Free Republic

All Philadelphia Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, as well as one across the border in Cheltenham Township, will be closed Wednesday after at least 18 locations were broken into on Tuesday night. A few stores were open and staffed when people began stealing items. “Fortunately, no employees were hurt, although some were understandably shaken,” Shawn M. Kelly, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, said Wednesday in a statement.

An investigation is underway in Florida after burglars used tractor trailers to steal more than $1.6 million worth of alcohol from a distribution company that carries brands including Jose Cuervo and Malibu. The theft began during the early morning hours on July 8 at Republic National Distributing Company, located in Hillsborough County south of Tampa, according to a newly unsealed search warrant obtained by CNN on October 5. Between between 4:10 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., the thieves removed 4,277 cases of liquor from the company that also distributes alcohol from Franzia Wines and Sutter Home Winery, according to the search...

Credit: Polk County Sheriff’s Office ******************************************************************** Someone find the world’s smallest violin. An illegal alien and an alleged Tren de Aragua gangster broke down like a baby being arrested in connection with a violent liquor store robbery spree across central Florida, authorities said. Ramon Jesus Carpintero-Luna, 26, was caught alongside four other suspects tied to a series of armed heists that targeted more than 30 liquor stores, netting an estimated $30,000 in stolen goods. Many of the thefts involved threats of violence and a specific focus on high-end liquor, including bottles of premium scotch, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s...

Rapid at-home COVID-19 tests will soon be available in New Hampshire liquor stores, Gov. Chris Sununu said Wednesday. Sununu said the state has secured 1 million rapid tests, and the Executive Council authorized their purchase Wednesday morning. He said that within the next two weeks, he expects the tests to be available at liquor stores. The tests will purchased with federal pandemic relief dollars and will be sold at cost, which is about $13, Sununu said. The cost of the test can be reimbursed through health insurance, though the amount and process will vary from company to company. New Hampshire...

Trying to buy wine or liquor from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s online store these days is a lot like playing the lottery. The odds are against you in being able to buy your favorite wine or spirits from the state’s website. Gov. Tom Wolf closed the brick-and-mortar retail liquor stores on March 17 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Last week, the state resumed online sales but it’s been an exercise in frustration for many who want to buy booze. With demand for these products is outstripping the PLCB’s ability to accept and process orders, the talk about privatizing all or...

If the nation’s liquor stores bolt their doors, can bootleg liquor be far behind? My favorite time of day is cocktail hour. While I love any number of bars and restaurants, my favorite place to enjoy a cocktail is my home. Thanks to my professional requirements, I have an abundant supply of some of the best whiskies and wines in the world. In addition, the service is impeccable (there’s no trying to get the bartender’s attention—I am the bartender), the pours are always perfect, there’s no last call and I don’t have to worry about driving home. And now, like...

First Lady Michelle Obama told the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Legislative Conference on Wednesday that her “Let’s Move!” campaign to end childhood obesity requires grassroots efforts in communities across the nation, such as planting community gardens and making fresh produce more readily available, including in liquor stores. Obama cited a group in Detroit as a “wonderful example” of how local communities can make the campaign succeed. - snip - / “They drive a truck through the city, selling fresh, affordable produce,” Obama said. “And they’ve set up a small market. They’ve planted a community garden. They’ve even convinced some of...

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Attackers blew up five alcohol stores along a street in a Christian district of Baghdad overnight, the latest in a series of such strikes by suspected Muslim radicals. The attacks devastated stockpiles of liquor and damaged other shops nearby but did not cause any injuries, witnesses and staff said Thursday. Shopkeepers were hard at work trying to repair the damage, pulling shards of metal out of their store fronts and sweeping pieces of broken glass from the pavement, an AFP correspondent reported. Witnesses confirmed that five liquor stores were targeted in the attack along Al-Thariba avenue at...

Liquor store employees protest privatization By Nelson Bennett Daily News nanaimo Sunday, December 01, 2002 Private liquor stores will offer less diversity and no cheaper prices. That was the message government liquor store employees had for their customers on Friday. They stood outside local liquor stores and handed out pamphlets to customers, urging them to voice opposition to the B.C. government's plans to open up B.C. to more private liquor stores, and close government-owned ones. Shirley Sundquist, who works at the Longwood Station liquor store, concedes many of the store's customers support private liquor stores because they expect prices to...