NC-Store Clerk, Father Charged After Teen Involved in Crash

Two adults have been charged following an ALE investigation into a vehicle crash involving a teen driver. 

On Friday, July 22, North Carolina State Highway Patrol (SHP) responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a 17-year-old driver in Alamance County. At the time of the crash, alcohol was believed to be a factor. SHP contacted ALE, who immediately began an investigation.

Through the course of the ALE investigation, special agents determined the teen driver purchased alcoholic beverages from 49 Neighborhood Store, 2668 Hwy 49 North, Burlington.  

The clerk, Umang Pravinkumar, 35, of Burlington, was criminally charged with selling alcoholic beverages to an underage person.

The driver’s father, David Lipscomb, 45, of Burlington, was charged with aid and abet a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after special agents discovered he provided the teen with money to purchase the alcoholic beverages.

Virginia ABC awards $83K in grants to support statewide alcohol education for all ages

Ten community organizations across the state were recently awarded more than $83,000 in Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) Education and Prevention grants to help reduce underage and high-risk drinking.

The ten selected projects will aim to prevent problem drinking and the devastating impact it can have on Virginia’s communities.

From driving under the influence campaigns to alcohol prevention curricula for high school students, grantees will reach audiences young and old with the important message of prevention.

Alcohol is killing New Mexicans at a higher rate than anywhere else in the country — yet the state has largely neglected the growing crisis.

In this seven-part series, New Mexico In Depth investigates the state’s blind spots and shines a light on solutions.

By Ted Alcorn, New Mexico In Depth

RRForum Research Briefs

Insights and learnings from 25 years of research in responsible retailing

Research Brief #5: How to improve compliance part III – Incentivizing staff performance

Spot the Mystery Shopper™. In 2015, RRForum partnered with Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services to develop an incentivized approach to improve compliance. MC ABS had already included RRForum’s mystery shopper program, 21 Matters™, as part of its overall enforcement and education program. The Spot the Mystery Shopper campaign added a wrinkle to these mystery shop inspections by providing cash awards to staff who, when checking IDs, recognized the shopper as a RRForum mystery shopper.

TTB proposes American single malt definition

The US government’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has published its proposed standards for American single malt.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the federal register on 29 July as an amendment to the whiskey standard.

To be labelled as a US-made single malt, TTB proposes that the liquid must be distilled entirely at one American distillery, and must be mashed, distilled, and aged in the States.

It must also be made of 100% malted barley, stored in an oak barrel of 700 litres or under, and be bottled at 40% ABV or higher.

Trade body the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (Discus) welcomed the move, which followed a letter it sent to the TTB urging them to move forward with the rule in April.

Discus and the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC) submitted official comments to the TTB in June 2019 in support of setting a standard for US-made single malt whiskey as part of TTB’s 2018 plan to modernise the labelling and advertising regulations for alcohol.

NC-Wilmington mayor acknowledges alcohol law enforcement needs ahead of council vote

In the midst of tourism season, locals and visitors alike flock to downtown Wilmington’s most popular bars, restaurants and breweries. City officials, however, are looking for ways to enforce state alcohol laws.

“We’ve been wanting this for a long time,” Mayor Bill Saffo said. “And to be able to work this through with the ALE, with the ABC commission, I think is a tremendous thing for the community and for the city of Wilmington.”

Wilmington City Council to vote on resolution authorizing WPD officers to enforce liquor law violations

The Wilmington City Council will vote on a resolution at their meeting on Tuesday that would have the city enter an agreement with the New Hanover County ABC board and appoint five officers from the Wilmington Police Department to enforce ABC laws in downtown areas.

Saffo says he’s wanted to have more enforcement for a long time now, especially as the city continues to grow. He says more people heading downtown is great for business, but can also lead to trouble if certain laws are not enforced.

CA-ABC Revokes the License of the Bottom’s Up Tavern in Long Beach

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has revoked the liquor license of the Bottom’s Up Tavern located at 1739 East Artesia Boulevard in Long Beach. Alcohol sales are immediately prohibited.

ABC agents opened an investigation following a fatal crash on March 1 that took the life of a father and his young daughter. Today agents posted a notice of indefinite suspension after their undercover ABC investigation found that the Bottom’s Up Tavern was operating a disorderly premises involving numerous illegal sales of cocaine, ecstasy (MDMA), oxycodone, and cannabis, at the licensed location. In addition, the Long Beach Police Department responded to multiple incidents at the location.

The owner of the store recently signed an agreement accepting the penalty. The license must be transferred within 180 days to a new owner at a new location outside the city of Long Beach.

“ABC is committed to keeping communities safe,” said ABC Director Eric Hirata. “This location had become a disruption to the neighborhood and local community.”

As more states legalize pot, safety advocates issue guidelines to keep people from getting high and driving

Back in 2015, as Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, state transportation officials and the public braced for an expected spike in serious traffic accidents from some people who may have been driving high for the first time.

But because of quick action by the state’s highway safety office, funding from a tax on the cannabis industry and participation by the industry, the state’s accident rates increased but never really got out of hand. Now, after some early missteps that included portraying marijuana customers as stoners, the state’s approach to informing pot smokers of the dangers they could face driving has become a national model.

As more states prepare to approve or consider legalizing recreational marijuana, the Governors Highway Safety Association last week teamed with Responsibility.org and the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving to release a 15-page report outlining steps states should take to inform drivers of the potential danger of smoking and driving. The report, “Cannabis Consumers and Safe Driving:  Responsible Use Messaging,” also was a key point of discussion at the NASID national conference in Washington, D.C., last week.

“As legal cannabis use becomes more widespread in the U.S., motorists need to know the dangers of driving under the influence,” Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the governors association, said in a news release.

“But that message won’t be heard if it’s outdated, irrelevant or insulting to cannabis consumers. This new report offers a playbook to help states develop messaging that resonates with cannabis users and prompts them to refrain from driving for their own safety and the safety of everyone else on the road.”

Washington Brewers File Lawsuit Against Oregon For Right to Ship to Consumers and Retailers

The same plaintiff’s attorney that has brought nearly two dozen, mostly unsuccessful lawsuits against states on behalf of wineries and retailers now has added breweries to his list of plaintiffs.

A lawsuit was filed this week by three Washington breweries against Oregon on its laws relating to direct sales to consumers and for direct sales to retailers. The lawsuit alleges violations of the dormant Commerce Clause. It was filed in the federal district court in Oregon. Apparently they plaintiffs believe the Oregon market is not craft beer friendly enough.