Customers are still sitting down for a cold beer at Joyride Brewing in Edgewater, Colorado.

“We always talk about stopping and smelling the hops. It’s all about the joy ride of life,” said Grant Babb, the owner of Joyride Brewing.

That’s despite new state rules that state bars must serve food to stay open, and Joyride doesn't serve food.

“It makes you lose a little sleep at night, not knowing every day when you wake up if you have to do something different. It’s trying to shoot at a bullseye and just watching it constantly move,” said Babb.

Babb had to make arrangements with multiple food trucks and the restaurant down the street to stay open. That’s because the recent spike in COVID-19 cases has led the state to put its economic restart plans on hold.

“In our case, we schedule out food trucks about a month and a half in advance, and we’re working with only the food trucks we’re trusted partners with,” said Babb.

Colorado isn’t the only state backtracking due to the surge. According to a tracker from the New York Times, 15 states are pausing plans to reopen and six are reversing course and shutting some things back down.

Arizona is one of those states where bars, gyms, and theaters have been ordered closed once again. Restaurants there fear the same might happen to them soon if new COVID-19 cases aren’t curbed.

“You can’t simply turn off and turn on a restaurant operation,” said Steve Churci, the head of the Arizona Restaurant Association.

He says the toll of shutting down those businesses for a second time would be crushing.

“If you were to shut down, what happens to the suicide rate? Does that go up? What happens to the homelessness rate, people losing their homes? So, there’s a whole other sad and unfortunate contingent that would be impacted by this,” said Churci.

Churci says service industry workers employ almost a quarter-million people and the state has lost $815 million in revenue from food sales. He says in a normal year, US restaurants sell $900 billion worth of food.

“Almost a trillion-dollar industry. So, we often say we’re the cornerstone of our communities. We’re the heart and soul of America in the restaurant industry, and we are,” said Churci.

For Joyride, the losses have been heavy as well.

“We, we’re down 80 percent in the month of March, April, May. And then June, we’re still seeing a significant decrease, we’re down definitely 40 percent,” said Babb.

For Babb, the money hurt, but letting his staff go was harder.

“It’s the most painful thing you can do is tell an employee that we don’t have any work for you,” he said.

He says it will hurt even more if he has to send his staff home again.

HAMILTON, Ohio — With several bars and restaurants as well as entertainment venues falling on hard times during the coronavirus pandemic, one Hamilton location isn’t just surviving – it’s thriving.

“If they all work together, the tide rises all ships,” Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce president Dan Bates said. “That doesn’t happen very many paces.”

In the midst of the pandemic, and already with expansion on his mind, Pinball Garage owner Brad Baker said a lifeline provided by the city of Hamilton is giving him renewed hope from going full tilt.

“Any place can sell beer and liquor,” he said. “We invested a whole lot of money in these machines.”

Thirty-seven of them, to be exact.

Schmidt, Madison

“They’re excited. They smile. They have no idea what they’re going,” Baker said of customers who visit the Pinball Garage. “It’s just so fun to watch.”

Originally slated to open in April 2020, Pinball Garage's debut was stalled due to the pandemic. They finally opened in June, and Baker said every day has been its own challenge.

“There would be times where you’re laying down at night and based on what the next day’s announcement would be is if you’d even be open,” he said.

His focus, not on high scores, but on keeping his family and his business up and running.

“My son is the manager here,” Baker said. “If we aren’t open, then him, my daughter-in-law and granddaughter aren’t making a living. That’s really important.”

Schmidt, Madison

The Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce provided much-needed business to struggling businesses like The Pinball Garage.

“We shifted gears completely,” Bates said. “Our entire focus and priority became what we needed to do to ensure the survival of our businesses.”

In 2020, the City of Hamilton bought $300,000 in gift cards and that effort is still helping.

“It not only put money in the hands of businesses when they needed them, when people turn in those gift certificates, it’s replenishing a fund,” Baker said. “Using that fund to give zero interest loans to small business in Hamilton in perpetuity. We’ve already given one of those loans. It’s the gift that just keeps giving.”

For local business owners like Baker, the program has been a lifeline.

“If we can pay the bills, the employees get a paycheck, that’s all that matters right now,” he said. “We can show Hamilton, Cincinnati, Greater Cincinnati who we really are when this is all over.”

Schmidt, Madison

A food truck could come next month and on tap after that: more seating and more pinball.

People interested in purchasing one of the gift certificates can do so here.

A Birmingham, Alabama, woman claims she was asked to leave The Southern Kitchen And Bar in the Uptown District over the shirt she was wearing. Aireal Bonner said she did not see a dress code policy posted inside the restaurant and one was not available when she requested it.

