2 A.M: Should it be last call? Aug 30, 2010
It s 1:50 a.m. Sunday and 2 a.m. means last call a product of blue laws in a conservative state. If some Midland leaders have their way, 2 a.m. will be last call every night. (Gamecock Online, SC)
Wine vending machine will be a gold mine of data for government Jul 17, 2010
I used to think the Sunday blue laws here in GA were bad until I moved to PA. I think George Carlin has a point about decriminalizing pot as a tremendous new source of tax revenue. Party on Wayne. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Alcohol: Blue laws vs. brunch Jul 7, 2010
Meanwhile, state lawmakers should amend liquor rules for Sunday to match those for Monday through Saturday, which allow sales as early as 8 a.m. While Massachusetts doesn t entirely deserve its buttoned-down image, blue laws related to alcohol do have considerable staying power; it s telling that Sunday sales at liquor stores became legal in Massachusetts in January 2004, only four months before the nation s first same-sex marriages. Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company. (Boston Globe)
The Secret History of American Soccer Jun 16, 2010
The Fall River Marksmen, owned by local impresario Sam Mark, attracted crowds in the five figures to Mark's Stadium, which was nestled just over the Rhode Island border to avoid Massachusetts blue laws. The Marksmen won seven ASL titles and eventually surpassed Bethlehem Steel as the period's dominant team. (Slate)
Cahill getting his message back on track Jun 8, 2010
In an appearance on the WBZ radio show NightSide last week, Cahill spent more than a half-hour fielding questions from callers about the Muslim comments, veering off onto tangents about the history of Blue Laws and muddy deliberations over which religions should get holidays off. Fiscal issues were left out. (Boston Globe)
Some Harlem churches in fight to survive and stay relevant May 25, 2010
Those were the days of the blue laws, when few businesses were open on Sundays, which meant there were few excuses to skip service ... Those were the days of the blue laws, when few businesses were open on Sundays, which meant there were few excuses to skip service. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
The last of the blue laws May 23, 2010
The last of the blue laws ... The restriction on Sunday hours is one of the last remaining blue laws some local and state governments enforce ... Blue laws date back to the late 18th century and were meant to regulate business activities on the sabbath, which meant Sunday to most U.S. churchgoers. (Gillette News-Record, WY)
NH Senate considers repealing 'blue laws' Apr 26, 2010
NH Senate considers repealing 'blue laws. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- The New Hampshire Senate votes this week whether to repeal New Hampshire's blue laws restricting business activity on Sunday. (Concord Monitor)
Not your father's Massachusetts Apr 8, 2010
Not so long ago, this was a commonwealth whose ancient blue laws restricted business in an ultra-liberal blue state. But the vestiges of a long ago Puritan mindset are fading fast, along with the Bay State s more modern affiliation as Kennedy country. (Boston Globe)
NJ county's Sunday buying ban may be checking out Mar 29, 2010
That's because Bergen County, with its five malls and 900,000 residents, still enforces "blue laws" that prohibit Sunday shopping except for essentials. Bergen's law is among the last in the country. (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR -- Business)
N.J. Blue Law May Fade to Black Mar 28, 2010
An aerial view of parking lots empty of cars at a mall in Paramus, N.J. Bergen County's blue laws have prohibited most sales on Sundays, but efforts to boost New Jersey's tax revenues may put an end to that ... That's because Bergen County - one of the country's richest retail areas with its five shopping malls and 900,000 residents - still enforces "blue laws" that prohibit Sunday shopping, except for essentials like food and gasoline ... The Sunday shopping ban in New Jersey's largest county -... (CBS News)
Is Keeping the Sabbath Good for Your Health? Mar 25, 2010
Judith, your section on the blue laws was fascinating to me, because I knew so little about them and because they seem to have worked so very poorly, even at their best. In response to your question, I don't think we can ever return to a legislated Sabbath. (Slate)
The Sabbath World Mar 24, 2010
Do you think we should bring back blue laws in some form, and if so, what form would you be able to tolerate. Mary, I would love to hear more about what Sunday was like for you when you were a child growing up in the Catholic Church, and what it's like in the different churches you've been, such as the African-American ones that, as you say, really celebrate it. (Slate)
Liquor store owners face grocery clash Feb 19, 2010
Friday February 19, 2010. Lloyd Leiser Sr. first opened Leiser's Liquors in 1947 in Flushing. (Queens Chronicle, NY)
Lloyd Leiser Sr. first opened Leiser's Liquors in 1947 in Flushing. Today, it is run by his son Charles, who says he is thankful he owns his property at a time when other liquor store owners fear they will lose their businesses because they cannot pay"> Feb 19, 2010
Queens Chronicle - Liquor store owners face grocery clash. Friday February 19, 2010. (Queens Chronicle, NY)
Micro-distilleries gaining popularity Feb 4, 2010
Many states also have relaxed blue laws, or prohibition on Sunday liquor sales. Still, the $63 billion distilled-spirits market remains almost entirely in the hands of major producers. (AZCentral -- Business)
Despite economy, retailers take day of rest Jan 24, 2010
So-called blue laws that limited business transactions or alcohol sales were prevalent. Over the past few decades, most of those laws have become an "anachronism," Goddard said, primarily for two reasons: People became more willing to spend Sundays however they wanted. (AZCentral -- Business)
Gutless vote againstsame-sex marriage Jan 20, 2010
It wasn't all that long ago that so-called "blue laws" forbade commercial establishments from being open on "the Sabbath." Nobody wants a return to, or any perpetuation of, law-making based on somebody else's subjective interpretation of Scripture. And let's remember: It is the sanction of the state, not the church, that makes any marriage legal. (NJ.com -- Times)
Friday is on our minds Sunday night Jan 17, 2010
We may have lightened up over time but the Sunday "blue laws" -- named for the blue paper they were written on -- are not gone from our consciousness. Every Sunday somewhere in the United States it's still illegal to barber, bowl, play bingo, billiards or cards, gamble or sell alcohol or cars. (Albany Times Union)
Boutique booze Jan 17, 2010
Many states also have relaxed blue laws, or prohibition on Sunday liquor sales. Still, the 63 billion distilled spirits market remains almost entirely in the hands of major producers. (Montana Standard, MT)
Cerabino: Anti-alcohol crusade takes strange twist Jan 17, 2010
Since I wrote that column, blue laws like the one in Boca Raton have started to fade. Unincorporated Palm Beach County began allowing Sunday morning alcohol sales five years ago. (The Palm Beach Post)
Supervisors to hold public hearing on Sunday beer, wine Jan 14, 2010
A remnant of the old "Blue Laws," the Sunday ban was adopted in 1942. The prohibition was first put to the test by voters in the 1960s and was narrowly upheld in 1992 and 2001. (Chatham Star Tribune, VA)
