Iowa
The ultimate Iowa City game-day guide of places to eat, drink and root for the Hawkeyes
![The ultimate Iowa City game-day guide of places to eat, drink and root for the Hawkeyes The ultimate Iowa City game-day guide of places to eat, drink and root for the Hawkeyes](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/08/21/NTAN/4488c900-4892-47d0-a14c-e660c8ad9891-Big_Grove_Iowa_City_.jpg?auto=webp&crop=1460,822,x200,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
The Hawkeye ‘Wave’ brings hope to healing kids
The Hawkeye ‘Wave’ brings hope to healing kids
Zach Boyden-Holmes, Des Moines Register
Fall Saturdays in Iowa City are more than just raucous football games and large tailgates. A long history of game-day traditions attracts nearly 70,000 to Kinnick Stadium, and the downtown corridor and beyond is a thriving hub for foodies, locals, and tourists alike.
The 2024 football season begins Saturday, Aug. 31, when the Iowa Hawkeyes host the Illinois State Redbirds.
Here are a few establishments the Iowa City Press-Citizen recommends when in town for a football game, whether you’re looking for a hearty breakfast, a celebratory dinner, or the perfect place to bask in game-day ambiance.
Restaurants that are a short trek from Kinnick Stadium
Details: Stella, 1006 Melrose Ave., Iowa City
Steps away from Kinnick Stadium, Stella is a contemporary spot that combines American classics with Cajun fare. It is also one of Iowa City’s most vegetarian-friendly establishments, serving game-day spirit in a reinvented atmosphere and offering a variety of black bean burgers.
Details: Sidekick Coffee & Books, 310 1/2 Melrose Ave., Iowa City
Less than a 15-minute walk from Kinnick Stadium, Sidekick Coffee & Books is a vibrant hub in the University Heights neighborhood. The café boasts a robust menu, perfect for all occasions from lattes and smoothies to quiche and scones and yogurt parfaits, whether browsing the bookstore or before game day.
More: Where to find five of the best places to drink in Iowa City
Where to cater your Hawkeyes tailgate in Iowa City
Details: Graze Gourmet To-Go, 345 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City
Whether you are hosting a tailgate at Kinnick or watching the game at home, consider ordering in. The restaurant often collaborates with University of Iowa teams to provide game-day nutrition for athletes, but the restaurant also takes care of the community. The food at Graze Gourmet is designed to be taken to-go, as hinted in its name, by creating a menu of classic takeout items with a surprising array of options. Pizza, chicken lips, tacos, Mexican fried rice, and dim sum green beans are a few of the standouts, perfect for a game-day celebration.
More: Downtown Iowa City Dubuque Street construction is on track to be finished by September
Restaurants that are worth the wait before the Hawkeyes play in Iowa City
Details: Micky’s, 11 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City
Located in the heart of downtown, Micky’s has been a game-day tradition serving Iowa City for more than 30 years. Opening at 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays, the local pub is the perfect spot to swing by for breakfast before the game, though it is also open until 2 a.m. for a late-night bite. Lines can be long, but the food and energy are worth the wait.
Details: Donnelly’s Pub,110 E. College St., Iowa City
The downtown corridor is packed on game day, but Donnelly’s Pub is well worth the wait. Donnelly’s Pub has a wide selection of beer and whiskey but also boasts a robust traditional pub menu from burgers to Irish stew and one of the best Reuben sandwiches in town. Donnelly’s is a good stop before the game or even as a place to hunker down and watch.
More: From falafel to pupusas: Iowa City’s top rated restaurants according to Yelp
Where to find a quick game-day bite in Iowa City
Details: Kindred Coffee, 287 N. Linn St., Iowa City
Kindred Coffee, located on the north side, is the place to go if you want something quick and easy. The coffee shop is best known for its specialty brews, from espresso tonics to classic lattes. Kindred Coffee also has a small but mighty breakfast menu, perfect for eating on the way to the game.
