Order boosts city's power over drunks

CHAMPAIGN – Mayor Jerry Schweighart doesn't have the legal authority to raise the age of admittance to bars to 21 this weekend, a possibility he was considering to deal with "Unofficial St. Patrick's Day."

But Schweighart said he signed Thursday an emergency order that gives him broader powers to shut down individual bars if they are serving intoxicated patrons, are over their occupancy limits or if fights are occurring at a rate where authorities believe the bar is losing control.

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