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Morning Buzz: 5 things to know for April 11

Posted at 11:28 AM, Apr 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-11 10:49:53-04

1. The granddaughter of former president Dwight Eisenhower will share her stories when she visits Kent County today.

Jean Eisenhower is actually commemorating, what would have been the 99th birthday of former first lady Betty Ford on April 8.

According to the Gerald Ford Presidential Foundation, it will be part of an annual luncheon called America’s First Ladies: An Enduring Legacy at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.

President Ford’s Daughter, Susan Ford Bales, will also be there. Eisenhower will share stories about her time as first granddaughter.

2. Former President Bill Clinton spent some time with former president George H.W. Bush in Texas over the weekend.

In a tweet on Sunday, Clinton said they “caught up about kids, grandkids, old times and new times. And socks.” They weren’t just any socks, they were green ones with chocolate Labradors.

Bush has always been a sock man and has been spotted sporting everything from pink socks to lobster socks.

The two became close while traveling together to disasters like the tsunami in South Asia.

3. Starbucks will roll out new lunch offerings at more than 100 Chicago locations.

The Grab-and-Go choices are part of a new menu called “Mercato,” which Starbucks hopes to expand nationally in the future.

While the chain already serves food, the menu adds to a push to expand offerings beyond coffee drinks.

4. Families will be thrilled to know that Binder Park Zoo reopens for its 42nd season on Thursday.

It promises to be one of the most exciting ever with the unveiling of the African Lion and African Painted Dog exhibits later this spring.

For those ages 2 through 17, they have zoo camps where kids can get up close and personal with the zoo wildlife.

For details on that and zoo hours, visit binderparkzoo.org.

5. NASA is gearing up for Earth Day by putting some parts of the planet up for adoption.

The space agency split the world into 64,000 pieces as part of an awareness campaign, and supporters of its website can adopt them.

Each piece is about 55 miles wide, and they’re assigned randomly.

So you could get midtown Manhattan or a chunk of the Arctic Ocean. You’ll get a scientific data on your piece of Earth, as well as a certificate.

Keep in mind that it’s just for fun and education, no legal or property rights are involved.