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Texas explosion raises concerns for other towns eying fertilizer plants

Apr 18, 2013
Small communities are fighting to get fertilizer factories to locate nearby. After the West, Texas, explosion, some people who live near proposed plants are reconsidering the risk.
Smoke rises in the distance about half a mile from the West Fertilizer Company April 18, 2013 in West, Texas. A massive explosion at the fertilizer company injured more than 100 people and left damaged buildings for blocks in every direction.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Sen. Chuck Grassley: We will go into sequester

Feb 28, 2013
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) joins Marketplace Morning Report host Jeremy Hobson to discuss the sequester and its likely impact on the economy.

Campaigns don't help small businesses in swing states

Oct 15, 2012
You might think all that political activity in places like Iowa, Ohio and Florida would be great news for the local economy. But campaign spending isn't trickling down to the local level.

Iowa's 'ag gag' sponsor defends bill

Mar 1, 2012
Iowa's state legislature passed a bill that would crack down on anyone trying to secretly document animal conditions at farming facilities. Animal rights activists are outraged, but the bill's sponsor says it's a necessary measure to protect private property.

Xi Jinping visits Iowa... again

Feb 15, 2012
The soon to be president of China is visiting the U.S. this week, and today he is in Iowa. It turns out, he's been there before.

Mid-day Extra: An insider's look at the Iowa caucuses

Jan 3, 2012
We all know that the Iowa caucuses happen every four years, and that they help set the tone for presidential elections. But what is it like to sit in on the meetings?
Supporters of republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul leave after a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 2, 2012.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

What caucuses mean for the Iowa economy

Jan 3, 2012
All eyes are on Iowa today as caucuses there start Republicans on their quest toward the presidential nomination. What does today mean for the state of Iowa?

For public good, not for profit.

Iowa's economy stronger than other states

Jan 3, 2012
The unemployment rate in Iowa is relatively low compared to much of the rest of the country. How does the state's economy impact the Iowa caucuses?
Volunteers get dinner at Newt Gingrich's Iowa headquarters on January 1, 2012 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images

This season's primaries cheapest in a decade

Jan 3, 2012
A combination of free TV debates and outside money is helping candidates penny-pinch for now.

Iowa caucus 2012: The economic upside goes beyond restaurant tips

Jan 2, 2012
Presidential candidates and their teams spend a lot of money every four years in Iowa, from pizza delivery to TV ads. But the long-term economic benefits are what really matters to the state.