Feds: Teen, 17, hired to strip at bar, paid in alcohol

  Eyewitness NewsNATIONAL PARK (WABC) -- Regulators have suspended the alcohol license for a southern New Jersey bar after managers were caught hiring a 17-year-old to strip and paying her with alcohol.

Park Place Bar and Grill in National Park cannot serve alcohol for 50 days as a result of the decision announced Thursday by the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Officials say an investigator in February 2011 found the minor being served drinks by a bartender, who told officials she was directed to give her as many drinks as she wanted "to loosen her up."

A bartender, manager and owner were charged with serving alcohol to a minor. The girl and two others were charged with underage drinking.

"The division aggressively sought the suspension of this license, and we will continue to look for licensees who serve alcohol available to persons under the legal age," said Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Michael Halfacre. "This case was particularly troubling because the licensee used alcohol to exploit a minor for financial gain."

In addition to admitting the underage violations, Park Place Bar and Grill also conceded they had been purchasing alcohol from a nearby liquor store for sale at their establishment, which is also a violation.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New Jersey News »

new jersey, new jersey news

View the original article here

LIRR banning alcohol on overnight weekend trains

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Forget the BYOB on the LIRR at the midnight hour.

Starting this weekend, the Long Island Rail Road is banning alcohol on overnight weekend trains out of Penn Station.

The pilot program is an effort to curb disorderly passengers and attacks on train crew members.

It will affect all trains out of Penn Station between midnight and 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Officials say attacks on LIRR train crews have been on the rise. Six attacks were reported last year, the highest in at least five years.

---
ONLINE: mta.info

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more ABC7 Traffic Center »

mta, mass transit, new york city transit, subway, bus, long island railroad, abc7 traffic center

View the original article here

Mayor considering alcohol crackdown in city

Web produced by Jennifer Matarese, Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Is it the city's newest groundbreaking health initiative, or is the mayor about to serve up an anti-drinking agenda that already has some critics wondering, when it comes to mayoral crackdowns don't our cups already "runneth over"?

"I really characterize it as the nanny mentality out of control," said Michael Long, NY Conservative Party.

The head of the state's conservative party is highly critical of the city's latest request for ideas from community groups.

They are ideas to improve public health which include reducing the sale of alcohol and the density of some bars and liquor stores in certain neighborhoods.

In Bay Ridge some wonder, didn't we get rid harsh policies about alcohol a long time ago?

"Meddlesome, he's too much with everything, trying to take over everybody's lives, it seems," said Tom Hickey, a Bay Ridge resident.

"I feel if people are going to buy alcohol, they're going to buy alcohol either in their neighborhood or they are going to go another 10 blocks away," said Kathy Mongello, a Mill Basin resident.

But some experts say the mayor has statistics on his side.

For example, between 2003 and 2009, alcohol-related emergency room visits doubled for underage New Yorkers and alcohol is associated with 46% of homicides in the city.

ABC's Dr. Richard Besser is the former head of the CDC.

"So as a community you can say, we want to limit the number of liquor stores. Many places around the country do that, and it's been shown to be effective," Dr. Besser said.

The mayor's office released a statement saying, "We have no intention of shutting down bars or liquor stores. The goal is to generate creative ideas to build on bold initiatives including smoking cessation, reducing excessive drinking, promoting healthy eating and increasing physical activity."

"We kind of look to New York as the cutting edge, of these changes," Dr. Besser said.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New York News »

new york city, michael bloomberg, alcohol, new york news, stacey sager

View the original article here