ANKENY, Iowa (KCCI/KCRG) – A major agriculture equipment manufacturer says it will lay off more than 100 workers due to reduced demand and a weakened farm economy. John Deere says it informed 119 employees at John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny that they will be let go as part of three groups of layoffs. The company provided a statement to KCCI, saying customer orders are down and forecasts from the United States Department of Agriculture indicate a decrease in major row-crop cash receipts from 2024. John Deere says it employs nearly 1,500 workers at the impacted location. This is not the only recent round of layoffs by the company. Nearly 600 workers were let go last year at three midwest factories, including two in Iowa that laid off more than 300 employees. In total, Deere has cut more than 4,500 jobs in the last decade.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Des Moines police have released new details about what led up to a nearly 11-hour standoff in Cedar Rapids. In a social media post on Friday, Des Moines Police said a dog was shot during an incident at a home in the Watrous South neighborhood on Jan. 31. The dog was taken in by a shelter for care. Des Moines police said Christopher Kern, 49, broke into the animal shelter on Feb. 18 and took the dog. Police said the dog used to belong to Kern. When investigators in Polk County tried to find Kern, but could not, warrants for his arrest were requested. Detectives said they learned Kern was going to Cedar Rapids, so they notified the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Cedar Rapids police were trying to arrest Kern on Wednesday evening when he barricaded himself inside the Chelsea on Valor Way for nearly 11 hours. Police took him into custody early Thursday morning. Cedar Rapids police said Kern fired gunshots multiple times during the incident. No one was injured. Kern is charged with three counts of attempted murder of a peace officer and several other charges. In a criminal complaint for Kern, released on Friday, police said officers found three firearms in the apartment where Kern was arrested. One was an AR-15, that officers believe to be the one used by Kern during the standoff. The other two were a 9 mm handgun and a 32 caliber revolver. Kern has a previous felony conviction in Polk County and is prohibited from having firearms. When police entered the apartment and made the arrest, the door was blown open, and a robot was used to enter and find Kern, who appeared to be hiding under the covers in a bed in the bedroom, according to the criminal complaint. Des Moines police said the stolen dog was safely rescued in Cedar Rapids, and has been returned to the care of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. Staff with the ARL gave the dog the name Dionysus. The dog was limping but in good spirits. Staff members say the dog will be undergoing further medical treatment. Police also arrested a second man for his alleged involvement in the standoff. Glen Laxamana is accused of lying to police about Kern being inside his apartment.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Patrol is investigating the Iowa City Fire Department after one of its fire trucks struck and killed a pedestrian. According to a state patrol crash report, the fire truck was leaving a medical call at Legacy Senior Living located on 1020 S. Scott Blvd. in Iowa City when it hit 99-year-old Evelyn Bothmer. The incident happened just after 7 a.m. on Sunday morning. State patrol said Bothmer was declared dead on the scene. The state patrol is still investigating the incident with assistance from the Iowa City Police Department, Iowa City Fire Department, Johnson County Medical Examiner, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Rapids Prep is one of several new charter schools that will open this fall. Principal Justin Blietz says after growing up in Cedar Rapids, he’s excited for this model of teaching. The school will start by operating in the Edgewood Point Towers, serving 6th and 7th grade students. Then, it will move into the former Transamerica site at Edgewood Road and 42nd Street NE, a property that has sat vacant for years. Blietz says the charter model offers a unique space for innovation- and focusing in on what students need. Like a traditional public school, charter schools are publicly funded and tuition-free. But they’re also open to any student, regardless of where they live.
