Iowa

Iowa teachers leave classroom for rural coffee truck

Published

2 years ago

June 12, 2022

Iowa teachers leave classroom for rural coffee truck

KEOTA, Iowa (AP) — The sound of grinding espresso beans joins the wealthy aroma of roasted arabica contained in the slim confines of the Rural Revival cell espresso truck as three self-taught and fortunately caffeinated baristas prep their stations for what’s going to grow to be a busy morning.

In a small parking zone in the course of a small city 40 miles from the closest Starbucks, the trio of former public faculty academics navigate round one another behind their truck as individuals start to reach. Naomi Gretter stands on the espresso machine, Sky Hahn on the smoothie station. Kari Berg leans over to the window and greets the primary prospects — three younger girls.

“Good morning! Chai smoothie, girls?” Berg asks. No. The primary order is a salted caramel latte, iced. Caramel is a high contender for favourite drinks, in line with Berg. Something caramel. The smile on Berg’s face is contagious, even this early within the morning.

The shoppers line up exterior the truck and over the subsequent three hours the baristas barely have an opportunity to catch their breath. The tempo is quick, chaotic at instances, but the espresso truck house owners stay calm and upbeat, laughing and chatting with prospects as they sling drinks, each cold and hot.

They’re, in a phrase, revived.

“We’re making an attempt to dwell a lifetime of slowing down and having steadiness,” stated Hahn, 33, a former fourth grade trainer. “We additionally wished to be our personal bosses.”

The ladies make a copy of “Rising Gradual,” a e-book by former Des Moines Register reporter Jennifer Dukes Lee, on show of their truck. It’s a e-book they are saying they attempt to dwell by now. Whereas slowing down in a caffeinated world could seem to be an oxymoron, for these new entrepreneurs the revitalization couldn’t have come at a greater time.

“We noticed (the espresso truck) as our time to attempt to do one thing new and revive,” Berg, 38, advised the Des Moines Register. “It’s been actually tough with instructing.”

Berg, who spent the earlier 15 years instructing, lately retired from the Keota preschool to pursue this new ardour.

Gretter, Berg and Hahn realized their psychological well being was struggling as they have been making an attempt to keep up their careers within the public faculty system throughout the COVID-19 pandemic whereas juggling household tasks at residence. All are married to farmers, who’ve demanding schedules of their very own.

The choice to go away instructing was bittersweet.

“We’re unhappy about (leaving) all the youngsters and our coworkers,” Hahn stated, “however we even have to consider ourselves and what’s going to proceed to allow us to go on that path of getting steadiness in our lives.”

The concept behind Rural Revival began out considerably as wordplay two years in the past. Gretter, 41, stated she was joking round one night time about beginning up a cell espresso store. However what started as a joke rapidly grew when Miss Emma (Junktiquing at Slim’s), an vintage enterprise on Broadway Avenue in Keota, posted one thing on social media about on the lookout for a cell espresso truck to arrange within the parking zone for an upcoming Rural Highway Journey.

Created in 2019, the Rural Highway Journey is a self-guided route throughout numerous components of Iowa showcasing the buying and points of interest within the state’s hidden gem communities.

“I used to be like, ‘Oh, I’d love to do this,’” Gretter stated. She reached out to Berg and Hahn and one night time over margaritas they determined to make it occur.

They pitched the thought to their farmer husbands (promoting them on the truth that there’s extra espresso traded all over the world than corn or soybeans), anticipating some resistance. As a substitute, Gretter stated their husbands have been their greatest followers and supporters.

Berg agrees. “We actually couldn’t have achieved any of this with out them,” she stated.

Like several heavy meals truck, the gasoline financial system is poor and in lately of excessive fuel costs the ladies are for now retaining enterprise near Keokuk and Washington counties, however they are going to be on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on June 8-10, for the World Pork Expo. They preserve an up to date checklist of places on their social media pages (Rural Revival on Fb).

However regardless of the excessive price of gasoline, Gretter says the thought of being cell appealed to all three of them.

“We wished to have the ability to go to individuals in numerous areas and form of market that means as an alternative of being a brick and mortar, simply caught to 1 spot and ready for individuals to come back to us,” Gretter stated.

Exterior the truck in Keota, four-year-old Peyton Fagen, a former preschool scholar of Berg’s, slurps down a strawberry smoothie, full with a copious quantity of whipped cream and sprinkles. He provides the enterprise house owners a thumbs-up.

That is what it’s all about.

“Folks like drinks,” Berg stated. “It’s a stress-free surroundings once you’re spreading happiness.”

