Since You Asked: How do I keep my name off the DUI list? Easy...

Q: I want to know how some people who get arrested for driving under the influence keep their names out of the paper and others do not. I've been told before the A-D only prints bookings, but I'm curious how a DUI arrest would not result in getting booked into jail? It seems to me that some people are getting away with not having their names published for all to see. How do people avoid a booking and having their names printed in the paper?

A: This question was submitted along with a copy of a recent A-D article about a Plumas Lake man arrested twice in a week on suspicion of drunken driving and crashing car and was never booked into jail.

In that case, the man was injured in both crashes and released to the hospital.

Law enforcement avoids booking injured people until they have been cleared medically.

If police chose not to book a person for that reason, then reporters won't know anything about it unless someone else brings it to our attention.

This has happened occasionally. Sometimes booking sheets can get lost or overlooked. Mistakes happen. When we discover a mistake has been made, we make a correction.

People frequently call to ask or argue or threaten the newspaper if their names are printed. Those callers never win that argument.

Late last year, a young man came into the newspaper and offered to "make a donation" to the staff to keep his sister's DUI arrest out of the blotter. He was sent away after a brief, but pleasant debate on the definition of bribery and his sister made the next day's edition.

It may sound trite, but, honestly, the only way to ensure your name doesn't make the blotter is to avoid DUI and felony arrests altogether.

Q: Why does bottled water have an expiration date?

A: That's an interesting question because, as it turns out, the government does not require an expiration date on bottled water, but many companies do it anyway.

Unlike most consumable water sources that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, bottled water falls under the authority of the Food and Drug Administration.

The problem, experts said, is not the water, it's the bottle.

Bottled water has an indefinite shelf life, assuming it is produced in accordance with the latest FDA Good Manufacturing Practices and is stored in a properly sealed container, the FDA said.

"However, long-term storage of bottled water may result in aesthetic defects, such as off-odor and taste," FDA spokesman Curtis Allen said.

In other words, the water doesn't go bad, the bottle does.

Since You Asked is published on Mondays. Send questions to reporter Rob Parsons at the Appeal-Democrat, 1530 Ellis Lake Drive, Marysville, CA 95901, email him at rparsons@appealdemocrat.com or call 749-4785.