Iowa

Conservation Acres Harder to Come By

Amy Mayer and Harvest Public Media — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

For 27 years the popular Conservation Reserve Program has transformed small parcels of land, contributing to cleaner water, more habitat for migrating birds and less soil erosion.

Iowa Court: List Both Same-Sex Parents On Birth Certificates

Scott Neuman — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:02:00 +0000

Iowa's Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that the state's health department must include the names of both same-sex spouses as parents on a child's birth certificate.

The ruling stems from a challenge brought by Heather and Melissa Gartner of Des Moines, following the Iowa Department of Public Health's refusal in 2009 to list Heather as a p

This Little Piggy Has A Market Niche

Amy Mayer and Harvest Public Media — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

The pork business certainly has its challenges. Hog farmers continually grapple with high feed prices, environmental hiccups and criticism from animal welfare groups.

With Or Without Reform, Immigration Lawyers In Short Supply

Sandhya Dirks — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:45:00 +0000

With immigration a hot-button issue in Washington, some version of immigration reform is likely this year. Even so, immigrant activist Sandra Sanchez concedes that the country might not be ready for an overhaul of its immigration laws.

Sanchez, director of the American Friends Service Committee Iowa's Immigrants Voice Program, doesn't mean that in political terms, but in practical ones. "We need to be prepared for the wave of millions of potential applicants that will be needing ... legal services," she says.

One Manufacturing Giant Creates Winners And Losers

Andrea Hsu — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:59:00 +0000

The United States lost close to 6 million manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2009. Now, slowly, some of those jobs are coming back. Over the past three years, the U.S. economy has gained a half-million manufacturing jobs.

But even with the manufacturing recovery, there are both winners and losers — and sometimes they're created by the same company.

Take the case of the Swedish manufacturer Electrolux. A century ago, it got its start in vacuum cleaners, and now it makes a wide range of appliances.