"I was approached by the manager, and she told me that the owner, which I actually found out was not the owner, had seen me on camera from his home and called in to ask her to approach me about my attire," Bonner said.

According to a local attorney, a private business has the right to refuse service to anyone as long as it does not discriminate.

Southern Kitchen and Bar released the following statement to WVTM 13 on Tuesday:

"The management of Southern Kitchen and Bar has reviewed the alleged racial discrimination made by Ms. Ariel Bonner from Friday, August 6th. The event in question centered around a manager observing her in what appeared to be a bikini top which is not consistent with our appropriate attire policy. As a family-friendly, neighborhood restaurant we have an appropriate attire policy in place to provide an experience that meets both our standards as a brand and our clientele’s expectations. In similar instances where attire does not conform to the standards, our staff strives to resolve the issues as politely as possible. Although a manager did approach her in a polite manner with an offer of a free Southern Kitchen and Bar T shirt to use as a cover up, Ms. Bonner was not approached until she had commenced eating her meal.

"We regret interrupting Ms. Bonner’s dinner and understand that would make anyone feel uncomfortable. We apologize for this. Clearly, the matter should have been discretely handled upon the patron’s entry into our restaurant. But we should also note the attempt to follow company policy was ill-timed but not ill-intentioned.

"We are establishing more rigid protocols to ensure all policies within our restaurant are upheld and are enforced by staff. We will make every effort to politely address them at the front door. We have done and will continue to do the work to ensure our restaurant is a place where all feel welcome."

Watch the video above to learn more about the story.

OXFORD, Ohio — A 21-year-old construction contractor from northern Ohio is in jail, accused of sexually assaulting a Miami University student early Saturday after giving her a ride home from a bar.

Zachary Michael Frankart of Clyde in Sandusky County, was arrested and booked into the Butler County Jail on suspicion of rape and for theft, for allegedly taking items belonging to the woman, the release stated.

Oxford police responded around 1:20 a.m. to North College Avenue. A passerby called 911 who reported he found a crying woman lying in a front who said she had been raped.

The Miami student said she did not know the assailant but that she accepted a ride from him from an uptown bar, according to a release posted to the Oxford Division of Police Facebook page.

Police officers and detectives identified a suspect within hours of the sexual assault report and found him at a local hotel.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ended one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points and a championship Milwaukee waited 50 years to win again.

Antetokounmpo had 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 on Tuesday night to win the series 4-2.

It was the third game this series with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds for Antetokounmpo, a dominant, debut finals performance that takes its place among some of the game's greatest.

He shot 16 for 25 from the field and made an unbelievable 17-of-19 free throws — a spectacular performance for any shooter, let alone one who was hitting just 55.6% in the postseason and was ridiculed for it at times.

He hopped around the court waving his arms with 20 seconds remaining to encourage fans to cheer, but it was way too late for that.

Their voices had been booming inside and outside for hours by then, having waited 50 years to celebrate a winner after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson led the Bucks to the championship in 1971.

In a season played largely without fans, the Bucks had 65,000 of them packed into the Deer District outside, a wild party that figured to last deep into the Midwestern night.
Confetti rained down inside as fans chanted "Bucks in 6! Bucks in 6!" — which began as a hopeful boast by a former player turning out to be a prophetic rallying cry.

The Bucks became the fifth team to win the NBA Finals after trailing 2-0 and the first to do it by winning the next four games since Miami against Dallas in 2006.

Chris Paul scored 26 points to end his first NBA Finals appearance in his 16th season. Devin Booker added 19 points but shot just 8 for 22 and missed all seven 3-pointers after scoring 40 points in each of the last two games.

The teams that came into the NBA together as expansion clubs in 1968 delivered a fine finals, with the last three games all in the balance deep into the fourth quarter.

The Bucks won them largely because of Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP in the regular season who raised his game even higher in the finals and was voted the NBA Finals MVP.

The Larry O'Brien trophy was presented to the Bucks by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

This story will be updated shortly.

In light of new guidance for vaccinated people by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local businesses are taking extra cautionary steps to keep patrons safe.

"Since we've heard of this, I definitely understand that we're going to see a wide range of responses from businesses in terms of what they want and what they don't want," Louisville Downtown Partnership president Rebecca Matheny said.

There is a sign on the door of Chestnut Street bar Meta outlining the new mask policy after the CDC released new guidance allowing for vaccinated people, in most cases, to go without a mask inside and out.

"We realized if we don't have a cogent policy on this, we're going to end up in a lot of disagreements with people," owner Jeremy Johnson said.

