Nebraska "Last Call" debate

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 8:43 am

I can't find mention of it on the World Herald site (didn't check the legislature site)... but I briefly saw something on KPTV last night talking of a senators plan to introduce a bill which would extend bar hours to 3am (a fee of $7500... but I suppose an extra 2 hours of business spread over a year could pay for that pretty quick).

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 10:16 am

Statewide?

3 seems a little excessive to me. I think 2 would be fine.

sokkerdewd · Post by **sokkerdewd** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:17 pm

3am closing times are comparable to Missouri's...and would put us more in the middle of the pack on this issue - which is also an anti-"brain-drain" measure. (20-somethings, self-included, would love to live somewhere where they could stay out a little later.) And yes, I realize equating "anti-'brain-drain'" and "staying out later to drink" is an oxymoron.

But, young professionals do like nightlife...and the feeling of a 24-hour city.

Later closing times also help a city's ability to recruit conventions. MECCA has pushed for this before with the opening of the Qwest Center, and I wouldn't doubt that bar-owners and other late-night businesses, and Chambers of Commerce would all be backing this as well.

I just wish I could find documentation of this proposal... Anyone find anything yet?

sokkerdewd · Post by **sokkerdewd** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:28 pm

Found it:

From KPTM.com:

Bill Could Keep Bars Open Until 3:00 a.m.
01/14/05

Last call could be moved back if one senator gets her way. Under a bill introduced in the legislature Nebraska bars could stay open until 3:00 in the morning.

Abbie Cornett of Bellevue introduced the legislation. The bill would change state law to 3:00 a.m., but local governments would have to approve the extended hours.

If a bar wanted to stay open till 3:00 a.m., they also would be required to buy more expensive liquor licenses. The senator says she thinks a change in last call will keep bar goers from crossing state lines.

“The eastern part of the state loses lots of people at 1:00 in the morning to Iowa. So then people driving across the bridge and this would give them an incentive to stay in the metro area,” says Senator Cornett.

If the bill were to pass, Omaha bars would need a liquor license for extended hours. That would cost $7,500.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:35 pm

Cool. I didn't even realize KPTM was putting stories on their website now.

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:50 pm

KPTM does news stories?!?!

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:51 pm

They do a little news... they DON'T do sports. I will say one thing... unlike their parent network... the Pappas affiliate does seem at least a little more fair and balanced.

sokkerdewd · Post by **sokkerdewd** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:52 pm

I just sent an email to Ms. Cornett with some bolstering arguments for the issue beyond what was mentioned in the article...hopefully she reads it.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:57 pm

If I had one suggestion... it WOULD be to change it to 2am. That would then place us at the same time as Iowa (which seems late enough)... and not give ammunition to those crying that it's too late.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 8:43 pm

Here's what I think. Screw the Legislature. Omaha should jsut extend the bar hours till 3 by itself. That way Omaha would have an upper hand in attracting the young crowd. Statewide would be all-right but since this is a brain drain plan Omaha should reallly step it up and come out looking more progressive. If in the Legislature it could be defeated by people that don't need later bar hours and those kinds of people shouldn't have a say in what Omaha does.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 12:32 am

I say 3 AM is perfect. heck, some states stay open until 4, 5. Like someone mentioned, I think this will put us right in the middle, and in this situation, that's a good place to be. Plus, if Omaha/Nebraska extends it to 3, we might even reverse the "cross-river" effect.

“The eastern part of the state loses lots of people at 1:00 in the morning to Iowa. So then people driving across the bridge and this would give them an incentive to stay in the metro area,” says Senator Cornett.

Yet another example of our state leadership not understanding what constitutes the OMAHA METRO ....and bad grammar by either the quotee or the quoter to boot.

jsheets · Post by **jsheets** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 11:33 am

Wow! About time! Everytime we take friends out, who are from bigger metros, they always comment at how early everyone in Nebraska heads out, and also how early everything closes. Even in Des Moines people head out later than in Omaha. It's a definite plus for keeping younger professionals in town to keep the bars open until 3!

