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Arizona bars and restaurants started pouring again once the little hand met the big hand at the top of the clock to mark the start of Monday, May 11 and the end to the state's service industry shut-down.

Eastside bottleshop and brewpub Arizona Beer House celebrated with a midnight "End of Isolation" party that had more than a dozen thirsty patrons in attendance. Bartender Greg Turkington said he was happy to be serving beers and looking forward to seeing his regulars again.

"Right up until midnight, we were to-go (service) only," Turkington said. "And now with the ordinance ending...as you can see we got a few people ready to come in and explore as we're talking."

Small groups of customers began to stumble in, seemingly mesmerized they could order pints again and possibly return to life before the pandemic. Turkington smiles as he hands out a bag of chips with each pint he serves. He advises groups to keep it to two people per table on the patio.

“I feel like everyone has got a good enough grasp on the concept of social distancing that we should be able to trust everyone to do the right thing,” Turkington said. “We’re going to basically trust a lot of people on keeping the right mindset and the right safe action.”

There is a loophole in Gov. Doug Ducey's May 4 announcement allowing bars to open up with restaurants as along as a bar provides dine-in service. And when it comes to dine-in service, just having a bag of chips to serve qualifies, according to state liquor officials. Ducey’s order applies to all dine-in establishments but does not differentiate the type of license needed to be considered dine-in.

Owner Brian McBride said it’s the fourth time he’s rescheduled the event. They had originally planned for reopening April 1, but the governor’s March 30 shut-down executive order pushed it back to May 1. When Gov. Ducey announced Arizona was staying closed until May 15, McBride pushed the date back again. This time he said he was happy to reschedule after hearing bars would be included in Gov. Ducey’s May 4 announcement.

“We’re trying to put something out there for people to look forward to,” McBride said. “We’re trying to do something small. We’ve never been open past midnight so I figured there’s no better time than now to give it a shot.”

McBride said he hasn’t done much to prepare for customers returning besides following the governor’s guidance for dine-in service. They’ve removed some chairs but since it’s a big space with garage doors, McBride said his establishment will feel more outdoorsy than most.

“Everything is already spaced out. We have a huge space so we’re lucky for that,” McBride said. “We have a big patio and we’ll have the garage doors open, so basically it will be like sitting outdoors.”

McBride doesn’t think there is much he can do about enforcing social distancing outside of removing tables and chairs, he said. It’s up to the individual to decide whether or not they feel comfortable with being back in the public, McBride said.

“We can’t really monitor who is coming together and who wants to sit by each other,” McBride said. “I feel like people manage social distancing themselves and what they’re comfortable with.”

McBride also said he was leaving it up to his employees to let him know if they were sick or not. He doesn’t plan on checking anyone’s temperatures and it will be the employee’s choice to wear a mask or not, he said.

“They know if they feel sick not to come into work and that’s how it’s always been,” McBride said. “The masks...that’s a tough one. If the employees feel comfortable wearing we’ll make that option available. But we’ve been open since the beginning.”

Nico Mauceli stopped by Arizona Beer House for a tallboy when he heard they were reopening at midnight. Mauceli had no qualms about coming to a bar during the pandemic or, “Otherwise I wouldn’t be out here,” he said.

“I feel with some common-sense precautions, I can take care of myself,” Mauceli said.

Before the pandemic, Mauceli said he would partake in nightlife quite often when his children were away. While he is out enjoying Monday morning at the beer house, Mauceli said he probably wouldn’t be going out as often as he did before.

“I have my kids every other week. A week without my kids I’m out pretty often, maybe every night,” Mauceli said. “I don’t think I’ll be coming out as much as before, but I do plan on putting my foot in the water a little bit.”

Happy Friday, everyone! Here's a look at the things we covered today.

