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Show B2 The Salt LakeTribune UTAH Monday, November 19, 2001 nea FORPUBLICTHESAFETY RECORD NEWS +15 FATALITY An accident onInterstate Ownerstest limits ofliquor lawsjust in time for Games 15 in Layton on Saturday left a Nevada woman dead and sent a man to the hospital with minorinjuries, according toa Utah Highway Patrol report. Cynthia Bohrn,21, of | Ely, Nev., wasa passenger in a pickup traveling south- bound, when clipped another the | Editor's note: This subject al- truck car and ready has been extensively covered byThe Tribune,butthis story gives readers a look at how other news | crashed into a median barrier. The pickup rolled and services are coveringit. ejected Bohrn, who was not wearing a Seat belt, according to the UHP. BY PATTY HENETZ Bohrn landed on the northbound side of the freeway, where ‘THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS Dead Goat Saloon owner and attorney Daniel Dargeris lookingfor recruits in his war against what he calls Utah’s she was hit bya passing car. She was dead at the scene, said UHP officials. The driver of the pickup was treated and released at a | nearby hospital. Northbound lanes of the freeway | wereclosed for more than | liquor-law lunacy. On of the under | site, processing fees for a single membership card that will get theminto six bars. | : UHP CRACKDOWN Web tial customers get a tutorial on how they can pay just $15 in two hours after the 3:20 p.m. accident. The accident remains investigation. his_— www.slcgetalife.com, poten- It’s an artful dodge timed to | | help club owners make hay during the upcoming Winter Olympics, and if it works it Expec! ‘ting large numbers of holiday travelers on the state’s roads this week, the Utah Highway Patrol an- could makeita little easier for Utahresidentsto get a drink in a state whose dominant Mormon culture shunsalcohol. nounced that it will be cracking downon seat belt violations. The “Buckled or The timing could induce the state’s alcohol regulators to Sgt. Doug $12 before a person can get a drink. It does not specifically addressthelegality of Darger’s strained in a child safety it ‘That doesn’t bother Darger a bit. Nor does the prospect of regulatory scrutiny. A compliance officer has expressed approach — probably because no onehasevertried it. Duringhis 1975trial for embezzlement and perjury, commission Chairman Gerald Hulbert admitted handing out free liquor to 17 people, including his brother, his barber, his body-shop man bar for five years. “The commission just wants its poundof flesh. If they want to take me to and neighbors. Hulbert said he delivered 15 free cases ofHiram Walker whiskey to the wall, I’m ready to go.” Darger has five other bar Gov. Calvin Rampton at the governor’s ownersready to join him, and more Jeaning his way, evidence woundthat strongly suggested suicide. Commissioner Norma Giles Thomas was tried for soliciting liquor from a weapon. Office investigator had testified that her office closets were crammed with 2,000 bottles of liquor. Schirf does not have to deal “with manyofthe lawsthe club Officers arrived and dis: bleeding McKay-Dee Hospital where hewas declareddead. Investigators believe the man, who has not been identified, died from a serious head injury, but would not sayif he had beenshot. An Ogden man was bookedinto jail in connec- tion with thecrime. The Salt Lake Tribune usually does not namesuspects until (hey have beenformally charged. Investigators are await- ing autopsyresults and have discovered nomotivefor the Stubbs said. If the death is ruled a homicide, it would bethe 60th murderin Utah since Jan. 1, the highest total since 1998. Overthe past decade, the most Utah murders ina year came in 1995, when 61 people were killed. There were 41 icides in thestate last Kevin Cantera was found deadin his homeof a gunshot Greg Schirf's guerrilla actions against the state’s liquor laws have been especially creative, with humor his best caller reported that a man had been injured, said Ogden police Lt. John Stubbs. from the head, Stubbssaid. The man was rushed, to mansion. Hulbert was found innocent. The same day, Commissioner Herbert Corkey Jr., whotestified in Hulbert’strial, of increasing restiveness among Salt Lake City liquor licensees. Utah Brewers Cooperative and murder, pparatus. That movefollowed twoyears ofgrand jury investigation that led to felony charges against two Utah Liquor Control commissioners. Utah native who has owned his to a home on Madison Avenuearound1:30 a.m. after a apparent Twenty-five years ago, stung: by a scandal involving allegations of embez, alement and bribery, Utah lawmakers overhauled the state’s liquor-control “T’ma lawyer.I can read the Ogden police arrested a 35-year-old man on_ suspicion offirst-degree murder after an apparent homicide early Sunday. Investigators responded man_ an uptight ship, at least it's no longer a leaky barge reeking of corruption. “concern.” In Ogden a If it seemsthe state’s alcohol agencyis statutes. It’s a monkey court over there,” said Darger, a Arrested covered ‘THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS service bars to sell individual annual membershipsofat least McC!leve, UHPspokesman. Utah law all passengers and to wear seat belts. ren under 5 are reired to be properly re- Murder Suspect Liquor Commission|Was Born Out of Scandal make action against Darger’s