Audit: Michigan Liquor Control Loses 62,294 Bottles of Liquor

Liquor Bottles

State Rep. Tom Kunse wants reform within the Michigan Liquor Control Commission after an audit found more than 62,000 liquor bottles were missing.

The audit from the Office of the Auditor General marked three “material conditions” – the most severe rating – for the group composed of five unelected governor appointees that oversee liquor distribution through authorized agents using 11 state-owned warehouses.

Read the full story

Majority of Pennsylvania Voters Support Liberalizing Liquor Laws

A push from the liquor lobby to end Pennsylvania’s monopoly on wine and spirits looks like it has majority support from the public, though the timeline of any deregulation is unclear.

A new poll released by the Distilled Spirits Council, conducted by the Tarrance Group, found that 64% of Pennsylvanians support a constitutional amendment to end the government retail sale of wine and spirits, allowing private businesses to sell them. The model of nearby states like Ohio and West Virginia, where the state still distributes wine and spirits but private businesses sell them, garnered the support of 61% of Pennsylvanians in the poll.

Read the full story

The State of Ohio Will Buy Back Excess Liquor from Restaurants and Bars

Ohio is buying excess liquor from restaurants as state leaders continue to roll out measures aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the Buckeye State.

Under DeWine’s order, restaurants with take-out and delivery options can still operate, and the state Department of Commerce is offering a “one-time liquor buyback option to support bars and restaurants.” The move is an effort to help restaurants that stockpiled “high-proof liquor” leading up to St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday.

Read the full story

Dale Walker of Tennessee Pastors Network Leads Prayer in Murfreesboro To Protest Senator Bill Ketron’s Liquor on Sundays Bill

Pastor Dale Walker, president of the the Tennessee Pastors Network (TNPN), held a prayer rally at the Murfreesboro Courthouse Square to pray for the families suffering the effects of horrible addictions to drugs and alcohol and to protest legislation recently passed that allows for Sunday liquor sales. About a dozen people joined Walker, and a protester clad in a “liquor bottle” costume for the rally. Some protesters held signs noting that “Our Families Can’t Afford Bill Ketron’s Big Liquor Bill.” “Pastors have to deal with the effects of alcohol after the bottle is empty,” Walker said, as he held a public prayer for those affected directly and indirectly drugs and alcohol. “We are praying for not only those who are impacted by drug and alcohol addiction, and but also our elected officials like Senator Bill Ketron who have their own addiction to special-interest money that produces so much harm for our families.” Walker expressed particular concern over Senator Bill Ketron citing Bible verses to support passage of his “liquor on Sundays bill.” There will be hell to pay for Bill Ketron misrepresenting the Word of God in order to serve his liquor lobbyist masters,” Walker told the crowd. During debate…

Read the full story