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 9:09 pm

well I think's it's a great proposal.

I've said before I think bar closing times should be set by supply and demand. Let them stay open as long as they want as long as they give patrons a "proper" last call period(a drying out period) before shoving them out to enevitably get behind the wheel.

I'm in Iowa right now and people from Chicago are shocked by the 2 am closing. Two hours may seem like a big jump for those of you used to 1 am, but remember many other parts of the country are not.

3am indeed maybe be a good compromise for conventioners/tourists and the conservative yocals.

Adam · Post by **Adam** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 11:19 am

Nebraska is extremely conservative on their time. I once looked at a chart which displayed all states and their closing times (certain cities within different states had separate times for their bars vs. the rest of the state).

The earliest closing time for any state was 1:00am. Nebraska was included in this category along with only 3 other states (one obviously being Utah!).

This is definitely a good idea. It can only help our economy and attract younger professionals, like what has been mentioned in earlier posts.

I disagree with the argument saying that it will promote more drunk driving. If anything, more drunk driving is promoted by closing earlier and people driving over the river to continue drinking. Regardless, if people are going to drive drunk, they are going to do it rather if they leave the bar at 1am or 3am.

UNOstudent · Post by **UNOstudent** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 12:06 pm

this is a great idea, the later the better. i turn 21 here in march and will be in omaha bars for the hour after midnight on my bday, then go across the river to CB. i'd rather stay in omaha where there are more places to drink and hang out w/ friends.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:28 pm

yeah, does anyone know the probability of this being passed? Also when is the soonest it could take effect?

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 7:19 pm

They'd definitely have my vote if it mattered. While I would never be out till 3 a.m. during the week due to work, it's nice knowing that I have that option over the weekend. Isn't it, too, more or less a sign of "progression." We need to snap out of this overly-conservative nature.. man you only live once - sack up, take some risks, and do yourself some good. I'm glad to see we're taking some strides towards this. If you tackle the hardest things to do each day first, the day only gets easier after that... not everyone's gonna be pleased if this happens, but we need to make a statement and we need to continue to think along these lines.. even if it is just Omaha.

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:37 pm

Although I am past the age of caring when the bars close I think this would be a good idea for attracting and keeping the young professionals here. However with a 13 and 12 year old daughter I am concerned about people drinking and getting behind the wheel while my daughters are out.(and I know they will be going out one day, have to polish the rifle

) Will probably worry about that until they get past the bar scene age. Whatever age that is.

OmahaRules · Post by **OmahaRules** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 11:04 pm

Not too many people drive out past 3 am. I know when I was under 21 I rarely stayed out past 3 but many times I was out past 1. To me won't it be safer when the drunks are driving at 3 rather than 1?

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 3:02 pm

Working at a bar, does anyone know how drunk most people are by 1am, I am not aginst this proposal. I think people would need to alter some of their habits, not go out as early, drink slower, less shots, or all I will be doing at 2 or 3 am will be cleaning up after people getting sick.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:13 am

3 a.m. won't directly effect me, as I am not a night owl, but it would be good for the city in trying to attract conventions and keeping our young from moving away. It does need approval from the legislature as this is not something a local community can do on its own.

staubio · Post by **staubio** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:55 pm

I can attest that this would be a good thing for Omaha, for better or worse. I have friends from my days in Omaha that will come down to see me in KC because of the later closing of the bars. I hope that people aren't shallow enough to judge a potential home on the bar closing time, but I'm sure that happens.

When I went out in Omaha, I closed the bar almost everytime I went. I never do that in KC. It really is quite early. Even now that I go out less often and leave earlier, I could easily still run into an annoying 1 AM wall.

Keep in mind that there will be a subset of places that stay open. This is a point of differentiation for bars and clubs in Omaha. I think it is only fair to allow this option. Take in the revenue and let the market decide if it is worthwhile. A more limited market will be served, but only some bars will fork over the cash to stay open.

