East Cape bars to close earlier

A recent unanimous vote from the East Cape Girardeau (Illinois) Board of Trustees approved an ordinance for businesses with liquor licenses to close earlier.

Beginning on the morning of Nov. 10, the Lone Star Saloon and The Pony, the only current operating businesses with liquor licenses in East Cape Girardeau, will have to close at 1:30 a.m. Both establishments' liquor licenses are owned by Garret Hamilton, according to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission's Liquor License Lookup at www.illinois.gov.

The vote comes after a shooting in the parking lot of The Pony around 3 a.m. May 2. Many shots were fired and three injured people were transported to area hospitals. Two of the victims were treated and released and the other was treated for a non-life-threatening injury.

"You know, it's just a matter of time until something happens and one of the residents in the village is injured as a result of these shootings," Mayor Randy Morgan said. "And we're the village trustees [who] look out for the safety of the village residents. And we're not trying to impose any undue restrictions upon The Pony."

The mayor said most of the shootings in East Cape Girardeau have occurred after 2 a.m., which is why the 1:30 a.m. time was chosen.

Efforts to reach a representative from The Pony went unanswered late last week.