Last night I came up with a short-term fix to the stretched hood release cable problem. I took the metal end cap from a bicycle brake cable and made a longitudinal slit in it with a dremel tool cutting wheel. I then pulled the cable housing out of the handle under the dashboard and inserted the modified bicycle cable end cap on the end of the cable housing. It fit perfectly and now the hood opens.

I assume the cable will continue to stretch so I have ordered a replacement. In the meantime, I can open the hood! Better yet it costs nothing!