|
www.IowaABD.com |
Lynn M. Walding, Administrator |
|
|
e - NEWS |
|
October 24, 2003 |
|
1. UI to Stiffen
Its Tailgating Regulations
2. Cedar Falls to Step up Enforcement of Alcohol Laws
3. Survey: Students Cut Binge Drinking
4. Allied Domecq Shares Lose Fizz As Sales Growth Slows
5. Diageo Lifts its Glass to Better Times
6. Anheuser's Profit Rises 6.8%, Aided by Its Michelob Ultra
1. UI to Stiffen Its Tailgating Regulations
By Donovan Burba - The Daily Iowan
October 22, 2003
IOWA CITY
-- UI officials announced Tuesday they will crack down on tailgating in the
university Field House parking lot before football games in response to complaints
about fan behavior.
Lot 6, a
popular party spot for Hawkeye fans before, during, and after the games, will
open at 8:30 a.m., an hour and a half later than usual, and admit only fans
with football tickets. No one will be allowed to remain in the designated area
after the opening kickoff.
|
The
decision stems from numerous complaints the university has received about
people in Lot 6 throwing bottles and cans at passers-by before Iowa's
Homecoming game against Michigan on Oct. 4, said Steve Parrott, the director of
University Relations. The problem appeared to be limited to that lot, located
just south of the Field House, he said.
"We
have people in many other lots who are tailgating and obviously enjoying beer
or wine," he said. "But we haven't gotten to the point where those
people have been throwing things and putting other people in danger."
Parrott
acknowledged that tailgating spillover into other lots is a possibility, but he
said the sheer number of complaints about Lot 6 made action necessary.
Duane
Papke, the associate director of the UI police, wouldn't divulge how the new
rules would be enforced or the possible penalties for violators, saying
security measures are "just for the people who need to know to know."
The
university's effort to decrease hooliganism on football Saturdays, when tens of
thousands of fans descend on the Kinnick Stadium area, goes beyond Lot 6.
University President David Skorton and Student Government President Nate Green
each issued pleas for more civil behavior from Hawkeye supporters.
After ABC
cameras briefly captured an Iowa fan holding up a vulgar sign, Skorton said
he'd like to see Iowa fans leave vulgar T-shirts and posters at home -
particularly when the game is nationally televised.
"Although
our legal counsel for the university has advised us that it would be
unconstitutional to ban vulgar T-shirts from Kinnick Stadium, that doesn't mean
we have to condone them," he said at the weekly football press conference
Tuesday. "In fact, we condemn them, and we urge all Iowa fans to express
their support for the Hawkeyes in positive ways that do not demean guests at
Kinnick Stadium."
Green,
too, worried about how bad behavior in and around the stadium would cast a
negative light on the school's national reputation.
"It's
our hope that we bring attention to it so that fans understand that it's not
just themselves that they're affecting," he said. "It's everyone
who's watching the game on TV, it's all the other fans there, the families that
are at the game, too."
But when asked
about another potentially dangerous situation, fans rushing the field after
victories, he backed down.
"I
kinda like the tradition, actually," he said. "I think it's fun to go
out there and celebrate with the team."
Following
Nebraska's Oct. 11 loss to Missouri, a Husker player knocked over a Missouri
fan who was taunting him on the field after the game, earning the player a
one-game suspension. Iowa players, though, don't feel like fans on the field
after a game pose much of a threat.
"I
know there are schools out there that have pretty tough rivalries," said
Iowa running back Fred Russell. "I know it can get to that point with some
schools, [but] the fans in Iowa do a good job of not crossing the line like
that."
DI
reporter Mary Beth Larue contributed to this report.
2. Cedar Falls to Step up Enforcement of Alcohol Laws
By Jon Ericson, Staff Writer – Waterloo / Cedar Falls
Courier Online Edition
October 14, 2003
CEDAR FALLS -- Instead of banning drink specials, the
City Council is vowing to more vigorously enforce existing alcohol laws.
The city has been looking to cut down on underage and
excessive drinking in Cedar Falls.
