Starbucks dumps vaccine mandate, the only woman to be drafted to the NBA dies, and more top news

AP, CNN
Jan 19, 2022
Jan 19, 2022 Updated Jun 5, 2026

One more business takes a stance on vaccine mandates, plus the deaths of a French actor and the first woman to be officially drafted to the NBA — here are some top headlines for the day.

A Canadian restaurant had to close its dining room because it accepted dog photos in lieu of proof of vaccination, negative Covid tests

A restaurant in Alberta was forced to briefly close its dining room after the health department found patrons were showing photos of dogs instead of proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test, as mandated by the Canadian province.

Alberta Health Services ordered The Granary Kitchen in Red Deer to temporarily close last Friday after the department received complaints and launched an investigation January 11.

During the investigation, the health department sent two test shoppers at different times and both were able to enter and dine in after showing a photo of a dog and personal identification, in lieu of meeting requirements, the health agency said.

As part of the Restrictions Exemption Program, restaurants and bars are required to ask Albertans 12 and older to show proof of vaccination, a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of service or documentation of a medical exemption.

Canada has seen a steep rise in cases as the Omicron variant spreads. The country recorded 294,437 new cases for the week ending January 9, according to Johns Hopkins University figures, its highest weekly total of the pandemic.

"In both instances, facility staff used a tablet to make it appear as if they were scanning a QR code when in fact the staff member was presented with a photograph of a dog," the Alberta Health Services order said. "The staff member then proceeded to ask the test shopper for personal identification and offered dine in services."

The Granary's indoor dining area was ordered to remain closed until the owners took steps to ensure that the restaurant would implement the Restrictions Exemption Program in full compliance, provide training to all staff on how to implement the program with written confirmation that training had been complete and to attend an administrative hearing with Environmental Public Health to demonstrate that all steps have been completed.

"To our valued guests, we had an unfortunate circumstance at our front door which involved one of our underage hostesses, and the requirements for the REP program," The Granary Kitchen wrote on Facebook on Friday. "We are taking the weekend to retrain and regroup. We look forward to serving you again as soon as we are ready to reopen."

"In closing we would like to remind everyone of the tremendous pressure being placed on front staff, and please remember to be kind."

Alberta Health Services rescinded the closing order Monday, according to a letter from the department, and the Granary Kitchen reopened its dining room the same day. Patrick Malkin, one of restaurant's owners, told CNN on Wednesday that Alberta Health Services was "very pleased" with the actions taken to move forward.

"These are difficult time for restaurants in Canada and abroad," Malkin said. "We look forward to better days ahead for the industry as a whole."

The-CNN-Wire

Cardi B pledges to pay funeral costs for Bronx fire victims

Rapper Cardi B plans to pay the funeral costs for those who lost their lives in a deadly fire in that New York City borough.

In total 17 people died after a fire ripped through their Bronx apartment building.

The state of New York announced this week that it would be granting $2 million to a fund for the victims.

Cardi B, who is a Bronx native, said in a statement to CNN that "I'm extremely proud to be from the Bronx and I have lots of family and friends who live and work there still."

"So, when I heard about the fire and all of the victims, I knew I needed to do something to help," she said. "I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anguish that the families of the victims are experiencing, but I hope that not having to worry about the costs associated with burying their loved ones will help as they move forward and heal. I send my prayers and condolences to everyone affected by this horrific tragedy."

According to her rep, the artist partnered up with The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City to make sure that the families of all the victims would be included in her donation and "that the final wishes for their loved ones were met."

"We are grateful for Cardi B, a real superstar on and off the mic, for granting some critical financial relief to families of the victims," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. "The city will be forever thankful to her and also to the grassroots donors and corporate partners who have been able to offer immediate support for our neighbors in need, to reestablish themselves during this difficult time."

The-CNN-Wire

Lusia Harris, the only woman ever officially drafted by an NBA team, has died

Lusia "Lucy" Harris, a star in women's collegiate basketball during the 1970s and the first and only woman ever to be officially drafted by an NBA team, died Tuesday, according to a statement from her family as well as Delta State University. She was 66.

"We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, The Queen of Basketball, Lusia Harris has passed away unexpectedly today in Mississippi," the statement said.

Harris led Delta State to three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national championships from 1975-1977.

While at Delta State, women's basketball was introduced to the Olympics in 1976. Harris was selected to the team and had the distinction of being the first woman to score a basket in the competition's first game. The US won the silver medal that year.

After her collegiate career, the NBA's New Orleans Jazz, which began play in 1974 and would later move to Utah, selected her in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft.

Another woman, Denise Long, was selected in the 1969 draft by the San Francisco Warriors but the pick was vacated by the league, making Harris the only woman, to date, to be officially drafted.

Yet Harris turned down the offer from the Jazz, intent on starting a family.

"I just thought it was a publicity stunt and I felt like I didn't think I was good enough," she said in "The Queen of Basketball," a short film about her life and career. "So I decided not to go. Yeah, I said no to the NBA."

"The NBA, I don't regret not going. Not even a little bit," she said.

The native of Minter City, Mississippi, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 and was part of the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Harris is still Delta State's career record holder in points (2,891) and rebounds (1,662), the university said.

"The recent months brought Ms. Harris great joy, including the news of the upcoming wedding of her youngest son and the outpouring of recognition received by a recent documentary that brought worldwide attention to her story," her family said in the statement.

"She will be remembered for her charity, for her achievements both on and off the court, and the light she brought to her community, the State of Mississippi, her country as the first woman ever to score a basket in the Olympics, and to women who play basketball around the world."

The-CNN-Wire