Latest plan opens TCF Bank Stadium partly to booze

A last-ditch effort to lift alcohol restrictions at the University of Minnesota's campus football stadium has advanced through the House, its toughest barrier.

An amendment attached Thursday to another bill would grant the school a liquor license at TCF Bank Stadium if beer is made available in at least one-third of the general seating area.

It relaxes a law that prohibited booze sales if liquor and beer was available only to fans in premium seat or suites of legal age. The Legislature last year told the university it could sell alcohol stadiumwide or not at all.

Opponents of suite-only booze sales said they could live with the change. It will be up the university regents to decide whether to reverse a self-imposed alcohol ban. School officials say no other Big Ten university allows beer sales in general seating of a campus stadium.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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