Court hearing set for Last Call liquor license

The downtown Lawrence nightclub Last Call is making another effort to regain its state liquor license after regulators late last year determined that the bar too frequently was the site of illegal drug activity.

Shawnee County District Court Judge David Bruns has scheduled a hearing for 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Shawnee County Courthouse in Topeka. Bruns will consider motions related to a refusal by the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control division to renew the license of Last Call, 729 N.H.

Club owner Dennis Steffes has argued that the bar should be allowed to stay open while appealing the ABC ruling. Secretary of Revenue Joan Wagnon, however, has refused to grant the club a temporary liquor license, which would allow it to operate while the larger issues are appealed.

Steffes also has denied the allegations that the club was the site of frequent illegal drug activity, and that his staff had not done enough to curb the activity.

The club has remained open for business. On at least some weekends, the club has been open as a bring-your-own-booze establishment. A state license is not needed for that type of business, and city attorneys were investigating whether it violated any other city codes.

An attempt to reach Steffes on Wednesday was unsuccessful.