• The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 10,500 of Thursday, May 8, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
• If you're a restaurant owner, we'd like to hear from you if you're opening next week.
• Retail and cosmetology shops are officially allowed to reopen to the public today under Gov. Doug Ducey’s modified stay-at-home order, but many owners around Historic Fourth Avenue are opting to stay closed until COVID case numbers decrease in Pima County.
• Tucson’s original second-hand clothing store will reopen to the public beginning Saturday, May 9, the company announced Thursday.
• The Resilience Summit, which is free and online for anyone who might like to hear from the experts, has opened its registration in time for Mental Health Awareness Month.
• The Arizona Trail Association is hoping the community will voice concern to help to stop construction of the border barriers near its southern trailhead through the Huachuca Mountains in Cochise County.
• When assisted living facilities, memory care homes and hospitals began limiting visits and shutting their doors to the public amid the outbreak of COVID-19, the creative minds at the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance knew there was a need to fill.
• Are you an FC Tucson fan? Do you want to give blood and potentially save a life? Do you like signed memorabilia? Well, you’re in luck.
  
• The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum received a strong vote of confidence this week when it was granted accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums independent accreditation commission.
• For their dedication to students and hardworking attitudes, several local teachers were recently honored by Tucson Values Teachers with the Teacher Excellence Award.
• Trying to track down your stimulus check from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act?
• Turn down the lights and get the cognac ready tonight because Tucson's favorite neo-soul singer, Seanloui, isn't letting the pandemic stop him from live-streaming his baby-making music live for our viewing pleasure.
• Commentary from Leigh Moyer, an organizer with #Fight4HER: Sen. Martha McSally Should Oppose Global Gag Rule

Tucson’s original second-hand clothing store will reopen to the public beginning Saturday, May 8, the company announced Thursday.

The company will operate at reduced hours, from noon to 6 p.m., seven days a week. Customers will also have the option to sell their clothing by drop-off through appointments only. A variety of safety and social distancing protocols will also be implemented.

In addition to sanitation and daily cleanings, employees will wear face masks, and shoppers are asked to do the same. The store will also only allow a limited number of shoppers at one time.

The company is also asking sellers to leave their clothing untouched for 24 hours, and Buffalo will now offer contact-free payouts through PayPal, Venmo, or a Digital Trade Card. Shoppers can pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or tap-to-pay credit cards in addition to traditional payment.

“Deciding to temporarily close our doors in March and then staying closed for almost two months was one of the toughest things we’ve ever had to do. In 46 years of business, we’ve never dealt with so much uncertainty,” said Buffalo Exchange Vice President Rebecca Block, in a statement. “But having the chance to come out on the other side and start to reopen makes us hopeful. We’ve received a lot of support from the community during this time and are very grateful for that.”

Buffalo has also extended its Tokens for Bags program through the end of the year to provide aid to charities facing financial hardship due to COVID-19.

Starting May 9, appointments for drop-off can be made by calling 795-0508.

Looking for something to do tonight while stuck inside?

Turn down the lights and get the cognac ready tonight because Tucson's favorite neo-soul singer, Seanloui, isn't letting the pandemic stop him from live-streaming his baby-making music live for our viewing pleasure.

"It's my live show that a lot of people haven't seen but heard it worldwide on Spotify," Seanloui said. "A lot of people out there don't get to see what we do for the songs in a live capacity."

Tonight, Seanloui will be the first guest on No Audience Needed, a new live-streaming project from the mind of local stage and lighting guru Kevin Dowling. The project plans on live-streaming twice a week on its YouTube channel, noaudience.live.

Dowling works for Total Lighting Support, a company that provides lighting for events and large concerts. With the company's schedule cleared, as well as the schedules of other local audio/visual companies due to the shutdown, Dowling got a great idea.

Trying to track down your stimulus check from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act? Look no further than the Internal Revenue Service’s “Get My Payment” program. Use the program by next Wednesday, May 13, if you want direct deposit to your bank account.

Approximately 130 million individuals have already received payments worth more than $200 billion in the program’s first four weeks. Starting later this month, the number of paper checks being delivered to taxpayers will sharply increase, according to the IRS. For many taxpayers, the last chance to obtain a direct deposit of their Economic Impact Payment rather than receive a paper check is coming soon.

