ANKENY – Another round of layoffs is set to impact an agriculture manufacturer in Iowa. KCCI-TV reports John Deere informed 119 employees at its Ankeny location that they would be let go over a series of layoffs in the near future. The company claims orders are down, as are forecasts from the USDA. Just under 600 employees were let go from John Deere in 2024.

DES MOINES – A bill is circulating through the Iowa Statehouse that would remove civil rights protections for transgender Iowans. KRCG-TV Reports House Study Bill 242 defines sex and gender in Iowa law as either male or female and what’s assigned at birth. Sponsor of the bill Steve Holt of Denison says the measure allows other Republican efforts to ban minors from sex reassignment surgery, preventing students from using restrooms that align with gender identity, and to block transgender girls from competing in sports. Opponents argue it would allow for discrimination against transgender individuals.

DES MOINES – A Mexican citizen was sentenced this week to two years in federal prison for illegally returning to the United States after being deported. According to public court documents, 40 year old Juan Carlos Solis Roan had previously been deported from the United States four times between 2008 and 2020. Solis Roan had been convicted twice of illegal reentry, including in 2019 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In January 2024, law enforcement encountered Solis Roan, and in March 2024, Solis Roan was convicted in the Iowa District Court for Polk County of contempt for violating his probation for a 2006 drug conviction.