WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019  |  IN THIS ISSUE 
  
A Camanche factory that makes welded pipe used to produce and transmit petroleum products is laying off most of its workers because of low oil prices. The Quad-City Times reports that TMK IPSCO plans to lay off 101 of its 119 workers in the Clinton County community. Company spokeswoman Donna Smith said the demand for "oil country tubular goods" made at the plant is down because the price of oil is down, meaning there are fewer exploratory rigs.  
 
Some analysts think oil prices are due to rebound, according to Barron's, which said prolonged maintenance shutdowns at refineries should be ending soon, and political tensions in the Middle East, including recent oil tanker explosions, are likely to propel West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude upward from its Monday price of around $51 per barrel.

Former Des Moines Business Record editor Suzanne Behnke will be taking over at the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism (Iowa Watch) after the departure of leader Lyle Muller. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Ms. Behnke, a former staffer at the Courier and Des Moines Register, will step into the role in August, helping to provide student and beginning journalists with experience preparing in-depth and explanatory pieces for publication. She will also have the know-how to help the organization sustain itself financially, Mr. Muller said in announcing the decision.

Founded in 2010 by Stephen  Berry and Robert Gutsche Jr., Iowa Watch was modeled after groups like ProPublica and the Center for Public Integrity, but with a focus on local and statewide issues. Its articles sometimes appear in the CBJ.

Talk about fake news: Forbes reported last year on the prevalence of fake followers among social media influencers, but now it's the influencers themselves who aren't real. This week the New York Times reported on "virtual influencers" on social media, who seem human, but are actually computer-generated characters marketing consumer goods with real-sounding names and identities. One of them, Lil Miquela, had 1.6 million Instagram followers by the time she was was cast into the limelight by a recent ( and controversial) Calvin Klein commercial featuring supermodel Bella Hadid. In January, TechCrunch reported that Lil Miquela's creators closed on a $125 million investment round, ensuring you'll be seeing many more virtual influencers in the years to come.
 
Demand for the beleaguered Boeing 737 Max, which relies on components from local Collins Aerospace, isn't gone yet. The Chicago-based planemaker on Tuesday trotted out a letter of intent to purchase 200 of the aircraft from International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent of British Airways, Aer Lingus and several other carriers. Investors Business Daily reports the order is worth $24 billion at list prices, and Boeing shares received a 5 percent boost after the news, even though it wasn't clear what kind of deal Boeing had to cut to get 737 Max orders flowing again.

However the deal landed, it brought some of the kinder words spoken about Boeing's management of the 737 Max debacle in recent months.  "We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service in the coming months having received approval from the regulators," IAG CEO Willie Walsh said.

Celebrity whiskies are big these days, with names like Bob Dylan, Darius Rucker and Drake gracing labels, but Iowa metal band Slipknot will not be outdone. Bourbon critic Fred Minnick lifts his glass to Slipknot percussionist Clown (Shawn Crahan) and producer Cedar Ridge Distillery in a Forbes review of No. 9, the official Slipknot whiskey set for release as the band hits the Iowa State Fair stage this August. "Slipknot's No. 9 single-handily puts Iowa whiskey on the map and is the best liquid distilled there," wrote the well-regarded critic, adding that Mr. Crahan could have a bright future as a whiskey blender. No. 9 is a blend of high-rye and bourbon whiskeys chosen by Mr. Crahan and named with a nod to the masked metal band's system of numbering its members. The four-year aged No. 9 Reserve, rocking a 99-proof alcohol content, will sell for $69.99, while the regular 90-proof will go for $39.99. 
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CommuteYour Morning Commute
Roads in the Corridor are looking clear this morning, but watch for construction everywhere. See the DOT's interactive road conditions map here. 
 
Links as of 7 a.m.