This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
While we are going around and around to make Utah's liquor laws more complicated:
— Utah should keep the Zion Curtain. No, really. — Robert Gehrke — The Salt Lake Tribune
"Sometimes Utah liquor laws are enough to drive someone to drink.
"That's the case, at least, as lawmakers have gone from trying to finally get rid of the nonsensical Zion Curtain to now teetering on the brink of creating something much worse.
"How bad has it become? At this point, the legislation is more likely to cost many restaurants thousands of dollars, possibly tens of thousands, and potentially drive some out of business altogether rather than make any meaningful progress. ..."
— 'Zion Curtain' bill released, but quickly runs into controversy — Lee Davidson & Kathy Stephenson | The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... House Majority Leader Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, quickly canceled a press conference he had called to explain the bill. His spokeswoman, Aundrea Peterson, said simply he did that because the bill 'ran into some whitewater.'..."
Adults are making progress in Minnesota:
— State Senate passes bill to end ban on Sunday liquor store sales — J. Patrick Coolican | Star Tribune
"The Senate moved Monday to end the ban on Sunday liquor store sales, which means Minnesotans likely will soon be able to walk into a liquor store on a Sunday for the first time since statehood.
"The Senate vote by 38-28 Monday followed the lead of the House, which passed the measure last week by an overwhelming margin.
"Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will not veto a Sunday sales bill, which means forgetful Minnesotans would no longer have to cross the border to stock up on booze for Vikings games and other Sunday events. ..."
— Senate passes Sunday liquor sales, Minnesota becomes state for grown-ups — Mike Mulle | City Pages
"
— Time is long past for Sunday liquor sales — Rochester (Minn.) Post Bulletin Editorial
" ... Minnesotans already buy liquor on Sundays, but they do it in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, spending $150 million annually and depriving our state's coffers of about $10 million in tax revenue. ..."
Sound familiar?
— Lift Minnesota's Sunday liquor-sale ban — Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald Editorial
" ... Americans stopped resting and started shopping on Sundays decades ago. These days, Sunday is the second-biggest shopping day of the week. ..."
Yes, you read that right. A newspaper in a town that would likely lose business to Minnesotans buying their booze at home on Sundays can't deny the logic of the proposal.
And Indiana wants in,too:
— Time to end Sunday ban — Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune Editorial
" ... We continue to find ourselves in the position of being one of the only states in the nation with these so-called 'Blue Laws.' Here is the entire list: Alabama, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. And, on top of that, we are the only state in the country that bans beer, wine and liquor sales on Sundays. ..."
And strike Minnesota from that list. But not, of course, Utah.