Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division Administrator Stephen Larson ruled that the city’s PAULA ratio ordinance is inconsistent with the state’s requirements of liquor licensees. Larson’s decision affirms an earlier ruling by Administrative Law Judge Margaret LaMarche, who overturned the Iowa City City Council’s liquor-license denial to 3rd Base, 113 E. College St., and Et Cetera, which has since closed. Councilors have denied other bars, including the Summit and Sports Column, under the ordinance, which requires denial for a ratio of PAULAs-per-visit higher than 1.0.

In his order, Larson writes that city officials did not prove employees at 3rd Base, often called the Fieldhouse, knew underage consumption was occurring or that they “failed to exercise reasonable care to ascertain a patron consuming alcoholic beverages was of leave age.” He noted no information was presented about the “circumstances surrounding” the 143 PAULAs issued at 3rd Base in 12 months.

“Thus, it is unknown whether the patrons cited were merely holding or actually consuming alcohol in the presence of the Licensee or employees,” Larson wrote. He also found that the city did not have a clear definition of a police “visit.”

Check Wednesday’s Daily Iowan for more on Larson’s order.

Binns was pulled over at Benton St. and Greenwood Drive after police saw him drive straight through a left turn lane. He was also stopped for an equipment violation.

The redshirt junior initially denied drinking, police said, but eventually admitted to having “several drinks.” Binns was observed by police as smelling of alcohol, as well as having watery eyes and impaired speech and balance. He showed signs of impairment during field sobriety tests and also failed a preliminary breath test (.097 blood-alcohol content level). A DataMaster breath analyzer later listed Binns’ BAC at .101.  The legal limit in the state of Iowa is .08.

Although Binns is 20 years old, police said he was wearing a bar wristband to indicate he was of legal age to drink. A new Iowa City ordinance prohibiting patrons under-21 from entering bars after 10 p.m. went into effect at midnight on June 1.

Binns was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) and taken to Johnson County Jail at 12:57 a.m. He was released this morning after making an initial court appearance.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz issued a statement Friday morning regarding the incident.

“I was very disappointed to learn of the incident involving Broderick Binns,” Ferentz said. “He will, as a result, receive counseling and will attend an educational program. He will also receive some form of suspension and will do community service.

“I still need to get all the facts concerning the incident. But, the matter and punishment will be handled internally.”

Binns, a St. Paul, Minn., native, started in all 13 of Iowa’s games last season on the way to earning honorable mention all-Big Ten honors. The 6-2 261-pounder recorded 10 tackles for loss, including six sacks. He is anticipated to be a starter on the Hawkeye defensive line in 2010 as well.

Two of Binns’ teammates, Jewel Hampton and Jordan Bernstine, were both charged with public intoxication on June 5. Hampton, 20, was also charged for being in a bar after 10 p.m. Ferentz has yet to publicly announce any football-related punishment for either player beyond stating the matter would be “handled internally.”

The city clerk’s office validated 1,688 new signatures on an anti-21-ordinance petition organized by Yes to Entertaining Students Safely, City Clerk Marian Karr said Thursday. After petitioners’ first attempt at submitting the document showed invalid signatures, they had 15 days to produce 1,227 extra registered voters. YESS submitted 3,300 additional signatures, 51 percent of which were valid, Karr said.

The Iowa City City Council has 30 days to either repeal the 21-ordinance or place the measure to a public vote in November. The council is set to discuss the issue at its July 12 meeting.

If a referendum occurs and passes, Karr said, bars would return to a 19-and-older entry age effective within 10 days.

Check Friday’s Daily Iowan for more 21-ordinance coverage.

— by Nora Heaton

Academically, athletically, culturally, and financially, Barta said the Big Ten found an institution in Nebraska that “fits all of those and makes sense.”

Barta said he thinks Nebraska is a “natural rival” for Iowa, athletically, adding that both school’s fans would be able to drive easily from Iowa City to Lincoln, and vice versa.

“I think it’s going to be a terrific rivalry,” Barta said. “We get sort of a win-win. Not only are they a great addition to the conference, but they’re a great rivalry automatically for our fans, and for our student-athletes.”

Barta also said he anticipates Iowa continuing to play Iowa State in a yearly non-conference football game unless something changed in the makeup of conference scheduling.

However, Barta added that he and Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard have a plan that would allow allow for the voiding of the contract between the two schools  if something interfered with the scheduling of the annual rivalry game.

“Both Jamie and I did put a contingency in the last contract that we put together that said if something occurs that doesn’t allow us to play it like this anymore, then there is a way we can deal with that,” Barta said. “We weren’t being prophetic. We were making a good business decision when we put a contract together.”

The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) announced unanimous approval Friday for The University of Nebraska-Lincoln to join the conference, effective July 1, 2011.

Nebraska will compete in the Big Ten beginning with the 2011-12 academic year.

