The city of Columbus has agreed to pay $24,000 stemming from alleged violations of the federal Fair Housing Act. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the city in September 2009, accusing it of discriminating after refusing to grant a nonprofit organization a permit to operate a group home for 11 men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
 
The settlement was announced last week by the U.S. Justice Department.
 
"Experience has shown that people recovering from addictions to alcohol and drugs can benefit when given the opportunity to live in supportive residences," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

The premise of the game is simple: hand a friend a sugary Smirnoff Ice malt beverage and he (most participants have been men) has to drink it on one knee, all at once.

Amid suspicion that the trend is an elaborate viral marketing campaign by Smirnoff, which the company has denied, new icing photos are posted daily on various blogs, Twitter and Facebook - including scenes from graduations and weddings - and sent directly to a website, BrosIcingBros.com.
 
According to The New York Times, the drinking game has exploded into a bizarre pastime of college students, young professionals and minor celebrities that counts among its targets the rapper Coolio, the actor Dustin Diamond and members of the rock band The National. A campaign online aims to ice Ashton Kutcher, who often serves as a kind of Kevin Bacon of Web memes, linking disparate areas of the Internet in fewer than six degrees.

The rapid spread of what is, essentially, a binge drinking game puts Smirnoff and its parent company, Diageo, which is based in London, in an awkward position, marketing specialists said. "Beyond the implicit slur on the beverage's taste, I doubt any alcoholic beverage company would want to be associated with a drinking game that stretches the boundaries of good taste and common sense like this one does," said Dick Martin, the author of several books on branding. "It's too obviously a self-destruct button on all their 'drink responsibly' advertising."

As quickly as The Times reported the fad, Advertising Age magazine then reported that Diageo was quickly separating itself from having any connection to it and the website suddenly went dark.
 
CNN reported that the person behind the Bros site is a 22-year-old recent college grad using the name "Joe."

 

For the full story in The Times, click here.

 

For the full story in Ad Age, click here.

The 82 on-duty firefighter deaths recorded by the National Fire Protection Association in 2009 represents the lowest annual total since 1993; it is also below the 10-year annual average of 98 and a substantial reduction from the 105 fatalities recorded in 2008.
 
Sudden cardiac death was once again the leading cause of firefighter fatalities in 2009; 27 firefighters perished on the fireground; 20 firefighters were killed responding to, or returning from, emergency calls; and 11 died during training activities. 
 
According to the newsletter Fire Rescue, many of the 2009 on-duty firefighter deaths analyzed by NFPA were preventable; just as they were in 2008, 2007, 2006, and preceding years.
 
For the full report click here.

According to the Campaign for a Healthy Alcohol Marketplace newsletter, a proposed ballot measure would dramatically change marketplace regulation in Washington, allowing for a "United Kingdom Style" of deregulation where big box stores sell all forms of alcohol at very low prices.

Measure #1100 is billed as privatization of the state's monopoly on hard liquor, but it is much more than that. First, it requires the state to close its retail and wholesale hard liquor business and sell the assets. Second, it automatically makes all grocery and convenience stores that have a beer and wine license eligible to sell hard liquor. This would amount to an enormous increase in liquor outlets since Washington has over 5,000 off-premise licensees that may sell beer and wine. Currently, there are only about 300 outlets for hard liquor.

The measure also destroys the three-tiered market system by removing prohibitions against retailers owning, influencing or providing favors to manufacturers or vice versa. Most price control measures and regulations are also eliminated. Advertising regulations are changed to only allow prohibitions on ads that would have a "demonstrable effect" on underage drinking or abusive consumption.

By destroying the three-tiered system, big box stores can deal directly with manufacturers to buy alcohol in large quantities at low prices. The stores can then offer quantity discounts and other promotions designed to increase consumption.

A second privatization ballot measure, #1105, is less extreme, but still represents major deregulation. Supporters of both measures have until July 2 to gather more than 240,000 signatures.

 

According to a local news report, it appears that an effort to get names by Costco may have pushed signatures to the legal limit in less than two weeks for # 1100. According to the article, because many signatures typically are invalidated by state elections officials, a campaign that plays it safe needs as many as 300,000.
 
Read the full article here.

The Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers, a founder and statewide partner of Project RAD since 2002, was recognized by the American Beverage Licensees for its year-long advocacy and education initiatives on alcohol regulation.
 
The association was recognized for its Internet advocacy efforts and the creation of targeted websites that explain alcohol industry issues and the impact on Hoosiers.
 
The sites recognized by ABL include:
 
www.projectRAD.com

 
ABL is the national trade association for beverage alcohol retailers and gave the award at its recent annual convention in Louisville, Ky.

In less than a week, the four-person state commission responsible for all alcohol permit approvals signed off on all Walgreens permits presented at the June 7 local board hearing in Marion County.
 
Project RAD has seen the same swift action by the ATC in ALL Walgreens hearings around the state with little exception.
 
Another unusual occurrence at the state hearing: The chairman asked for remonstrators to sign in. Rarely do remonstrators attend state hearings so we assume this was a gesture for the Indianapolis TV outlets that attended. With no remonstrators present, it would be assumed by those attending that there are no continuing objections.
 
Here's what WRTV reported on the commissioner's comment:
 
"Frankly, I was under the impression that there would be people showing up to remonstrate to be heard," said commission member Tom Snow. "Our commission is open and transparent. I was happy to hear from anyone who showed up today to express their disapproval. No one appeared today."
 
When the political will of a board is predisposed, the outcome is expected.