Details: The Encounter Café, 76 S. Clinton St., Iowa City
The Encounter Café first opened its doors in August 2017 and has become a premiere brunch spot in the seven years since. There are plenty of brunch options, from homemade pastries to breakfast burritos and skillets, whether you are keener on sweet or savory. Diners can either sit and eat or take their food to go while walking to Kinnick.
Where to watch the Hawkeyes game in Iowa City
Details: 2 Dog’s Pub, 1705 S. First Ave., Iowa City
For folks unable to make it to Kinnick Stadium or those who just want to avoid the crush of fans on Saturdays can venture outside of the downtown corridor for a variety of options, including 2 Dog’s Pub, one of the top spots to catch every Hawkeye touchdown. You’ll surely not miss a single play with TVs showing the game on every wall, whether home or away. With more than 20 beers on draft and an expansive menu filled with elevated bar eats such as wings and burgers, 2 Dog’s Pub has something for everyone.
More: The Press-Citizen has compiled a list of best patios in the area, here’s what made the cut
Details: Big Grove Brewery 1225 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City
With plenty of seating inside and out, Big Grove Brewery’s Iowa City taproom is one of the best places to watch Saturday’s game. Known for its Easy Eddy hazy IPA, Big Grove offers dozens of TVs and even a projection screen for viewing pleasure, and a bar anchored by a rotating list of Big Grove’s well-regarded beers. The food menu is rather expansive as well. The brewery’s regular watch parties often include DJs on the ones and twos during commercial breaks.
Details: 30 Hop, 900 E. Second Ave., Coralville
Located in the Iowa River Landing, the rooftop brewpub and restaurant offers an immaculate array of craft beers, a full bar, and a food menu. The atmosphere is top-notch, with dozens of TVs on the rooftop, perfect for watching the Hawkeyes win.
Details: Coach’s Corner, 749 Mormon Trek Blvd., Iowa City
Coach’s Corner’s Instagram bio refers to itself as the “The #1 place to catch a game in Iowa City!” Located on the west side of town, Coach’s Corner is a quintessential sports bar serving classic bar food fare from wings to a variety of sandwiches that will make you want to come back time and time again.
More: From shakes to soft serve, here are the 10 best ice cream spots in Johnson County
Classic eats for the early birds before a Hawkeyes game
Details: Bluebird Diner, 330 E. Market St., Iowa City
Want to get to Kinnick as early as you can? Bluebird Diner is perfect for fans looking for a high-quality breakfast. Open at 7 a.m. daily, it is the ideal place to fuel up before kickoff, serving classic diner breakfast and lunch from open to close.
Details: Hamburg Inn No. 2, 214 N. Linn St., Iowa City
The Hamburg Inn No. 2 has been a cornerstone in the Iowa City community for 90 years. Last year, the joint found new life and has remained a favorite under new ownership since it reopened on Homecoming weekend. Enjoy classics from The Hamburg Inn No. 2 like Hamburg Inn pie shakes, fried chicken, celebratory cups of bottomless coffee, or the classic Presidential Breakfast with two eggs your way, hash browns, sausage or bacon, and toast. Since reopening, the Hamburg Inn No. 2 often has long wait times even on non-game days, so come early to secure a spot.
More: Here’s where to find some of the best fried chicken in Iowa, from Balltown to Donnellson
Where to find late-night bites in Iowa City
Details: George’s Buffet, 312 E Market St., Iowa City
If you are looking for a place to kick back after the game, try George’s Buffett. The bar serves late-night bites including cheese sandwiches, hot nuts, chips, and cheeseburgers on its limited-food menu. These are the perfect re-up after any long day.
