As Mary Wesson lay dying, heavily sedated on morphine, her family couldn't hold her hand at her bedside or whisper their last goodbyes. They could only shout through a window from outside Newfane Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.

She never responded the last time her children saw her alive.

The 79-year-old mother of four died May 9, becoming one of at least 23 residents who have died from Covid-19 at Newfane Rehab, where more people have died from the new coronavirus than all but two other nursing homes in Western New York.

We saw body bags getting wheeled out while we were standing there by the building," said Jeanne Blenker, one of Wesson's children.

The number of deaths at the 165-bed nursing home has drawn the scrutiny of the state Health Department, which sent an associate commissioner, among others, to inspect the facility a week ago. The acting administrator of the nursing home also talked by phone with state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker on Wednesday.

The number of dead also exposed the peril of the state making nursing homes accept Covid-19 patients from hospitals.

"There's no doubt that the state dropped the ball on nursing homes," Niagara County Public Health Director Daniel J. Stapleton said at a County Legislature meeting last week.

[Related: Covid-19 outbreak at Tonawanda nursing home has led to 26 deaths]

Gov. Andrew Cuomo reversed that policy last Sunday a day after Wesson's death so hospitalized nursing home patients can no longer be sent back to a nursing home unless they test negative for Covid-19 twice, 24 hours apart.

State legislators have called for hearings or an independent investigation into the impact of the state's original policy. Some families blame the now-discarded policy for many of the nearly 5,500 Covid-19 deaths in New York nursing homes as of Friday.

Wesson's four children said in an interview with The Buffalo News that Newfane Rehab staff members told them the facility's Covid-19 outbreak can be traced to a single patient who was admitted upon being released from a hospital April 10. A nursing home official declined to explain how the new coronavirus entered the facility.

"We weren't able to go see her," Blenker said of her mother. "The place was locked down. She wasn't going anywhere. She was bedridden. Somehow it got into her room."

Mary Wesson (Courtesy Jeanne Blenker)The day before Wesson died, a nursing home administrator, in an automated call, assured families "that our expert medical and clinic team are working to proactively maintain the health and safety of our residents and one another. Each day brings a new level of challenges for which they are willingly and intelligently identifying and adapting to."

The acting administrator of the nursing home, Mike Toole, told The News the nursing home has followed all practices and guidelines set by the federal government. He also noted that a state inspection last week found no deficiencies.

Some family members told The News they appreciated the efforts made by the nursing home's employees on behalf of their loved ones, and they sympathize with how overwhelming the workers' days must be.

"The staff at Newfane seemed kind, helpful, responsive and apologetic for the most part," said Bonnie Crogan-Mazur, whose 85-year-old uncle died there May 4 beside his wife, another Newfane Rehab resident who also has Covid-19. "They set up FaceTime, which allowed my granddaughters to give (the couple) a mini-concert on harp and violin the night before (he) died."

But Bruce Blenker, another of Wesson's children, offered a harsh assessment of the nursing home and the governor.

"Why did Cuomo mandate Covid patients to go to a nursing home that is not qualified?" he asked. "I do not blame anybody except for Gov. Cuomo. It's directly on his shoulders, and I blame the executive staff at Newfane nursing home.

"This nursing home was not qualified to handle this.

The state Health Department inspection team, led by regional Associate Commissioner Dr. Gregory Young, visited Newfane Rehab on May 8 and 9.

"The purpose of that meeting was to go there to talk about infectious control practices, evaluate what they were doing and also give them, tell them what they should be doing and what changes they should make," Stapleton, the Niagara County public health director, told the County Legislature.

"For example, they shouldn't have a Covid-negative person and a Covid-positive person in the same room, using the same bathroom. That's a problem," Stapleton told the legislators. "Moving residents around so that you have the positives in the same room, not sharing with somebody who isn't positive, that was one of the changes they were going in to do on Friday (May 8)."

Toole, who recently became acting administrator of the nursing home, said no Covid-19-positive and Covid-19-negative patients were in the same rooms.

Its actually incomprehensible to give the idea that we would jeopardize residents by cohorting them, positive and negative people," Toole told The News.

Stapleton said he is "confident that the information we initially received and shared with the Legislature is accurate, but I'm not going to get into a back-and-forth debate."

"The key is moving forward to protect residents and staff," he added.

State Department of Health surveyors came back for another visit at Newfane Rehab on Wednesday and stayed until almost midnight.

"They examined the facilities and the practices we are doing, and they found no deficiencies again," Toole said.

State Health Department spokesman Jeffrey Hammond confirmed Friday that no deficiencies were found in Wednesday's unannounced inspection. He also said that the facility's management rejected the state's offers of further aid.

"The department also proactively reached out to the facilitys administrator, offered to transfer residents if needed, assessed staffing levels, offered additional staffing resources and ensured an appropriate supply of personal protective equipment. The administrator assured the department he was able to adequately care for his residents and will immediately contact us if the situation changes," Hammond said.

Toole declined to say what he and the state's health commissioner discussed on their phone call.

