Results tagged “alcohol”

Look, far be it from me to downplay the importance of monitoring young college students to prevent them from overindulging in alcohol -- but sweet fancy Moses, this Post piece about policing the University of Maryland's drinking scene is nearly laughable. Some of the lowlights recorded by reporter Jenna Johnson: "But the most obvious clue that they are freshmen? No red cups in hand, Ecker said. They haven't learned to bring their own cups to keggers." (Oh, those adorable freshmen! When will they ever learn that wearing high school shirts and not carrying your own cup is a dead giveaway for the po-po?) How about the anecdote in which the two underaged women walk directly past the Lieutenant which Johnson interviewed, openly discussing where to procure fake IDs -- to which the officer can only muster an "I am standing right here!" Much less hilarious: the department's Homer Simpson-esque solution to a brick wall where men gather to cat call and assault women: lobbying College Park to install "no loitering" signs and reminding officers to please crack down on "undesirables" who routinely get grabby with ladies. Why not just, you know, assign a police officer to stand at the wall? College Park, it's a hell of a town.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), who famously crashed his car near the U.S. Capitol three years ago while under the influence of prescription drugs, has checked into a rehabilitation facility, the Associated Press is reporting. "I have decided to temporarily step away from my normal routine to ensure that I am being as vigilant as possible in my recovery," Kennedy said in a statement today. His office isn't giving out any more information about exactly what he's being treated for, but the congressman has previously sought treatment for bipolar disorder, alcohol and prescription drug abuse.

The George Washington University student newspaper The Hatchet is reporting that a Medical Examiner's report shows that a sophomore who was discovered dead on campus in January died of acute alcohol intoxication. Laura Treanor, 19, was found dead in her bed by her roommate in the university's Ivory Tower residence hall. Treanor was a contributing editor at The Hatchet and a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. Witnesses said that Treanor had been at the Adams Mill Bar and Grill the night that she died, although initial accounts did not suggest that she'd been visibly intoxicated.

You had to know this was coming: a couple of D.C.-based political organizers have put together an online petition, Save the Parties, in support of the D.C. Council's legislation that would allow District bars and restaurants to stay open 24-hours and serve alcohol until 5 a.m.

Petition: "Mayor Fenty: The people voted overwhelmingly for change, and we want to celebrate that change big-time! Stand strong -- don't back down on 5 a.m. bar closings during Inauguration week."

In honor of Repeal Day, Todd Thrasher, head bartender at PX in Alexandria, shows us how to make Pisco Punch.

This week as you enjoy your poison of choice at your favorite watering hole, raise your glass to the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. This Friday, December 5, celebrates the end of 13 years of mandated teetotaling. And it has become increasingly apparent that the products of artisanal distilling and brewing that were squelched by the introduction of Prohibition are starting to make a return. Liquors that have not seen these shores in years - genever gin, sloe gin, and absinthe - are making their way into stores or being produced domestically.

Drink in the Details is a monthly column highlighting spirits and classic cocktails written by DC Craft Bartenders Guild members Adam Bernbach (Bar Pilar) and Chantal Tseng (Tabard Inn).

WTOP is reporting that Joshua Stoll and Michael Feiock, the two men who died in July when their heads hit an overpass while riding on the roof of an Open Top Sightseeing bus shuttling fans to Nationals Park, were legally drunk when they died. Police believe both men were standing on the seats at the time of the crash. Open Top is still operating its regular tour buses in D.C., but its Nationals shuttles have been suspended since the accident.

NBC4 picked up an AP story about the Amethyst Initiative, a movement to lower the legal drinking age from 21 to 18, noting that C.D. Mote, Jr., the president of the University of Maryland, has signed on as a supporter. Over 100 college presidents have joined the initiative, saying they have observed that the higher drinking age has created a dangerous climate of secretive binge drinking on their campuses.

Over the last few years a number of ANCs and Wards -- including a stretch of H Street NE, part of Logan Circle, and wards 4, 7 and 8 -- have banned the sale of single cans and bottles of beer, citing their tendency to cause their drinkers to pee on sidewalks, litter, and generally make trouble.

Have you noticed that certain drinks are missing a certain oomph in Virginia? Do you find yourself traveling into D.C. for that special glass of sangria? It’s that oomph that is under debate in the Virginia General Assembly today.

Happy Christmas Eve, Washington. With the frenzy of last-minute shopping and travel out of the city largely complete, folks staying here for the holiday are being treated to a quieter, gentler D.C. than normal, and it turns out in more ways than one. Over the weekend the Post took a look at a recent decline in the murder rate, reporting that only nine homicides have been logged in the District in the 37 days since Nov. 17. That adds up to roughly half the average murder rate for the rest of the year. Are the District's murderers just feeling the holiday spirit a little more deeply this year? Chief Lanier, naturally, credits the work of her detectives, noting a sharp increase in the number of homicide arrests made during the same period.

Good morning, Washington. If you experienced a power outage at some point on Sunday, you were not alone. Strong winds averaging close to 40 mph knocked out power to as many as 100,000 customers across the metro area yesterday. While not much ice or snow ever materialized during the weekend's storm, Sunday's chilly wind made for an uncomfortable time walking through downtown D.C. for many holiday shoppers -- we spotted at least one woman near Chinatown whose skirt was blown up almost entirely over her head. Slightly less strong winds are expected to continue throughout the day today, so if you wore anything billowy or potentially revealing, we hope you picked out some nice underwear this morning.

WJLA brings word that Victor Kolako, the former Metrobus driver who was convicted of striking and killing two pedestrians on February 14, has been sentenced to one year in jail. Kolako was found guilty on two felony counts of negligent homicide in the Pennsylvania Ave. accident. The widower of one of the victims, Greg Schoenborn, has also filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Metro in U.S. District Court. The sentencing decision is potentially...