It had looked into passing an ordinance similar to
Iowa City's, which outlawed a number of drink specials. Among those were
all-you-can-drink offers and two-for-ones.
But after hearing from bar owners and summarizing
that such a ban would not likely cut down on excessive drinking, the council's
Administrative Committee decided to go in another direction.
Instead, the city will look to step up sting
operations on bars and house parties, as well as those selling liquor for
consumption off-premises.
Also, the committee passed a resolution that states
the city will revoke liquor licenses if bars have four convictions for selling
alcohol to minors in a three-year period.
A memo from Administration Committee Chairman Stan
Smith states the city will look to beef up enforcement of liquor laws in bars
and in the city at large.
"The stings will be on the lookout for serving
to underage drinkers and for serving obviously intoxicated patrons. In other
words --- if the bars dress like a lightning rod and behave like a lightning
rod, they shouldn't be surprised if they attract lightning," said Smith's
memo.
The city also may keep an eye on what drink specials
are advertised.
"We're going to monitor the situation, and if
you advertise we'll be looking," Smith said.
Bar owners warned against banning specials in Cedar Falls
if the same wasn't done in Waterloo. They still want cooperation between the
two cities.
"There should probably be a concerted effort to
communicate with Waterloo, or we end up with the same situation," said
Darin Beck, owner of the Barmuda nightclubs and restaurants. "We certainly
don't want Cedar Falls to be the last place you'd want to go to buy a
drink."
Smith said he has kept Waterloo city officials
appraised of what Cedar Falls is doing, but hasn't received any commitment from
them.
"I furnish them with the minutes of every
meeting we have and every proposed resolution. Basically what I get is a pat on
the butt and a 'thatta boy,'" said Smith.
The city has been monitoring neighborhoods and more
proactively enforcing bootlegging laws this fall. Bootlegging is when one
serves alcohol at a party and charges a cover charge or for individual drinks.
Smith also promised the city will keep a closer eye
on suppliers of kegs and supermarkets promoting beer specials.
3. Survey: Students Cut Binge Drinking
By Colleen Krantz and Jenna Buzzacco – Des Moines
Register
October 20, 2003
DES MOINES -- Natalie Ferin claims
teenagers have a growing fear of getting caught drunk.
"At every event, they tell us we're going to get
checked," the Dowling Catholic High School senior said of school
officials. "Everyone was drunk at prom last year. There were less people
at the homecoming dance this year because of the enforcement."
The 17-year-old said she knows that students still
drink, but fewer are doing so before school events.
A reduction in binge drinking among Iowa high school
students is reflected in a new state health survey - but teen alcohol abuse
rates remain dangerously high, experts say.
Last year, 36 percent of Iowa's 11th-graders reported
binge drinking at least once during the previous month, according to the 2002
Iowa Youth Survey. That was down from three years earlier, when 40 percent
reported binge drinking, defined as having five or more drinks of alcohol
within a couple of hours.
Stricter laws and steady messages about the dangers
of drinking appear to be reaching many teens.
Dowling senior Ben Smith, 18, said the Legislature's
action to lower the threshold for adult drunken driving from .10 blood-alcohol
content to .08 got several of his friends' attention - even though the
drunken-driving level for teens in Iowa is .02.
"It makes a lot of people think," Smith
said. "The cops have also buckled down a little bit."
The Iowa survey also says the proportion of eighth-graders
binge drinking within a month of taking the survey also dipped slightly, from
14 percent in 1999 to 12 percent last year.
"When we talk in a positive way about the
dropping numbers, we also point out that it's still a huge problem," said
Diana Heard, a prevention supervisor at Employee and Family Resources in Des
Moines. "Alcohol is still the number one abused drug in our country, so
it's not something we want to let up on."
For example, even at the reduced numbers, Des Moines
hospital officials say they treat an average of 15 teens each month for alcohol
poisoning.
The youth survey, which included nearly 97,000
students at public and private schools in the state, further shows that more
students abstained from alcohol last year than in 1999. Twenty-nine percent of
last year's 11th-graders said they had never had a full drink of alcohol. Three
years earlier, 25 percent had never had a drink.