"So the idea that the Legislature, the politicians, want to capitalize on this as a media sensation, that is their right to do so," Toole said. "But I can assure you that all the practices and the guidelines and the (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) guidance have been followed to the letter here at our building.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines say that when possible, nursing homes should give each Covid-19 patient their own room with a dedicated bathroom, and keep the room door closed.

So how did Newfane Rehab become a tragic hot spot for Covid-19 deaths?

Were not immune to the same phenomenon that has gone on nationwide and worldwide, and that is the best answer I can give you," Toole said.

An April 27 letter to families from Nancy Babis, regional director of operations for the owner of the facility, Maximus Healthcare Group, said at that time that there were "several cases in our facility."

Toole declined to explain how the new coronavirus entered the facility, citing patient privacy laws.

Newfane has provided the utmost care for all of our residents," Toole said.

The state Department of Health's unannounced inspection on Wednesday focused on Covid-19 and included DOH employees testing staff and residents "to help protect this vulnerable population," said Hammond, the state Health Department spokesman.

"There's no doubt that the state dropped the ball on nursing homes," said Niagara County Public Health Director Daniel J. Stapleton at a County Legislature meeting last week. (Thomas J. Prohaska/Buffalo News file photo)

County Legislator John Syracuse, a Newfane chiropractor, recommended moving patients out of Newfane Rehab and sending National Guard doctors and nurses, if needed, to staff a new facility, perhaps the mothballed former Inter-Community Memorial Hospital in Newfane.

The County Legislature on Wednesday sent Cuomo a letter calling for him to take those steps.

"Perhaps there will be some type of intervention," Syracuse said.

Sean Dugan said his mother, Sherry Dugan, survived Covid-19 at Newfane Rehab. But the chief of police at a community college in Colorado said her sickness scared him.

A police officer for 38 years, Sean Dugan was on the SWAT team that responded to the 1999 school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

Ive seen the worst of the worst," he said.

But when it comes to his mother's situation, he said he feels "very helpless."

"Thats not something a cop likes to feel," Dugan said.

He said his mother had no roommate until she was assigned one on April 10. Within days, she became sick.

"Mom got a fever sometime between April 12 and April 15 and they tested her, and she tested positive per the doctor on April 15 for Covid-19," he said. "And then they did separate her."

He said the family found out on Easter, April 12, that a person in the facility tested positive for Covid-19.

"When we found out, we said, Did her roommate have Covid-19, that you just gave her? Well, we didnt test her, she was exhibiting no symptoms. Well, coronavirus is asymptomatic. I know that and I'm not in the medical profession," Dugan said.

You dont put people together unless you test them, and if you cant test them, then you dont put people together," he added.

Crogan-Mazur, the niece of Edward and Lorna Crogan, said her first look at Newfane Rehab in February, before the virus outbreak, did not inspire confidence.

Edward Crogan (Courtesy Rhoney Funeral Home)

My uncles bed had a vent over the top, like an air vent, and it was black. We pointed that out to the nurse and we said, Is that mold? And she said, No, its not mold, its just dirt. They said, We cant put them together in a different room. The painter will come in and take care of that. You could tell they were trying to do remodeling while people were still in the room, because it looked like they had pulled out a sink and the wall was just nasty," Crogan-Mazur said.

She took a photo of the ceiling's condition to document what she saw.

The ceiling of Edward and Lorna Crogan's room in Newfane Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in February. (Bonnie Crogan-Mazur)

She wasn't able to go back and check if they fixed it because visitors were banned a few days later in the state-mandated lockdown.

Edward Crogan, of Amherst, a member of the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame for his scoring exploits, died on May 4.

At last report, Lorna Crogan was still alive and receiving "comfort care," her niece said.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave Newfane Rehab an overall 2-star rating, a below-average rating in its 5-star rating scale. The facility earned 2-star ratings for health inspections and staffing and an above-average 4-star rating for quality of resident care.

Toole declined to discuss the condition of the facility.

"Im done with the conversation," he said. "Making accusations about the condition of the building is not something I want to address."

See the original post here:
Families angered, frightened as Covid-19 swept through Newfane Rehab - Buffalo News

As Montana enters the next phase of re-opening from "Stay At Home" restrictions, Hamilton's Pharaohplex Theater on the northeast edge of town will being showing movies again Friday, May 22. Owner Joe McLean said the social distancing guidelines will be followed, with a 50 percent capacity in the theaters and $3 admission prices for the "legacy" movies on tap this weekend - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Despicable Me, Aquaman, The Hunger Games and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Check their website for showtimes. During the shutdown, the theater has been undergoing some remodeling and refurbishing, along with final planning for a brand new theater - outdoors.

Construction has begun on a new drive-in movie theater at the Pharaohplex, which will be located on the northeast corner of the theater complex (see photo). Joe said the 50-foot screen will be installed on the side of the existing building and the viewing area will include room for about 200 cars, along with a grassy area for lawn chairs. Concessions and rest rooms will be easily accessed in the main building. Sound will be broadcast to the cars on a low-power FM signal. He expected construction to be mostly complete by the end of June. It will be the first drive-in theater in the Bitterroot Valley since the Starlite Drive-in closed in the 1980s.

