A highway that leads to the casino owned by the Barona Band of Mission Indians is the subject of debate as the tribe defends its liquor license.

Some local officials say alcohol-related crashes on Wildcat Canyon Road have increased since the tribe started serving liquor. A county engineer claims that 26 percent of recent accidents involved people who had been drinking at the casino, with a similar percentage involving patrons headed to the casino.

The tribe has disputed those figures. At an administrative hearing on the license, the tribe's engineer said only three accidents can be linked to liquor at the casino.

About 16,000 use the twist- and turn-filled highway every day. There were about 380 accidents on the road from August 1992 to April 2006. The county is planning $12 million in upgrades.

Get the Story:
Engineers at odds over casino's liquor license (The San Diego Union-Tribune 7/26)
Still taming Wildcat (The San Diego Union-Tribune 7/26)