Liquor

A group of state lawmakers and a county councilman are urging the Baltimore County liquor board to take action against a Parkville bar where a security guard was fatally stabbed this month. In letters, the officials said the board should send a strong message to Tee-Bee's Place on Darlington Drive, where Tavares Jones was killed Sept. 1 while breaking up a fight — the second homicide at the bar this summer. In July, Derrick Gamble was fatally shot there. The letters were sent by Councilman David Marks, Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, and Dels.

Sometimes, we could all use a break from the booze. Whether you're pregnant, the night's designated driver or just not interested in a crippling hangover in the morning, abstinence has its perks. Sure, your friends are having a blast toasting with Fireball shots now, but come tomorrow, harsh reality will be there to greet them. But let's be honest - spending time at a bar nursing a tonic and lime can feel awkward and boring. That shouldn't have to be the case, and some Baltimore bars are looking to change the culture by incorporating more nonalcoholic - but still handcrafted - cocktails on their menus.

Firefighters battled heavy flames at a liquor store blaze in Jessup early Monday, a county fire spokeswoman said. No injuries were reported in the predawn fire at Mel's Liquors, spokeswoman Jackie Cutler said. Firefighters called to the store in the 7900 block of Waterloo Road just after 4:30 a.m. arrived to find heavy flames and smoke, Cutler said. They brought the fire under control in 10 minutes and extinguished it completely within an hour, she said. Twenty-nine county firefighters and paramedics responded to the call, as did Howard County police, BG&E and firefighters from neighboring Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties.

Republican Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr.'s political future is in question after he drunkenly piloted a speedboat that collided with another vessel and sent six people — including four children — to the hospital, political observers said Friday. House Republican leaders in Annapolis issued a statement saying they are "troubled" by Dwyer's behavior, while House Speaker Michael E. Busch said the legislature's ethics committee would defer possible action until police are done investigating the accident.

The decision regarding the liquor license at the Wegmans store by the Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board is absurd and infuriating ("No license for liquor store at Wegmans," Aug. 2.) The only purpose Maryland's liquor laws serve is protectionism. and this decision certainly smacks of protectionism. The board's reasons for rejection are spurious: • "Not necessary for the accommodation of the public…" I would find the ability to purchased alcoholic beverages while parked at Wegmans very convenient.

The following is compiled from police reports. It is the Baltimore Messenger's policy to include descriptions only when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Baltimore City Police Department's Northern District at 410-396-2455. Bellemore Road 100 block, between 4:40 and 6 a.m. June 27. Giant and Trek mountain bikes stolen from garage. Entry gained through window. West Belvedere Avenue 2400 block, between noon and 1:10 p.m. June 25. Laptop stolen from unlocked vehicle.

I am in total agreement with writer Julius Colon's letter about the problem of nonconforming liquor stores in Baltimore ("Park Heights wants fewer liquor stores," June 26). His warning about the proliferation of liquor stores in his community and the perception that they contribute to the erosion of the quality of life, increased drug activity and crime is reminiscent of the handwriting on the wall in South Central Los Angeles 20 years ago that lead to the worst riots in the city's history.

Baltimore health officials and people who live in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods want to see a bunch of liquor stores go away; there are too many of them concentrated in certain parts of town, and many of them have operated in violation of zoning codes for years. So it's time for a change. You look at some of these stores and — no offense to their owners — you think: Don't people in these neighborhoods deserve better, or at least something else? The liquor store, sometimes the only retailer of any kind for blocks of west or east Baltimore, is a symbol of the old, poor and unhealthy city that is finally getting attention after years of civic focus on downtown and the waterfront.

Outside West Baltimore's Penn Station Liquors, folks say the store is no place for children. Only a block away from Westside Elementary School, Penn Station is one of four liquor businesses within feet of each other on North Fulton Street. Youngsters sometimes wander in to buy candy, soda and chips - stocked next to the alcohol, flavored cigars and sex pills. "Kids don't belong here," says Pauline White, 50, who lives nearby. "When people start drinking, they get crazy. " On Monday, the City Council overwhelmingly voted to pass a bill, championed by freshman Councilman Nick Mosby, to make it illegal for liquor stores to sell anything to minors, including seemingly innocuous goods such as snacks or T-shirts.

Baltimore's effort to rein in non-conforming liquor stores is welcome news in Park Heights ("Better health through zoning," June 19). In the Park Heights Master Plan area, we have the highest density of liquor establishments in Maryland. When I drive around the neighborhood at night, the only undesirable activity I see is always near liquor stores. We have non-conforming liquor store in the middle of residential areas that undercut the whole notion of safe, secure neighborhoods.