Fire has destroyed the historic Independent Order of Odd Fellows building in downtown Coon Rapids. The owner and editor of the Coon Rapids Enterprise, Charlie Nixon, says passersby reported the fire to authorities at approximately 11:30 p-m Wednesday. Crews from Carroll, Dedham and Bayard joined the Coon Rapids Fire Department in battling the fire and to help keep it from spreading to the United States Post Office and Northside Recreation Parlor adjacent to it.

The building built in 1911 housed the closed former Ribbons and Roses flower and gift shop. There was one tenant occupying an upstairs apartment in the building who was safely evacuated. Authorities have not yet released the probable cause of that fire.

(Radio Iowa)

We now know which candidates’ names will appear in local races on the June 5^th Primary ballots in Cass, Adams, and Shelby Counties.

In Cass County:

• Board of Supervisors/District 2: Republicans Pat McCurdy and Mark T. O’Brien, both of Atlantic.
• Board of Supervisors/District 3: Republicans Dana Halder, John Hartkopf and Linda Templeman, all of Atlantic.
• Cass County Attorney: Republican Michael Donn Hooper (incumbent by appointment)
• Cass County Recorder: Incumbent Republican Mary Ward.
• Cass County Treasurer: Incumbent Republican Tracey J. Marshall.
• No Democrats are on the ballot in Cass County.

In Adams County:

• Republican Doug Birt and Democrat Marty Olive are running for Supervisor District 1.
• Republicans Scott Akin and Laurie Greenlee and Democrats Tony Mullen and Judith Butcher are running for Supervisor District 3.
• Republican Leland D. Shipley is running for Supervisor District 4.
• Democrat Nancy Barnes is running for Treasurer.
• Republican Jamie Stargell is running for Recorder.
• Republican Andrew Knuth is running for Attorney.

In Shelby County:

• Republican Darin Haake and Democrat Incumbent Roger Schmitz are running for County Supervisor
• Republican Incumbent Carolyn Blum is unopposed for Treasurer
• Incumbent Recorder Geralyn Greer is up for re-election, as is Democrat Marcus Gross, for Attorney.

And, in Pott. County:

There are eight candidates for three seats on the County Board of Supervisors:

• Republicans Scott Belt, Lynn Grobe, Adam Houser, Justin Schultz, Mary Stanley, and Democrats Glenn Hurst, Frances Parr, as well as Marshal Pilger.
• Republican Matthew Wilber is running unopposed for Attorney.
• Republican Mark Brandenburg is running unopposed for Recorder.
• Republican Lea A. Voss is unopposed for Treasurer.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new law is expanding access to mental health services across Iowa. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed legislation Thursday at a ceremony in the state Capitol rotunda that creates six access centers to provide short-term care for people in crisis. The legislation also doubles the number of teams across the state that provide 24/7 flexible treatment and support to patients.

The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimates the total cost at more than $31 million over two years. Funding would come from federal, state and local taxes. Iowa’s 14 mental health regions would spend down excess cash reserves to pay for initial costs.

Reynolds also signed a bill requiring Iowa school districts to train educators on how to identify and help students at risk of suicide.

Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall is once again reminding property owners of the deadline to pay the second-half tax payments on real estate and mobile homes. Those taxes are currently due, with the deadline for payments without penalty, next Monday, April 2nd. Payments with a POSTMARK of April 2nd will also be accepted without penalty.

You can pay your taxes at the Cass County Treasurer’s Office at the courthouse in Atlantic, or online, at www.iowatreasurers.org.  Credit and Debit cards are accepted, but there is a “convenience fee.”

ADEL, Iowa (AP) — Court records say the adoptive grandmother of a central Iowa teenage girl found starved to death has reached a plea deal. An April 6 hearing has been scheduled for 63-year-old Carla Bousman, who’d previously pleaded not guilty. She’s charged with aiding and abetting kidnapping and child endangerment and other crimes in the death of 16-year-old Sabrina Ray. The records do not say what charges are involved in Bousman’s new plea.

The girl weighed just 56 pounds when she died. Her body was found May 12 in the Perry home she shared with her adoptive parents, Marc and Misty Ray. They’ve pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
Her adoptive brother, Justin Ray, has been given 10 years in prison for injuring her the month before she died.

The stage is set for the June 5th Primary election in Audubon County. According to the Audubon County Auditor’s Office, the following persons met the March 28th filing deadline to have their names on the ballot:

• Republicans Duane D. Deist, Jean Hinners and Gary VanAernam, who are vying for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors.  Democrat Dwight Jessen had been a candidate, but he withdrew from the race the last week of March.
• Republican Sarah A. Jennings is running unopposed for Audubon County Attorney.
• Democrat Miranda J. Bills is unopposed for County Recorder.
• Democrat Debbie Campbell is unopposed for County Treasurer.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa agency is making a new effort to recover more than $9.4 million in defaulted private student loans, including some that date back to the 1990s. The Des Moines Register reports that the state College Student Aid Commission has entered into an agreement with the state Department of Revenue to recover more than $9.4 million in Iowa Partnership Loans.

The agreement says the Revenue Department will use a variety of methods to collect the defaulted loans from almost 1,000 borrowers, including garnished wages and withheld state income tax refunds. The Revenue Department will keep 28 percent of the funds collected.

The commission worked with the Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corp., a private nonprofit, to administer the loan program. The commission then purchased the private loans in default from 1998 to 2006.