicks
As Iowa citizens brace themselves for another spring flood season, Iowa mayors, city council members and state lawmakers are doing everything they can to STOP even modest flood prevention planning from going forward in the Iowa Legislature. If you’re scratching you head and wondering why, it may be time to contact your elected officials and ask them. The following is an action alert sent ou...
Bleeding Heartland - Thu 9:51 a.m. - 4 clicks
Yesterday the Senate approved HR 4213, the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 , by a 62-35 vote . Tom Harkin voted for the bill, as did all but one Democrat. Chuck Grassley voted against the bill, as did all but six Republicans ( roll call here ). Harkin's office summarized some of the $140 billion bill's key provisions: o Extend the current federal unemployment benefits program through De...
Bleeding Heartland - Thu 8:25 a.m. - 4 clicks
So, I've been away. Bleeding Heartland has been one of my favorite Iowa blogs for sometime and I used to post relatively regularly, but my previous life working in the Iowa House limited my involvement with the community. Now, I've moved on to a new endeavor and I'll be resuming my regular posting to Bleeding Heartland. Of course, I will need to make a disclaimer...I&#...
Bleeding Heartland - Wed 4:48 p.m. - 5 clicks
State Representative Dolores Mertz announced yesterday that she will not seek a twelfth term in the Iowa House. First elected to House district 8 in 1988, she said she's in good health but wants to spend more time with her large family. House district 8 includes all of Humboldt and Pocahontas counties, plus parts of Kossuth and Webster counties ( map here ). Mertz has chaired the Iowa House ...
Bleeding Heartland - Wed 12:40 p.m. - 7 clicks
State Representative Rod Roberts continues to line up endorsements in his long-shot gubernatorial campaign. Bill Schickel just resigned as secretary of the Iowa GOP in order to endorse Roberts. Party officers are supposed to remain neutral in Republican primaries, but "I can no longer remain neutral," said Schickel, a former state representative and Mason City mayor. "Our party is curre...
Bleeding Heartland - Wed 10:07 a.m. - 5 clicks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 9, 2010 Contact: Eric Nost, Environment Iowa 515-243-5835 | enost@environmentiowa.org The Iowa Senate voted 37-13 Tuesday afternoon to allow Mid-Am...
Bleeding Heartland - Tue 8:21 p.m. - 6 clicks
Sioux City residents will replace their entire delegation in the Iowa House and Senate this November. Democrat Steve Warnstadt announced his retirement yesterday from Iowa Senate district 1, which comprises much of Sioux City ( map here ). Warnstadt is completing his second term in the Senate and has chaired the upper chamber's Commerce Committee . He is known for his work on veterans' issues...
Bleeding Heartland - Tue 12:47 p.m. - 4 clicks
Jason Hancock published a fascinating story at Iowa Independent today about a federal lawsuit against Syngenta AG and its U.S.-based subsidiary, Syngenta Crop Protection Inc. Sixteen communities, including Creston in southwest Iowa, are suing Syngenta because it profits from sales of atrazine while communities have to pay to remove the weed-killer from water supplies. Apparently Creston has a hi...
Bleeding Heartland - Tue 7:42 a.m. - 4 clicks
Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield recently announced premium increases averaging 18 percent for about 80,000 policy-holders. Tens of thousands of customers were facing rate hikes of 22 percent, effective April 1. Today Governor Chet Culver halted the planned increases by Iowa's largest health insurance provider. Details are after the jump. ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Mon 3:22 p.m. - 4 clicks
Francis Thicke has hired staff for his Democratic campaign for Iowa secretary of agriculture , Will Merydith reported for the Fairfield Voice blog on Friday. Rob Hubler, a 40-year veteran of managing political campaigns, started with the campaign about two weeks ago. Rob Hubler was the 2008 candidate for U.S. Congress in Iowa's fifth district. This week the campaign team is growing with the ...
Bleeding Heartland - Mon 3:22 p.m. - 6 clicks
Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield recently announced premium increases averaging 18 percent for about 80,000 policy-holders. Tens of thousands of customers were facing rate hikes of 22 percent, effective April 1. Today Governor Chet Culver halted the planned increases by Iowa's largest health insurance provider. Details are after the jump. Link : Governor Chet Culver today called for Wellm...
Bleeding Heartland - Mon 3:22 p.m. - 5 clicks
Iowa Republicans have landed Sandy Greiner, their dream candidate against first-term Democratic State Senator Becky Schmitz in Senate district 45. The southeast Iowa district includes all of Washington, Jefferson, and Van Buren counties, plus part of Wapello and Johnson counties ( map here ). Schmitz defeated Republican incumbent David Miller by 184 votes in 2006 , but the area leans slightly Rep...
Bleeding Heartland - Mon 3:22 p.m. - 7 clicks
I didn't manage to compile calendars the past couple of weeks, but I wanted to get back on track today, because there are lots of newsworthy events happening in the coming week around Iowa. I don't think I'll be able to make it to the DAWN's List reception honoring outstanding Iowa Democratic women tomorrow. I'd appreciate it if someone who attends would post a comment or a diary here about the ...
Bleeding Heartland - Sun 12:47 p.m. - 6 clicks
Bleeding Heartland readers may remember that Terry Branstad's gubernatorial campaign paid for a round of robocalls to Iowa Democrats in December. Iowa Independent reported yesterday that Branstad's campaign is calling Democrats again. In three different instances, the calls focused on same-sex marriage, eventually concluding with Branstad saying that he supports marriage only between a man ...
Bleeding Heartland - Mar 6 - 8 clicks
Masturbating motorists across Iowa were relieved to hear that the Iowa Senate did not include “masturbation” as part of its bill outlawing texting-while-driving. Unlike the Iowa House’s version, the Iowa Senate passed a tougher bill that would not only ban texting while driving but would put the kibosh on reading text messages as well (although the bill made no explicit distinction between te...
Political Fallout - Feb 26 - 4 clicks
While out of state in Ohio this past weekend, I felt badly for missing Gov. Culver's visit to the Hamburg Inn for a chat with The People. Having not supported the Big Lug when he ran against Ed Fallon in the last go round, I am not particularly surprised at the way his first term has gone. When I attended the Labor Day picnic and watched him spend most of his time pitching E-85 to members of local...
Popular Progressive - Feb 16