plan more difficult. Utah law requires full- gressively ticket motorists whofail to wear seat said ‘Tribune file photo look aside until after the Games — whichin turn could Busted” prograny begins today and runs through Sunday. UHPtrooperswill ag- vendor. A Salt Lake County Attorney's As managing partnerofthe owner of Wasatch Brewery, owners do. He says he has been treated fairly by regulators. Yet the Utah liquor commission’s interpretation of state lawswith their Mormonovertones drives him e my minority com- plex,” said Schirf, a liberal Catholic from Wisconsin who cameto ski in Park City in 1974 and neverleft. A year ago, he decided to turn years of droll bar talk into an ad campaign poking fun at the local culture’s sensitive underbelly. Billboards touted beer as “Utah's Other Local Religion,” and urged customers to “Baptize Your Taste Buds.” Radio ads tweaked the LDS Church’s proselytizing, with Elders “Rulon” and “Heber” declaring themselves on a “different kind ofmission.” Schirf’s sales swelled as his ads grew edgier, lampooning Utah's prudishness and hjstory of polygamy. A radio spot for Polygamy Porter, after several double-entendres, asks “Why have just one?” Anotherad, on Newspaper accounts of the time said defense attorneys put the testimony to a billboard, urged customers to “take some home for the wives.” Theothersidefired back. Reagan Outdoor Advertising, which hada contract with Schirf, yanked the ad. Reagan President Dewey Reagan said the companydid not wantto be associated in any way with polygamy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once sanctioned the practice but discarded it in 1890 and now excommunicates polygamists. Many Utah residents, including Gov. Mike Leavitt, have polygamist ancestors. Reagan denied politics played a part in his company’s decision. “It’s simply a business decision,” he said. “Greg knows his market, and we knowours.” ButSchirf found the timing peculiar. At a liquor commis- sion hearing during which rules forbidding ads with religious overtones or aimed at minors Were announced, he Gateway Park Blocks Are Approved Salt Lake City Council members have changed their minds — again about Gatewayparkblocks. Picking from four options with price tags ranging from $8.5 council million to $2.5 million members decided last week to build narrower medians, pushing most of the green space upagainst the west side of the Rio Grande Depot. After touring the site, they chose ascaled-back version ofthe original design. The idea of four blocks of 200foot-wide, landscaped, midstreet parks, stretching along 500 West from South Temple to 400 South,is a legacy offormer Mayor Deedee Corradini. But last year, Mayor Rocky Anderson stopped plans for park blocks beyond 200 South. Instead, the money was used for a Gateway intermodal transportation hub, City Council members revived 2 Utahns Get Planning Association Honors ‘The Utah chapter of American Planning Association recognized Salt Lake City open space advocate Lynne Olson with its highest citizen award this month, Olson is commu- 4 RTO As Salt Lake City preparesfor the Olympics, some bar owners test the limits of Utah’sliquor laws. But can they get awaywith it in a dominant Mormonculture that shuns alcohol? “I’mbee to go,” says Dead Goat Saloon ownerDaniel aie 2150 S. 1900 East, from development, Olson prods the ees pen Space to preserve hills and wetlands. And she lobbies ok el capesAy —even when ere paths are that folks forget is public trail ‘says. “They just want to walk for 10 Thejury was outfor two hours. Again, innocent. Verdicts aside, the commission's reputation was in shambles.In 1976, shaken lawmakers scotched the full-time commission in favor of a part-time commission appointed by the governor. It also created the administrative DABC. WhenGov.Scott Mathesontookoffice in 1977, he appointed five commissioners tion, or whenthey are precise butillegal, as turned outwith the law banning some liquor advertising. In July, that law wastossed out by the 10th Circuit Court ofAppeals, which said Utah’s attempt to get around a Supreme Court ruling legalizing liquor advertiswas “jrrational” and unconstitutional. director. Utah hadtried to limit advertising to beer only. Alcoholis alcohol, the court Kenneth Wynn was that man. He’s beenthe agency’sdirector eversince. Thathe was comingin to clean house Wynn acknowledges the frustration -such seemingly arbitrary rules inspire. who unanimously chose a DABC said. scandal there. But Montanaisn’t Utah. Here,theli- The commissiongets advice from DABC staffers — including those who drink — but it’s a conservative commission, he said. Still, since 1980, liquor control has quor commission and DABCare power- made giantstrides, Wynn said.It used to didn’t bother him; a former employee of Montana’s liquor control agency, he applied for the Utah job after a similar ful cultural arbiters, moral enforcers for be you couldn’t buy a drink in a restau- the Mormon-dominated Legislature. rant before 4 p.m. Thenit was 1 p.m., now At least that’s how they are seen by those impatient with the state’s complex liquorlaws. “Everybody'sterrified of them,” said Kent Knowley, president of the Utah Hospitality Association, a lobbying groupfor private clubs and restaurants. Sensitive to recent criticism of his agency, Wynnis quickto point out that the agency only does legwork for the motely comesclose to the con- trol