Gallery The Best Animated Shorts to Watch on Disney+:

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Hamilton's Pharaohplex Theater Opens, Drive-in is Planned - klyq

Victory Brands, the group behind popular Atlanta restaurants like LLoyds and Victory Sandwich Bar, is gearing up to reopen its six establishments over the next month, starting with its freshly rebranded coffee shop in Inman Park.

Dekalb Athletic Club reopens today on Dekalb Avenue as Victory Coffee and Calamity. Victory Brands year-old coffee shop, located next door to the groups throwback restaurant LLoyds, now includes a retail pop-up selling Victory merch and local goods from companies such as motorcycle gear shop Brother Moto.

Owner Ian Jones tells Eater Atlanta the rebrand of the coffee shop was planned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and better aligns with the groups bar-oriented restaurant, Victory Sandwich Bar in Inman Park and Decatur.

Doing coffee, but more in the Victory family, was a no-brainer. We should have done it a year ago, Jones says. This allows you to get all the great Victory feels, but in a more daytime-specific environment. Since its not open at night, we also have the ability (once we actually can) to use the space for events, markets, etc. in the evenings.

Like its short-lived predecessor, the menu at Victory Coffee features coffee and coffee drinks from Avondale Estates-based Radio Roasters, grab-and-go gas station biscuits, and beer and wine to-go. The latter is temporarily permitted under a COVID-19-related order, which Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms just extended for restaurants through June 30.

People enter the open garage doors out front and place orders inside, then grab their food and drinks at the pick-up window outside. Orders can also be placed in advanced online.

Victory Brands temporarily closed its five restaurants and Dekalb Athletic Club in March at the start of the city and statewide shutdowns, including Little Trouble at Westside Provisions District and S.O.S Tiki Bar in Decatur. The closures saw the group lay off more than 100 employees.

Jones and his team have spent the last few weeks planning for the reopening of Victorys restaurants, which he says takes time to do properly and safely.

Restaurants across Georgia are permitted to reopen for dine-in service, but must comply with 39 state-mandated guidelines. Among the COVID-19 safety requirements for restaurants to follow, the most notable limits dining capacity to ten patrons per 300 square feet.

We expect most of our stores to open some time in June. Obviously, we cant just open them all on the same day, so were going to phase them in over the month, Jones tells Eater. There is a considerable expense to reworking things in order to make the customer feel safe and sanitary.

The group is adding more outdoor seating, remodeling the restrooms to be as contactless as possible, and installing public hand-washing stations at each restaurant.

LLoyds covered patio will be completely reconfigured and include more outdoor seating in front of Victory Coffee. Jones says theyre also developing a drive-in component for LLoyds, in addition to reworking the dining room and bar inside to adhere with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

He expects to begin serving a fast food-style lunch for takeout from LLoyds in the next week or two, leading up to the restaurants reopening in June. People place their orders in person at Victory Coffee or order food online prior to pickup.

As for Victory Sandwich Bar, the majority of the dining at the Inman Park location will now be done outdoors. In an effort to hire back the staff of S.O.S Tiki Bar until it can safely reopen, the bars cocktails and employees will pop up at Victorys parking lot container bar. Reconfiguring the less flexible seating arrangements at Victory-Decatur includes working around a busy sidewalk and a parking lot shared with neighboring businesses.

Unlike Victory and S.O.S. Tiki Bar in Decatur, the seating at Little Trouble is proving less challenging to reconfigure. A corridor divides Little Troubles bar from its lounge area at Westside Provisions District. Jones says hes working with Jamestown Properties, which manages the Howell Mill Road mixed-used complex, to provide more outdoor dining space for the bars patrons.

Like everyone else, were figuring out how to do all of this on the fly, Jones says of reopening the restaurants. It isnt remotely easy, but it does bring back a little excitement to a game weve been playing for the last 10 years. Feels like starting out all over again for better or worse.

Stay home if sick. Check the Georgia Department of Public Health website for guidance and updates on the latest number of reported COVID-19 cases. Numbers are now updated three times a day.

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Atlantas Victory Brands Behind LLoyds Lounge and Victory Sandwich Bar Opens Victory Coffee and Hopes to Reo - Eater Atlanta

Anabella Smith, Louis Archambault, Scott Goldstein

At Zyscovich Architects headquarters in downtown Miami, returning to work will be a little different.

Guided by arrows, employees and guests will enter the office one way, and exit another. Packages will be rerouted to a room on a separate floor to be unpacked and disinfected. And workers will be encouraged to eat their lunches at their desks.

Like going to a restaurant or entering a residential building, going to work after two months of sheltering in place will include new health and safety guidelines. Employees will have to enter wearing masks, and forget about working out at the buildings gym, or hanging out in the conference center.

In South Florida, companies are slowly beginning their return to the office building. Unlike going to a store or a restaurant, where you may spend an hour or two, going to the office for the full day may cause more anxiety for employers and their employees.

