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.

The City Council in Walnut will hold a Special Meeting at the Walnut Community Center, beginning at 5-p.m. today (Thursday). On the agenda, is a Public Hearing on the Proposed Fiscal Year 2020-21 City Property Tax Levy, including discussion on the proposal. The hearing will be immediately followed by Council action considering the Possible Adoption of a Resolution Approving the Maximum Tax Dollars from Certain Levies for the City’s Proposed FY 2020-21 Budget, and discussion on the Budget.

The Creston Police Department today (Thursday), said three people were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday. 57-year old Rodney Earl Bell, of Creston, was arrested late Tuesday morning at his home, on two outstanding warrants out of Union County. Bell was being held in the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond. Tuesday afternoon, 33-year old Michael Eugene Matherly, of Creston, was arrested for Assault on a Police Officer. The charge stems from an incident that took place in the 300 block of N. Spruce Street, in Creston. Matherly was being held on a $1,000 bond. And, 46-year old Jay Eldon Rains, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday evening, for Violation of a No Contact Order. He appeared before the magistrate and was released on his Own Recognizance.

Creston Police said also, a man residing in the 500 block of Wyoming Avenue reported Sunday, that someone vandalized his vehicle by means of large scratches in the paint. The incident happened sometime between 5:30-and 6:45-p.m., Sunday, while the vehicle was parked outside of the man’s residence. And, last Friday, a man residing in the 700 block of N. Oak Street, in Creston, reported that his garage had been broken into. The loss was estimated at $400. Among the items missing was: Various drywall tools; various electronic equipment; some mail, and other, miscellaneous items.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (Telegraph Herald) — 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.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s colleges and universities are warning legislators of a looming “cliff” or drop off in student enrollment. The decline is projected to be about seven percent, starting in the 2024 academic year. While that’s partly due to a decline in Iowa’s fertility rate, Iowa College Aid Commission executive director Mark Wiederspan says a growing percentage of Iowa K-through-12 students are minorities — and only 55 percent of black and Latino students who graduate from an Iowa high school currently enroll in college. “Take what we are providing you as the best-case scenario,” he says. “It is likely that the decline could be greater than what we are projecting right now.”

University of Northern Iowa president Mark Nook says there are already 15-thousand unfilled jobs available in Iowa, most of which require technical skills gained through some sort of training or a degree beyond high school. “If we’re going to see a decline in our college enrollments and our economy is going to continue to accelerate towards more and more technology, this is a biggest issue for our workforce and our economy than it is for our higher education institutions,” Nook said. “Our higher education institutions are going to be part of the solution because we’re going to work very hard to get more and more of those students into higher ed and ready for those jobs.”

There’s a projected decline in college enrollment in nearly all 50 states. Central College president Mark Putnam says Iowa’s colleges and universities are building relationships with K-through-12 students in Iowa, to make the jump to college seem like the natural progression. “If we’re not in there, a bigger barrier can grow because people see us as being separate from them,” Putnam says. Northeast Iowa Community College president Liang Chee Wee says online classes could expand the number of students who could enroll — but there are pockets of the state where that is not feasible. “Now, when you’re in the school setting, everything is okay,” Wee says, “but some of our students, when you go home, the spinning cycle will be there.”

More than 228-thousand students were enrolled in Iowa colleges, universities and community colleges in 2018/2019 academic year.

(Radio Iowa) — 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. “It’s time to do something about it,” Schultz said.

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. Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, says “Go just as aggressively against the tax cheats who owe us money.”  She says businesses that fail to pay all they owe to workers should be investigated.”We lose $600 million each year in this state on wage theft alone,” Jochum said, “and yet that bill’s been buried for years.”

Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, accused Schultz of “grinding away” at the poor. “When it comes to poor people, by God, we’ve got to squeeze ’em,” Bolkcom said. “…This is a mean bill. It’s going to save a few bucks by taking food out of people’s mouths.” 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. “You don’t want limits on health care. I mean, your number one presidential candidate right now is an avowed socialist….I mean, you say you’re against fraud, but really you’re not against fraud,” Schultz said. “You want to give it to them anyway (with) Medicare for All,” Schultz said.

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. “Oh, I’m guessing the whole Andrew Yang Universal Income line ain’t gonna go either,” Schultz said. The Senate’s BILL now goes to the Republican-led House for consideration.