More: Discover the 6 best burger restaurants in Iowa City, from gourmet to classic delights
Details: Sanctuary Pub, 405 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City
Sanctuary Pub has been an Iowa City mainstay since 1972. Reminiscent of a traditional British pub, the bar emulates its namesake, being a sanctuary for a welcoming place to enjoy the company of others over good food and drinks. The restaurant has a menu rooted in classic bar fare, with elevated options like baked brie and vodka shrimp. The restaurant is open until 11 p.m. on weekends; it is a great option after a long day to refuel.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_.
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Iowa
Driver distracted by phone gets probation in fatal Iowa City crash
IOWA CITY — Nine days after her 30th birthday a year ago, Kristina Pearson and her partner, Christopher Brown, went out to buy house paint. She stopped at Tractor Supply in Iowa City for a copy of North American Whitetail magazine, featuring her dad on the cover for a fourth time.
“She purchased the magazine and snapped a picture of it at 12:57 p.m.,” her mother, Judith Collora, said. “Then she got in the car, buckled her seat belt, and followed another car through the green light at the intersection.”
At 12:58 p.m. Aug. 7, 2023, as Pearson and Brown headed north on Boyrum Street, Drake Brezina, then 24, stared down at his cellphone as he drove his Chevrolet Silverado through two intersections and then a third on Highway 6, despite the red light — slamming into Pearson’s driver’s side door. The crash rupturing her spleen, tearing her vertebral artery, fracturing her skull, breaking ribs and causing extensive internal bleeding.
Minutes later, Collora got a call from her husband, telling her Kristi and Chris were in an accident, that they were both unresponsive at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and that the couple was to come immediately.
“After three and a half hours of surgery, they directed us back to the neural department, to a room with tables and chairs and Kleenex,” Collora said. “The young doctor came in to tell us they could not save her.”
The physicians expected Brown to survive. And they were able to keep their daughter’s heart beating until the family could gather to say goodbye.
“They said I needed to let them know when to stop the heart medicine,” Collora said. “It was 9:30 p.m. Kristi kept it going for about 20 minutes. We watched her last heart beat.”
Just under two months later, on Sept. 29, 2023, officers arrested Brezina on suspicion of vehicular homicide and serious injury by motor vehicle due to reckless driving.
The second-grade teacher had no prior criminal offenses. Beloved by family, friends and members of his community — having transferred to Iowa Mennonite School, now Hillcrest Academy, in Kalona as a high school freshman — Brezina pursued elementary education at Northwestern College in Orange City, returning to Washington, Iowa, after graduation to teach at Highland Elementary.
Expressing devastation at his own actions, Brezina pleaded guilty and took responsibility for his distracted driving and the lives it destroyed. And on Monday in a packed Johnson County courtroom — walls lined with family and friends on both sides who couldn’t find a seat — Brezina, now 25, awaited his fate.
Prosecutors requested the maximum 15 years in prison. Brezina sought probation, promising to share his story as a warning against distracted driving and honoring Kristi “so that something like this never happens again.”
“There are no words that I can say to express how deeply sorry I am for what happened on that day,” Brezina said. “That sorrow will live in me forever.”
With those opposing sentence requests before him, Johnson County District Court Judge Chad Kepros faced the question of whether to make an example of Brezina or a testament of him — to make him pay behind bars, or behind a microphone, sharing the tragic consequences of his decision to focus on his phone instead of the road.
“This case is just extraordinarily challenging,” Kepros said. “In fact, I personally believe that this type of sentencing can be the most difficult that a judge faces.”
On one hand, he said, “The consequences flowing from the defendant’s criminal acts are just the worst. They can’t be overstated.”
“What’s even more tragic is that all of this pain of loss was completely avoidable,” Kepros said. “While Kristi’s death and Christopher’s injuries certainly weren’t intended, it’s not accurate or fair to describe them as accidental. Because they only came about due to defendant’s recklessness.”
So the real question, the judge said, the one required of him by law, is what sentence would offer “the maximum opportunity for rehabilitation and protection of the community.”
