Racine

Of Iowa's 99 counties, Wright County ranks 9th. Many rural towns are dying, but a new pork processing plant in northwest Iowa offers hope .  (Des Moines Register, 5/29/2019) The Prestage plant, which opened in March, has hired about 500 workers, most of whom come from the region. The company said 60% are white, 25% are Hispanic and the remaining 15% are Asian, African and black. Forty percent are female. Prestage's production pay starts at $15.50 an hour, moving to $16 and higher after three months . That's $31,000 per year. A grain of salt. R eport: Slaughterhouse Injuries Are Being Hidden from Regulators .  (Harvest Public Media, 5/25/2016) In an update to a 2005 report criticizing safety conditions for workers in the meat industry, the Government Accountability Office says injuries and illnesses are still common. From 2004 to 2013, 151 meat and poultry workers died from injuries sustained at work. The injury rate for meat workers remains higher than the rest of the manu...