This is a great time of the year for beer lovers. Winter, more than any other season, is when craft brewers get a chance to flex their creativity and brew some unusual beers that satisfy the palate and warm the heart. Although many have traditionally been called Christmas beers, most brewers these days are going with some variation on the "winter" theme, in a large part because of the stigma of seeing a "Christmas" beer...

>> Bostonist is on top of the hostage situation at the Hillary Clinton headquarters in Rochester, NH. [Bostonist] >> "The historic Hotel Washington will close at the end of the year to undergo extensive renovations and will reopen in 2009 as a sleek W Hotel." [AP via WTOP] >> "Montgomery County Del. Kumar Barve was arrested last night in Gaithersburg for allegedly driving while impaired by alcohol." [WaPo] >> "In this day and age,...

Via City Desk, the Dupont Current (not available online) has a short piece about how the Logan Circle advisory neighborhood commission has given the go-ahead for the P Street Whole Foods to continue selling single-sale beers in the grocery store. The decision reportedly comes after eight months of such sales at the Whole Foods “without major conflict,” but the Current notes that just around the corner on 14th Street, the reputable Barrel House Liquors is...

The name may be unfamiliar, but the players behind Club Tiger Promotions are highly recognizable to any one who follows the D.C. music scene. Local artists Carol Bui and Jay Smith of Middle Distance Runner have started an all-ages venue, The Lab in Alexandria, which will both give under-age bands a place to play with their more seasoned peers and serve as an environment where, as Bui puts it, "kids feel totally comfortable and safe...

Earlier this season, the Caps ranked first in the entire NHL - for about an hour, before the Ottawa Senators reclaimed the lead. Yesterday the Caps were tied for last place overall, and had spent two whole days in sole possession of last place in the Eastern Conference. The Senators, meanwhile, remained on top of the league with thirteen wins and one loss. Last night, with three of their top five wingers out injured, the...

It's hard out there for a frat guy. That, at least, is what pro-Greek commenters over at George Mason University's Broadside newspaper would have you believe. The student publication has a story up about a law suit filed by the school's banned chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, which is suing GMU for violating their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Sigma Chi was kicked off the campus after being found guilty of a series of...

Disoriented and Seeing Stars WaPo reviewer Tom Sietsema has released his 2007 Washington Post Dining Guide online. You can catch it on newsstands this weekend. At the top, Cathal Armstrong's Restaurant Eve has broken through to the four-star category, and his revamped Majestic also made the list. Newcomers Central Michel Richard (3 stars), Proof (2.5), Farrah Olivia (2.5), and Hook (2.5) also made it onto the list. A surprising omission was Brasserie Beck, which Sietsema...

The autopsy for 14 year-old DeOnté Rawlings, who was killed by an off-duty police officer last month, has been released -- but its findings don't provide many more clues as to what might have happened that night. According to the Post, the autopsy report shows that Rawlings died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head. It also says that no traces of drugs or alcohol were in his blood, and more notably,...

DCist is proud to be the official media sponsor of Cultural Tourism DC's free event this Saturday, Sept. 29: WalkingTown DC offers a wealth of free walking tours all day long to get Washingtonians out and discovering new things about their city and neighborhoods. The Temperance Tour, hosted by volunteer Garrett Peck, author of The Prohibition Hangover, begins at the Cogswell Temperance Fountain at 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW at 1 p.m. and wraps...

By DCist Contributor Sarah Stonesifer The Eagle - American: >> At American University, officials decided that an official record will be kept along with possible judicial action after students receive their "second medical transport due to alcohol consumption." So remember kids, the first case of alcohol poisoning is free. >> There was an attempted robbery in an American University dorm last Saturday, but the suspect was quickly apprehended and identified. The Hoya - Georgetown: >>...

Virginia’s love for wine is no secret. It dates back centuries with Thomas Jefferson’s personal endorsement of wine as a suitable beverage. However, when you mention “Virginia Wines” to anyone, you are met with one of two reactions: an overwhelming expression of excitement and testament to how fabulous they are or an exasperated eye roll that says it all. Whichever one you fall under is fine with us, but as avid wine drinkers we feel...

>> October 1, 2007. Remember that date, because after it H Street aficionados will no longer be allowed to buy a single can or bottle of their favorite low-quality and high-alcohol beer. [FreeRide] >> Michael Vick filed his guilty plea in the dog-fighting controversy today. On another note, the Big Mac turns 40 today. To Post columnist Courtland Milloy, fans of the Big Mac are no better than Vick. [WTOP] >> Whoever said D.C....

Brookland neighborhood blog stop, blog and roll points to a pretty horrifying crime story we missed: A woman was sexually assaulted and beaten inside her basement apartment on the 900 block of Perry Place NE Friday night, and then subsequently driven by the suspect to several ATMs around the neighborhood and forced to withdraw money. The assault occurred as the woman was entering her apartment -- she was grabbed from behind, forced inside, beaten and...

FRIDAY: >> In case you missed Chapel Hill's The Old Ceremony (pictured) last time they were in town, they'll be at the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight with Junior League, Unwed Sailor and John Pringle. We've raved in the past about lead singer Django Haskins' Nick Cave-meets-Ben Folds stage presence, and since then we've picked up their 2006 release Our One Mistake. If you can't make the show, we highly suggest giving them a listen...

Via The Examiner, it looks like it's finally been long enough that we can start to measure the financial impact of the District's smoking ban, thanks to reported tax revenues on both alcohol and cigarettes for the fiscal year now being available. Overall, the news is good: alcoholic beverage tax revenues are up 1.6 percent for fiscal 2007, while cigarette tax dollars are down a whopping 7.5 percent for the year. Taken at face value,...