WEDNESDAY, JAN. 17, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE  

Rockwell Collins plans to outsource manufacturing of mechanical assemblies for its products now performed in Cedar Rapids, a move that will eliminate 105 mostly union jobs.
 
"A thorough business analysis shows that over the past several several years, our Fabrication Operation continues to operate at a loss and we do not see any long-term recovery," the company said in a prepared statement. "Transitioning this work to external suppliers will allow us to focus on our core products while better managing costs and assets."
 
The transition will be completed by spring 2019, the company said.
 
Most of the 105 employees are members of IBEW Local 1362, company spokesman Josh Baynes said. The company is working with the union to manage the transition, and will offer affected employees the option to apply for open positions in the company.
 
Mr. Baynes said the outsourcing is the result of internal reviews that have been ongoing and unrelated to the company's pending acquisition by United Technologies Corp.
 
Rockwell Collins subcontracted custodial work formerly performed by union workers at its Cedar Rapids facility in 2016, a move that affected 63 employees.

New research on the state's regulatory framework released Tuesday suggests Iowa's administrative code is overly burdensome to business and industry and could be holding back economic growth.
 
The analysis, conducted by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University using their State RegData platform, revealed more than 160,306 state restrictions that would take one person about 563 hours - or more than 14 weeks - to read.  
 
The StateRegData platform allows users to quickly analyze state regulations and identify the specific industries most targeted by excessive regulation.  Users can run their own analyses on the platform comparing regulations across various industries in under a minute.
 
"As governor, I'm committed to eliminating red tape throughout state government," Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement announcing the new research tool and the study's findings. "We know regulations play an important role in ensuring the well-being of Iowans. So we must balance ways to cut through red tape while still protecting the health, safety and welfare of our citizens."
 
Iowa has taken steps to alleviate regulatory burdens,including a 2011 executive order requiring all new regulations be justified by job impact statements. One year later, a law was passed requiring all agencies to review their administrative regulations every five years.
 
Iowans can also get involved in the administrative rules process, using rules.iowa.gov to comment on pending rules.
 
"I encourage all Iowans to actively check this website and proactively contribute to our rulemaking process. We want to hear from you," Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg said in a release. "Tools such as the ones mentioned today give citizens the ability to be more engaged in and informed about the governing process."
Story4Iowa joins fight over FCC's net neutrality repeal
 
Attorney General Tom Miller 
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has joined a group of state attorneys general in a federal lawsuit challenging the Federal Communications Commission's December decision to repeal net neutrality regulations.
 
The 21 states, plus the District of Columbia,  filed a petition for review Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, formally commencing the lawsuit against the FCC and the federal government.
 
"By repealing these rules, the FCC changed the so-called 'Internet of Things' to the internet of kings," Mr. Miller said in a statement. "The FCC shouldn't let providers be internet kingmakers through pay-for-play digital on-ramps. Consumers and small businesses alike should expect no less than equal access to internet content."
 
The rules, approved under the Obama administration in 2015, barred internet service providers (ISPs) from slowing or blocking the digital flow of content and applications, and from offering paid faster data channels, or lanes. The repeal enables ISPs to preferentially treat sites they designate, and block or reduce data speeds for others. The repeal also enables ISPs to charge users to access specific content.
 
Under the Administrative Procedure Act, the FCC cannot make "arbitrary and capricious" changes to existing policies, such as net neutrality. The FCC's new rule, the attorneys general argue, fails to justify the commission's departure from its long-standing policy and practice of defending net neutrality, while misinterpreting and disregarding critical record evidence on industry practices and harm to consumers and businesses.
 
Additionally, according to the states, the rule wrongly reclassifies broadband internet as a Title I information service, rather than a Title II telecommunications service. Finally, the rule improperly and unlawfully includes sweeping preemption of state and local laws.
 
"In our rural areas, where many consumers may have only a single internet service provider at best, the FCC's repeal means that provider now gets to pick winners and losers by choosing what content you can load fast, slow, or not at all," Mr. Miller said. "I'm concerned that this could widen our existing urban-rural digital divide."

 
For the complete list of this week's Movers & Shakers, see the Jan. 15 edition of the CBJ.
Story5Prometheus Award noms open to honor Iowa's top innovators
 
Nominations for Iowa's 2018 Prometheus Awards are now being accepted to recognize the state's top innovators and technology leaders.

Presented by the Technology Association of Iowa and LWBJ, the award is "the most prestigious recognition for Iowa's technology industry," according to organizers. The event brings together leaders from technology, business, education and government to celebrate the year's most momentous innovations.
 
This year features new award categories, including the Manufacturing Technology Company of the Year award recognizing  industry leaders developing and deploying hardware or software manufacturing technologies and applications. The Technology Community of the Year was split into two awards this year, one for communities of under 40,000 people and one for communities with more than 40,000 people. 


The nomination period is open through Feb. 2 with winners to be announced at a dinner April 12 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines.   
EventHeadlinesShort-Term Event Planner
 
Jan. 18
Open Coffee, by Washington Chamber of Commerce, 8-9 a.m., Café Dodici, 122 S. Iowa Ave., Washington. This event is open to the public and anyone interested in an open discussion about fostering creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the Corridor is encouraged to attend. Free. Call (319) 653-4712 for more information.
 
Ribbon Cutting: FSBOHomes.com Coralville, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 4 p.m., FSBOHomes.com, 931 25th Ave., Coralville. Join the Chamber Ambassadors for this ribbon-cutting. Free.
 
Jan. 22
Coralville Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, 2824 Commerce Drive, Coralville. Roundtables are social lunches over the noon hour. All are invited to network and keep up-to-date with chamber and community events. Free for members. Call the chamber (319) 337-9637 if interested and not a member.
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
Animal rescuers pulled hundreds of animals out of a single home in Vinton on Tuesday. As police launch a criminal investigation, CBS 2 has also learned several children were living inside the home. Police have not released any more details on the children at this point, but they said the parents are cooperating with the Department of Human Services regarding their welfare. As for the animals, the Cedar Valley Humane Society is taking caring of them as they wait to seek full custody of the animals and be able to put them up for adoption. The humane society shared images from inside the home, 607 W 6th St. in Vinton, which show hundreds to nearly 1,000 small animals rescued from abusive conditions. "I've seen a good number of animal hoarding and neglect situations, but this is by far in the way the worst I've seen myself," said Preston Moore, Director of Development & Community Outreach for the Cedar Valley Humane Society.  Mr. Moore said this is their largest rescue ever, which included a number of guinea pigs, mice, hamsters, gerbils, and rabbits, hedgehogs, chinchillas, turtles, fish, birds, and a ball python. Many were found malnourished, dehydrated, and living in cramped condition. "Disgusting, filthy conditions. The smell alone was terrible," he said.
 
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast

Another January thaw is in the works as a major winter storm sets its sights on the Midwest. There will be plenty of sunshine today and a southwesterly breeze. Temperatures will be about 10 degrees warmer than Tuesday with highs in the low 20s. Temperatures will be even warmer tomorrow, near and above the 32 degree mark. Temperatures will be near and above 40 degrees Friday through Monday as a strong winter storm moves through the Midwest. The storm will arrive late Saturday into Sunday so there is still the potential for the track to change. There is increasing confidence eastern Iowa will remain in the warm sector of this storm - meaning it will be mild and rainy. This system does have the potential to produce a half an inch to up to an inch and a half of precipitation, which would be the biggest rain we've had in over a year. There is the potential for accumulating snow in extreme northeastern Iowa, but that is not clear just yet.