Zyscovich, though considered an essential business, has had most of its employees working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, said Anabella Smith, partner and director of interior design. The architecture and design firm has been preparing for weeks to bring people back to the office, remodeling the restrooms and kitchen, marking where people can be seated in conference rooms and in the workspace, and making sure there are hand sanitizer stations near restrooms and elevators.

(Click to enlarge)

We want them to come back to work feeling safe, Smith said.

The company, led by Bernard Zyscovich, is getting calls from clients asking about redesigning their spaces and projects for a post-coronavirus world. Yet, Smith said that some developers are very positive this is temporary, and we have to keep living our lives.

Publicly, most developers are still moving forward with plans to build new office projects in South Florida. But brokers and lawyers agree that there will be opportunities for tenants to negotiate new lease terms, and for buyers to pick up distressed properties.

For now, office workers throughout South Florida will be required to wear masks upon entering buildings. Deliveries will be handled differently, with some buildings requiring employees to meet their deliveries in lobbies or at the entrances to properties.

Cervera Real Estate is back at work as of Wednesday, with the exception of one office housed inside a Coconut Grove hotel, according to a spokesperson. The brokerages new office policy requires masks at all times, six feet of social distancing, and provides hand sanitizer at all entrances. Cervera is also capping the number of sales associates and customers that can be inside its offices or sales centers at any given time.

Though tenants are starting to trickle back into some buildings, theres still a lot of concern, obviously, about going back to an office at this point, said Scott Goldstein, executive managing director at Colliers International South Florida, who focuses on tenant representation. The office is where most workers spent the majority of their wakeful time prior to coronavirus, he said.

Theres still a real fear, so employers are giving the opportunity for their employees to work from home until the end of the year in some cases, Goldstein said. Companies are creating shift schedules and modified in-office working hours, providing personal protective equipment and spacing out desks. Gone are the days of unassigned workspaces. Twitters announcement that it will allow some employees to work from home forever sparked intense debate about the future of the office market, he said.

Buildings are also keeping their amenities areas closed, such as gyms and shared conference centers, which have been increasingly prevalent for the last five years. Some will have temperature checks upon entering buildings.

Goldstein believes that the impact to the office market will affect tenants and landlords in the short term, until a vaccine exists.

Theres a lot of talk about how many people are going to be working virtually, he said. Ive been working virtually for two months now, and Im frothing at the mouth to go back to the office.

Coronavirus is forcing office users and providers to address the impact that another pandemic can have, so that the market is better prepared for the next one, Goldstein added. Property owners have been installing touchless technology in their buildings and improving disinfecting and cleaning protocols.

Colliers is offering a service in which someone shoots video of a tenants space, and then creates customized recommendations within 48 hours on how the space can be safer and cleaner, which some clients have started using.

Landlords and tenants will have to take precautions to avoid any liability moving forward, said Louis Archambault, a partner with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr. He advises his clients to follow state and local guidelines, in addition to those put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The virus is potentially weaponized in individuals coming into your property. What did those individuals do to protect themselves? Did they wear masks? Archambault said. We all have to be mindful of what were doing to protect each other.

Go here to see the original:
Theres a lot of concern about going back to an office: how companies are returning to work in South Florida - The Real Deal

Rally Pizza hasnt gone through as extreme of a transformation as La Bottega, but it has added a pantry-items tab to the online ordering system. Baked goods like thick round loaves of sesame semolina bread, bake-at-home oatmeal scones and blondies are available. Rally also offers housemade items that arent normally available: granola; Oregon blackberry, strawberry-rhubarb and other fruit jams; and a pizza kit with dough, sauce and hand-pulled mozzarella. Customers can also buy Reister Farms eggs, Shepherds Grain flour and Water Avenue Coffee online and pick it up at the restaurant.

Primarily, we wanted to offer our customers the ability to reduce their grocery store trips (and amount of potential exposure) by carrying pantry staples like flour and coffee at a low cost. The added bonus is that selling more of those items also allows us to keep buying from our local purveyors, like Shepherds Grain and Water Avenue Coffee, so its a win-win, Rally Pizza owner Shan Wickham said.

Wickham and her co-owner and spouse, Alan Maniscalco, just started making bread, granola and jam for fun and decided to sell them to customers. They created the DIY pizza kits as a project for kids who were home from school, but they turned out to be popular with customers of all ages.

Other places, like Cest La Vie and Rusty Grape Vineyard, have created weekend markets packed with pantry items and take-and-bake meals.

Cest La Vie holds its weekly Petit Market from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Owner Keri Buhman said the line starts to form at 8:15 a.m. Only two people are allowed in at a time one in the store and one in the restaurant. Inside the store, Buhman typically stocks local goodies, wine and cheese. At the bottom of the cheese case, she has added new items, like date-night charcuterie boards filled with sliced cheeses, meats and accompaniments.

Original post:
Groceries now on the menu at Clark County eateries - The Columbian

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People spend countless hours in the kitchen over the course of a lifetime. From eating and drinking to cooking and cleaning, theres no doubt that we spend a significant chunk of our lives in the hearts of our homes.

I love the way (a kitchen renovation) changes the way people are able to live and function in their house, said Brandon Bailey, co-owner of Bailey Remodeling & Construction, LLC, 201 Meridian Ave.