"I think we've just increased our prevention
efforts, period," said Janet Zwick, director of the state health department's
Division of Health Promotion, Prevention and Addictive Behaviors.
Students today are bombarded at home, at school - and
sometimes even by friends - with messages about the risks of abusing alcohol.
"In the past, we may have taught them how to say
"no," but we've recognized that's not enough," said Ron Berg,
vice president of the Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse in Iowa City.
"They have to know how to say "no" but
also be connected with family, be able to talk to their parents and have a supportive
environment at school. I think we've done a better job . . . but certainly have
more room to improve."
Stricter rules for young drivers may have also helped
discourage binge drinking, Zwick said.
Iowa law now requires young drivers to be accident-
and ticket-free for a year before gaining full driving privileges. The
licensing system, which limits teens' driving hours, took effect in 1999.
Evidence that fewer students are consuming alcohol
might be useful in working to continue the trend.
"Sometimes kids drink alcohol because they think
everyone else is doing it," Heard said. "If you can show them that
the numbers are lower than they expect, they might be less likely to try
it."
Roosevelt High School student Anthony Taylor said he
doesn't drink and has no plans to drink.
"I think it's pretty nasty, and there's no
reason to do it," said Taylor, 15. "I don't think that I will ever
binge drink. There's just no point to it."
Tim Crawford, a student at Scavo Alternative High
School, however, doesn't see drinking as a big deal. He drinks from time to
time with his friends, especially during the summer.
"It's funny the way people act when they are
drinking," he said. "They act crazy."
James Madewell, also a Scavo student, said: "Of
course I drink. I drink all the time. It just calms my nerves. If you're
getting ready to fight someone and someone else hands you a beer, you know, it
just calms you down."
Alcohol is so accepted in society that it is going to
be difficult to dramatically reduce the number of students abusing alcohol,
Heard said.
"But we'll keep working to get those numbers
down," she said.
Peter Nathan, a University of Iowa professor who
studies alcohol abuse, said it's difficult for colleges to get a handle on
binge drinking until high schools and parents do more in the early teen years.
"The University of Iowa won't make a lot of
progress among our students until there's more progress in high schools and
until parents take the problem more seriously," Nathan said.
The youth survey, prepared by the state, has been
conducted every three years since 1965.
Register staff writer Tara Deering contributed to
this article.
4. Allied
Domecq Shares Lose Fizz As Sales Growth Slows
Reuters
October 21, 2003
LONDON -- The world’s No 2 spirits
group, Allied Domecq Plc, said on Tuesday tough trading in continental Europe
was holding back sales growth, hitting its shares despite a forecast-beating
rise in annual profit.
“The
European economies are difficult... We don’t see any light at the end of the
tunnel,” chief executive Philip Bowman said. Shares in the maker of Malibu
Coconut Rum, Beefeater Gin and Stolichnaya Vodka, were nearly four per cent
lower at 385-3/4 pence, the biggest fall on the FTSE-100 index of leading UK
companies. Consumer goods firms across the world are battling sluggish
economies and a drop in spending by shoppers, particularly in continental
Europe. Food giant Unilever cut its sales target on Monday for the second time
in four months.
Allied’s profit before tax, goodwill and exceptional
items rose three per cent to 495 million pounds ($830 million) in the year to
August 31 as strong growth in the United States offset higher pension costs, a
weak dollar and destocking in Spain. The annual dividend rose eight per cent to
14 pence per share.
The consensus forecast among 18 analysts polled by
Reuters Research was for an underlying profit of 485 million pounds.
Despite difficult trading in continental Europe,
Allied said it remained on course to meet analysts’ consensus forecast for an
underlying profit of about 523 million pounds for 2004.
“Early indications are that the 2004 financial year
has started well and we are on track to meet current expectations,” Bowman said
in a telephone interview. But analysts said a slowdown in volume growth in
spirits and wine, excluding acquisitions made during the year, to one per cent
from four per cent at the half year stage was worrying.
