(Davenport, IA) - FRESH DELI by Nostalgia Farms will open in early 2012 as the first business within the Food Hub at the Freight House in downtown Davenport; however, fans of locally grown food don't have to wait for a ribbon cutting to support the cause.  The deli is already selling Customer Supported Agriculture Vouchers (CSAV's) via phone and email.  The vouchers can be redeemed throughout the year for discounted food purchases at the deli; meanwhile, the money raised through the sale of the vouchers will also provide funding to help cover the typical costs associated with launching any new small business.

"Nostalgia Farms has utilized the sale of CSAV's to successfully launch and sustain our current business over the years," said Ed Kraklio, co-owner of Nostalgia Farms and FRESH DELI.  "Although it's uncommon to see CSAV's sold by a restaurant, our unique nature as a significant provider and supporter of locally grown food makes the sale of the vouchers a perfect fit for the deli, too.  Customers get a great discount as well as an opportunity to show their support for local agriculture and the Quad Cities economy."

Customers can buy vouchers in $200 increments towards food purchases over the next twelve months, which provides an overall discount of $40 per year.

FRESH DELI will be carrying made-to-order items off the grill, prepared sandwiches, as well as soups and salads featuring the deli's own dressing lines and mustards.  Customers can expect to find a large selection of "Take -n- Bake" items such as soups, pies, casseroles, and lasagnas, too.  Vegetarians will be pleased to hear that FRESH DELI by Nostalgia Farms will also have a large selection of vegetarian dishes.

FRESH DELI isn't just using produce and meats from Nostalgia Farms, though.  The restaurant will be utilizing products from many local producers including Sawyer Beef, Geest Farms, Winters Bison, Avante Cheese, Behnke Poultry, Happy Hollow, Oak Hill Acres, and more.  Krarklio plans to have FRESH DELI partner with as many local producers as possible throughout the Quad Cities region.

"We're still finishing construction on the space; however, we encourage those who support local agriculture and fresh local food to purchase a CSAV today," noted Kraklio. "Purchasing a CSAV is a great opportunity to take advantage of for individuals and companies alike."

Karklio plans to have the deli open six to seven days a week; more details regarding hours will be revealed upon its grand opening.  FRESH DELI accepts Debit, Credit, (Visa, MasterCard) EBT, Cash and Checks.  The deli will also offer delivery to a limited area in down town Davenport and Rock Island.

To purchase a CSAV or to ask additional questions, please call 563-940-0634 or email freshdeli@nostalgiafarms.com.

"If the (Justice) Department's ongoing investigation uncovers illegal actions, criminal prosecution should be pursued without hesitation ... we urge federal agents to use every legal resource available," the senators' letter said.

Grassley has participated in oversight hearings of the Senate Committee on Agriculture seeking information and accountability for the loss of up to $1.2 billion in customer funds, including money from Iowa farmers, grain coops and brokers.

"Establishing the specifics of what happened is key to figuring out how the system failed and how to fix it going forward.  That's in addition to the immediate task of helping to minimize the damage for farmers and other investors caught in the MF Global debacle," Grassley said.  "Both the brokerage firm that's now in bankruptcy and top federal officials in charge of enforcing commodity trading and securities law, including the Commodity Futures Trading Corporation, need to be held accountable."

Today's letter to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. was signed by Senators Max Baucus of Montana, John Thune of South Dakota, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Grassley, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, John Barasso of Wyoming, Jon Tester of Montana, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Mark Kirk of Illinois, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Dan Coats of Indiana, John Hoeven of North Dakota, and Tim Johnson of South Dakota.

Click here to read the letter.

You have probably heard about Doctors Without Borders but did you know that there is an Engineers Without Borders, too?  This national organization does exactly what its name suggests: reaches out to help lift up communities that cannot do it themselves. It is through this national organization that the University of Iowa Chapter of Engineers Without Borders has made a long-lasting, positive impact halfway across the globe.

Over the past few years UI engineering students have been working in Ghana, a country in Western Africa, to provide clean drinking water and sanitation. The students also provide the communities they serve with the knowledge they need to manage and maintain these systems for years to come.

In order to find out more information click here http://www.uiewb.org/.

DID YOU KNOW?

Federal Funding Award to Advance K-12 Reforms, Improve Student Achievement and Boost Science Technology Engineering, Math (STEM) Learning Across Illinois

CHICAGO - December 23, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced Illinois earned a $42.8 million federal grant under the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top (RTTT) program to help bolster Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education across the state and other work to close the achievement gap. Half of those funds- about $21 million -will go directly to the state's local districts that agree to accelerate education reform. Illinois is one of seven states in the nation to be awarded a portion of the $200 million in federal funds, which will be distributed through the 2013-14 school year to benefit K-12 students.

"The best long-term economic tool is a good education," Governor Quinn said. "As Illinois continues to pursue a strong education reform agenda, this grant allows us to continue to reach for improved scores, higher graduation rates and a system that produces graduates who are well prepared for the 21st century job market."

"Education in Illinois is undergoing a sea change aimed to ensure new generations of students become better prepared for college and careers," said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. "These federal funds will help support the many efforts under way so that children across the state will have greater access to a quality education."

Illinois applied for the grant and was declared eligible for funds as one of nine finalists in the second round of RTTT. The grant application reflects the priorities of the previous two RTTT applications and ongoing work under the state's current reform agenda, which includes implementing the new rigorous Common Core Learning Standards in Math and English Language Arts, advancing teacher and principal effectiveness and providing educators with data that can better inform and improve classroom instruction. Among the initiatives is advancing STEM programs of study and developing a system of induction and mentoring for STEM educators.

"These federal funds will help support Illinois' ongoing work to implement new practices in the classroom during the next several years that aim to improve student learning and close the achievement gap," said Illinois State Board of Education Chairman Gery J. Chico. "An investment in education and our long-term reforms is an investment in children's well being and our state's economic future."

Other projects to be funded include the oversight and delivery of professional development to help align district curriculum to the new Common Core Learning Standards in English Language Arts and Math and high quality student assessments that can be used to measure student growth and be incorporated into educator evaluations.

Funds will also be used to bolster ongoing development of a data system that supports personalized learning and access to high quality resources. Specifically, Illinois has been selected to be one of the first states to implement the Shared Learning Infrastructure, a multi-state collaborative to develop a next-generation technology system that will enable teachers to easily find high-quality and highly-customizable curriculum and classroom resources aligned to the Common Core Standards.

The six other states awarded funds under the third Race to the Top Competition are: Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. To learn more about the Race to the Top and Illinois' plan for the $42.8 million, please visit http://www.isbe.net/racetothetop/PDF/phase3_app.pdf .