(Radio Iowa) — The president of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) hit on some familiar themes during his address in Iowa, Wednesday, on state of manufacturing. Jay Timmons spoke in Pella at Vermeer Manufacturing, and says with all the advances in the industry — people are still important. “One of the biggest misperceptions is that automation is coming for our jobs. But manufacturers know the truth—technology makes us safer, more effective,” Timmons says. “Some jobs will shift, often to higher-skilled, higher-tech positions, But people, people will always be what make this industry possible.”

Jay Timmons – NAM

He says they are working to change the thinking on manufacturing. “Our members tell us this is their top concern—educating Americans on these opportunities…and finding workers for the hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs open today and the four-point-six million jobs that will be open over the coming eight years,” Timmons says. He says the association is launching a program called “Creators Wanted” that will go on a our mobile tour this spring to show some 250-thosuand Americans a hands-on experiences that demonstrate the high-tech opportunities in modern manufacturing and “open their minds” to what the industry offers. Timmons says it’s an important part of building on the success of the manufacturing industry.

“As we start this new decade, manufacturers are indeed at a turning point. The N-A-M’s most recent quarterly Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey found 68percent of manufacturers have a positive outlook for their businesses,” Timmons says. “You might say, two out of three sounds good. But in mid-2018, we were at record high levels of optimism at 90 percent.” Timmons says the survey came before the recent developments in the China and U-S-M-C-A trade deals, so the optimism is expected to increase. He says the industry needs continued support from government. “If our elected leaders choose to enact policies that advance manufacturers’ priorities, our industry is prepared to lift up our entire country,” Timmons says.

Timmons took questions after his speech and told the audience the one thing people can do to help is go to the polls. “Voting matters. Not only that — but speaking up mattters. Coming and talking to elected officials is important — but it’s really important to talk to candidates — because while they are on the campaign trail, they are not only forming their agenda, but they are making promises,” Timmons explained. Timmons says it’s human nature to want to carry out those promises, so the voters need to express their opinions when they have the chance.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal officials investigating practices at two Iowa care centers say they plan to visit next month and have asked the state for extensive documents. The state learned in November that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Glenwood Resource Center for possible violations of patient civil rights and the Woodward Resource Center for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Federal officials say in a letter dated Dec. 19 they want lists of former Glenwood employees, residents, grievances involving residents and charts for everyone who has died in the past year. The centers have a mission of helping people with intellectual disabilities.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With all eyes on Democrats as they prepare to cast their ballots in Iowa’s kickoff caucuses, President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is working to try to persuade Republican voters that they should turn out at their caucus sites, too. The push is complete with a presidential rally next week, GOP-led training sessions and a new video featuring the president’s daughter-in-law. It makes clear that the campaign is trying to avoid the optics of empty Republican rooms on caucus night juxtaposed with Democratic gatherings brimming with enthusiastic voters and keep the focus on Trump.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Pete Buttigieg finds himself in a place that he could hardly have contemplated when he began running for president a year ago: He likely cannot finish lower than second in the Iowa caucuses if he wants to advance in the Democratic presidential nominating campaign. Each of the top four candidates within reach of the lead in Iowa faces his or her own version of the challenge. But the 38-year-old former mayor of a midsize Midwestern city has a particularly high burden of proof in his bid to win the right to face President Donald Trump.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Finance Authority employee has sued the state for wage discrimination and sex discrimination, alleging the agency pays women significantly more than him. Steve Ferguson says in court documents filed Monday in state court that former IFA Director David Jamison was initially responsible for paying women who do the same work thousands of dollars more than he makes but that the practice continued after Jamison was fired for sexual harassment in 2018. Jamison was known for giving women he liked large pay raises and promotions. Ferguson seeks money for emotional distress and lost wages and benefits.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Federal officials investigating practices at two Iowa care centers say they plan to visit next month and have asked the state for extensive documents. The state learned in November that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Glenwood Resource Center for possible violations of patient civil rights and the Woodward Resource Center for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Federal officials say in a letter dated Dec. 19 they want lists of former Glenwood employees, residents, grievances involving residents and charts for everyone who has died in the past year. The centers have a mission of helping people with intellectual disabilities.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa Finance Authority employee has sued the state for wage discrimination and sex discrimination, alleging the agency pays women significantly more than him. Steve Ferguson says in court documents filed Monday in state court that former IFA Director David Jamison was initially responsible for paying women who do the same work thousands of dollars more than he makes but that the practice continued after Jamison was fired for sexual harassment in 2018.

