Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A John Deere plant in Dubuque has laid off 65 employees in its manufacturing section. Waterloo television station KWWL reportsthe employees at John Deere Dubuque Works were notified yesterday. The layoffs are effective June 24th. John Deere spokesman Ken Golden says the layoffs were according to seniority.

CARROLL, Iowa (AP) — Funeral services are being held this afternoon for James Wilson, the publisher of western Iowa’s Carroll Daily Times Herald newspaper for 36 years. Services begin today at 3 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Carroll.

OSCEOLA, Iowa (AP) — The board that regulates gambling in Iowa is accepting applications for a proposed casino in Cedar Rapids through September 3rd. Voters in Linn County approved a gambling referendum in March and developers are proposing to build a $100 million casino. The five-member Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission also will hire a consultant to conduct a statewide market study to look at the impact of adding casinos in Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Michael Annett has always cherished racing at his hometown track in Des Moines, Iowa. Annett’s latest trip to Iowa Speedway will mark a major milestone in his comeback from a gruesome injury. When the NASCAR Nationwide series runs in Iowa tomorrow night, the 26-year-old Annett will race for just the third time since fracturing and dislocating his sternum in February.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Closing arguments have begun in the case of a northwest Iowa man accused of killing his mother and kidnapping another woman.  The Messenger in Fort Dodge reports attorneys gave closing arguments Thursday in Webster County. Both sides finished presenting evidence Wednesday. Kirk Levin, of Early, is charged with first-degree murder in the January death of Marilyn Schmitt. He also faces third-degree kidnapping for allegedly abducting 21-year-old Jessica Vega, a woman he met online.

Jurors have heard testimony for several days, including from Vega and a law enforcement official who later found Schmitt’s body. On Wednesday, prosecutors showed two videotaped interviews where Levin confessed to killing his mother and kidnapping Vega but also denied it.    Levin declined to testify on his own behalf.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Western State University is offering the equivalent of in-state tuition to students from 51 selected counties in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska, potentially saving them $6,000 per year. The university says its “Griffon Rate” will be in effect this fall. It applies to both undergraduate and graduate tuition, for new and current students. 

Undergraduates taking classes on the main campus in St. Joseph will save about $200 per credit hour. Regular tuition for out-of-state students is $392 per credit hour. The “Griffon Rate” will be roughly $192 per credit hour. Missouri Western says it also will continue to offer scholarships for out-of-state students who meet academic requirements, but the “Griffon Rate” can’t be used in conjunction with them.