In the meantime, keep sending the young, attractive Omahans to KC to spend their money. :-)

GaryFL · Post by **GaryFL** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 6:33 pm

At the very least, I think closing time in Omaha needs to be consistent with what it is across the river. I can attest to people heading for Council Bluffs when 1 AM rolled around. That can't be good for traffic safety.

If I had any say in the matter, I'd go for 2 AM. It's not too early, not too late.

Raraavis · Post by **Raraavis** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 9:16 am

Let Omaha and Lincoln bars stay open 24 hours a day like Vegas. The local yokals in western Nebraska can ban alcohol in their counties like you know they want to.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 11:30 am

I bet the locals love their hootch as much as us cityu folk do, if not more.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 10:02 pm

I agree that it should be a city ordinance issue, and not a statewide thing.

Post by **Brad** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:52 am

Last Call in the River City

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/16882221.html

Thousands of visitors have flocked to Omaha for a weekend of basketball but some off-court shots are back in the spotlight -- the buzzer sounds at 1 a.m. That's last call at Omaha's bars.

As March Madness invades Omaha some are saying it's not basketball but closing time that's made them mad.

Frank Vance, who owns the Dubliner says, "I've actually had people, when we give last call at quarter till one, laugh at me."

Vance says a 1 a.m. closing time adds to the perception that Omaha is more of a town than a metropolitan city.

He says, "People come in to have a good time and we close up when most places are just getting going."

We asked Bryn Biancalana to describe Omaha and he said, "It's exciting for the town to have something like this (basketball tournament)."

Then we told him about closing time at the bars and he said, "If they improve on that, Omaha would be a great city."

Those opposed say there's no good reason to change things. We found no one who could provide statistical evidence to support either side.

NDizona · Post by **NDizona** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:05 pm

Now that I no longer go out or do anything fun - I think the next generation should be as miserable as I was.

I think we should make it 12 instead of 1...

so that way it makes more sense to head over to Iowa after our pathetic early closing bars shut down.

Iowa already gets all of our gambling $$$

why not our night scene as well?

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 3:45 pm

bit of a slippery slope, don't ya think? Just because Omaha missed out on some gambling dollars doesn't mean they can't ever change and pick up on things. Being a decent sized city, I have always wondered at what point they (Omaha) were going to break free of the same old conservative image they've had for so long. Change is inevitable...why make it a change for the worse?

NDizona · Post by **NDizona** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 3:54 pm

thenewguy wrote:bit of a slippery slope, don't ya think? Just because Omaha missed out on some gambling dollars doesn't mean they can't ever change and pick up on things. Being a decent sized city, I have always wondered at what point they (Omaha) were going to break free of the same old conservative image they've had for so long. Change is inevitable...why make it a change for the worse?

are you saying the 1AM closing time is reasonable?

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:29 pm

NDizona wrote:
thenewguy wrote:bit of a slippery slope, don't ya think? Just because Omaha missed out on some gambling dollars doesn't mean they can't ever change and pick up on things. Being a decent sized city, I have always wondered at what point they (Omaha) were going to break free of the same old conservative image they've had for so long. Change is inevitable...why make it a change for the worse?
are you saying the 1AM closing time is reasonable?

No, i don't think it is reasonable. I was making a reference to what you said about casino money/suffering as a 20 something/all the money might as well go if the casino dollars are, too, thing. I think it should be later...and obviously i don't think you were totally serious about that but it seemed a bit like you're not exactly pro-"later opening time" either...as an Omahan, i thought you'd be all for anything that could pump more money into your economy? i could be wrong, that's just the impression i was gettin'.

NDizona · Post by **NDizona** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:43 pm

NDizona wrote:Now that I no longer go out or do anything fun - I think the next generation should be as miserable as I was.

I think we should make it 12 instead of 1...

so that way it makes more sense to head over to Iowa after our pathetic early closing bars shut down.

