Sioux County Authorities Identify Fatal Accident Victim
(Orange City) — The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the driver involved in the fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred near Boyden, IA on Tuesday, February 25.
The driver of the 2002 Dodge Stratus who died as a result of their injuries was Jordan Gritters, age 18, of Hull, IA.
The accident remains under investigation by the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office
State Medical Director Says Iowa Should Get Test Kits For Coronavirus In Near Future
(Des Moines) — The state medical director says the State Hygenic Lab in Iowa City will be getting test kits for Covid-19, the coronavirus that has spread to more than 30 countries. Dr. Caitlin Pedati says those kits should arrive in one to two weeks.
Currently, only the Centers for Disease Control and a dozen other labs in the country have the capability to test for the virus. Pedati testified for nearly an hour before a state senate committee, answering questions about the outbreak.
Go to www.radioiowa.com to hear Pedati’s presentation to lawmakers.
………………
State Senators Differ On Who Should Receive Welfare Benefits
(Des Moines) — Republicans in the Iowa Senate want the state to hire a business to determine whether Iowans who get government food assistance or Medicaid coverage are eligible for welfare benefits. Supporters of the plan say a private firm doing this work in other states can quickly flag problems, so the State of Iowa doesn’t extend welfare benefits to people who
are not U.S. citizens or people who’re hiding assets or double-dipping by getting benefits in another state. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, says he’s been working on this concept for three years to deal with a 10 percent error rate.
Schultz pointed to estimates suggesting the state could save 10-million dollars a year with the private company doing welfare eligibility checks rather than the 500 state employees who do it today using an ancient computer system.
Democrats in the senate criticized the plan, arguing the state would recoup far more by going after tax fraud.
That’s Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque. She says businesses that fail to pay all they owe to workers should be investigated.
Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, accused Schultz of “grinding away” at the poor.
Senator Schultz, who said at the start that he’d been called “Dr. Evil” for proposing the bill, replied to Democrats in his closing remarks on the legislation.
Senate Democrats shouted their objections to that characterization and there was a brief time-out in the debate. A few minutes later, Schultz tiptoed up to another barb.
The Senate’s BILL now goes to the Republican-led House for consideration.
……….
Cedar County Sheriff’s Deputies Show No Confidence In County Attorney
TIPTON, Iowa (AP) – Sheriff’s deputies in an eastern Iowa county say they’ve filed a complaint with state’s attorney oversight office about the county’s top prosecutor. They say Cedar County Attorney Jeff Renander is too lenient on defendants and has made inappropriate comments to sex crime victims. All 13 Cedar County deputies shared with the county board a Feb. 20 letter expressing no confidence in Renander. He’s declined to comment about the allegations. The deputies’ letter cited comments heard by officers that Renander recently made to the victim in a sexual abuse case, essentially blaming the woman for the assault.
Auger Company Wants To Move Production Into Clinton
CLINTON, Iowa (AP) – The Timken Co. is planning to move auger production to Clinton from across the Mississippi River in Fulton, Illinois. Timken Drives is a subsidiary of North Canton, Ohio-based Timken. Last week it was awarded $250,000 direct financial assistance by the Iowa Economic Development
Authority. The project is expected to generate $1.4 million in new capital investment and create up to 84 jobs. Officials say Timken Drives makes agricultural conveyor chains and auger assemblies at the Fulton plant and needed to make room for manufacturing more chains. It is unclear when the company intends to move the auger operations to Clinton.
Business Furniture Company Plans To Move Production To Mexico
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – A Dubuque-based furniture manufacturer is considering moving some production of a signature product to Mexico and Asia. Flexsteel Industries Inc. CEO Jerry Dittmer told the Telegraph Herald the possible change in production of Flexsteel’s blue steel spring would be
part of an effort to expand the company’s global footprint and shorten its long lead times for customer delivery. Dittmer says the movement of some production is not a done deal, but the plans have been shared with union representatives. Flexsteel says its patented blue steel spring is “at the core” of Flexsteel’s furniture quality.
