Police in Council Bluffs are investigating an armed robbery at a convenience store. The incident happened at around 1:20-a.m. today (Tuesday), at a Kwik Shop located at 3632 Ave G. The man  pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded the money out of the register. He also demanded cigarettes from the clerk.

The suspect then fled the store on foot to the north with the cigarettes and an undetermined amount of money. He was last seen entering a light colored sedan parked about a block away. The vehicle proceeded to head west to the interstate. No injuries were reported.    

The suspect was described as a younger black male in his 20s, approximately 6’0’’ tall weighing around 180 pounds. He was wearing black shirt with writing on it, blue jeans and black bandana over his face.

Police in Red Oak, Monday, arrested a 14-year old male for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The unnamed teen was taken into custody in the 600 block of W. Coolbaugh Street and transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where he was cited, and then released to a parent.

State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald is asking the governor to reconsider the idea of a short-term borrowing plan for state government. Fitzgerald says it makes sense to borrow now, in preparation for a couple of “problem months” in the first half of 2018 when the state may not have enough cash in reserve to pay its bills on time.

“It’ll be borrowing in September, paying it off before the end of the year, so it doesn’t add to the state debt and, if we borrow early by what’s known as arbitrage, we can make money on the money we don’t use to pay for borrowing,” Fitzgerald says, “so it doesn’t cost us anything. It just ensures the state can pay its bills on time. That’s all it does.”

Farmers often take out short-term “cash flow” loans, as they don’t have enough cash on hand to buy seed and fertilizer at the beginning of the year, but are able to repay the debt at year’s end when the crop is sold. Fitzgerald says the state has done this kind of maneuver before the months of March and April can pose a problem. The state is waiting for Iowans to submit their income tax payments in March and April, while at the same time continuing to make school aid payments, send out tax refunds and cut paychecks for state workers.

“This year we ran short. We squeaked by,” Fitzgerald says. “Next year it’ll be harder because we won’t have as much reserves to rely on.”  In June, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds rejected Fitzgerald’s initial call back for a short-term borrowing plan. Fitzgerald, who’s a Democrat, plans to send Reynolds a formal proposal this month, hoping for a different result by September. “We need every penny we can get right now,” Fitzgerald says. “We have a tough year ahead of us.”

The state’s cash reserve has dwindled, plus part of what remains will be used to cover a shortfall in the previous year’s budget when the books on the fiscal year that ended June 30th are closed in September.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:50 a.m. CDT

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) — The North Liberty Police Department is inviting residents who own surveillance cameras to sign up on a list so investigators know where to look if a crime happens in their area. KWWL-TV reports the department is asking residents and business owners who want to join the effort to fill out a form. With that information in hand, Lt. Tyson Landsgard says police can ask to see video if a crime occurs near the home or business. Having a list should help police find surveillance video more quickly.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Three men have been sentenced to multi-year prison terms after their conviction on charges of illegally distributing anabolic steroids. A judge Friday sentenced Jeffrey B. Lackas, Stanley Szeto and Daniel Cruz-Bonilla after their conviction of conspiracy to distribute the drugs. U.S. Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel says the men were part of an organization that from 2011 to 2015 used the internet to distribute steroids and human-growth hormones through the country.

CLINTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have rescued three people from a sinking houseboat on the Mississippi River at Clinton. The Clinton Herald reports that rescue boats were dispatched around 9:35 p.m. Sunday to the houseboat, which was stuck on a wing dam and sinking. Authorities say two adults, a child and two dogs were taken to safety, without injuries.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A decade after a deadly freeway bridge collapse in Minneapolis, a study has found that thousands of Iowa’s bridges are deemed structurally deficient. The Des Moines Register reports that a study the American Road & Transportation Builders Association released in February found that nearly 5,000 of the state’s more than 24,000 bridges are rated as structurally deficient. That means one of the bridge’s key elements is in poor or worse condition.