Iowa already gets all of our gambling $$$

why not our night scene as well?

I was simply illustrating absurdity by being absurd. Now that I am in the family part of my life - this is simply a non issue to me but I remember how stupid it was to be forced out at the same time friends of mine would be going out in other cities. I seriously had friends in KC that would not even leave their house until 12!

Omaha has dropped the ball on so many social issues. Why would we get this one right?

Remember all the |expletive| Dr John's got? Smoking ban? gambling - keno is ok but god forbid if someone does anything else?

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 3:17 am

perhaps the biggest reason why I won't move back = 1am bar close

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 8:15 am

NDizona wrote:
NDizona wrote:Now that I no longer go out or do anything fun - I think the next generation should be as miserable as I was.

I think we should make it 12 instead of 1...

so that way it makes more sense to head over to Iowa after our pathetic early closing bars shut down.

Iowa already gets all of our gambling $$$

why not our night scene as well?
I was simply illustrating absurdity by being absurd. Now that I am in the family part of my life - this is simply a non issue to me but I remember how stupid it was to be forced out at the same time friends of mine would be going out in other cities. I seriously had friends in KC that would not even leave their house until 12!

Omaha has dropped the ball on so many social issues. Why would we get this one right?

Remember all the |expletive| Dr John's got? Smoking ban? gambling - keno is ok but god forbid if someone does anything else?

I see what you're saying, but come on, why not have the next generation benefit a little bit...and there may be a day when you're out for a night on the town and you want to be out later than 1 or 2. You know, one last hur-rah to relive the glory days

And nebport5, i can't say i blame you; chicago has what, 5am closing time? Cancel, i found a chart that outlines state closing times (Chicago is 4). It's wikipedia, but i'm going to assume that it's pretty accurate:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_la ... s_by_state

NDizona · Post by **NDizona** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:14 am

Every once in a while I will be out at a bar watching the fights with some friends and I notice its like 11:45 when they are done and I head out - thats pretty much my only brush with the 1AM deal. This really is something that needs to change - I just don't see anyone championing the cause.

DonutStopLover · Post by **DonutStopLover** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:34 pm

THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

If this happened I would be so happy. I've complain for years(before i was even 21) about the closing times. Can anyone provide any information on why this would be bad?? I know Diane Ribbe or whatever that idiots name is will be against it, but she also doesnt want 18 year olds to be able to see concerts in omaha. Does having the bars open till 3 really mean drunker people or will people space out their drinks a little more???

I also saw that pot law they are trying to pass, I think that is so stupid. Is pot really a problem in our society???? The answer is no.

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:36 pm

In the city of Chicago there are 4 and 5 o'clock bars but not all of them. Many close at 3 or sooner if they aren't the type of place that have a late bar business(restaurant bars etc.). In the suburbs it tends to be 1am on weekdays and 2am on the weekends. There are a few 4 o'clocks in the burbs but they are not as common. So quite logically it depends on the liquor license you get that fits your business.

DTmatt · Post by **DTmatt** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:35 pm

I think this is a good idea, and something that would pump more money into our local bars and restaurants, however, I think we need to expand our public transportation before something like this happens. Something like a streetcar would be awesome!

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:28 pm

This is an issue our PrOmaha group is looking at.

I've been talking with some bar owners and from some of them I get resistance to later closing times. The reason they give is that people would just go out later and they would have more slow time to pay staff. I don't imagine that a 2 hour difference is going to cripple a bar that bad.

I do think the bars should close at at least 3am to keep people from going over the the Iowa side ( I know I myself have done it a few times).

It's a shame that the bill went no where last year when it was proposed. It will just take people pressing the issue.

ThatGuy · Post by **ThatGuy** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:36 am

I think it's a great idea for many reasons. That said...it will NEVER EVER happen here. MAAD would come out against it, as would Tom Osborne, the police union, Project Extra Mile, pretty much every church group in Omaha, and a plethora of others. Sometimes I think some of you forget where we live.