Section A · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, September 26, 2000
Ray's Liquor Warehouse, 1215 W. Sixth St., carries many varieties of beer. Manager Rob Pewtress said Budweiser, Coors Light and Natural Light are popular choices for students. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
Returning students boost liquor sales
Stores, police notice rise in alcohol use
By Meghan Bainum
Kansas staff writer
Local businesses notice when students come back for the fall, especially those involved with what for many KU students is the weekly — if not nightly — drinking ritual
Rob Pewtress, manager of Ray's Liquor Warehouse, 1215 W. 6th St., said he noticed increases in everything from the amount of cheap beer sold to the number of fake IDs that students tried to use.
Pewtress said that Budweiser, Coors Light and Natural Light beers were students' main choices. He said students came to his store between 10 and 11 p.m. Some students come already drunk.
Still, Pewtress said he was happy when students came back in the fall.
"It's always nice to have business pick up, of course, but it's also nice to have people other than the regulars," he said. "It adds a little more spice to my day."
Brian Edie, a bartender at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., said students arriving back in Lawrence definitely changed the number of people at the Granada's bar. But he said summer and fall had their good and bad points.
"When there's less people to serve it's less stressful of an environment to work in," Edie said. "But with more people there's a better chance to make more money in tips and liquor sales."
And with more alcohol consumption,
"It's always nice to have business pick up of course,but it's also nice to have people other than regulars"
Rob Pewtress
local liquor store manager
the officers of the Lawrence Police Department also get a little more "spice" added to their day when students return.
Det. M.T. Brown said that while there are more problems with underage drinking, as well as illegal parking and house parties, the majority of student-related crimes were misdemeanors.
"Students get involved in more minor things like fights and things like that, but for the most part, they're the least of our trouble," he said. "The police department has been here as long as The University, so we are used to that."
Brandon Deines, Hoxie senior, said a summertime perk was room in bars. In the summer, he said, the bars weren't as crowded as the fall — which brings with it almost instant crowds.
"You definitely notice it right about the time the dorms open and all the apartments let people come back," he said. "It's an incredible difference, and it happens in a week, week and a half."
"I just like Lawrence," Deines said. "Summer or fall, they're just different. I can't say I like one more than the other."
But while parts of Lawrence change depending on the time of year, Deines' opinion of Lawrence has stayed the same.
Edited by Clay McCuistion
Area liquor stores notice when students come back for the fall. The amount of cheap beer sold increases, along with the use of fake IDs. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
City Commission meeting.
6:35 p.m. tonight at City Hall,
6 E. Sikth Street.
At tonight's City Commission meeting:
A proposed contract with the University of Kansas Transportation Center will
be reviewed. The contract of $14,850 is to obtain a.m. and p.m. peak-hour traffic counts at the 73 intersections with signals in Lawrence. The count is being done as part of an update to the Traffic Signal Master Plan, which is used in revising traffic signal timing. If approved, the Transportation Center would conduct the survey this fall. The transportation center also conducted the last survey, done in the fall of 1996.
■ The commission will receive a staff report concerning leasing buses to start the new public transit systems. The leased buses would provide transportation until the permanent buses begin to be delivered in late spring of 2001. The city hopes to begin public transportation in early 2001, although an oxact date has not been set.
The commission will receive a letter from the City of Topeka concerning electric rates. At issue is Western Resources Utilities, which has two power divisions — KPL and KGE. Currently, KGE customers pay about one-fourth more for power than KPL customers as a result of the construction of the Wolf Creek nuclear generating facility in Burlington. A group known as Kansas Industrial Consumers and the city of Wichita would like rates to be equalized between the two regions and for the two regions to be joined into one utility. The city of Topeka is opposed to joining the regions into one utility and is asking Lawrence and other major cities and counties for help in funding the litigation process for the rate hearing, which will run from November through next July. Topeka claims residential power rates in the KPL area could increase by 20 percent if the regions were combined.
Pierce's former teammates react to Celtic's stabbing
Continued from page 1A
Former Celtics star Tommy Henshoin told the Associated Press that Pierce was wearing a leather jacket that helped protect him in the stabbing. Burns could not confirm that.
Pierce was the only person injured in the incident, and the night club will be cited for allowing the assault to take place in its premises, Burns said.
Pierce's former KU teammates were shocked by the news.
Senior center Eric Chenowith played with Pierce in Kansas' 35-win season of 1997-98.
"He's a happy, go-lucky guy," Chenowith said.
"He always had a smile on his face. From what I hear, he was breaking up something. That's totally like Paul to break something up. Obviously, I wish the best for him."
Teammate Kenny Gregory, who was on that same 1997-98 team, empathized with Chenowith's sadness.
"I was sad and disappointed, but pretty happy to find out that he's doing all right," Gregory said. "I hope he gets a lot better — it's real disappointing news."
Pierce came to Kansas in 1996 from Inglewood, Calif. He was named Big 12 Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1997 and 1998 and was named first team all-Big 12 as a junior in 1998.
Following the 1998 season, Pierce opted to forge his final year of eligibility as a Jayhawk and enter the NBA. He was drafted 10th in the NBA draft by Boston and embarked on a standout professional career.
As a rookie, he averaged 16.5 points per game, and last season raised his scoring average to 19.5 points per game. He was second in the NBA in steals per game last season with 2.08.
Pierce majored in crime and delinquency studies at the University of Kansas. Currently, he ranks fifth on the all-time Kansas scoring list with 1,768 points.
Updates on this breaking story will be posted on Kansan.com throughout the day.
— The Associated Press contributed to this story
Edited by Kimberly Thompson