DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Governor Terry Branstad has named a large conference room in the state Capitol in honor of former Governor Robert D. Ray. Branstad announced the honor yesterday, on Ray’s 84th birthday. Ray and his family joined Branstad for a brief ceremony Wednesday in Des Moines.

CENTERVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Fire officials say sparks from a grinder ignited a fire that destroyed a building near the town square in downtown Centerville. The Tuesday afternoon fire gutted a building that was home to a shop called The Gypsy Quarter. Fire officials blamed the blaze on a contractor who was doing metal work on the roof. It took firefighters three hours to bring the blaze under control.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police have identified a man who died in a single-vehicle crash in West Des Moines. Authorities say 21-year-old Jeffrey Jones of Earlham was killed just before 6 a.m. yesterday when his vehicle left the roadway on an interstate mix master that connects Interstates 80, 35 and 235.

WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) – Prosecutors have filed a first-degree murder charge against a former resident at an Iowa residential care facility, after a man he is accused of attacking died. KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids reports that 35-year-old Matthew Braun is accused of assaulting 57-year-old Kris Simpson at the Prairie View Residential Care Facility last week.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – The Story County attorney’s office has dismissed charges against two teenagers accused of a sexual assault in July. The Ames Tribune reports the county attorney filed documents Monday dismissing the case against the 16-year-old boys from Ames and Boone.

Get your apple peelers ready and your quilts ironed for Atlantic’s annual Harvest Fest on Saturday, October 13.

Apple pie and cozy quilts are icons of autumn and Harvest Fest features them both with a contest and a show.

Harvest Fest, sponsored by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce and McCurdy’s Pumpkins, is a family-friendly prelude to the Atlantic Fire Department’s Fireman’s Parade.

The apple pie contest awards Atlanticash prizes as $50 for the blue ribbon winner and $25 for runner-up. Bakers should deliver their pies to the Chamber office on Saturday by 2 p.m. sharp for consideration in the contest, sponsored by Gade Insurance and The Farmer’s Kitchen.

Quilters should bring their quilts to the Chamber by Wednesday, October 10 for entry into the show. Although recent creations are popular show items, members of the public with interesting heirloom pieces are also encouraged to share their quilts. The quilt show, sponsored by Atlantic Locker, Rex Pharmacy, and Something for You, will be open for free viewing in the Rock Island Depot’s Rowe Conference Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 13^th.  Apple pie entries will be served up at the Harvest Feast starting at 5 p.m.

“Our Harvest Feast gives parade-goers a taste of Iowa home-cookin’ and makes sure that no BBQ or apple pie entries go to waste!” Chamber Membership Coordinator Nicky Christensen said.

Forms for both the apple pie contest and quilt show are available at sponsor locations and online at AtlanticIowa.com. There is no entry fee for either event.

–Press Release from Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce