JOSHUA TIME 580

THE BELOW IS MY STAT STORY FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTTING AND FOR EKU

BREAK IT DOWN
JOSHUA ROBINSON

In November 2004, London, Ky., voted to go limited wet; meaning one can buy alcohol by the drink in restaurants. Those restaurants that seen a hundred or more and derive at least thirty percent of their profit to serving food.

Forty years ago London would have been dry.

Laurel County has been trying to go wet since 1970. and held a wet dry election on August of 1971and the vote was 375 wet/964 dry. There was also a vote in the 1994, and over whelmingly the vote was to stay dry. A more recent election was held on 11/2/04 and the vote was 1,511 wet/1,415 dry. This has ended the dry spell by London and Laurel County. If restaurants want to be licensed they obtain an applicant must first obtain local approval from Stewart Walker, London Alcoholic Beverage Control Administrator. The applicant then sends the application to the Frankfort Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control. If everything is in order, the ABC issues the state Limited Restaurant License; This according to Sam Crain, ABC of Frankfort, Ky.

London has been dry for as long as my parents have been alive.

The link is a list of wet dry counties in Kentucky. http://www.abc.ky.gov/LISTWetDryCountiesinKentucky.htm

In talking with Sgt. Dereck House of the London City Police Department. “London has never been dry,” stated House. “Now its just legal and enforceable,” The DUI and AI which are driving under the influence and alcohol intoxication have not went up nor have they went down. There has been more complaints about drivers since the vote to go wet. There are more arrests are made between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. and more arrests are made at the first of the month and on holidays. Some days no arrests are made others there are as many as six or seven arrests made for dui or ai. House who worked as a sheriff, state police and now works with the London City Police Department he has seen it all. He has about nine more years before he can retire.

Last call is at midnight according to the manager at O’Malleys the cops come in at 1215 a.m. and make sure everything is put away and no one is still drinking. If any one is drinking or stuff not put away after midnight a ten thousand dollar fine is given.

There are currently seven restaurants that meet the criteria for serving alcohol; those restaurants are O’Malleys, Shilohs, Eldorodo, Ruby Tuesday, Fiesta, and both pizza huts. O’Malleys and Shilohs have bars in there restaurant. The owner of O’Malleys Herman Hatfield has not got information in which alcohol sales has affected business or if it has effected business at all.

The more time goes by the more peoples views will change. The first vote to go wet was in 1971, the next vote twenty-three years later in 1994, and the change happened in 2004. Keep things fresh in peoples minds and change will happen. It has to be wondered if London would have went wet if the church people and Christians would have been out campaigning against it.

Joshua Robinson
No Games