President Barack Obama is expected to be in Iowa next week.

Obama will arrive in Newton on Wednesday – Earth Day – to talk about energy, a White House spokesperson told The Des Moines Register.

The visit will give Iowa a chance to highlight its accomplishments in renewable energy, as well as broadcast a message to the president and the nation on what Iowans would like for the future, state officials said.

“It’s quite an honor for him to be in Iowa, and especially Newton,” said Rep. Paul Bell, D-Newton.

Newton lost nearly 2,000 jobs when Whirlpool Corp. bought and closed Maytag Corp., an appliance maker with a 115-year history in Newton. Since then, the town has “become very much a player in wind energy,” Bell said.

Two companies have since moved in: Trinity Structural Towers, which makes wind turbine towers and created 160 jobs in Newton, and TPI Composites, which makes wind turbine blades and created 500 jobs.

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