The latest: August 18, 2017

Does anyone like restaurant week? Plus, a drag queen garden party

Restaurant Week is kind of terrible. So why do chefs keep signing up?

As the phenomenon gains steam nationwide, it’s not clear whether anyone’s getting a good deal.

By Tove Danovich | Read more


Kevin Moloney / Aurora Photos

Victory in Colorado for Muslim meatpacking workers

More than a hundred employees left their jobs over a perceived “prayer ban.” A rare ruling in their favor may mean they have a federal case.

By Claire Brown | Read more


A hunger boom. In this country, 100,000 baby boomers will turn 65 every day until 2030. And one in every 12 of them will struggle with hunger. That’s according to a new report out this week from Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, and the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger. Read more.
—Kate Cox


Not in my county jail. Dairy farmers in Idaho have sent a letter to their county commissioners in protest of a plan to lease beds in their county jail to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Capital Press reports. A not-yet-signed contract between Jerome County and ICE has drawn protests outside county meetings and the ire of the Idaho Dairymen Association. The farmers are worried the presence of an ICE holding facility in their community will scare their employees. Read more.
—Claire Brown


Just the one-liners

Ever wonder how Driscoll’s took over the berry industry? Dana Goodyear’s got all the details in the New Yorker.

Could taking on Big Ag help the Dems win rural voters? Maybe.

We can never resist a New York Times kerfuffle. This time, it’s over bubble tea. Here’s a tweet that outlines the basic controversy about the story (originally headlined: “The Blobs in Your Tea? They’re Supposed to Be There”), plus the actual story (complete with a facelift). The Times also published more context in its “Reader Center.”

And because it’s August and August is hot and depressing nearly everywhere: Go ahead, hole up in the A/C and allow yourself to be delighted by the new YouTube show Andre Gardens. Drag Race alums Bob the Drag Queen and Peppermint join publicist to big name drag clients, Andre Morris, in his Upper East Side/Spanish Harlem backyard oasis to prepare “Frito Pie” and “Spicy Maryland Crab Dip” and gab and gab and gab. Said Morris to Out magazine: “My mission is to show people living in small spaces, just how easy it is to grow a garden.” We can get down with that, Andre.


Shannon Service / Greenpeace

How seafood’s “dark web” obscures fraud, fish laundering, and slavery on the high seas

Ships routinely transfer fish out on the open ocean. Most of the time, no one’s watching.

By Katarina Zimmer | Read more

The Counter Stories by our editors.