Jamison was known for giving women he liked large pay raises and promotions. Ferguson seeks money for emotional distress and lost wages and benefits.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A judge is pausing the prosecution of a man charged with killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts while the Iowa Supreme Court consider whether to grant a rare pretrial appeal. Judge Joel Yates on Wednesday stayed the first-degree murder case against Cristhian Bahena-Rivera, the farmhand accused of killing Tibbetts in July 2018.

The stay will continue until the Iowa Supreme Court decides whether to grant Rivera’s appeal of a decision issued by Yates last month that allowed key evidence to be presented to jurors. It’s uncertain whether Rivera’s Feb. 4 trial will proceed as planned.

The Atlantic High School, School to Work program, is extending an invitation to area employers to participate in the Trades and Local Employer Recruiting Day at Atlantic High School on April 2, 2020.  Organizers say the Trades and Local Employer Recruiting Day is an opportunity for area businesses to showcase various employment opportunities to students in grades 9-12 in the Atlantic Community School District. Businesses are encouraged to recruit students for part-time jobs, summer jobs, apprenticeships and full-time jobs.

Area employers interested in participating in the Trades and Local Employer Recruiting Day should reach out to School to Work Coordinator JoAnn Runyan at jrunyan@atlanticiaschools.org, by March 15, 2020.

Bailey Smith, Executive Director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, says “This is a great opportunity to show area youth what employment opportunities there are post high school in Atlantic. I encourage you to consider having a booth!”

A Bottled Water Advisory is in-place for the City of Adair, following a water main break that drained the City’s Water tower, and a power outage at the well field. As of late this (Wednesday) afternoon, crews had located the break and repaired the damage, but a boiled water/alternative source advisory remains until test results come back, which can take up to 24 hours. Bottled water should only be used for infants.

The City issued the advisory today (Wednesday) for the entire community, including the two rest areas along Interstate 80 and all businesses and restaurants within the City.

Authorities in Pottawattamie County say a Council Bluffs man faces Attempted Murder and Willful Injury charges following a stabbing incident that occurred Wednesday afternoon in the area of N. 20th Street and Avenue C, in Council Bluffs. Officers were called to the scene a little after 1:35-p.m.

Officials say two men were allegedly involved in an altercation inside a residence. The suspect, 34-year old John D. Zardus, allegedly used a sharp instrument to stab the victim, 39-year old Jarod K. Mowery, also of Council Bluffs, in the neck and cheek.

Zardus immediately fled the area and was apprehended several blocks away without further incident. Mowery suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital for treatment.

Zardus was transported to Corrections and book in on charges mentioned.

(Radio Iowa/Correction:A previous version of this story used a $22 M figure. The guard has said that’s the total cost, $5.5 M is the state share.)

Iowa National Guard officials are asking legislators to set aside 5.5-MILLION dollars over the next three years for a new armory in central Iowa. Colonel John J. Perkins is the construction and facilities manager for the Iowa National Guard. “It would be one of our traditional armories where we have a large drill floor, classroom facilities,” he says. The facility had originally been planned for the south side of Des Moines, but Perkins and other Guard officials now hope to place it in West Des Moines.

“Very excited about this. This could be a multi-agency facility where both us and West Des Moines would use the same piece of land, share some facilities, but our side would be on ours and the West Des Moines police or fire would use their side,” Perkins says. The Guard plans to consolidate armories once this new armory is built. The adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard has indicated “a couple” could be closed, but no decisions have been made yet. In 2015, Perkins was involved in the process of closing armories in Algona, Corning and in his hometown of Centerville.

“The unique thing about that is every single one of those armories — Corning, Algona, Centerville — became an economic development activity for that community,” Perkins says. “As much as we hate to leave a community because of demographics and our ability to recruit in that community all of them have become an opportunity for that community because we leave infrastructure behind.”

The Iowa National Guard currently has 39 armories in the state — two-thirds of which are in metro areas. Iowa taxpayers would pay for 25 percent of construction costs of the new one that’s proposed in central. The federal government would cover the other 75 percent — about 66-million dollars.

No injuries were reported after an Atlantic School District bus slid into a ditch at around 9:30 this (Wednesday) morning. Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber told KJAN News the bus was pulling out of a rural driveway southwest of Atlantic, when it came into contact with a snow berm and slipped into the ditch. It’s not clear how many students were on-board, but Barber said the only result of the incident was that those students were “a little late for school.”

The District was on a two-hour delay to start out the morning, because of the weather and road conditions.