(Radio Iowa) — The iconic “butter cow” has been a part of the annual Iowa State Fair since 1911 and Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines sculpted this year’s dairy cow — as she’s done each of the past 18 years. “Really any kind of butter works, although if I have access to it, low moisture butter — so butter that’s been churned for a longer period of time — works better,” Pratt says. “I typically used recycled butter, so it in effect does the same thing. As I use it year-to-year-to-year, it reduces the moisture and becomes more like clay.”

Pratt carves a butter cow for the Illinois State Fair and does a butter sculpture for the Kansas State Fair as well. “Here at the Iowa State Fair we have a lovely, very long stretch of cooler, so I can put inside the cooler a cow and also a themed-sculpture,” Pratt says. Pratt marked the 100th anniversary of John Deere during the 2018 Iowa State Fair and sculpted — out of butter — a replica of the “Waterloo Boy” tractor. “It was extremely difficult in the sence of trying to get the scale just right and all the details,” Pratt says, “…all of the intricacies of doing it.”

This year, fair-goers who pass through the Agriculture Building may see the figures Pratt has made to celebrate a long-running children’s television program. “We are very excited to be honoring the 50th anniversary of ‘Sesame Street’ which I grew up watching and also the 50th anniversary of Iowa Public Television, which is the channel I watched ‘Sesame Street’ on, so they kind of go hand-in-hand,” Pratt says. “It’s really going to be a family-friendly sculpture this year.”

Pratt uses about 12-hundred POUNDS of butter for her Iowa State Fair carvings.

The Creston Police Department reports a central Iowa man was arrested this (Thursday) morning, while two other men were arrested Wednesday night, all on separate charges. 56-year old Ray Trotter, of Des Moines, was arrested today (Thursday) at around 5:10-a.m., in the 700 block of E. Taylor, on a charge of Driving While Suspended. Trotter was being held in the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.

At around 10:35-p.m. Wednesday, 19-year old Joseph Eblen, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center (LEC), on a Union County Warrant for Eluding. He was being held in Jail on a $1,000 bond. And, just before midnight, Wednesday, 43-year old Shane Sanden, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County LEC, on charges of Public Intoxication, Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana 2nd Offense and Possession of Paraphernalia. Sanden was later released from the Union County Jail Jail on a $1,600 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a Des Moines hospital has decided to settle dozens of lawsuits filed by patients who say they suffered needless pain after a hospital worker stole their painkillers. Authorities say Victor Van Cleave had worked at Iowa Methodist Medical Center when he used a syringe to steal fentanyl and other painkillers, replacing the liquid with sterile water. He was sentenced in July 2018 to 30 months in prison.

The Des Moines Register reports that a trial scheduled to begin Aug. 19 was postponed after the judge was informed about a tentative settlement. UnityPoint Health-Des Moines owns the hospital, and UnityPoint spokeswoman and a lawyer for the plaintiffs confirmed this week that the two sides are working to settle the case. They declined to comment further.

A man from Guthrie County was arrested Tuesday, following a break-in and discharge of a weapon. According to WHO-TV in Des Moines, 52-year old Randall Comly, of Stuart, was charged with Terrorism and Burglary, after he broke into a home in Casey Tuesday morning, armed with a handgun. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office told the station Comly allegedly argued with a man in the home then fired a shot over the man’s head.

When Comly was arrested at his apartment later in the day, Tuesday, police found a .22 caliber handgun in his home. They also found a methamphetamine pipe.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police say officers have arrested a Waterloo man after a 12-year-old driving his car struck a 4-year-old boy on a bicycle. Police say 34-year-old Jesse Azbill had given the 12-year-old permission to drive the vehicle and say Azbill was in it when the little boy was struck just before 1 p.m. Tuesday in Waterloo. The boy was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City for treatment. His name hasn’t been released.

Jail records say Azbill remained in custody today (Thursday). He’s charged with child endangerment causing injury and serious injury by vehicle. Police aren’t certain of Azbill’s relationship with the 12-year-old boy.

(Radio Iowa) — A farm in the Loess Hills of southwest Iowa where corn, soybeans and cattle were once raised is now home to acres of wildflowers and lavender. Mary Hamer and her husband, Tim, run the Loess Hills Lavender Farm near the Harrison County town of Missouri Valley. The peak months are July through September for the undulating ocean of delicate purple flowers. “People are allowed to go and cut a small bouquet,” Mary Hamer says. “Right now, we’re a little short because the first cuttings have been pretty much cut, but then we rebloom until it freezes again. By the end of August and September, we’ll have a nice stand of lavender again.”

The farm hosts events like teas, luncheons and weddings while the gift shop is filled with items like lavender-infused lemonade, lavender cookies and even lavender fudge. “We make all of our own products, lotions, balms and spritzes,” Hamer says. “In researching lavender, it’s an amazing herb that you can cook with, clean with, and heal with. It’s got a lot of great properties in it. Our lotions and balms are good on bug bites.”

The Hamers, originally from the Pisgah and Little Sioux areas, bought the farm ten years ago after spending a few years researching lavender. They were struck by the idea when on the West Coast to visit their son, who was in the Navy. “We were waiting for his submarine to come in and my daughter-in-law said there was a lavender festival in Sequim, Washington, and that’s where I wanted to go,” Hamer says. “We went up and I walked in the field and my very first thought was, ‘I’ve gotta’ do this is Iowa.'”

