Liquor/DABC - The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah senator considers cutting state’s drunk driving threshold

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:10:17 MDT

Utah senator considers cutting state’s drunk driving threshold

by Dawn House and Steve Oberbeck The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 07:10AM MDT

The Utah senator who takes the lead in setting state liquor policy on Wednesday said lawmakers will closely consider the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation that states reduce their drunk-driving thresholds. Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, said they will look for guidance from European nations that have seen fatalities decline after prohibiting driving with a blood-alcohol concentration above 0.05 — more than a third lower than the U.S. standard of 0.08. “I’m still in the investi...

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Businesses battle Utah’s liquor license bottleneck

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:34:39 MDT

Businesses battle Utah’s liquor license bottleneck

by Dawn House The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 15, 2013 09:34PM MDT

Owners of Utah restaurants, hotels and resorts are pleading with lawmakers to reconsider a decision in 2010 to ignore their own auditor’s recommendation that they create more club liquor licenses, inaction that has resulted in an acute shortage. The businesses’ case is that they are dying economically. In the name of economic development, the Legislature did take the auditor’s advice to free up more restaurant liquor permits to jump-start stalled projects. But for years they’ve frozen the number...