WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa (KCRG) – Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. has notified 193 workers that they are being laid off from the company’s operation in Williamsburg, according to Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN notification list. According to the WARN listing, affected employees were notified Wednesday with the layoff date listed for Thursday. Kinze is a global manufacturer of planters, grain carts, and high-speed tillage equipment. The layoffs at Kinze come during a difficult period for farm equipment manufacturers that economists say is being driven by a slower demand for farm equipment, including tractors. John Deere has laid off hundreds of workers in eastern Iowa and the Quad Cities in recent weeks and months.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Rapids firefighters were on the scene early Thursday morning after bricks fell from Ecumenical Community Center in downtown Cedar Rapids. The building is located near the intersection of 6th Street and 2nd Ave SE, right across the street from the KCRG-TV9 studio. People working in the TV9 newsroom reported hearing a loud noise around 2 a.m. Captain Andrew Engelken with the Cedar Rapids Fire Department told TV9′s Jackie Kennon at the scene that fallen bricks hit a gas meter, but MidAmerican Energy was able to shutoff gas right away. It’s not clear how damaged the building is or if it is still stable. The building owner and building department will decide that today. TV9 also asked what caused the bricks to come down and asked if it was from storm damage, but Captain Engelken said it’s not clear.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – A 34-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly damaging a statue in Cedar Falls. On July 28, officials were called to the W. 2nd St. and Washington St. intersection for a report of a UNI TC Panther Statue lying on the sidewalk damaged. Officers secured the statute for evidence. Following an investigation, included video from the area, police charged Joel David Johnson with 3rd Degree Criminal Mischief.
EVANSDALE, Iowa (KCRG) – HBO Max is set to release a three-part documentary series about the abduction and deaths of Evansdale cousins Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins. Eight-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook disappeared on July 13, 2012, while riding their bikes in Evansdale. Investigators found their bikes but no sign of the children. Hunters found their bodies five months later, about 25 miles from where they were last seen alive. Investigators said they have followed up on 2,000 leads, but no one has been charged in the case yet. A trailer for the HBO Max series, called “Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric And Elizabeth,” was released on Monday. Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO Max, said the series will dive into the double abduction of 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins, with more than seven years of exclusive access and insider interviews. The three episodes will be available on the streaming service starting August 8.
