While unemployment numbers continue to rise, Iowa continues to buck the regional trend of our neighboring states with unemployment of 8% and above. Iowa has made historic investments into infrastructure and renewable energy and those investments are paying off with lower than average (for the region) unemployment numbers.
(Image from Huffington Post)
House Democrats have supported the use of the Iowa Power Fund for a number of innovative projects building Iowa’s renewable energy infrastructure. This has included everything from wind energy development to waste disposal technology. The Cedar Rapids Gazette has an interesting story about how the Power Fund is being used to promote sustainable rebuilding in flood ravaged areas (below the fold):
From the Chicago Tribune/AP:
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Construction on two Iowa Army National Guard facilities and an undersized Iowa Air National Guard building are expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs.
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved more than $10 million for the three Iowa facilities last week. Confirmation from the full Senate could come by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
The construction will include work on a 35-year-old Armed Forces Reserve Center in Davenport, the Security Forces Facility in Des Moines and a building that houses administrative staff for the National Guard in Johnston.
General Motors has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today and has announced it’s intentions to be “leaner & greener“. According to Market Watch:
CEO Fritz Henderson said the swift trip through Chapter 11 showed that GM can move fast, and added that GM will work hard to repay trust, not to mention the money committed to the struggling company by the U.S. and Canadian governments.
“Today marks a new beginning for General Motors, one that will allow every employee, including me, to get back to the business of designing, building and selling great cars and trucks and serving the needs of our customers,” said Henderson.
With gas prices on the rise and families looking for the best value for their vacation dollar Iowans need look no further than their own backyards. The Iowa Department of Tourism has an EXCELLENT website that links travelers to a number of resources.
Be sure to visit these pages for further information:
Things to Do in Iowa
Travel Tools
Deals & Discounts
House Democrats regularly post stories and information about area attractions in their newsletter. You can subscribe the newsletter of your state representative by visiting the “Statehouse News” page on the website. I link is below:
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