BUS TOUR MAKES IOWA STOPS

A 'Give America a Raise' Bus Tour promoting a proposal to boost the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour is making two stops in Iowa this week as part of a 20-state journey. Iowa legislators, small business owners, labor groups, anti-poverty advocates and low-wage workers will participate in an event scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday outside the Iowa Capitol building in Des Moines. Another event is slated to be held in Cedar Rapids on Friday. Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change, said the national minimum wage has stayed the same since 2009. However, he said, that hasn't been the same for the price of food, gas, utilities, and basic necessities under inflation, making it nearly impossible to get by anywhere in America on $7.25 an hour or $15,000 a year. 'It's long past time for Congress to give America and Iowa a raise,' he said.

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