WATERLOO, Iowa (KCRG) – Starting June 22, 2024, 190 workers will not report to their jobs at the John Deere Waterloo Operations, as the company will place them on indefinite layoff. This new set of layoffs is in addition to the more than 300 positions the company laid off in April 2024. In a statement to media, the manufacturing company said: “Each John Deere factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs of the individual factory to optimize the workforce at each facility. John Deere Waterloo Operations currently have about 5,200 total employees with about 3,300 of them working in production and maintenance jobs.”
MACHESNEY PARK, Illinois (KCRG) – On May 18, 2024, officials responded to the 9200 block of Longfellow Lane for a report of a child drowning. Officials say a family member reportedly found the 3-year-old child from Cedar Rapids unresponsive in the family pool. First responders attempted resuscitation efforts and the child was taken to a nearby hospital. Despite efforts, the child was pronounced deceased. A preliminary autopsy has confirmed that the child did die from drowning. An investigation remains underway.
DECORAH, Iowa (KCRG) – The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing kayaker. The sheriff’s office said a 39-year-old male kayaker was alone and had launched onto the Upper Iowa River around 2 p.m. on Saturday. The kayaker was last known to be on the river near the Freeport area at around 6 p.m. on Saturday. Searchers found the capsized kayak in the middle of the Upper Iowa River, just below the Upper Dam, along with several other items belonging to the kayaker. The sheriff’s office said deputies and the Decorah Fire Department searched the river from Freeport to the Lower Dam. The search included use of a jet boat, sonar and drone technology. The kayaker has not been found, and recovery efforts are ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this situation is asked to contact the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office at 563-382-4268.
WINTHROP, Iowa (KCRG) – People in Winthrop are cleaning up from strong storms that happened Sunday night into Monday. High winds damaged multiple trees in the town, including one that fell on one family’s home. The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement about strong storms for the area. That cleanup is occurring all while Eastern Iowa prepares for the threat of severe weather that is forecast to come Tuesday. The majority of the damage done last night was from those high winds breaking off tree branches and knocking some trees over. A large tree fell onto one family’s home. Everyone in the house was ok, but the tree smashed holes in the roof and broke several rafters. The family spent Monday removing the tree and patching the roof… ahead of severe weather predicted for Tuesday.
