Iowa
Iowa River Power staff bring back the brunch and steaks at the Highlander Hotel in March
The former staff of a cherished local restaurant has found a new home.
Displaced employees from the Iowa River Power Restaurant, which closed late last year, are partnering with the Highlander Hotel to help operate the Supper Club, with plans to offer IRP’s famous Sunday brunch and many of its other classic eats.
Highlander owner Angela Harrington connected with former IRP owner Danise Petsel after her two-decade run ended in 2023 to channel her expertise to recreate a historic supper club.
Harrington took over at the Highlander Hotel in 2019 as it struggled to gain a foothold in Johnson County. She quickly piloted a $10 million renovation and a return to prominence, anchored by a retro hotel vibe with luxurious amenities.
But, something was missing even as the hotel hosted a grand re-opening in late 2023. It needed that extra touch, that special feeling only a well-thought-out meal can provide.
Inspired by her knowledge and sustained success in the restaurant industry as well as her familiarity with the Johnson County clientele, Harrington reached out to Petsel, hoping to revive the legendary flavors of Iowa River Power.
The two hit it off almost immediately.
Petsel jokes that their partnership works because Harrington loves doing what Petsel hates and vice versa. Harrington said the pair might “need a reality TV show because we’re both quite colorful and very outspoken.”
But for Petsel, who opened the Iowa River Power Restaurant in 2002, the most important part of the transition has been keeping the staff together and making memories with community members.
“I have so many regular clientele who I’ve not only done their weddings, but their baby showers and funerals,” Petsel said. “It will be nice to have a huge space where we can see all of the people that we’ve known and we’ve grown up with and made beautiful memories with. And I feel the staff is my main reason. I just wanted to keep them all together.”
More: Behind the scenes of the Iowa River Power saga: Business frustrated with looming closure, building owner
IRP staff will lead ‘Supper Club’ integration
The Highlander is equipped with a large Supper Club space and nearly ready-to-rock kitchen perfect for accommodating large crowds, said Petsel, who plans to revive Iowa River Power’s vaunted brunches that averaged 800 people on Sunday mornings.
“The ballroom will be beautiful for the brunch and we can do the exact same brunch. We’ll just have a lot more space to do it,” Petsel said.
The Highlander will also provide dinner service Thursday through Sunday, offering many of the same items that guests at Iowa River Power enjoyed — including staples like steak and seafood. Petsel is bringing the head chef and all of her IRP cooks to the Highlander. Many of the wait staff will also join her.
The hotel will provide food service throughout the week, but adding Petsel and her team means Harrington has more flexibility and can accommodate more events.
“I’m just tickled and frankly, I’m grateful because I really am trying to get good at the hotel operation and I’m just so grateful to have somebody who does (food service) so much better than me and with all of that experience,” Harrington said. “Take that piece, I’m just over the moon.”
Dinner guests do not need to stay at the Highlander to dine at the Supper Club.
Brunch service begins on Sunday, March 24, and will also be offered on Easter Sunday. Complimentary breakfast will continue for hotel guests Monday to Friday.
Regular dinner service begins Thursday, April 4.
From August: A retro vibe: Iowa City’s historic Highlander Hotel reveals 90-room, $10 million renovations
What happened to the Iowa River Power restaurant
After 22 years at the corner of First Avenue and Fifth Street in Coralville, Petsel and her Iowa River Power team were notified last summer that they would be forced to close. The building owner, Randy Ward, the founder of Coralville-based Randy’s Flooring, wanted to renovate.
Both Petsel and Ward seemed frustrated with the condition of the building and agreed that it required repairs, though neither could agree how the repairs would be made.
Petsel said Ward had not properly communicated how the renovations would impact the restaurant. IRP closed its doors on Nov. 26, just after Thanksgiving.
“It’s crazy to me because you know what, I think I’ve been a tenant that has never bothered him,” Petsel told the Press-Citizen last August. “I pay for things that he never handled. I had to pay for them. We’ve always been friendly, but obviously not friends because you don’t [do this to] your friends.”
More: Iowa River Power Restaurant set to close, cites owner’s plans to renovate
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Andrew McKeever is hard to miss at an Iowa practice. The St. Mary’s transfer and center stands 7 feet, 3 inches tall and averaged 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season.
‘Nothing like I’ve seen in practice’
Teammates have taken notice of McKeever’s size. Forward Trey Thompson said the center’s hands alone drew a reaction.
“Yeah, he’s big. That’s for sure. I saw him looking at his phone and it looked like a tiny, little iPod in his hand. I was like, ‘Geez, man,’” Thompson said.
Forward Joey Matteoni said McKeever’s presence in the paint stands apart from what he has seen in recent seasons.
“He controls the paint for sure and nothing like I’ve seen in practice the last couple of years. No offense to Cam (Manyawu), but I mean 7′3” is just different,” Matteoni said.
McKeever on why Iowa made sense
McKeever said the decision to transfer to Iowa was straightforward.
“It was a pretty obvious choice for me,” McKeever said. “Their team was so good last year, making an Elite 8 run. I was maybe a key piece that they needed with a little bit more size, even though their bigs were good, but they just didn’t have the height as some of the other teams did in the Big Ten. So I figured I could help in that way.”
From baseball to basketball
McKeever was not always a basketball player. He stood around 6 feet, 2 inches early in high school before a significant growth spurt changed his trajectory.
“I was like 6′2” during COVID and then I grew to 6′10″ when I was out of COVID. I was playing baseball at the time, and I was like, yeah, I got to go to basketball. I locked in during my sophomore season,” McKeever said.
His high school coach pushed him to make the switch permanent.
“My high school coach who I had been with growing up said, ‘You need to stop playing baseball and just focus on basketball.’ That’s kind of when it flipped the switch for me,” McKeever said.
Adjusting to his own size
Even after committing to basketball, McKeever said adapting to his own frame took time.
“Maybe a little uncoordinated and slow for my size. But I kind of worked on it a lot when I was at St. Mary’s and I got better at it,” McKeever said.
McKeever now joins Iowa’s program under head coach Ben McCollum.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – World War II veteran Laverne Severson turns 100 years old on July 14. On Thursday, family, friends and fellow veterans gathered at the Freedom Foundation in Cedar Rapids to honor and celebrate the milestone birthday.
The National World War II Museum says fewer than 1% of World War II veterans remain alive.
Laverne served as a line medic during the war and was stationed in the Philippines.
“As soon as I turned 18, it didn’t take me about a month until I was going overseas,” Laverne said.
His son, Boyd Severson, recalled stories his father shared about life at his base.
“His base over there, he told me they would get air raids every morning. The Japanese would do an air raid and they’d have to run and jump into their foxholes. And this is stuff you see in movies, and he actually lived through this,” Boyd said.
Eric Parker, assistant director of the Freedom Foundation, said veterans like Laverne deserve recognition.
“As long as we are allowed to still be graced with their presence, then we need to just soak that up and just be really thankful,” Parker said. “There needs to be a remembrance and there needs to be a legacy there that we can honor.”
Boyd said the number of surviving World War II veterans in Iowa underscores the importance of events like Thursday’s celebration.
“Slowly but surely we’re losing this generation that, from what I’ve seen, there’s 250 to 275 surviving World War II veterans remaining in Iowa, and my father’s one of them and they all should be recognized. It all should be honored,” Boyd said.
And we had to ask…what’s the secret to a century of life?
“Crackers and peanut butter in the morning for breakfast!” Laverne said.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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