Several stores are dedicating the 1st hour of operations to senior shoppers.

BI-LO, Publix and Dollar General stores will have a special shopping hour for seniors and high-risk customers who are most vulnerable to the covid-19 corona virus.

BI-LO pharmacy locations will open at 8 am on weekdays to provide prescription refills, influenza and pneumonia vaccines and customer counseling.

BI-LO stores to plan to hire individuals who have been affected by restricted working hours and layoffs – including those in the hospitality and restaurant industry.

Dollar General stores plan to close an hour earlier than current close times to allow employees to clean and re-stock store shelves, as well as for their health and wellbeing.

Dollar General is hiring up to 50,000 new employees by the end of April. Apply at https://www.careerarc.com/job-map/dollar-general-corporation/.

Publix announced they will designate Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 7-8 am for customers 65 and older.

Publix pharmacy will also be open at 7 am those days.

More time to file taxes

Lexington County taxpayers will have up to 3 extra months to file taxes this year.

SC Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order Mar. 17 to extend the time to file to June 1 due to the corona virus pandemic.

The SC Department of Revenue will not charge penalties or interest if tax payments are made by this time.

This includes South Carolina corporate income taxes, sales and use tax, admissions tax, and other taxes filed and paid with SCDOR.

The income tax filing and payment due date has been extended to July 15.

SCDOR is automatically applying this tax relief for all applicable returns and payments. You don’t need to take any additional action.

Find more information at https://dor. sc.gov/communications/scdor-offers-extension-to-file-returns-and-pay-taxes-due .

Chipotle to replace Lexington Miyo’s

Miyo’s of Lexington will close this month.

Owners Michelle Wang Cao and Rui Cao said they will not renew the restaurant’s lease at the end of March.

Chipotle will move into the location at 5594 Sunset Blvd. No word yet on when it will open for business.

Kohl’s, other retailers to close

Kohl’s is joining a growing list of stores closing due to the corona virus pandemic.

It will temporarily close all stores through April 1.

Belk announced it would close its stores through Mar. 30.

Macy’s will close stores through Mar. 31.

The online stores remain operational.

Poultry Festival canceled

The 2020 SC Poultry Festival May 7-9 has been canceled due to the corona virus crisis.

According to the Poultry Festival Steering Committee, the “safety of our citizens, attendees, vendors, and volunteers must come first.

“We understand that this may create a great inconvenience for you. We sincerely apologize. Unfortunately, the circumstances are completely beyond our control.”

The annual festival attracts more than 100,000 to Batesburg-Leesville and raises thousands of dollars for local charities, the Twin City News reported.

Next year’s event is scheduled for May 6-8, 2021.

Financial help for small businesses

The US Small Business Administration has approved Gov. Henry McMaster’s request for the agency to offer South Carolina’s small businesses with disaster assistance.

McMaster requested the disaster declaration in a Mar. 17 letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza.

The disaster declaration means South Carolina’s small businesses that have suffered substantial economic injury as a result of the COVID-19 virus may qualify for low-interest federal disaster loans. All 46 counties are included in the disaster declaration.

SC businesses can apply online at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

McMaster loosens alcohol sales

Lexington County bars and restaurants can’t deliver beer or wine to you.

But they can sell it to you.

Gov. Henry McMaster suspended part of the state liquor law.

This allows customers to pick up beer and wine in sealed containers.

They can do it inside licensed bars and restaurants or at curbside.

The order did not change cocktails and hard liquor laws.

The governor’s office said delivery services such as UberEats can’t deliver either.

Hotel jobs hit hard by corona virus

Thousands of hotel workers are out of a job due to the corona virus pandemic.

In South Carolina, 52,795 hotel-supported jobs have been lost.

That’s over 40% of the 129,364 total hotelsupported jobs across the state.

More populated states like California have seen over 414,000 lost hotel-supported jobs. Hotel occupancy rates are down below

Hotel occupancy rates are down below 20%, resulting in over 3.4 million hotel jobs lost across the country.

Riverbanks goes digital

Riverbanks may be temporarily closed to guests, but you can still experience new adventures at the Zoo and Garden through Z-Learning.

Each weekday at 10 am, Riverbanks will bring the Zoo and Garden online to Facebook with live interactions, behind-thescenes peeks, fun too-cute-to-handle, plus an activity you can do right at home.

Z-Learning offers children, families and our community a new way to explore the Zoo and Garden while creating connections and inspiring action that will have a lasting impact on conservation.

You can watch at https://www.facebook. com/riverbankszoo .

Dining on the Dam moved to October

The Lexington Chamber and Visitors Center will postpone Dining On The Dam to Oct. 25, 2020.

It was originally scheduled for April 5. Guests who will be unable to attend the

Guests who will be unable to attend the event on its new date can receive a full refund by contacting the Chamber and Visitors Center at (803) 359-6113 or connor@lexingtonsc.org . For updates on this event, visit www.lex

For updates on this event, visit www.lexingtonsc.org or call (803) 359-6113.