Iowa
Kinze Manufacturing announces layoffs as Iowa ag industry downturn continues
Another round of layoffs is hitting Iowa’s faltering agricultural industry sector as Kinze Manufacturing of Williamsburg announced it would idle 193 employees, effective Thursday.
“We deeply regret the necessity of this action. This decision was not made lightly and it is a direct response to current ag market realities,” Kinze President Susanne Veatch said in a prepared statement.
“No other reductions are planned at this time,” Veatch added.
The Williamsburg-based manufacturer, founded 59 years ago, produces planters and grain carts worldwide and is notable for its “yard art” along Interstate 80 west of Iowa City, including a progressively smaller stack of nine of its grain wagons topped by a 1/16th-scale cart replica.
Posted on Iowa’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, site, the Kinze layoffs are the latest manifestation of a sluggish farm economy that has seen John Deere pare more than 2,000 jobs since the first of the year in Iowa and Illinois.
More: With thousands of Iowa jobs already cut, how deep will the farm downturn go?
In statements, Deere has projected large farm equipment sales this year would fall 20% to 25% below a year ago, a result of lower commodity prices, higher interest rates and market volatility.
Des Moines’ Bridgestone-Firestone tractor tire plant and other ag equipment makers also have had layoffs.
Kinze employs 815 workers at its Williamsburg headquarters and manufacturing facilities, which span more than 30 acres under one roof, according to the company’s website.
Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com.
Iowa
Iowa State football: See which former Cyclones players stood out in Week 11 of NFL season
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on Verdon, Sadowsky, McLaughlin
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on defense bouncing back with return of Will McLaughlin, Malik Verdon, and Jack Sadowsky playing.
Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season is in the books, and several former Iowa State players had huge hands in their teams’ performances.
The collection of ex-Cyclones in the NFL continues to grow, with several more added to rosters this season after having around a dozen consistently active last season. While the star-studded names like Brock Purdy, Breece Hall and David Montgomery continue to shine week after week, several others Iowa State fans will recognize are making significant impacts at the pro level too.
With that, here are a few ex-Cyclones who stood out in Week 11 of the NFL season.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions RB
Everyone on the Detroit Lions got a piece of the action in Sunday’s 52-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Montgomery was right in the middle of the dominance.
The former Iowa State running back finished with 15 carries for a game-high 75 yards and two touchdowns. Montgomery also added three catches for 20 yards.
He’s now found the end zone 10 times this season, but Sunday was Montgomery’s first game with multiple touchdowns since a 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 13. Montgomery and the Lions are rolling right along this season.
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers QB
Just when Purdy and the 49ers seem like they’ve turned a corner, disaster strikes on the field. That’s what happened in Sunday’s 20-17 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The former Iowa State quarterback still managed a decent day, finishing 21-for-28 for 159 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Purdy also added five carries for 40 yards and a score. He’ll look for a rebound winning performance Sunday at Green Bay.
Breece Hall, New York Jets RB
It’s a broken record at this point. Hall goes for a decent day, even as his New York Jets continue to sputter significantly.
In Sunday’s 28-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the former Iowa State running back finished with 16 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown. Hall also added seven catches for 43 yards and a score. It’s impressive the stats keep coming even as the wins aren’t.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
Iowa
University of Iowa fraternity suspended after 56 pledges found in basement during alleged hazing
The University of Iowa has placed one of its fraternities on interim suspension after an alleged hazing incident last week.
Alpha Delta Phi has been accused of having 56 blindfolded pledges “with food thrown on them” in the fraternity house’s basement, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The pledges were discovered by Iowa City police and university police when the agencies responded to a fire alarm at the fraternity house at around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 15.
The fraternity was ordered by the university’s Office of Student Accountability to “suspend all operations” pending the outcome of the investigation into the hazing allegations. The fraternity’s national organization also placed the UI chapter under suspension.
