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The dining rooms of all Michigan restaurants have been closed since March 16. As the state’s coronavirus curve starts to decline nearly two months later, the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association wants restaurants to be allowed to open May 29. The MRLA published a 26-page “Roadmap to Reopening” guide for restaurants on Friday, May 8, laying out precautions they should take to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The MRLA has shared the guide with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, per a news release. “Michigan restaurants have been decimated since their forced closure on March 16,” said MRLA President and CEO Justin Winslow....

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is going to allow all restaurants in the state to reopen for in-store dining on Monday, although there will be some strong restrictions. McMaster made the announcement Friday afternoon during a news briefing. He said he would address "close contact" businesses such as barbershops, salons, and gyms on Monday. “As we gradually and methodically lift restrictions aimed at combating the coronavirus, it is incumbent upon South Carolinians to follow to the guidance and recommendations provided by our public health experts to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” said Gov. Henry McMaster....

As many countries across the world face significant and unique challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mexico is dealing with a beer shortage. While the situation has caused jokes on social media, it's significantly worrying retailers and shop owners. Deemed a “non-essential” activity, beer production was halted in Mexico more than a month ago, The Guardian reports. This has reportedly resulted in a severe shortage of the popular beverage. According to the news outlet, there are even reports that, as the country’s stockpile has dwindled, a beer black market has risen up, where sellers are charging more than twice the normal...

Unable to deliver to hotels and restaurants closed due to coronavirus restrictions, a German brewery on Thursday gave away some 2,600 litres (690 gallons) of beer. Rather than throwing it away, the owners of the Willinger brewery, in the western state of Hesse, decided to dish out the light and dark beer free of charge. Owner Franz Mast said he needed to empty the tanks as soon as possible to fill them up again with fresh beer and be ready for when bars are allowed to reopen.

The deer have the streets to themselves.

Mexicans have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic in many ways, including beer lovers finding it particularly difficult to quench their thirst as supplies run dry due to reduced production. Fernando Rodriguez wanted to have a beer while taking part in a virtual party, one of the only ways to celebrate under containment measures. After searching several stores in his Mexico City neighborhood, he eventually had to pay almost double. "In one shop... it was hidden away. They told me they could sell it to me at a much higher price. It was among the last supplies," the 33-year-old told...

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell's announcement this week that businesses reopening when coronavirus restrictions are eased May 16 will be required to keep track of their customers has prompted questions from businesses and customers alike. How will the new protocol be enforced? How will customers be logged? And most important: Will the businesses and their customers play ball? Cantrell said Tuesday the goal is for companies to help "box in" coronavirus by providing data to health officials, but she offered few details about the plan. And there is little evidence of a similar mandate in the U.S. Efforts closest to...

Fat chance it happens. Officials in Huntington on Long Island told the entire town to start a diet Wednesday, Newsday reported. “I’ve brought together a few friends to help put Huntington on a diet,” Dr. David Buchin, Director of Bariatric Surgery at Huntington Hospital, said at a press conference. Buchin and other officials plan to provide free online exercise and yoga classes and post nutritional advice on the town’s website. Buchin also said he’ll host multiple Facebook Live events to explain how obese people face greater risk from COVID-19. He cited a study from Northwell Health, the largest health care...

A renewed push to pass the PRIME Act picks up steam as COVID-19 leaves us all asking “Where’s the beef?” The increasing possibility of a breakdown in the meat supply chain in the United States due to COVID-19 is prompting Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.) to renew his push for a bill that would make it easier for small, independent slaughterhouses and meat processors to sell directly to consumers. Large meatpacking plants across the country have shut down due to fears of COVID-19 outbreaks among workers, and less and less meat is making it to grocers and restaurants. Wendy's has run...

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a worker advocacy group's lawsuit alleging that Smithfield Foods Inc. failed to sufficiently protect employees at a pork processing plant in Missouri amid the coronavirus outbreak. U.S. District Judge Greg Kays ruled that Smithfield was already taking many of the health precautions that the Rural Community Workers Alliance had called for in its lawsuit, Reuters reported. The precautions include screening production-line workers for symptoms of the virus and installing barriers in facilities to help keep employees apart. Kay also said it wasn't within the court's purview to oversee working conditions. He noted that under...

