Gay marriage tops list of Iowa’s news

Published 9:10 am Thursday, December 31, 2009

Gay marriage was an issue for the coasts until last April, when a unanimous state Supreme Court ruled a ban on same-sex unions violated the Iowa Constitution.

The ruling prompted hundreds of gay people to get married at courthouses and churches across Iowa, and it led some to argue the country had entered a new era now that same-sex unions were legal in the Heartland.

The court decision and Iowa’s status as the only Midwestern state with gay marriage made it the top story of 2009, as voted by newspaper and broadcast members of The Associated Press.

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There was plenty competition for that ranking in a year awash in economic problems and heartbreaking tragedies as well as football glory and an achingly slow but bountiful harvest.

But it was gay marriage that captured the most attention.

Supporters reveled in the strongly worded decision that a state law limiting marriage to a man and a woman violates the rights of equal protection in the Iowa Constitution. Opponents called for legislators to begin the arduous process of changing the state constitution, a move Democratic legislative leaders have opposed, and some promised a political backlash against politicians who support the right to gay marriage.

The story of Minnesota’s top stories printed in the Dec. 25 issue. The Franken-aColeman fight over a Senate seat topped the list.

Two related stories were tied for second place — Iowa’s struggling economy and the state’s budget problems.

Unemployment in Iowa hasn’t topped 7 percent, putting it far below national figures, but the rate remains the highest seen in the state in decades. Companies in the state have struggled, with some closing plants and many more laying off workers or not filling vacant positions.

For the state, the result has been plunging tax revenue at a time when requests for state services have climbed.

Federal stimulus money helped prevent massive layoffs of teachers and other government workers, but those dollars will run out and a budget shortfall of up to $1 billion is expected in the upcoming fiscal year.

In fourth place was the sudden, shocking death of Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach Ed Thomas in June. Former player Mark Becker was charged with murder, accused of walking into the school’s weight room and gunning down Thomas, known nationally for his football success but loved as much locally for his commitment to the community.

Iowa was hit hard by swine flu, and AP voters selected the illness at the fifth-place story. Since the first death in August, about 40 Iowans have died of the flu.

The federal government rushed to develop and distribute a vaccine, but there were delays and then long lines as people in high-risk groups waited to be vaccinated. Only recently were vaccines available to anyone who wanted to ward off the illness.

In sixth place was the continuing story of the Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse and its manager, Sholom Rubashkin.

The Postville plant was a top issue in 2008 when federal immigrants swooped in and arrested 389 workers on immigration charges. News continued this year as the bankrupt company sold the plant to a new owner and Rubashkin was convicted on 86 federal counts of financial fraud after a lengthy trial in Sioux Falls, S.D.

After his conviction, federal prosecutors dropped immigration charges, but Agriprocessors officials still face state charges.

Criminal charges also are being considered in the matter of Iowa’s film tax credit program, ranked by voters as the number seven story. Questions about the program surfaced in September, with allegations of inappropriate tax credits and sloppy bookkeeping. Gov. Chet Culver fired the film office manager, and the Department of Economic Development director and a deputy director abruptly resigned.

While the attorney general and others consider criminal charges against some people who may have inappropriately sought tax breaks, state administrators and legislators are examining Iowa’s system of tax credits with a goal of making it more efficient and accountable.

The eighth-place story was based in the small eastern Iowa city of Atalissa, where state officials removed 21 mentally disabled men from a rundown home where they had lived while working for a labor contractor at a meatpacker. The men were paid little, and much of their earnings was spent on their room and board.

The case led to legislative hearings and a promise that the state would better regulate such operations. The U.S. Labor Department also filed a civil suit against the labor company and its owner.

It’s been a difficult year for Iowa’s pork producers, whose struggles were ranked the ninth-biggest story in Iowa. Due to stubbornly high input costs and poor prices caused by a drop in demand, some smaller operations have gone out of business and even large companies have had to absorb continuing losses.

Producers hope that a drop in production coupled with increasing demand as the economy improves will eventually lead to a turnaround.

The rankings end with a tie for 10th place between Iowa’s huge but stubbornly slow harvest and the winning football seasons at Iowa and Iowa State.

The harvest will go into the books as a success, as farmers saw strong yields. But soggy spring weather coupled with a cool summer and then a brief fall cold snap forced farmers to wait far longer than usual to bring in the crop. A small percentage of corn growers have had no choice but to leave the crop in the field and harvest what they can in the spring.

Amid plenty of trying news, Iowans could enjoy the state’s two largest college football programs.

Under first-year head coach Paul Rhoads, Iowa State surprised many by finishing the season 6-6. The Cyclones will play Minnesota in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.

Iowa’s dreams of a national championship faltered after an injury to starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, but the Hawkeyes still finished 10-2 and will play in the Orange Bowl, the second time they’ve reached a BCS bowl.