Look for additional coverage of Nebraska joining the Big Ten in the pages of next week’s Daily Iowan.

— by Jordan Garretson

Hampton, 20, and Berstine, 21, were both charged with public intoxication. Hampton was also charged for being in a liquor-license establishment after 10 p.m. Iowa City’s new 21-ordinance went into effect midnight on June 1.

Bar staff at Vito’s, 118 E. College St., alerted police officers patrolling the Pedestrian Mall around 1:46 a.m. of a large fight taking place inside the bar, said Iowa City police Lt. Bill Campbell. Upon arrival, the officers found Hampton had been involved in “several” physical altercations.

Campbell said Bernstine was not cooperative with officers when they attempted to take Hampton into custody, leading to Bernstine’s arrest as well.

“Bernstine was pretty disruptive in hindering the officer’ ability to take Mr. Hampton into custody and into the squad car and so forth,” Campbell said. “He was warned a number of times to step back and allow the officers to do what they needed to do. He continued to specifically verbally make it more difficult for the officers to take care of what they needed to take care of.”

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement that he is aware of the arrests.
“At this time I am in the process of gathering all the facts concerning the incident. I’ll have no further comment and the incident will be handled internally,” he said.

Hampton, a redshirt sophomore running back, missed all of the 2009 football season after suffering a right knee injury last July. He rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns while serving as Shonn Greene’s back-up in 2008.

Bernstine, a redshirt junior cornerback, also missed the 2009 season after breaking his ankle in a pre-season practice last August. The Des Moines-native recorded 12 tackles and one interception as a sophomore in 2008.

— by Jordan Garretson

In a release, Iowa associate athletics director Fred Mims said, “Due to Montell’s recent and previous violations of our student-athlete code of conduct, we have no choice at this point but to remove him from the Iowa wrestling program.”

Mims also said in the statement that if Marion wishes to transfer to another NCAA institution, the university athletics department would suppoert a transfer “pursuant to the NCAA’s one-time transfer policy.”

Marion tallied a 37-9 overall record in his two seasons with the Hawkeyes and was a NCAA runner-up at 141 in March.

— by Ryan Young

Former Iowa offensive lineman Kyle Calloway was chosen with the 216th overall pick by the Buffalo Bills. Calloway became the sixth Hawkeye to be taken in this year’s draft, a new record for most Iowa players drafted since the format was reduced to seven rounds in 1994.

Calloway was the second offensive lineman from Iowa to be taken, as his former teammate Bryan Bulaga was a first round choice of the Green Bay Packers on Thursday.

This is the second time in the Kirk Ferentz era the Bills have drafted a Hawkeye offensive lineman. Buffalo drafted Ben Sobieski during the 2003 NFL Draft.

Be sure to visit dailyiowan.com for further details and be sure to read Monday’s edition of The Daily Iowan for complete coverage of all the Hawkeye players drafted.

— by Brendan Stiles

Edds was the fifth Hawkeye to be drafted this week, as the Miami Dolphins selected him with the 119th overall pick on Saturday. The pick had belonged to the Dallas Cowboys, but the Dolphins traded up seven spots for the pick to select the Greenwood, Ind., native.

This marks the second time in six years Miami has drafted an Iowa player. The Dolphins chose former defensive end Matt Roth in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Be sure to visit dailyiowan.com throughout the weekend for further details and be sure to read Monday’s edition of The Daily Iowan for complete coverage.

— by Brendan Stiles

On Friday, the Chiefs drafted another “Tony,” selecting former Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki with the 93rd overall choice in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Moeaki became the third Hawkeye to be selected on Friday, and the fourth in this year’s draft. Kansas City acquired the pick from the Houston Texans.

Moeaki joins Bryan Bulaga (Green Bay), Pat Angerer (Indianapolis), and Amari Spievey (Detroit) as Hawkeyes that have been drafted this year.

Last season, the Wheaton, Ill., native caught four touchdowns, including two in a 30-28 victory over Michigan.

Be sure to visit dailyiowan.com for further details this weekend, and be sure to read Monday’s edition of The Daily Iowan for complete coverage.

— by Brendan Stiles

On Friday, the Detroit Lions selected Amari Spievey with the 66th overall pick. Ironically, this is the same selection the St. Louis Rams used on Bradley Fletcher a year ago.

Spievey made the decision to forego his senior year in the NFL on Jan. 11, just less than a week after the Hawkeyes won the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl.

The Middletown, Conn., native was the third Hawkeye taken in this year’s draft, and the second on Friday. The Indianapolis Colts selected linebacker Pat Angerer three picks earlier at the end of the second round.

Be sure to visit dailyiowan.com throughout the weekend for further details, and be sure to read Monday’s edition of The Daily Iowan for complete coverage.

— by Brendan Stiles