HOW WE SEE IT: Cheers! Benton County ‘Wets’ Whistle

Today might be the day many thought would never come.

With the approval of residents - well, at least a majority of the ones who vote - the people in Benton County will be able to buy beer and wine without traveling north to Missouri, south to Washington County or elsewhere for their libations.

The word “might” is necessary only because weather conditions were a little treacherous in parts of central Arkansas Tuesday. As of Tuesday afternoon, it was a little hard to gauge whether state offices would open today. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board in Little Rock is set this morning to consider the first approvals for permits. Most of the requested permits have no opposition and will likely be approved. The meeting is set for 9 a.m.

today and businesses cannot accept delivery of alcoholic drinks until they have picked up their permits, but stores could start selling them as early as this afternoon if all goes as planned. And if the weather in central Arkansas cooperates. Officials at the ABC Tuesday said they expected today’s meeting would happen.

As the newspaper’s reporting staff noted this past weekend, it’s been nearly 70 years since Benton County went “dry.” It took a well-financed petitioning campaign last year to get the question on the ballot, but once it was there, 51,487 voted for going “wet” while 27,193 wanted to continue seven decades of sending alcohol buyers and their money out of the county.

It has not in recent years really been a question of whether people are drinking alcohol in Benton County. It was just a question of whether the money was going to be spent in Benton County.

Starting today, the financial exodus ends and convenience begins.

Convenience unsettles some folks who fear it will lead to more consumption and more crime. The presence of alcohol means some will consume it irresponsibly, but as we’ve noted, it has been present in Benton County for years.

Still, the legal transition to local sales is an appropriate time to urge those who imbibe to make responsible decisions before drinking and never, never get behind the wheel of a car after consuming alcohol. The stores newly empowered to sell beer and wine must also take seriously their duty to guard against underage drinking.

We look forward to local law enforcement and the state closely monitoring sales to make sure all merchants are conducting themselves with sober (so to speak) attention to the details.

Legal sale of alcohol has been a long time coming in Benton County and is a reflection of a changing atmosphere. But with convenience comes responsibility, and we hope that sentiment is taken seriously with consumers and retailers alike.

CASUALTIES OF WAR To honor the men and women in our armed forces and remind our readers of their sacrifices, the Northwest Arkansas Times is publishing Department of Defense announcements identifying Americans killed in active military operations.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari 39, of Baldwin, N.Y., died Dec. 14 in Logar province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to HHC 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat TeamBamberg, Germany. This incident is under investigation.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 01/16/2013

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