On the door, the sign says vaccinated people who can show proof are able to take their mask off inside. Patrons who cannot show proof or have not been vaccinated are asked to keep their masks on unless seated.

"Do you want to carry your vaccine card or do you want to carry a mask?" Johnson asked. "It's one or the other. Both are a little inconvenient, I get it but if people really hate wearing a mask, all you got to do is show me that you're vaccinated. No big deal."

Bartenders are checking vaccination cards and IDs.

"My staff just felt it was best to verify proof and if not, it's really not a big deal to wear your mask if you have to go from your table to the restroom," Johnson said.

With a range of options for businesses to adopt as far as rules within the establishment, Matheny said people should expect different rules at different places with the new guidance.

"I trust our business owners to make decisions that are right for their businesses," Matheny said.

Shop-bar also posted on their Facebook page they would ask to see vaccination cards for patrons who wanted to go maskless indoors.

DENVER, Colo. — Vaccine passports--a document proving you’d had your COVID-19 vaccine--aren’t widely accepted across the country, but for one bar owner, it’s how he believes he is keeping his business alive and his customers safe.

Bar Max in Denver, Colorado prides itself on being a warm, welcoming space for craft cocktails, good conversation and community. “We don't do screens,” said Bar Max’s owner Marshall Smith. “We don't give out the Wifi password.”

Yet, finding that community and togetherness during COVID-19 has been nearly impossible.

“We're still, you know, barely hanging on,” said Smith.

The long time bartender took over and bought the bar just months before the pandemic hit.

“It's hard to show up, hard to be here and then just hope,” said Smith. “And there were definitely days we would not get an order, and that's depressing.”

Bar Max was able to survive by packing Smith’s unique cocktail creations to-go and serving customers on the small patio in front of the restaurant. But for more than six months, no one came inside for a drink. Smith made the choice for safety reasons, but it wasn’t an easy one.

“It was a struggle. It was, it basically sucks the joy or most of the joy out of bartending,” he said.

However, Smith felt the pressure of keeping himself, his customers, and others around him healthy.

“I have asthma. I have underlying health conditions, so I definitely didn't want to get sick,” said Smith. “And even more than me, I have older parents. I have a brother who I care for.”

He almost gave up and just shut down the bar, but a few weeks ago, he felt hopeful for the first time in a while.

“It was the first day, the first day that every adult could have access to the vaccine,” he remembered.

After months of not having anybody come inside the bar to enjoy a cocktail, Smith had an idea to get people in and keep them safe: every time customers come into Bar Max, Smith asks for proof of vaccination in order for patrons to enjoy a drink inside.

For those who are not vaccinated, Smith offers patio seating outside or all of his drinks to-go.

“A vast majority of people have been very supportive,” said Smith. “They want to show proof. They're excited about it. They're happy to be in a space where they can actually relax.”

Now, Bar Max looks like it did before the COVID-19 pandemic. It's bustling and filled with neighbors reconnecting.

Friday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced the statewide mask mandate is lifted based on new guidance from the CDC. Governor Polis said individual businesses may continue to require masks or not and can also mandate vaccine passports. He said the state will not implement a statewide vaccine passport system.

“You can come in, sit inside and be without a mask,” said customer Maureen McGuire. “I thought, well, that sounds wonderfully normal. I would love to experience that again.”

McGuire got her second vaccine two weeks ago and decided to celebrate by coming to Bar Max.

“We were just talking to this young gentleman, and that's something we haven't been able to do--talk to other people spontaneously in the community. That's pretty exciting!” said McGuire.

Smith said not everyone is supportive of this policy. He’s gotten plenty of backlash, but it won’t change his mind. The customers who do support him are who he cares to keep safe.

“I have zero concern that that's going to lose business for me,” said Smith. “I am absolutely keeping people out, keeping people out who are potentially a threat to the health and safety of me, my employees and my customers.”

He hopes in the months to come, more places will embrace a vaccine passport of some kind. He said the Colorado governor’s announcement gives him hope that will happen. Recently, Gov. Jared Polis said if 80% of patrons in a business can prove they are vaccinated, people can be without masks. And as of Wednesday, the CDC loosened their guidance on mask-wearing, saying those who are vaccinated no longer need to wear masks in most places, including bars and restaurants.

Smith believes this and policies like his own will help businesses get back to normal.

“We all need to talk to each other and be able to connect, and bars, restaurants are a crucial part of that,” said Smith.

The sight of people smiling and the laughter floating through the air proves, with some new rules, life can go on after a year apart.

“And you know what? If you're awkward from being locked down for a year, that's fine,” said Smith smiling. “We don't have any judgment. Come practice here!”