(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s “pleaded” with ranking officials at General Electric to reconsider plans to buy wind turbine blades from a company in Denmark instead of its long-time partner in Iowa. G-E’s plan to shift production overseas has resulted in T-P-I Composites of Newton announcing the plant’s shutdown in December, eliminating more than 700 jobs. Grassley says G-E listened to his case. “It was a conversation that went well. They said they would look into it but no certainty from it,” Grassley says. “They did say they were going to get back to us but so far, they haven’t gotten back to us on that.”

G-E bought a Denmark-based wind turbine blade maker in 2017 and has placed no orders with T-P-I for 2022. G-E was T-P-I’s biggest customer, and T-P-I is Newton’s largest employer since the pullout of appliance giant Maytag’s headquarters and factory in 2007. Grassley is hoping some of the “green energy” jobs in Newton can still be salvaged. “It’s one thing to shut down a plant and lay off 700 people,” Grassley says, “as opposed to cutting back production and maybe laying off half of it.” Grassley also sent a letter to President Biden, asking him to consider using T-P-I for the manufacturing of blades for a massive offshore wind farm project.

The administration announced earlier this month a plan to build large-scale wind farms all along the East and West Coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico. As yet, Grassley says he’s had no response from the White House about using the Iowa factory for that proposal.

(Radio Iowa) – Forest City-based outdoor lifestyle manufacturer Winnebago Industries is setting a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of this century. C-E-O Michael Happe says the company is making the pledge through a campaign led by the Science-Based Targets Initiative.  “We recently strengthened our commitment to sustainability by joining the Business Ambition for 1.5 Degree Celsius, a United Nations-backed global coalition of business leaders,” Happe says. “As part of this program, we are committing to help limit the impact of climate change by setting a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We also announced additional goals on water, waste and product sustainability.”

Happe says the company’s goals include: zero waste to landfills, with 90% diversion of waste by 2030; net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; reduce freshwater use by 30% by 2050; have eco-friendly upgrade options on all their new products by 2025; and product life-cycle assessments by 2030. “We look forward to working with the Science-Based Target Initiative and external validators to develop and enact a plan for achieving this net-zero goal, which represents an important focus of our corporate responsibility strategy,” Happe says.

Winnebago Industries last week reported a record fiscal year with a profit of almost $282 million for the manufacturer of Winnebago, Grand Design and Newmar recreational vehicles as well as Chris-Craft and Barletta boats.

(Radio Iowa) – The funeral for Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ted Benda, who died following an accident, is today (Wednesday) at 11:00 a-m at the Waukon High School. Iowa Congresswoman, Ashley Hinson, spoke about Benda’s death on the floor of the U-S House Tuesday. “This is a devastating loss of a father, husband, son, friend, mentor, and dedicated public servant who made it his life’s mission to keep his community safe in Iowa,” Hinson says. Hinson says Benda had deep roots in Waukon.

“This tragedy is a reminder that brave law enforcement officers often sacrifice for a purpose far greater than themselves,” she says. Hinson wrapped up her brief remarks with condolences to Benda’s family. “I join all Iowans in mourning the loss of Trooper Ted Benda and my heart is with his family, friends, and fellow troopers during this difficult time,” Hinson says. Benda’s squad car crashed on October 14th as he was on his way to assist the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office with a wanted suspect. He died six days later in the hospital.

Police in Red Oak, Tuesday, arrested a man wanted on a warrant. Authorities say 58-year-old Rogelio Hernandez, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 5:10-p.m. on an active warrant for Driving While Barred. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.