Mother's Day, states' plans to reopen, cold weather: 5 things to know this weekend

Editors, USA TODAY
·4 min read

Happy Mother's Day to all celebrating this weekend

For many mothers privileged enough to be free from harm at home with their children this Mother's Day, the pandemic provides a chance to witness milestones that would otherwise have been missed, to be close and present in ways impossible when everyone is in motion, to heal and reconnect with older children we've reluctantly and necessarily let go their own way. In the midst of suffering, there is opportunity, writes USA TODAY's Alia Dastagir.

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Maryland, Nevada, Rhode Island ease or remove restrictions

What is the way forward after coronavirus-imposed lockdowns? Residents in some states are finding out. Rhode Island has lifted a statewide stay-at-home order, effective Saturday. Further south, Maryland has allowed outdoor activities like golfing, camping, fishing and boating to start up again, with popular beach spot Ocean City welcoming visitors again on Saturday. Nevada's governor said Thursday that restaurants, retail stores, barbershops, hair salons and some brewpubs can resume limited operations Saturday, a full week ahead of a previous timetable.

This weekend could be colder than Christmas in the East

Snow and shock-the-system cold will numb the Mother's Day weekend for many across the U.S. Forecasters warn of a bizarre spring pattern that is expected to sweep unseasonably raw weather east of the Rockies. The arctic plunge could shatter dozens of records and notch temperatures chillier than Christmas Day in some cities. Overall, highs will hover around 10 to 25 degrees below average Saturday and Sunday in the East. The winter weather pattern comes in sharp contrast to near record heat across Southern California, the Desert Southwest and the southern Rockies.

Mixed martial arts, anyone? UFC to stream, air matches without spectators

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Saturday becomes the first major U.S. sports organization to return to live action following wholesale postponement of events due to coronavirus. UFC 249 starts at 6:30 p.m. ET at Jacksonville's VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Closed to fans, it will begin streaming live on pay-per-view via ESPN+. The preliminary fights will continue on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m., and the ESPN+ main card begins at 10 p.m. The event will proceed despite Ronaldo Souza, who was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall in a middleweight bout, testing positive for COVID-19. While that bout was pulled from the card, a UFC official told ESPN the promotion received clearance from the Florida State Athletic Commission to move forward with the remaining matches. UFC President Dana White's effort to bring fights back despite the world struggling to manage the pandemic has been met with criticism by some of his peers in combat sports.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park reopens

When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park becomes one of the country’s first national parks to reopen Saturday, some of its most popular trails will remain off limits. Major roadways, most trails and some restroom facilities will be accessible, but it’s unclear when the Laurel Falls, Chimney Tops and Alum Cave trails will reopen. The push to restore access to some of the country’s most treasured spaces comes six weeks after the park abruptly shut its gates after visitors weren’t following social distancing guidelines. Located on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the Great Smoky Mountains is the nation’s most visited national park.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mother's Day, states' plans to reopen: 5 things to know this weekend