License Board Approves New Bar's Alcohol License

License Commission · Meeting of July 8, 2026

Springfield's License Commission approved a new all-alcohol restaurant license for La Amaca Bar and Restaurant but capped its closing time at 1 a.m. instead of the requested 2 a.m. Owner Keisha M. Feliciano Arausquin, a 15-year Springfield Public Schools food service manager, pledged to staff the 141 State Street restaurant with five employees, three certified to serve alcohol. The vote passed 4-1, with Commissioner Ramirez dissenting; one commissioner warned a tighter closing "is just going to chase everybody to MGM," while another said the board needed "to be consistent with granting" past new operators a 1 a.m. start.

Separately, the commission unanimously took no action against Mojitos Bar and Restaurant over a May 4 shooting roughly 150 to 200 yards from the venue, after Officer Anderson said police arrived via a ShotSpotter alert before the bar was even aware of the incident.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Minutes
• La Amaca Bar and Restaurant: New All-Alcohol License
• Amapola Bakery and Bistro (Mojitos Bar and Restaurant): Informational Hearing on May 4 Incident
• Adjournment
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,914 words

Source: the License Commission meeting of July 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.