Iowa kosher slaughterhouse owner says he’ll run lean plant, avoid previous operator’s mistakes

September 30th, 2009 Kosher slaughterhouse exec pleads guiltyCEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The former chief financial officer for a kosher slaughterhouse in northeast Iowa has pleaded guilty to conspiring to make false statements to a bank. Mitchel Meltzer is the latest executive of Agriprocessors Inc.

September 1st, 2009 Iowa judge moves trial of slaughterhouse managersIOWA CITY, Iowa — A federal judge has moved the trial of four former managers of a kosher slaughterhouse that was the site of a massive immigration raid last year from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Sioux Falls, S.D. U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade ruled Tuesday that the "prodigious" amount of negative pretrial publicity about Agriprocessors, Inc., and former top manager Sholom Rubashkin caused potential jurors to develop a bias against them.

August 14th, 2009 Court: Mich. prison OK to stop man's kosher mealsST.

July 27th, 2009 Iowa to cut fines by $9M against slaughterhouseIOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa's labor agency has agreed to slash proposed fines by $9 million against the former owners of a kosher slaughterhouse that was the site of a massive immigration raid with the hope that it can recoup a fraction of the penalties. Iowa Workforce Development reached a settlement Friday with the Agriprocessors, Inc.

July 20th, 2009 Sale of Iowa kosher slaughterhouse approvedIOWA CITY, Iowa — A bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse that was subjected to a large immigration raid. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul J.

July 17th, 2009 New charges filed in Iowa slaughterhouse caseCEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Federal prosecutors have added wire and mail fraud charges to the allegations against the former manager of a kosher slaughterhouse in northeast Iowa. The new, 163-count indictment was filed Thursday against Sholom Rubashkin, a former executive at Agriprocessors Inc.

July 16th, 2009 Technicality holds up sale of Iowa slaughterhousePOSTVILLE, Iowa — A technicality has held up the sale of a struggling kosher slaughterhouse in northeast Iowa, but the trustee charged with overseeing the plant is confident the sale will be completed soon. Agriprocessors Inc.

July 15th, 2009 Iowa city hopes slaughterhouse sale turns its luckPOSTVILLE, Iowa — Life in Postville wasn't easy before federal agents raided the area's largest employer and detained 389 people on immigration charges. The May 2008 raid on the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse came as the nationwide recession was deepening and the city was struggling to cope with some of the long-term economic problems many rural Midwestern communities face.

July 6th, 2009 Company bids $8.5 million for Iowa slaughterhouseCEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A newly formed Iowa company has bid $8.5 million for a struggling kosher slaughterhouse that was the site of a massive immigration raid last year. SHF Industries made the bid for the Agriprocessors plant Monday in U.S.

June 24th, 2009 Partners agree to buy Iowa kosher slaughterhouseIOWA CITY, Iowa — The president of a Canadian plastics plant and two others filed court documents Tuesday to buy a struggling kosher slaughterhouse in northeast Iowa that was the site of a massive raid by immigration agents last year. Bankruptcy trustee Joe Sarachek said the move should end months of uncertainty for the plant, Agriprocessors Inc., and the town of Postville.

June 23rd, 2009 Group agrees to buy Iowa kosher slaughterhouseIOWA CITY, Iowa — The president of a Canadian plastics plant and two partners have agreed to buy a kosher slaughterhouse in Iowa that was the site of a massive immigration raid last year, pending a bankruptcy hearing. The move confirmed by bankruptcy trustee Joe Sarachek ends months of uncertainty for the Agriprocessors Inc.

May 12th, 2009 Vigils for 1st anniversary of immigration raidPOSTVILLE, Iowa — Church bells have started tolling in a small Iowa town to mark the first anniversary of the immigration raid on a kosher meatpacking plant that upended the local economy. Bells started ringing at 10 a.m.

May 12th, 2009 Amid vigils, Iowa town pins hopes on sale of plantIOWA CITY, Iowa — A year after federal agents converged on a northeast Iowa kosher slaughterhouse, arresting nearly 400 workers and upending a town's economy, residents and officials are anxious for the plant to sell and return Postville to a glimpse of its former prosperity. The closure and then limited operation of Postville's largest employer has devastated the town of 2,000.

May 8th, 2009 Cow bolts NY slaughterhouse, milks hour of freedomNEW YORK — A cow has escaped from a New York City slaughterhouse and may have a new lease on life. Police say the black heifer bolted Wednesday afternoon from Musa Hala Inc., which butchers animals according to religious restrictions.

May 8th, 2009 Firm buys Iowa meatpacker debt, making sale likelyIOWA CITY, Iowa — An undisclosed company has bought a $10 million credit line to a bankrupt kosher slaughterhouse in northeast Iowa, paving the way for the plant's sale. Agriprocessors Inc.