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SUSPENDS FRATERNITY AFTER ‘REPUGNANT’ HAZING VIDEO SURFACES ONLINE
One person, who is not a student and does not live at the fraternity house, was arrested and charged with interference with official acts, the university said.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen identified that person as 21-year-old Joseph Gaya. His charge stems from standing “in front of the officers in the doorway of the room full of pledges” and refusing to move out of the way, the outlet reported.
He allegedly stepped between two witnesses and an officer during a conversation, and told the witnesses “not to talk to the police.” The officer told Gaya to step away, but he allegedly refused and eventually told the officer, “You can (expletive) leave, how about that?”
The two witnesses told Gaya they were “fine,” according to the Press-Citizen, but he still did not leave.
FLORIDA FRATERNITY BROTHER WITH BRAIN DAMAGE FROM HAZING SENDS LIFESAVING WARNING TO FUTURE GREEKS
The university said its Office of Student Accountability will follow its discipline procedure for student organizations, which includes issuing sanctions for prohibited behaviors, such as hazing.
“As registered student organizations, fraternities are expected to uphold the values of the university, and their members are expected to comply with the Code of Student Life,” the university said in a news release.
The affected students have been offered “counseling and resources,” according to UI.
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“The university is committed to protecting the health and safety of its students and will address any behavior that puts student safety at risk,” the university said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Alpha Delta Phi’s national organization and the University of Iowa police.
Iowa
EPA says Iowa's 2024 list of impaired waters is incomplete
Federal regulators want the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to expand the state’s 2024 list of impaired waters and is accepting public comment through Dec. 13.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said nitrate and nitrite levels in six sections of the Cedar, Des Moines, Iowa, Raccoon and South Skunk rivers have exceeded safe drinking water standards and need to be curtailed.
With the EPA’s additions, Iowa’s list would include 581 impaired streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
Michael Schmidt, staff attorney for the Iowa Environmental Council, said the EPA’s response stands out.
It’s a demonstration that we are not fully addressing our water quality problems in Iowa.
Michael Schmidt, attorney with the IEC
“[The] EPA does not very often disapprove state submissions for impaired water lists, like this, and I think [the] EPA’s action recognizes the high nitrate concentration across Iowa, especially in Iowa’s major rivers,” Schmidt said. “It’s a demonstration that we are not fully addressing our water quality problems in Iowa.”
A growing number of studies have linked low nitrate concentrations in drinking water to colorectal cancer, thyroid disease and other health issues.
The Iowa Environmental Council criticized the DNR earlier this year for de-listing waters prematurely.
The Iowa DNR said it’s reviewing the EPA’s action and declined further comment.
What does it mean for a waterway to be on the list?
Every two years, the EPA requires states to submit a surface water quality report and a list of every impaired waterbody or segment. The causes for impairment run the gamut, from fish-killing fertilizer spills to E. coli that shuts down beaches.
Once a waterbody or segment is on the list, the state works with the EPA to set a Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL. It’s a target to reduce pollutants and a starting point to create a restoration plan.
On Nov. 12, the EPA said it partially approved the Iowa DNR’s submission, including its rationale to delist 84 water segments that had been on the impaired list. But the federal agency disagreed with the state’s decision to leave out half a dozen segments that provide drinking water to Des Moines, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Ottumwa and Oskaloosa.
The decision stated, “Iowa is not assessing all pollutants with toxic effects with reasonable consideration of the individual pollutant, endpoints, and adverse effects being considered.”
The EPA said the Iowa DNR did not use all readily available public data “from the Iowa Water Quality Information System, which includes data from the University of Iowa’s Iowa Institute for Hydrologic Research (IIHR) and continuous data from the U.S. Geological Survey; data from local and state entities available through the organization Upper Iowa River; and volunteer data available through the Clean Water Hub.”
The agency said the Iowa DNR did not provide a science-based rationale for excluding some information.
The EPA is accepting public comments on the additions to Iowa’s 2024 impaired water list through Dec. 13, 2024. After reviewing comments, the EPA said it will issue a response and may revise its decision before transmitting the list to the Iowa DNR.
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