Sunday Liquor Sales to Begin May 20

HARTFORD (WTNH) -- Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says he will sign the Sunday liquor sales bill into law early next week, clearing the way for Sunday sales starting on May 20.

Some estimates say this will generate millions in revenue for the state because people close to the borders will shop in Connecticut on Sundays instead of New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

It now appears that Sunday liquor sales in Connecticut will commence for the first time on May 20.

"At this point, my preference would be to sign it early next week," Malloy said Thursday.

The Sunday liquor sales law becomes effective on the day Malloy signs the bill so when he signs it early next week the following Sunday package stores that chose to, will be open and supermarkets can sell beer between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m..

The only days when liquor sales will be banned will be Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, and when those holidays fall on a Sunday the stores can stay open on the following Monday when most people get a holiday off from work.

Republicans noted Thursday that the Sunday sales law does not offer anything to break the high price stranglehold on Connecticut liquor, wine and beer prices as Malloy had proposed.

"A big incomplete when it came to the sweeping reform that the governor put forth regarding liquor sales," said Minority Leader Rep. Larry Cafero.

The new law only allows one discounted item per month, so prices will continue to be generally higher in Connecticut than in the big stores in surrounding states.

"What we did is do away with the `blue laws' as they've existed for centuries in our state," Malloy said. "What we also did was lay down a marker on consumer reform within that industry."

That marker is a special 15 member commission that this law establishes to investigate Connecticut's pricing policies. Malloy promises to appoint and get that commission moving as quickly as possible so that the issue of liquor, wine and beer pricing can be addressed early in next year's General Assembly session.

Four Loko: Alcohol-Coffee Mix 'Dangerous'

Remember I wrote about a "spiked drink" party in Washington where they suspected date rape drugs to be thrown into drinks? The idiots were chugging this stuff! No wonder they were passing out in high numbers!

NEW YORK - Mixing alcohol and caffeine is hardly a new concept but a rash of cases involving students and others who landed in hospital after drinking beverages that combine the two has alarmed college and health officials in the United States.

The drinks are dangerous, doctors say, because the caffeine masks the effects of the alcohol, keeping consumers from realising how intoxicated they are.

A brand called Four Loko - a fruit-flavoured malt beverage that has an alcohol content of 12 per cent and as much caffeine as a cup of coffee - has come under scrutiny after students who drank it in New Jersey and Washington ended up in emergency rooms, some with high levels of alcohol poisoning. The drink is only sold in the US.

"This is one of the most dangerous new alcohol concoctions I have ever seen," said Dr Michael Reihart, who said he had treated more than a dozen teenagers and adults during the past three months after they drank Four Loko.

"It's a recipe for disaster because your body's natural defence is to get sleepy and not want to drink but in this case you're tricking the body with the caffeine."

The Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing whether the drinks are safe. THE NEW YORK TIMES

Family: No Signs of Heavy Drinking in Driver in Fatal Crash

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The body of a woman who authorities say was impaired by marijuana and alcohol when she caused a deadly head-on collision shows no signs of long-term alcohol use, according to an investigator hired by her family.

"I have looked at the autopsy, and the pancreas, liver and esophagus were clear," Tom Ruskin, lead investigator and president of CMP Protective and Investigative Group, told CNN. "I've never seen a case like this. No one has seen this woman drunk and we have interviewed over 50 people -- relatives, friends, colleagues and former employees from her company."

The Westchester County medical examiner's office found that Diane Schuler, 36, had a blood alcohol level of .19 percent -- more than twice the legal limit -- and had marijuana in her system when she drove a minivan the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway and ran head-on into an SUV.

Three adults in the SUV were killed in the July 26 crash, along with Schuler and four children in her minivan -- her daughter and three nieces. A fifth child, Schuler's son, survived and is in stable condition.

Ruskin, a former officer in New York Police's narcotics division, said he is hesitant to fully accept the autopsy report.

"I'm not saying the autopsy is wrong or right. I don't know if she smoked pot weeks prior. Marijuana stays in your system for up to 30 days," he said.

The medical examiner's office released a statement on August 6, saying it stands by its autopsy results, and reiterated that Sunday.

Schuler's family expressed shock when the details were revealed, saying she had no history of substance use.

"There's no way she'd do this," Jay Schuler, Schuler's sister-in-law, said earlier this month. "She was responsible."

Tests revealed that Schuler had an additional six grams of alcohol in her stomach that had yet to be metabolized, according to Maj. William Carey of the New York State Police.

A vodka bottle was also found in the vehicle after the crash.

Ruskin is adamant that it is necessary to go back through the day of the crash.

"We are analyzing all of the data that we have to date. We have a staff that has consumed themselves with this case," he said. "We are trying to determine what happened here."

Schuler's husband, Daniel, "would like to remind people that no matter what happened here he lost his wife, his daughter, his nieces and he also grieves for the Bastardi and Luongo families," Ruskin said, referring to the other crash victims.

"He talks about that constantly in my daily conversations with him."

Pa. Woman Charged In Alcohol Poisoning Death Of Her Baby, Who Had Blood-Alcohol Level Of .205

A Tunkhannock Township woman was charged Tuesday with the death of her baby by alcohol poisoning.

Jessica Ann Miner, 26, of 127 Church Road, Tunkhannock, formerly of Susquehanna County, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering the life of another person and endangering the welfare of a child.

Miner is accused of giving alcohol to her six-month old son, Mason D. Miner, on Dec. 10, 2007.

A coroner's inquest in March determined the baby had a blood alcohol level of .205 percent when he died.

Magisterial District Judge John Hovan released Miner on $25,000 unsecured bail. Her preliminary hearing is set for Thursday, May 21, at 1 p.m.

According to Wyoming County District Attorney George Skumanick Jr., Miner was charged under her maiden name, Jessica Ann Barlow, her name at the time of the alleged incident. Her defense attorney, Paul Ackourey, said she and the baby's father, John Miner, were married early in 2008.


Skumanick said investigators are still working to determine exactly what type of alcohol was given to the child, and how. However, he said he was certain that Jessica Miner was responsible.

He noted that when the initial blood alcohol tests came back, officials were amazed by the level.

"The blood alcohol was so high the lab actually tested it again," Skumanick said. When the second test confirmed the first, investigators sent the sample to an independent laboratory for a third test to make sure.

The DA said a manslaughter was appropriate because Miner did not intend to kill her child. As to why she gave the baby alcohol in the first place, Skumanick would not speculate.

"You'll have to ask her that," he said.

Miner would not comment on the charges. However, Ackourey said Miner maintains she had nothing to do with the baby's death.

"She's indicated that she's innocent and she's said that from the beginning," Ackourey said. "I'm confident that she'll be acquitted."

Ackourey said the prosecution's evidence is tenuous.

"I think the fact that it has taken a year and a half to bring the charges indicates there are some flaws in their case," he said.

According to the criminal complaint, township police were called to an apartment along Route 29, where the baby was discovered dead. When Miner was interviewed a short time later, she told police she gave the baby liquid acetaminophen the day before.

Miner told police she nursed the baby once during the night, and he was fine at the time.

The next morning, she told police she checked Mason and found he was congested and his lips were blue. She said she called 911, and a neighbor did CPR.

She also told police she called the baby's father and told him the baby wasn't breathing.

Police searched the couple's apartment that afternoon, and found 12 empty beer cans in the kitchen trash. (source)

What Is Going On Here?

"A 17-year-old girl who drinks a litre of vodka and eight cans of beer every day has admitted spending most of her £47-a-week benefits on alcohol. Jamie-Lee Day claims that she would rather buy vodka than food and boasts she can drink absinthe like water."

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