When you get their kitchen right, it helps a ton. Especially now, when you cant go out to restaurants.

Here, Bailey shares three full kitchen renovation projects he and his team have completed in various Louisville neighborhoods.

This kitchen renovations in Maryhill Estates features a large island with seating for four, a gas range, stacked ovens and clean, crisp lines.(Photo: Photos courtesy of Bill Worley)

This Cape Cod-style homes original kitchen was small, cramped and disconnected from other parts of the house.

There was a lack of countertop space, Bailey said, explaining that the original layout created a large, unused area in the middle of the room. The kitchen also felt very disconnected from the sunroom,something the homeowners wished to fix.

You may like: This renovated Northfield ranch-style home is a modern, craftsmen-focused dream house

Working around a large steel beam that could not be removed, Bailey and his team had to completely redirect the plumbing in order to make the renovation happen.

It turned out really nice, he said, reflecting on the bright new kitchen that includes a bar and new hardwood flooring. The new space now opens up to the dining room and feels more like an extension of the sunroom rather than a completely separate area of the home.

This kitchen renovation in Windy Hills features a large marble island with seating for six, ample cabinet and storage space, a high-end gas range and stainless steel appliances.(Photo: Courtesy of Bill Worley)

The Windy Hills renovation, Bailey recalled, was a high-end project in an already beautiful home.

The cabinets that we took out were really nice cabinets, he explained, but they were a little dated. (The homeowners) were looking for a clean, crisper kitchen.

A fresh, bright space is just what they received. Bailey and his team opened up the room by removing its original ornate columns and allowing extra natural light to flood the spacewith an 8-foot-wide sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. They also installed all new cabinetry, a 117-inch-long island with seating for six and brand-new appliances, as well as wainscoting in the connected dining room.

Its less of a formal dining room (now), Bailey said. Its a little less traditional in nature.

You may like: This arts-and-crafts style Norton Commons 'show' home is eclectic, global and contemporary

A couple of other atypical additions included a large decorative hood and fancy, $120-per-square-foot backsplash. Bailey also had to rework all of the hardwood floorings to accommodate the new configuration.

I like how (the renovation) changed the feeling of the house, he said. It became more transitional. Its just a very comfortable house to be in now more comfortable than it was, for sure.

This kitchen renovation in Prospect features a large marble island with seating, ample counter space, stainless steel appliances and floating glass pendants.(Photo: Courtesy of Bill Worley)

Creating a more functional space was the main goal of this Prospect kitchen renovation. In the original layout, an open refrigerator door created an awkward space to maneuver around, and the ovens were stacked in a corner.

It took up an obscene amount of space and it wasnt usable, Bailey said.

His team reconfigured everything to create a kitchen work triangle, extending a wall to allow for more cabinet space, as well as a practical pantry.

[The homeowners]storage space went up significantly by doing what we did, Bailey added.

They also refinished the hardwood floors, installed a larger island, and added a two-way fireplace that connects to the family room.

It functions and flows way better than it used to, Bailey said. This [renovation]totally changed the way [the homeowner]could cook in here and entertain.

Reflecting back on this project which took roughly three months to complete Bailey considers just how crucial a well-laid-out, fully functioning kitchen truly is.

You may like: Empty nesters turn 5,500-square-foot home into fresh space with entertaining in mind

The kitchen is the core of the house, he said, and your life kind of functions through that especially now.

As a husband and father of two, he knows just how impactful a great kitchen can truly be. We (currently) get takeout maybe once every two weeks, Bailey said. Otherwise, he and his family are preparing every single meal at home.

My own kitchen needs to be remodeled, he laughed, as Im sitting here and were having this conversation, Im envious about how it would make our life function better on a daily basis if we had this setup.

Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalzaataloha@lennieomalza.comor Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory atkgregory@gannett.com.

Builder/Interviewee: Brandon Bailey, co-owner of Bailey Remodeling & Construction, LLC.

Kitchen 1: This was a full kitchen remodel in a Cape Cod-style house in Maryhill Estates that was built in 1951.

Kitchen 2: This was a full kitchen remodel in a 4-bed, 4-bath, 3,241-square-foot, single-family home built in Prospectin 1997.

Kitchen 3: This was a full kitchen remodel in a 4-bed, 5-bath, 4,600-square-foot, single-family home built in Windy Hills in 1999.

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Step inside the 'heart of the home' with amazing kitchen renovations in 3 Louisville homes - Courier Journal

On Sunday, my best friend Charli called me from her home in Maryland. "Why do people have to be so mean?" she lamented. "Why?"

She recounted her experience earlier that day getting mobile pick-up from Starbucks. (Oh, how I miss Starbucks.) A man named "Matt" in front of her snapped, rolling his eyes and growling about how his fancy coffee drink and almond croissant weren't ready on time. He did place a mobile pick order in advance after all.

"I told you I ordered it, it's right there. Look at those bags, see my croissant is there!" Matt growled, pointing to the corner section where items were piled up. Belittling the barista who was working in already understaffed conditions. "I want my almond croissant."

