Benjamin Beetle co-owner Ryan Bowser rings up Nico Artino Friday at his Main St. store. The clothing and accessory shop opened Friday under the state's "yellow" designation for the first time since the pandemic shutdown.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appeared in Sunday’s Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.For Paul Vensel, having coffee on Main Street was a great way to start the day Friday.After coronavirus precautions were put into place around mid-March, the 73-year-old Butler man mostly stayed inside. But on Friday, he got a taste of normalcy along with his coffee and cigarettes.More than a dozen counties, including Butler, moved from Gov. Tom Wolf’s “red” to “yellow” phase at midnight, allowing some businesses to reopen after the most restrictive virus precautions were lifted.Vensel took the opportunity to visit Main Street Friday morning.Under the yellow phase, retail stores are allowed to open while restaurants and bars remain limited to carry out and delivery. Stores that open must follow guidelines for social distancing and cleaning established by both the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, including wearing masks around others.The state’s department of health warned that a failure to follow these guidelines “would likely result in a spike of cases and new stay-at-home and closure orders.”

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appeared in Sunday’s Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.