(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors visited with Carrie Petersen, owner of CoffeeGirl, on Thursday, July 15th, 2021. The Ambassadors joined Carrie in celebrating the opening of her new location in Atlantic. CoffeeGirl is located on the corner of Chestnut Street and 5th Street.

Carrie started her coffee shop journey in Elk Horn in 2014. After finding success there, she decided to open a second location in Harlan in 2018 with a third location following later that year in Atlantic. Carrie left her smaller downtown location at the end of 2020 and began renovating a larger storefront with the help of property owner, Jan Kinnison. Carrie praised Jan for not only being a huge help and supporter with renovations, but for all the moral support she’s offered as well.

Coffee Girl ribbon-cutting ceremony, 7-15-21 (Chamber Photo)

Carrie and her husband worked around the clock to get the new location up and running before summer’s end. The building used to be the old post office in town. During renovations, they discovered the original flooring and tile, which happens to be 140 years old. They decided to lengthen renovation a little longer to restore the floor to its former glory.

CoffeeGirl is not just about coffee, they have many other options such as smoothies, frappes, muffins, pastries, espressos, teas, energy drinks, and more. CoffeeGirl also offers four different types of paninis and two different types of wraps for lunch.

CoffeeGirl is located at 422 Chestnut Street in Atlantic. For more information about CoffeeGirl, call 712-250-1539 or visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Coffeegirl-300541443489756

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests took place this week. On Wednesday, 24-year-old Connor Nathaniel Burg, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for OWI 1st and driving under suspension.  Berg was transported to Cass County Jail and was later released on his own recognizance. Also arrested Wednesday, was 36-year-old Trevor Kyle Benge, of Stanton, who was taken into custody on a Cass County warrant for violation of probation.  Benge was transported to Cass County Jail and is currently being held on bond.

And, on Monday, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 26-year-old Edward Lee Roy Burton, Jr., of Atlantic, on a Cass County warrant for controlled substance violations.  Burton was transported to Cass County Jail where he was being held on bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Barbara Wilson took office Wednesday as the 22nd president of the University of Iowa, the third woman to hold the position. Wilson replaces Bruce Harreld, who retired after taking the office late in 2015. Wilson is a communications scholar and academic administrator who previously served as the second in command at the University of Illinois system. U-I Undergraduate Student Body President Regan Smock says she hopes campus mental health will be a priority for Wilson. “COVID illuminated a lot of what some people were living in silence about,” Smock says. “I really hope that we can try to push more funding towards mental health services in general. I think, especially for students of color, students of underrepresented and underserved backgrounds.”

Smock said she anticipates one of Wilson’s biggest challenges will be earning trust across a diverse range of constituents on campus. “There are students who will never think about who’s making decisions about stuff, but those who do, do not feel heard in what they need and what they want,” Smock says. “Part of that is that you have constituents with different demands and different things they need and that makes it difficult.”

Wilson has also spoken about her goals to expand diversity, equity and inclusion and improve graduation rates. Reports say Wilson received a five-year contract with an annual salary of 600-thousand dollars as well as a five-year deferred compensation plan with an annual contribution of 400-grand.

(By Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)