"There's no reason to be that nasty over a croissant," Charli shared in our conversation. "People just need to be kind."

Whether it's a Starbucks mobile pick up order that can't be located for "Matt." A work deliverable that wasn't completed. An assignment the teacher asked your child to do over. A team member showing up late to a meeting. An email that was sent to the wrong person. The store selling you expired yogurts. The parent who is loudly on her own work conference call and won't put her kid on mute during Zoom Circle Time. The list goes on and on and on.

We are all under a lot of pressure under COVID-19. And, sometimes, the easiest thing to do or say in the moment it's also the wrong thing. It's the unkind thing. It's the mean thing. Because in a time where we have very little control, well, being mean gives us some control back for a short time. It's a fleeting sense of satisfaction to unleash on someone else, to exert control over them, to be in control when you have no semblance of control otherwise with often lasting and damaging consequences.

We are all under a lot of pressure under COVID-19. And, sometimes, the easiest thing to do or say in the moment it's also the wrong thing.

Last year, I wrote a column for SWAAY entitled Please Don't Mistake My Kindness For Weakness. I argued that kindness was one of the most undervalued leadership qualities in our world today. The question I had asked was how could we afford not to be kind? Could we afford not to lead with kindness?

Pre-COVID-19, kindness was still a synonym for being a pushover, for being weak, for being ineffective. Now, during COVID-19, it's a synonym for strength, power, and influence.

Now, in this pandemic, kindness, compassion and empathy are the hallmark traits of leaders who will survive those who put their people first. These leaders know that when you care for your people, your people will care for your business. Businesses don't pivot without people. And great results during a pandemic won't come without kindness.

The question I had on my mind last year was, can women afford to be kind as they lead? I walked the line, the careful dance of being too nice or too witchy, too trusting or too controlling, too compassionate or the ice queen/dragon lady/the Devil who wears Prada. (Disclaimer: I don't actually own any Prada clothing, but that still has a nice ring to it.)

Could we afford not to lead with kindness?

And now, it would seem, that kindness was and always has been my superpower. That, along with finding a vaccine for COVID-19, kindness might just be what gets us through this pandemic to the other side, to life post-COVID-19 and our next new normal.

So please don't be mean. The next time you want to snap, have the last word, or just unleash yourself on someone else, remember this phrase that my father always reminded us of: "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."

And if someone is mean to you, you don't need to be mean back. You don't need to match every unkind word for another unkind word, you don't need to keep score, you don't need to bounce your anger back and forth like a ping pong game. Don't forget that silence is a powerful thing as Michele Obama says so poignantly, "When they go low, we go high."

I am not suggesting that you be a doormat. If people are repeatedly unkind to you, you don't want them in your life. If you have control over their contact with you, change it.

And though you can't always avoid the people you work with who are unkind, you can act as a mirror, reflecting their behavior back at them. "I can hear that your voice is elevated, and I can see that your face is red and tense. And what you specifically said to me was unkind. Is there something else that is upsetting you?"

Pre-COVID-19, kindness was still a synonym for being a pushover, for being weak, for being ineffective. Now, during COVID-19, it's a synonym for strength, power, and influence.

Often times, people don't understand the impact of their words and their actions. Being a mirror can help them understand their impact. And some will even apologize for their behavior.

However, the truly mean people simply don't care, no matter how much of a mirror you try to be for them. And in those situations, I focus on the kindness I can put back into the world to counter their meanness. Because in the end, like any good Disney fairytale, I always believe kindness will win. Afterall, the Disney villain is never the one smiling at the very end as the credits roll.

There's never a good time to be mean, and even if there was one it certainly isn't now. We have no idea what's happening in each other's families or in each other's homes behind closed doors. We have no idea what's happening in our minds. Behind all those beautiful pictures on Instagram of homemade banana bread, inspirational quotes, and drive-by birthday parties, there is sadness, there is grief, and there is pain.

So please just be kind. Be extra, extra kind.

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On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced guidelines for the states restaurants to reopen their dining rooms. The 12-page document paints a picture of the future of sit-down dining that many Bay Area restaurateurs had already been anticipating: servers in face masks, tables spaced at least six feet apart, and rigorous cleaning protocols.

While the guidelines are fairly wide in scope, covering everything from disinfecting protocols to the proper use of face masks, a number of Bay Area restaurant owners felt they still didnt offer very many concrete details on exactly what would be expected of them.

Kim Alter, the chef-owner of Nightbird a small, tasting menu spot in Hayes Valley, described the guidelines as pretty vague. A lot of us would love a little bit more direction from the government, she tells Eater SF, explaining that specific regulations would make it easier to implement policies than if individual restaurants just have to make those calls on their own.

Ryan Cole, a partner with the Hi Neighbor restaurant group, which includes three San Francisco restaurants (Trestle, Corridor, and the Vault), told Eater SF that it seemed to him that 90 percent of guidelines, dealing with things like hand-washing and clearing dirty linens, were just common practice. He was surprised, for instance, that while the plan included provisions for six-foot distances between diners, it didnt set a specific dining room capacity reduction the 25 or 50 percent that many restaurant owners had been expecting.

