By Heart of Illinois ABC
NORMAL – A Normal Town Council member says he’s hoping a local business is not penalized for defying Gov. JB Pritzker’s COVID-19 regulations.
A hearing is scheduled Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Normal City Hall as Joe’s Station House and Pizza Pub at The Shoppes of College Hills Mall is contesting charges alleging it violated terms of its liquor license by serving customers indoors twice in November and another time in December.
Joe’s owners, the Wargo brothers, were recently fined $600 by the Bloomington Liquor Commission for similar offenses at their bar on G. E. Road.
At Monday night’s council meeting, council member Stan Nord said the bar owners were following the law, just not all of Pritzker’s recommendations.
“It was to handle liquor law issues and have people follow the Department of Health and liquor law regulations, not follow something that is not related to actually selling liquor,” said Nord.
Mayor Chris Koos, who’s the town’s liquor commissioner, will not attend Tuesday’s hearing.
“I have a designated hearing officer who is impartial, who will take up the case and make a recommendation of whether or not the license holder was in compliance, the mayor said.
Just like the Bloomington hearing, the Wargos will be represented by prominent downstate attorney Thomas DeVore.
Meanwhile, City Manager Pam Reece defended town leaders against Nord’s claim that seven council members and staff got together for lunch at city hall, apparently in violation of state COVID rules.
Reece said the town has always followed the Governor’s Restore Illinois orders, including the lunch they ate during a meeting in November.
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