“Growth in the second half has slowed considerably in
turnover terms and I think people are concerned about what that says about
future growth,” said Nigel Davies, an analyst at JP Morgan with an
“underweight” rating on Allied’s shares. Analysts at Dresdner Kleinwort
Wasserstein put their “add” investment recommendation under review, while
Stuart Price at Panmure kept a “neutral” rating and advised clients to take
profits on the recent rally in Allied’s shares. Allied, which also owns Dunkin’
Donuts and the Baskin-Robbins ice cream chains, shocked investors in February
when it said profits would be flat in the year to August 31.
However, the firm’s shares bounced back from a March
low of 256-3/4P, Helped by speculation it could become a takeover target as
spirits groups battle to catch up market leader Diageo and look for
cost-savings to boost modest sales growth.
5.
Diageo Lifts its Glass to Better
Times
This is London from the Evening Standard
23 October 2003
LONDON -- BETTER times could be
round the corner, according to upbeat Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh.
He said the group, which includes
Johnnie Walker whisky and Guinness beer, is on track to achieve 'superior
performance' as it gains market share even in difficult economies such as Latin
America.
Walsh also told Diageo's annual
meeting in London on Wednesday that he sees 'signs of improvement' in some
markets - particularly the US - lifting the shares 1p to 684p.
Diageo is the latest world-class
British company to make most of its money in the US. Despite challenging times
in many countries, the firm has shown 'its ability to generate growth', said
Walsh.
Three directors including Walsh
and Diageo chairman Lord Blyth were re-elected. The National Association of
Pension Funds gave the firm's corporate governance policies a clean bill of
health.
6. Anheuser's Profit Rises 6.8%,
Aided by Its Michelob Ultra
By Christopher Lawton, Staff Reporter – The Wall
Street Journal
Anheuser-Busch Cos., the country's largest brewer,
reported a 6.8% increase in third-quarter net income, partly as a result of the
continued popularity of its low-carbohydrate beer , Michelob Ultra.
The company reported net income of $664.3 million, or
80 cents a share, compared with $622 million, or 71 cents a share, in the
year-earlier period. Those results matched analysts' expectations.
Anheuser-Busch, based in St. Louis, reaffirmed its goal of 12% to 13% per-share
earnings growth for the full year.
Revenue increased 4.7% to $3.88 billion from $3.71
billion in the year-earlier period. The brewery increased its market share
during the quarter to 50.1% from 48.9% a year earlier.
Anheuser-Busch's gains came at a time when U.S.
domestic beer sales are estimated to be down 1.7% year-to-date through Aug. 31,
according to the Beer Institute, a Washington, D.C., trade group.
"This company has put up another solid quarter
with improving volume trends in a difficult environment," said Sandy
Sanders, an analyst for Evergreen Investments, which owns two million shares of
the brewer's stock. "Anheuser-Busch has used its competitive muscle to
outgrow the competitors in pricing, volume and marketing."
Anheuser-Busch said it will continue to focus on
volume growth and strategic price increases to maximize its profits. In
October, the brewery bumped up prices in markets that represent nearly 40% of
its domestic volume. Revenue per barrel grew 3.5% from the third quarter last
year, a trend the company attributed to consumers trading up to the
more-expensive, low-carbohydrate Ultra.
"We continue to see share growth by Michelob
Ultra," said W. Randolph Baker, chief financial officer for
Anheuser-Busch, during a conference call with Wall Street analysts. He added
earlier in the call that Ultra's sales have affected Bud Light sales.
"Despite the negative impact on the Bud family, the net overall impact of
Michelob Ultra for Anheuser-Busch has been very positive."
The maker of Budweiser and Bud Light said it shipped
27.5 million barrels to wholesalers nationwide during the quarter, up 0.7% from
a year earlier. World-wide beer volume rose 1.5% to 29.8 million barrels.
In 4 p.m. New York Stock Exchange composite trading,
Anheuser-Busch shares rose 30 cents to $49.50.