I dont care what the plan is, Cole says. I just want you to give me a plan and give me two weeks notice.

Even if the current guidelines are more vague than she would like, Alter says that her main takeaway is clear: She doesnt see any way that shell be opening Nightbird to dine-in customers anytime soon: I dont see how theres going to be a high demand. I dont see people wanting to sit in a small space.

Indeed, for many chefs and restaurant owners, the governors remarks simply reaffirmed plans that they already had in place. Weeks ago, Nite Yun had already decided that when she reopens Nyum Bai, her popular Cambodian restaurant in Oaklands Fruitvale neighborhood, it would be as a takeout-oriented fast-casual establishment the assumption being that dine-in customers likely wont return in large numbers anytime soon. After reading Governor Newsoms remarks, she simply said that shes still sticking with the plan, working with designers to reconfigure the the covered garage space on the restaurants patio to fit with the new style of service.

Tommy Cleary, the chef and co-owner of the upscale yakitori tasting menu restaurant Hina Yakitori, says the guidelines confirmed what hes suspected for the past month now that it simply wont make sense to reopen Hinas dining room in the near future. The entirety of the restaurants seating consists of a single 12-seat counter, so spacing people six feet apart would mean a maximum of maybe six diners at a time. That doesnt make sense for our situation, Cleary said in a text message to Eater SF.

Beyond that, face masks and other physical distancing requirements simply wont allow for the kind of dining experience that Cleary wants to provide. I just dont feel comfortable charging people $150 and having to dress like a surgeon and act like we are in a horror flick, alluding to the face mask requirement. For the time being, Hina will continue serving yakitori bento boxes for takeout, which Cleary says is a business model thats sustainable for his restaurant, though he suspects that many other restaurants that cant easily make a similar pivot simply wont survive.

Fine dining and $300 tasting menus are probably done, he says. The line cook will be king.

Local bars face an even more daunting path to reopening. Notably, the new guidelines explicitly state that bars that dont offer dine-in food service must remain closed during this phase of the reopening. For bar industry veterans like Will Herrera, the general manager of 200-year-old downtown San Francisco watering hole the Old Ship Saloon, the overall takeaway is simple: The service that the Old Ship has provided for 200 years with people from all walks of life bellying up to this bar, commiserating, and enjoying each others company still isnt allowed.

Places like the Old Ship exist in a kind of awkward middle ground, Herrera says: Were not quite a restaurant; were not just a bar. The place has never exactly been known for its cuisine, but already, its started offering breakfast, sandwiches, and cocktails for takeout and it expects to open its space to customers in some capacity whenever restaurants in San Francisco are allowed to do so. Given hard rules, well apply them, Herrera says. Given soft rules, well do everything that we can to ensure the safety of our customers and our staff.

For other restaurant owners, the newly announced guidelines for reopening are a clear call for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Fernay McPherson, who owns Minnie Bells Soul Movement, says her fried chicken restaurants physical space will prove especially challenging for any socially distanced form of dining in: Its a kiosk at the Emeryville Public Markets food court, where almost all of the seating consists of communal tables. The level of uncertainty has prompted McPherson to think about whether creative collaborations might be the only way to move forward for instance, whether theres a way to partner with a bar that doesnt normally serve food in order to help that bar reopen. I think partnerships are going to be big right now, McPherson says. Collective working is going to be big right now, for folks to survive.

Like many other restaurateurs, Nigel Jones, chef and co-owner of Oaklands Kingston 11, has kept the lights on at his Jamaican restaurant by shifting to takeout and delivery a focus he expects will continue to be necessary even when dining rooms begin to reopen. He says hes already been thinking about remodeling the normally bustling restaurants dining room, devoting more of the space to conducting takeout business. The chef has another forthcoming restaurant, Calabash, thats still in the construction stage, and he says the long-term impacts of the pandemic are informing the design choices hes making now. The business was always meant to be a market restaurant with a significant takeout component, and Jones plans to lean even more heavily into that aspect now making sure that the physical space has wide enough lanes for customers to easily move in and out of the restaurant.

Im not banking too much on the dine-in posture in the short term, Jones says. For better or worse, he says, this is what the future of the restaurant industry is going to look like, and restaurateurs who are still just trying to bring things back to how they were before are making a mistake.

There will be some shake up in this industry, Jones says. The traditional gatekeepers may not be the ones who are viable in the long term.

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Bay Area Chefs Say They Wont Open Their Dining Rooms Anytime Soon - Eater SF

REXBURG Madison County recently remodeled the former Payless Shoe Store to make room for a consolidated drivers license and vehicle registration office. The new facility is located at 510 N. 2nd E. Suite 1.

Its one stop shopping, quipped Madison County Sheriffs Public Information Officer Isaac Payne. It makes it more convenient.

Payne said that the former Payless fits perfectly into the countys plans for its offices.

It looks great. It has a nice lobby and a workstation for all of our employees. I dont think you will recognize it as the old building anymore, he said.

According to Madison County Assessor Shawn Boice, the county will pay around $2,700 a month or $32,000 a year to lease the building. It also helps that the former Payless has lots of parking spaces, he said.

