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Government

Congress Asked to Block USDA Relocations.

Sixty organizations are trying to stop the US Department of Agriculture from moving two agencies away from the Washington DC area. They're asking Congress to make sure no money in USDA appropriations bills can be used to re-locate the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The Quad Cities is one of 136 metro areas that's hoping to host one or both, if they move, because of the hundreds of jobs they would bring.

Opponents say the USDA made the decision without input from the public or Congress and without a cost-benefit analysis. And they believe re-location would, "undermine the quality  and breadth of the work these agencies support and perform."

The list of opponents ranges from the American Malting Barley Association and Natural Resources Defense Council, to the National Organic Coalition and Center for Food Safety. 

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.