The circular nature of liquor control
A short story in some Saturday editions - St. Charles taking a pass on initiating its own ban on happy hour, which the state recently re-legalized - prompted a walk down memory lane of liquor laws.
Susan Sarkauskas, who wrote the St. Charles story, recalled covering as a rookie reporter in the 1980s efforts by several communities along tavern-laden Butterfield Road in eastern DuPage County to work in concert on a local happy hour ban. Without it, they figured, the heavy drinkers would converge on the community still allowing happy hour, creating drunken-driving liabilities for all.
In my early reporting days at the Daily Herald, I recall well writing stories about suburbs overriding with local laws the state's lowering of the drinking age to 19. When the state decided seven years later perhaps that wasn't such a hot idea, the next big story became the notorious "blood border" between Illinois and Wisconsin, where the drinking age remained 18. Underage in Illinois, but legal in Wisconsin, 18-to-20-year-olds would hit the just-over-the-border bars, and more than a few died in alcohol-related crashes coming home.
Seems that we've tried just about everything in this country related to regulating drinking. And it's unlikely the debate will end. St. Charles is one of two suburbs that have prominently raised concerns about, and tried to control, the problems that ensue when the bars close on weekends. The other is Naperville, where in response to a raft of fights, general rowdiness and a fatal, alcohol-related crash, the city last year enacted several steps to clamp down on over-inbibing. But when the state this summer relaxed happy hour rules, some businesses asked Naperville's liquor commission whether it would be inclined to follow along. For now, the answer is no.
The history wasn't lost on Commissioner Joe Vozar.
"I lived through this in the '70s and '80s, and there was a reason Illinois abolished it," he said. "I think if we do go down this path, we need to be very careful."
Good news for West Dundee:
The village has had a run of bad financial luck in recent years, with extreme vacancies in the outbuildings of Spring Hill Mall, the closing of Best Buy and Target stores producing significant drops in sales tax revenues. Target had been closed for a year, Best Buy even longer when some promising signs popped up. Earlier this year, news broke that a $37.8 million renovation of Spring Hill was planned. Just this past week, we learned that the shuttered Target will be replaced with a sports training complex that its investors hope will host regional tournaments for such sports as soccer and lacrosse.
Speaking of investors:
If you missed it on today's Page 1, please check out Lauren Rohr's profile of Tom Roeser, a businessman who epitomizes the spirit of giving back to the community. He started by buying and fixing up houses in Carpentersville to give his employees nice places to live. Since then, he's invested millions in buying and refurbishing buildings in East and West Dundee - all with an eye on making their downtowns true destinations.
jdavis@dailyherald.com