“The nature of this offense is, I think, extremely challenging, because we’ve all seen, perhaps on a daily basis or near a daily basis, people driving while distracted by phones,” Kepros said. “And yet, this is the exact thing that is the danger when you operate a heavy piece of machinery in reckless way. Just because a lot of people do it doesn’t mean that you get a pass when something tragic happens.”
Ultimately, he said, prison wouldn’t offer the maximum opportunity for rehabilitation — nor was it necessary for community protection. Imposing supervised probation for five years instead, Kepros took the extra step to ensure Brezina follows through on his commitment to share his story.
“I generally don’t order community service as a part of a suspended sentence, in fact I don’t remember ever doing it,” Kepros said. “But in this instance, the court believes that Mr. Brezina can potentially have a positive influence on the community by speaking about these events, the dangers of distracted driving, texting and other forms of distracted and impaired driving as a major problem in our society.”
Upon hearing the judge’s sentence, Brezina’s family wept, gripped one another’s hands, lips quivering. Pearson’s family — who in March filed a wrongful lawsuit against Brezina, set for trial in February 2026 — remained stoic, having just shared their concerns that letting Brezina walk will cost more lives.
“I have no forgiveness for Drake Brezina,” Judith Collora told the court. “He knew very well what he was doing. What would you feel if it was your child? How many more people have to die because they’re texting instead of driving?”
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
Iowa
Iowa mayor addresses recall petition
![Iowa mayor addresses recall petition Iowa mayor addresses recall petition](https://gray-kplc-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/SVOONCAPJFAVJPLVOA3Y5J2JJQ.png?auth=78d1b85f2eac7630704b551720d61e28135554032973e25b8b7224e036fb1d1a&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
IOWA, La. (KPLC) – Iowa Mayor Neal Watkins plans to address the petition for his recall, which he says is harming the town.
The 5 p.m. news conference was called concerning the Vineyards of Iowa, a multi-family housing development that will soon be under construction. Town officials said the recall committee has been spreading negativity and false statements about the project.
We will bring you the details of the mayor’s and councilmembers’ remarks on 7 News Nightcast.
The Secretary of State’s Office received the petition to recall Mayor Watkins in June. He was elected in December 2022.
Copyright 2024 KPLC. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Iowa Mastodon Bones Indicate Humans Ate It
![Iowa Mastodon Bones Indicate Humans Ate It Iowa Mastodon Bones Indicate Humans Ate It](https://img1-azrcdn.newser.com/image/1553972-12-20240819072202.jpeg)
The well-preserved skull of an extinct mastodon has been discovered in Iowa. Officials from the University of Iowa’s Office of the State Archaeologist said a 12-day excavation yielded “several mastodon bones,” largely from the skull of the massive animal, belonging to the same order as elephants and mammoths. Mastodons roamed North and Central America from 3.5 million years ago to about 10,500 years ago. This one, dated to 13,600 years ago, is in “pristine condition,” revealing possible evidence of human interaction, per Fox News.
State archaeologist John Doershuk said the bones showed what “could be identifiable cut marks,” indicating humans consumed the flesh of the animal. “We’re really hoping to find evidence of human interaction with this creature—perhaps the projectile points and knives that were used to kill the animal and do initial butchering,” Doershuk added, per NPR. Iowa Archaeology said it was the first-ever well-preserved mastodon excavated in the state, per Fox. The bones were taken from an eroding creek bank in Wayne County and will eventually find a place at the Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon, the university said.
Meanwhile, an amateur fossil hunter came upon a 7-foot-long mammoth tusk while scouring a creek bank in Mississippi on August 3. Eddie Templeton tells CNN he was wading through about three feet of water when he spotted the tusk sticking out of the mud bank. It turned out to be completely intact. George Phillips, curator of paleontology at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, confirmed it belonged to a Columbian mammoth, a distant relative of the woolly mammoth. It has not been dated but is likely between 11,700 and 75,000 years old, Phillips said. (More discoveries stories.)
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