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Iowa

Iowa Hawkeyes Connected to Overwhelming Bowl Expectation

Published

7 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Iowa Hawkeyes Connected to Overwhelming Bowl Expectation

Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes were able to take care of business on Saturday against the Maryland Terrapins. Now, they head into their final game of the regular season this coming Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers with a 7-4 record.

Iowa will be headed to a bowl game following their game against Nebraska. However, the real question ends up being, which bowl game will they play in?

At this point in time, the Hawkeyes seem to be trending towards playing in one bowl game in particular.

Here are a few of the bowl game projections that have been put out there by analysts:

Obviously, the ReliaQuest Bowl seems to be the clear favorite when it comes to what game Iowa will play in.

Looking at some of the matchups that have been suggested, there is the potential for a very entertaining game.

Going up against Ole Miss, South Carolina, or Alabama would be a very difficult test for the Hawkeyes. Any of those three games would give them a great test to end the 2024 season.

There is still one game that needs to be played. A win over the Cornhuskers would have them ending their season at 8-4. After that game, it will be a wait and see approach as to which bowl game Iowa will play.

All of that being said, seeing this projections should bring excitement to the Hawkeyes’ fan base. None of them would be easy games, but the matchups would give Iowa a chance to end the season with a major upset and to head into the offseason on a high note.

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Iowa

SYC: Iowa Big project focuses on helping unsheltered

Published

15 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

SYC: Iowa Big project focuses on helping unsheltered

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A group of Cedar Rapids High School students are making sure people without a home have the essentials this winter.

Gavin Cornwell and his team of Iowa Big students filled 100 bags this week with a little bit of everything.

“We have some fruit roll-ups, some gushers, and a granola bar,” said Cornwell.

For this team, it’s more than just a class. Once done, the bags will go to the unsheltered population living at the winter overflow homeless shelter.

“People really don’t understand, everyone has their own story,” said Cornwell.

These care packages will go to each person who stays at the low-barrier shelter this winter.

“We kind of grabbed the basic necessities to include in these care packages to give them some cheer this holiday season,” he said.

The homeless population in Linn County grew by more than 40% in 2024. Denine Rushing oversees operations at the overflow shelter and said the bags provide items that those who sleep at the shelter might not otherwise get.

“Being able to have these bags that they can just throw in their backpacks or in a bag or just carry with them and utilize throughout the day,” said Rushing. “I think it is going to be really helpful for people.”

Rushing expected to see more people utilize the shelter this year, especially during snow events and bitter cold temperatures.

“You really have to kind of have things on the go, things that you can kind of just grab and take with you while you are out and about throughout the day,” said Rushing.

Cornwell said they planned to hand the bags out this Monday at the shelter. A place this Prairie High School senior is now closer to, a place that was more visible thanks to this school-based project.

“You might drive by and you might see somebody experiencing homelessness but you don’t really know what they’re experiencing,” said Cornwell.

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Iowa

Iowa State women get back on track, hold off in-state rival Drake

Published

23 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Iowa State women get back on track, hold off in-state rival Drake

Returning to Hilton Coliseum was just what the Iowa State women needed, as the eighth-ranked Cyclones held off Drake Sunday afternoon in Ames, 80-78.

Returning sophomore standout Audi Crooks had the game-winning bucket with just :00.3 seconds left in the game, finishing off a 33-point effort to lead Iowa State (5-1).

Crooks, a preseason honorable mention All-American, added four rebounds to her night while shooting 15 of 25 from the field.

Emily Ryan had a double-double, scoring 11 points while dishing out 12 assists. Addy Brown added 13 points and Mackenzie Hare chipped in 10. Brown led the team with eight rebounds while Ryan had six with two steals.

Arianna Jackson had three steals and no turnovers in almost 31 minutes of action.

For Drake, another former Iowa prep standout put up a big number vs. the Cyclones, as Katie Dinnebier knocked down eight 3-pointers and scored a game-high 39 points. Anna Miller had 18 with eight rebounds, as Dinnebier also had five rebounds, two steals and two assists.

The win marked the 300th non-conference victory for Iowa State under Bill Fennelly all-time, as he improved to 616-314 with the Cyclones and 782-367 overall in his coaching career.

Iowa State added to its NCAA-record streak for consecutive games with a made 3-pointer, stretching it to 933 straight.

Up next for the Cyclones will be defending national champion South Carolina on Thanksgiving at 12:30 p.m. on FOX. The Gamecocks had their 43-game win streak snapped with a 77-62 loss in Los Angeles.

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