Its a good deal because its below market rent, Boice said.

Boice has heard people ask why the county commissioners just didnt build a new office instead of leasing the Payless building. Doing so would have cost a chunk of change, he said.

Common sense tells me a lease payment is more effective for us to get into a building than to come up with millions of dollars, he said. It will be well over 20 years before (rent) hits $1 million.

Boice said workers started remodeling the building earlier this year at a cost of around $135,000.

The remodeling of the buildings exterior has been completed and all thats left to install are computers and fingerprint machines, Payne said.

Its been this last month that theyve been finishing up the inside construction, he said.

The commissioners had frequently heard residents complain about having to walk from one building to another to get their drivers license renewed and vehicles registered . It wasnt unusual to hear requests to consolidate the two offices, Payne said.

The county commissioners, county offices, and the sheriffs office came together and made it happen, he said.

Boice says that on a daily basis, people come into the vehicle registration office looking to get their drivers licenses renewed.

We send people across the street multiple times a day. Its more convenient to combine them (offices), he said.

The two offices have suffered from growing pains, Payne said.

The old drivers license office is in the same boat we are. We have outgrown our buildings. We dont have enough space as it is. This will give us a little bit of breathing room. We can expand out a little bit, he said.

Payne said the county had been in discussions about expanding for about a year, and says that county workers are looking forward to the move.

Im really excited about it. I know a lot of our employees are excited about it. They can better do their jobs. It will more easily help the community out, he said.

Its expected that the drivers license and vehicle registration offices will be open in the new building by June or July. For more information call 208-359-6200.

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Drivers license, vehicle registration offices moving to new building - Rexburg Standard Journal

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The kitchen often gets more use than any other room of the home. Its the place where people go to eat, cook, gather, study, work, and entertain. So, it makes sense to have a kitchen that is as well lit as possible.But artificial light cant compete with natural light in terms of clarity or color or cheerfulness, for that matter. And by maximizing the natural light within a space, you can also help reduce the amount of energy that you may use.

If your kitchen seems dark, and youre looking for ways to brighten it that wont drive up your energy usage, these kitchen updates can help.

Not all types of glass are the same and not all types are reflective. But there are several kinds of glass tile backsplashes that can help reflect and boost the natural light thats already in your kitchen.

There are two kinds to look for:

Glass for a backsplash will cost between $20 to $30 a square foot, with most backsplashes requiring around 30 square feet for $1,200 to $1,500.

If you want something that will increase the amount of light in the kitchen and make it seem larger at the same time, consider a mirror backsplash. Mirrors are excellent at amplifying the amount of natural light in a space, so covering your backsplash with a mirror will definitely brighten things up.

Mirrored backsplashes can be one continuous mirror or they can be made up of mirrored tiles. Either will create a unique look for your kitchen while it helps make the room brighter. Although the mirror can make the room seem larger, it will also reflect the items on your countertops. So this option works best if you store small appliances and other items out of sight.

Mirrored backsplashes cost between $8 and $15 a square foot for a total of $240 to $450 for a 30 square-foot area.

Glass is a very reflective material, so installing as much of it as possible in your kitchen can help you boost the amount of natural light. If you have paneled cabinet doors, its fairly easy to replace the inner panel with glass. Its also possible to replace the entire cabinet door with a glass front.

If you dont want whats inside your cabinets to be on display, you can opt for wavy or obscured glass instead of clear. The idea is to use a reflective material, though, so the result wont be as brightening with matte or frosted glass.

A replacement cabinet door with glass inserts costs between $20 and $50 on average, depending on wood type and style.

When youre looking for ways to reflect and boost natural light, dont overlook the power of paint. Using a satin gloss paint on your walls and a high gloss paint on trim and cabinets can go a long way toward brightening up the whole kitchen.

Make sure that you choose lighter colors for the best effect. And while high gloss and semi-gloss are more reflective, they tend to be a little overpowering if used everywhere, so stay with a satin finish on the walls and keep the higher reflection for woodwork.

Painting your kitchen has a cost of around $400 to $800; painters typically charge around $50 per hour.

Adding windows in an existing home isnt always a feasible option, especially if all youre trying to do is boost your natural light and not completely transform your homes exterior too. But installing a solar tube is a good alternative. This is a tube you run from your roof to your kitchen that will literally pull in the sunlight. Its not going to give you a view to the outdoors, but it wont change the appearance of your home and it wont require you to cut into siding either.

Solar tubes cost around $500 to $1,000 depending on size and distance.

If your kitchen is too dark and you find yourself using artificial light during the day to make it usable, consider investing in any of these ideas to help maximize your natural light. Any single one can help make a difference on its own, or you can layer them for greater effect. Boost your natural light and start reducing your energy consumption today.

Cristina Miguelez is a remodeling specialist at Fixr.com, a website that connects consumers with service professionals in their area and estimates the cost for remodeling projects. She writes about home improvement tips and tricks to help homeowners make better home remodeling decisions.

Feature image byAndr Franois McKenzie on Unsplash

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