MT. PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – A Romanian man has been identified as the suspect in last week’s robbery at US Bank in Mount Pleasant. KCII-radio reports 19-year-old Ionel Niculescu has been identified as the male subject that robbed the US Bank September 14th. Niculescu had fled the scene possibly in a white Dodge Ram truck with an undisclosed amount of money. He is currently wanted out of Canada and another country and is part of a traveling Romanian band that targets coin shops, banks, jewelry stores, and large department stores.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped slightly to 2.5 percent in August, giving the state the second-lowest rate in the country. Iowa Workforce Development reported today that the unemployment rate dropped from 2.6 percent in July and was down from 3 percent a year ago. Iowa was only behind Hawaii, which has the nation’s lowest rate of 2.1 percent.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – 20-year-old Magai Anai-Kur will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a Des Moines man during a robbery. WHO-TV reports Anai-Kur assaulted 77 year old Robert Howe during a home invasion in September 2017. Howe later died of his injuries.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Wells Fargo plans to cut its workforce by as much as 10 percent within the next three years, according to the Des Moines Register. The company is Des Moines’ largest employer with 14,500 employees. Wells Fargo has been rocked by scandal and regulatory issues, including revelations the bank opened millions of fake accounts and charged thousands of customers for auto insurance they didn’t need.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A state ethics board says Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds did nothing wrong in accepting nine rides on private jets in the last 14 months. The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board on Thursday considered two complaints about a December trip to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis when Reynolds, her husband and two children flew on a private jet owned by the chief executive of Sedgwick. The company was paid $1 million last year to administer workers’ compensation claims for state employees.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Ground was broken Thursday on a new $8 million FedEx cargo building at the Des Moines Airport. KCCI-TV reports the project is a decade long effort that will move several airport business around and create a new $434 million airport terminal. The FedEx cargo project should be finished by the end of 2019, and the new Des Moines Airport terminal should be complete by 2026.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former campaign treasurer for a Des Moines legislator has been charged with stealing more than $7,000 in campaign donations. KCCI-TV reports 47-year-old Falecia Mtayari, of Des Moines, is charged with theft, fraudulent practice and unlawful transfer of campaign funds. Mtayari admitted writing checks and withdrawing cash from the account of Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines, a Democrat who represents north-central Des Moines’ District 32 in the Iowa House of Representatives.

WAUKON, IA (IRN) – A northeast Iowa man has been convicted of shooting to death his stepfather at the home they shared. KCRG-TV reports 32-year-old John Quanrude shot 60-year-old Dean Russell after a confrontation in their mobile home in Waukon. Quanrude says he fired a warning shot with a shotgun, and then shot Russell in the chest.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Three teenage boys from Davenport were charged in connection to a shots fired incident on Tuesday, according to WQAD-TV. The three teens, ages 14, 15 and 16, were arrested and held in a juvenile detention center. There were no injuries reported in the incident, and the teens face multiple charges.

IOWA (IRN) – The average cost of insuring an Iowan on Medicaid has climbed nearly three times as fast since the state hired private companies to manage the program. The Des Moines Register reports the new cost figures come amid continuing controversy over whether Iowa should have hired private companies to run the $5 billion program. Privatization was ordered by then Governor Terry Branstad in 2015, and is supported by current Governor Kim Reynolds.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Mercy Medical Center unveiled their new psychiatric clinic in Des Moines yesterday. KCCI-TV reports it’s a residency outpatient clinic at Mercy Central Campus. Mercy’s psychiatry residency is in its first year, with four residents chosen out of more than 1,000 applicants.

MONTEZUMA, IA (IRN)- The man accused of killing Mollie Tibbetts has entered a plea of not guilty in the case. Twenty-four-year-old Cristhian Rivera also waived his right to a speedy trial during his arraignment Wednesday morning in Montezuma. The trial date has been scheduled for April 16th, 2019. Rivera is accused of kidnapping and killing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts while she was out for a jog on July 18th in Brooklyn.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police found one person with a gunshot wound early Wednesday morning and are now investigating a potential shooting. KGAN-TV reports the victim’s name and their condition has yet to be released.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A semi-trailer driver left a trail of destruction Monday north of Marion. KCRG-TV reports the truck left the road, took out a large propane tank, sparked a huge fireball and crashed into a farm house. While the house was destroyed, all are OK. The truck driver says he blacked out.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Police in Davenport responding to a shots fired call ended up in a high speed chase. WQAD-TV reports police arrested 18-year-old Kendrick Lee after he failed to pull over. Lee drove at least 75 miles an hour through residential school zones, ran red lights, and stop signs before he was stopped.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State quarterback Kyle Kempt tweeted out a request for fans attending the Cyclones’ football game Saturday to wear yellow in honor of late Iowa State golfer Celia Barquin Arozamena. Barquin Arozamena, the 2018 Big 12 champion and Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year, was found dead Monday at a golf course in Ames. The man accused of killing her— Collin Daniel Richards — remains in Story County jail on a $5 million cash bond. Saturday’s game against Akron starts at 11 a.m. at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. Yellow was Barquin Arozamena’s favorite color.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Ames police have provided new information in the killing of ISU student Celia Barquin Arozamena. KCCI-TV reports Collin Daniel Richards, 22, who has been charged with her murder, had no prevous relation with Barquin Arozama. Richards had told a person he had been camping with that he had an urge to rape and kill a woman. Arozamena was found dead in a pond near where her missing items had been discovered. She had sustained several stab wounds to the upper torso, head and neck.

WINNEBAGO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Forest City woman has died after a two-vehicle crash Monday in Winnebago County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 88-year-old Shirley Schutter was killed when the vehicle she was driving was hit by a Ford F-250 she had pulled out in front of.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman was arrested Sunday night after she used a machete to vandalize her boyfriend’s car and then threatened to kill him. WHO-TV reports when an officer arrived, they found 19-year-old Shavazzia Edwards breaking out the windows of her boyfriend’s vehicle with a machete. The officer ordered Edwards to drop it, but she refused, instead going after her boyfriend and making threats to kill him. She was tasered and taken into custody.

LUCAS, IA (IRN) – An investigation is underway after a man and woman were found dead inside a home in Lucas Monday morning. Lucas County deputies were called to the scene after receiving reports of a shooting. 66-year-old Craig Dawson and 64-year-old Julie Dawson were found dead inside the home.

LONG GROVE, IA (IRN) – A man from the eastern Iowa town of Long Grove has been making friends over the past ten years one chocolate bar at a time. WQAD-TV reports Bob Williams has has given out almost 6,000 Hershey’s bars to people. His reason is simple – to bring the people around him closer together. The retired teacher and coach always keeps chocolate bars on him when he’s around town. Inspired by his kindness, Hershey’s has promised to supply him with all the chocolate bars he will ever need.