Mormons have in Utah. When’s thelast time we had a governor or senator who wasn't a Mormon?” , That is precisely the point people whosell liquor ought to heed, said Kent Knowley, owner of the bar Port O’Call and presidentof the Utah Hospitality Association, a lobbying group for clubs and restaurants. “We know who we'vegot to work with,” Knowley said. “You can’t fight them because they're the majority, the predominantculture.” minutes to get out of the house. They don’t want to breathe automobile fumes. They don’t want to lookleft and right for cars backing out ofdriveways. ee something Off. turn implements what lawmakers want. Problemsarise when the laws are imprecise and leave room for interpreta- she had twoclosets full. asked whether his ads’ would pass muster. “T asked, ‘Is polygamy considered a religious theme? And second, since polygamists marry underagegirls, is this going to be targeting minors?’ ” The next day, Reagan nixed the billboards. “People who have the same minority complex I do consider us their spokesmen,” Schirf said. “There's not a state that re- the notion last summer. Modeled on park blocks in Portland, Ore., the $4.6 millionslice ofgreen behind the Boyer Co.'s Gateway neighborhood includes a fountain and formal.gardens. Ifall goes as planned,park blocks from 200 South to 400 South will have a 100-foot median filled with native, low-watertrees and plants. Construction costs for the $2.5 million project will be covered by funds left over from a bondissued to pay for the blocks. Liquor Control Commission, which in good use with the argumentthat Thomas had no reasonto askforfree liquor when it’s noon. Beer that’s 3.2 percentalcohol is available at 10 a.m. The agency's annual budget has doubled overthe past 10 years to $16 million. Licensees may grumble whenthey are cited for violations, but the DABC doesn’t deserve the bad-mouthing, Wynn said. “My philosophy is, we keep the lic- ensees in compliance, we don’t put them outofbusiness. We aren’t cops here.”” The powerful Mormon “predominantculture” continues to fumeoverthestate’s humiliation at the hands of the 10th Circuit Court ofAppeals in Denver. On July 24 — Utah’s holiday celebrating the Mormon pioneers’ arrival in the Salt Lake Valley — the court struck down thelastvestiges of the state’s ban on liquor advertising. In its review of a 1996 case, the court found the state's liquor advertising laws “irrational” and probably unconstitutional. In the heat of the moment, one state lawmaker vowed to find.a way to outlaw liquor advertising “whetherit's constitutional or not.” The LDS Church weighed in with eight pages of comments directed to the liquor commission on “the terrible impact ofalcohol abuse onsociety.” The imbroglio intensified last month when the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sued the commission for violating the state’s open meetings law. Its decision to ban religiously themed advertising came about through seriesoftelephone calls, meeting. not a public The commission then admitted it had madesuchillegal decisions 20 times during the past decade, and in a public meeting overturned the dis: puted rule. Dargerdid not celebrate the victory. He has not even both; ered to look at the new advertising laws. “T’'m sure they'll be as stupid as the old ones,” he groused. “That's why we're in a rebellious mood.It’s like the Boston Tea Party.” But Knowley predicted that by the time the Legislature meets in January, just before the Olympics, everyone will have had timeto simmer down. “We've kind of agreed to agree that no one from either side is going to run liquor legislation this year,” he said. SaltILake County to to ProvideLeaf Bags, Drop-Off Locations Through November Salt Lal e County is providingfree leaf bags and drop-off locations for residents ~ of the unincorporated county andthecities of Holladay, Taylorsville and Herriman through Nov.30. All collected leaves will be used in the Salt Lake Valley Landfill Composting Program. For more information call 801 Leaf bags are available at: Calvin Smith Library, 810 E. 3300 South; Cottonwood Recreation Center, 7500 S. 2700 East, Midvale; East Millcreek Recreation Center, 2230 E. Evergreen Ave, (8435 South); Holladay City Offices, 4707 S. Holladay Blvd.(2300 East); Holladay-Lions Fitness Center, 1661 E. Murray Holladay Road 4900 West; Magna Library, 8339 'W. 3500 oote Recreation Center, 3270 S. 8400 West; Magna Senior Center, 8952 W. 2700 South; Mount Olympus Senior Citizen Center, 1635 EB, Murray Holladay Road (4800 South); Salt Lake County GovernmentCenter, 2100 S. State (at In- formation Desk in North building); Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation Build: ing, 3383 South 300 East; Taylorsville City Offices; 2520 W. 4700 South; Taylorsville Fire Station, 4545 S. 1700 West; Taylors: ville Fire Station, 5317 S. 2700 West; Whitmore Library, 2197 E. Fort Union Blvd. (7000 South). Residents can drop off filled leaf bagi orloose leaves at: Big Bear Park, 9695 $; 930 East; Big Cottonwood Ball Park, 4300 §. 1900 East (south parking lot); Bywater Park, 3300 E, 7420 South; Canyon Rim Park, 3100 E. Feeta 8700 W. 10305 South; Herriman tion, 53 E. Main St; Holladay Strip ipMall (northenst corner), 4689 Holladay Blvd; (2300 East); Pleasant Green Pool, 3230 S, 8400 West; South Ridge Park, 5210 S. 4015 West; -Valley Ball Complex, 5100 S. 2700 West (north parking lot). |
