On paper Utah resembles more and more the growth oriented, youthful, global, urban regions of the country than the bubba-fied sleepy old south or rust belt east, especially being located in the middle of the high-tech west.

I'm guessing that there's something of a culture rift between the old church and the young, well educated, well traveled set that are now more common in the region. That's to say nothing of the educated Asians that are taking part in Utah's vibrant high-tech economy.

It's a nice thought, Wrolph, but as an insider, I'd suggest that the culture rift isn't between the church dogma, so much as the pre-'50's culture. The article suggests (correctly) that 2/3rds of the state are LDS, but neglects to mention that as much as 50% of that number are non-practicing. Many of them like to hang out at bars and clubs with their non-LDS friends, while still keeping close cultural ties with their more orthodox families. The pressure's been building for some time.

Alas, Utah, while being the poster child for teetotalling sobriety (BYU, especially, gets honored year and year), it's not the most restrictive state in the union regarding liquor laws. Thus, it's not really that big a story. The laws were woefully old and hadn't been updated to deal with new cultures and drinks. Some of them were just plain backward for our day. I still find it mindboggling that I can walk into any 7-11 and haul off a keg's worth of beer without a paper sack and no one bats an eye, but heaven forbid I order a beer at Pizza Hut.

The laws needed fixing. They got fixed. Power to the bartenders, I hope, to put a stop to the rampant DUIs that afflict the state's roads.