People should visit this website by noon Wednesday, May 13, to check on their payment status and, when available, provide their direct deposit information.

For their dedication to students and hardworking attitudes, several local teachers were recently honored by Tucson Values Teachers with the Teacher Excellence Award.

As previously reported by Tucson Local Media, The Teacher Excellence Awards are delivered each month after colleagues, students, and parents nominate an outstanding educator. Winners receive a plaque, bouquet of roses, $250 in cash and a $100 gift card to Office Depot/Office Max.

Tucson Values Teachers asked the community to send in video nominations last month, and the organization announced the winners Friday.

“Deep down in every teacher’s heart, they really care about their kids, and teachers have accepted this challenge to teach in the best way they can in a totally different way—virtually—so that their kids can continue to grow,” Tucson Values Teachers CEO Andy Heinemann previously told Tucson Local Media. “What amazes me is that in this time of crisis and change, they’ve embraced this new way of teaching so that their kids don’t get behind.”

Twin Peaks K-8 School teacher Monica Baden, Mountain View High School culinary teacher Corinne Angello, Canyon View ELementary School second grade teacher Amanda Campbell, Tom ELementary School first grade teacher Jennifer Knight and Desert View High School English teacher Kasie Betten were selected as this month’s winners.

Their awards were donated by the Helios Education Foundation and South Tucson Cyber Lions.

To see their nomination videos, go to this website.

If you're a restaurant owner who plans to reopen your establishment for dine-in service next week, let us know. The Weekly is planning on running a list of restaurants that are offering diners a chance to sit down at a table to enjoy their meal. Please e-mail [email protected] with your hours and location(s).

Leigh Moyer is an organizer with the #Fight4HER. The Tucson Weekly welcomes guest commentaries. Send yours to [email protected].

On Donald Trump’s first day in office he signed his Global Gag Rule, an executive order that restricts international health care providers that receives U.S. aid from simply mentioning abortion services. We’re several years and a pandemic away from Trump’s first day in office, so why does this matter right now?

Because people don’t stop needing reproductive health care services amidst a pandemic, and Trump’s Global Gag Rule has already made these services, amongst others, near-impossible to access in communities around the world. As reproductive health services are scaled back to focus on responding to COVID-19, people around the world are forced to forgo health care.

The World Health Organization lists abortion as an essential service; the last time I checked, you can’t pause a pregnancy until a pandemic passes.

Trump’s Global Gag Rule doesn’t just impact reproductive health care services, but all health services. This is because programs and clinics in countries around the world have lost millions of dollars in USAID, leading to staffing cutbacks and clinic closures. These clinics are often the only trusted health care providers in the communities they serve. By forcing these clinics to close, Trump’s Global Gag Rule limits interventions to stop the spread of coronavirus in vulnerable communities around the world. During a health care crisis, do we want leaders who are cutting funding and access to health care?

No. I am ashamed that Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) has failed to co-sponsor the Global Health, Empowerment and Rights (HER) Act to permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule and safeguard the right to reproductive health access around the world.

I’m a young woman with a woman senator who doesn’t respect or stand up for my health care rights.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum received a strong vote of confidence this week when it was granted accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums independent accreditation commission.

The association is a nonprofit organization “dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science and recreation” and acts as the accrediting body for zoos and aquariums in the United States and 11 other countries.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was founded in 1952, and today contains more than 4,800 living animals spanning more than 240 species. The museum is also home to more than 56,000 plants of 1,200 taxa and an impressive mineral and fossil collection.

“I, the Board of Trustees, and all the staff and volunteers of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum are extremely pleased to hear that the Museum has, once again, earned accreditation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums,” said museum executive director Craig Ivanyi, in a statement. “The AZA is the gold standard for the zoological industry and maintaining accreditation is critical to the credibility of the Museum and all its sister organizations, as we remain steadfastly focused on our critical conservation mission.”