WASHINGTON — A Massachusetts woman who accused former Senator Chris Dodd of sexually assaulting her after a booze-fueled dinner in 1985 is speaking out, saying she can’t understand why the Biden campaign tapped him to lead their vice presidential search. Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, 77, was already embroiled in his own sexual assault controversy when the campaign last week announced Dodd, a former Democratic Connecticut senator with a past of misconduct charges, would co-chair his Vice Presidential Selection Committee. In a lengthy phone conversation with The Post on Tuesday, Dodd’s accuser, Carla Gaviglio, now 59, said she was stunned...

Jeff Gourley had the best weekend in the eight years he’s had his San Clemente restaurant open. “We ran out of everything, down to the bare walls,” he said Monday, May 4, after serving dine-in food and drinks at Nomad’s Canteen over the weekend though Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shutdown order aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus is still in effect. “It was record-breaking,” he said. “We sold every tortilla, bottle, can and every margarita. These were the best three business days ever. People were buying shirts, beers for each other and expensive tequila shots for folks they didn’t...

Germany will take new steps towards normalisation in May, including reopening shops and schools after weeks of shutdown imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to a draft agreement seen by AFP Wednesday. "Even after initial steps to open up were introduced from April 20, the number of new infections remained low," the document read, with "no new wave of infection" so far detected -- justifying the series of bolder reopening steps. So far, only certain children like those soon facing exams had been allowed to return to class. But now kindergartens and primary schools will also reopen...

WATERLOO, Iowa - Tyson Foods will begin limited operation Thursday of its huge pork processing plant in Waterloo, more than two weeks after closing the facility because of a coronavirus outbreak among workers, the company announced Tuesday. Tyson said workers have been invited to tour the plant Wednesday to see enhanced safety measures and social distancing procedures that have been implemented. The plant has been closed since April 22, and the Iowa Department of Public Health reports 444 workers have tested positive for the virus. The plant is Arkansas-based Tyson’s largest pork processing operation, with the ability to process 19,500...

Study shows low intake of flavonoid-rich foods linked with higher Alzheimer's risk over 20 yearsOlder adults who consumed small amounts of flavonoid-rich foods, such as berries, apples and tea, were two to four times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and related dementias over 20 years compared with people whose intake was higher, according to a new study led by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University. The epidemiological study of 2,800 people aged 50 and older examined the long-term relationship between eating foods containing flavonoids and risk of Alzheimer's...

Angelina Jolie is calling on Congress to increase food assistance to families across the United States in the next coronavirus stimulus bill. The Academy Award-winning actress and humanitarian is advocating on behalf of the millions of families across the country who rely on things like free meals for their kids at schools that are no longer available as people lose work and classrooms remain empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer shared with USA Today, the 44-year-old...

Police in Germany shared a photo from the rescue of a hungry hedgehog that got its head stuck in a discarded milkshake cup. Bremerhaven police said officers found the hedgehog struggling to free itself from the cup in the middle of a road. Police said the hedgehog was apparently drawn to the smell of what was left in the banana-flavored milkshake cup after it was discarded. Officers were able to pull the cup off the animal's head and the hedgehog was released into a nearby meadow.

A new study shows that the health benefits of keto diet could help manage asthma. The very low-carb, high-fat diet lowers the inflammation of the respiratory tract, which may then help reduce the prevalence of the respiratory condition. Researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany explained that asthma attacks occur due to severe inflammation of the bronchi and increased mucus production. Their study shows that increased consumption of fats on keto diet could help prevent these changes. The eating plan helps reduce inflammation by improving the functions of Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC) in the immune system. These cells play...

May the Fourth be with you in your quest for this Star Wars treat and vets intriguing store-bought foodie finds. What: Millennium Falcon ice cream sandwiches Where: Walmart Pearl City or Walmart Keeaumoku Cost: $7.13 for a box of 6 Q: Is The Force strong with these ice cream sandwiches? Ever since Disney Food Blog announced that Star Wars Millennium Falcon ice cream sandwiches were coming to galaxies — I mean, grocery stores — across the U.S. earlier this year, I've been on the lookout. That meant searching Target, Foodland, Times, Safeway and any other grocery store but particularly Safeway,...