The aroma of lavender can be intoxicating and when there are acres of the purple plants, Hamer says many people find it’s the perfect place for snapping selfies — or forgetting about technology entirely. Hamer says, “The hills are beautiful and people can come out and just relax and enjoy themselves and maybe find a little inner peace here.”

(On the web at http://www.loesshillslavender.com/ )

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Police in western Iowa say a man has been found dead in a Council Bluffs home, and that the discovery is related to a case of an armed man who was shot dead by police hours earlier. Council Bluffs police say in a news release that the body of the 51-year-old man was found around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police say the man’s death is related to another case in which an officer fatally shot a driver who had crashed his truck and was pointing guns at police and a woman inside the truck.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It’s time for the Iowa State Fair, home of deep-fried everything, and every four years, presidential candidates. Starting Thursday, more than 20 Democratic White House hopefuls will navigate the festival of nutritionally questionable snacks while flocks of media cover their dietary choices. The candidates try to look presidential while at ease with the folkways of Middle America. But the offerings pose challenges for vegetarian Tulsi Gabbard and vegan Cory Booker.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is accusing President Donald Trump of “fanning the flames of white supremacy.” Campaigning in Iowa on Wednesday, the former vice president also charged that the president offers no moral leadership and seems to have no interest in unifying the country. Biden and other Democrats seeking to take Trump’s place have been nearly unanimous in supporting an aggressive plan to confront gun violence in the aftermath of last weekend’s mass shootings.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The mother of a man charged in the shooting death of a Des Moines man earlier this summer has also been arrested in the case. Police said in a news release Wednesday that 40-year-old Tameeca Marie Lyke has been charged with preventing apprehension/obstructing prosecution. Lyke is the mother of 20-year-old Michael Reco Lyke Jr., who has been charged with first-degree murder and other counts in the June 28 shooting death of 41-year-old Earl Marcello Caldwell.

Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bailey Smith, Wednesday, presented a report to the City Council, with regard to the success of RAGBRAI. The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa was held July 21st and 22nd, with Atlantic serving as an overnight stop.

Of the event, Smith said after all the bills were paid, RAGBRAI profits amounted to $43,200. That figure will be split into quarters, with $10,800 donated to the Chamber, Police Department, Fire Department and Booster Club.

Here are some of the background and final stats for the event:

• The event was in the planning stages (ever since the City was notified) for six-months, with a core committee of 27 people, and 20 committees formed to help in the planning and coordination.
• There were 32 food vendors in all, 14 were local, non-profit organizations. Their $100 vendor fees were returned to those organizations. There were also four, local for-profit vendors, while the rest travel with RAGBRAI from point-to-point.
• There were 190 groups of anywhere from 2 to 15 people placed with housing. The numbers showed that was a substantially higher amount than 2011, the last time the event was held in Atlantic. 98% of the housing requests were fulfilled by the Housing Committee.
• All of the hotels in town were full during the event, as was the Schildberg Campground.
• In addition to the Schildberg Campground, RAGBRAI participants stayed at one of the five other campgrounds in Atlantic. Those sites included the Sunnyside Park, the Cass County Fairgrounds, Middle School, High School and on the ground of the Heritage House.
• There were a little more than 8,100 riders who camped out. (2,200 were at Sunnyside, 2,300 at the Fairgrounds, 2,200 at the Middle School, 325 at the Heritage House, and 910 at the High School.) That does not include persons who were housed or camped out in private yards or properties with permission.
• There were about 16,000 registered riders in town for the event, and an unofficial count of around 2,000, who didn’t register but just joined-in for the ride for a certain amount of miles.
• About 12,000 people were downtown Atlantic for the concert.
• There were 14 different types of beer served out of two tents that were run by the Atlantic Fire Department. Over 1,000 cases of beer was ordered, with very little returned.
• Smith said the town was nearly spotless the morning of the ride out of town.
• And, she said the Chamber has received “An overwhelming amount of positive comments how the event went,” including mutually positive comments from residents and riders.
• According to Bailey Smith, many riders were impressed with the Christmas lights that added an extra special attraction to the downtown the night of July 21st. Those same persons said they would love to come back for Atlantic’s Lighted Parade and Christmas festivities.

A Midwest-based coffee chain is coming to Atlantic. In his report to the City Council Wednesday evening, City Administrator John Lund said Scooter’s Coffee plans to locate their business just east of Oinkers, on the grassy area in front of the Verizon Store. Lund said representatives from the company will attend the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Tuesday. They submitted a site plan for the Commission to review. There was no immediate word on a timeline for the business to be established, but one of the first steps is for the site plan to be approved.

The company has locations in Carroll, Council Bluffs, Omaha, Bellevue, NE.  Scooter’s was founded in Bellevue, Nebraska in 1998. Their website says “Co-founders Don and Linda Eckles began an amazing journey when they opened their first drive-thru coffeehouse in Bellevue, Nebraska. Their keys to success: find a great location and stay committed to high-quality drinks, speed of service, and a BIG smile.”

The co-founder’s daughter was nicknamed “Scooter” and when naming the company, “Scooter’s” became the favorite. It fit well with their mission to keep customers happy by helping them “scoot in and scoot out” quickly.