COUNCIL RENEWS STRIP BAR'S LIQUOR LICENSE

The Cape Girardeau City Council Monday night renewed a liquor license for Regina's House of Dolls strip-tease bar even though the establishment continues to operate without an adult-business license.

The council voted 5-1 to renew the retail-liquor-by-the-drink license for the bar at 805 Enterprise. Councilman Melvin Gateley was the lone dissenter. Councilman J.J. Williamson was absent.

Gateley opposed renewing the liquor license because the bar hasn't obtained an adult-business license as required by a city law enacted last year.

Gateley said 17 summonses have been issued against the bar and its employees for adult-business-licensing violations.

But City Attorney Eric Cunningham said the city currently doesn't require adult-businesses licenses as a condition for securing a liquor license.

The council instructed Cunningham to draft a measure that would add such a condition, but Cunningham said it won't affect Regina's liquor license for this year.

The city has taken Regina's to court in an effort to enforce the adult-business law. Trials for three defendants had been scheduled to start in July in Ste. Genevieve, but they have been postponed indefinitely because defense lawyer David Rosener is unavailable at that time.