THE NIGHTLY MIGRATION; Do Canyon County's conservative liquor laws cut drunks off, or just put them on the road to Boise?

Years ago, the state of Idaho gave its counties the power to regulate their own saloons. It's up to the county government to decide, for instance, what days bars can sell liquor, and what hours they can operate. This power has met with different interpretations in the Treasure Valley. In Owyhee and Ada counties, closing time for bars is at 2 a.m. Not so in Canyon County, where last call is strictly at 1 a.m.

Canyon County Commission Chairman Matt Beebe told BW his constituency, and his fellow lawmakers, keep liquor laws where they are due their conservative values. But their conservatism does more than close bars--it creates a one-hour gap in which Canyon County is dry, but bars in …