Smoking bans have made the air healthier in bars and restaurants, but may have made the air just outside the establishments more hazardous, University of Georgia researchers have found. Nonsmoking diners and imbibers sitting in outdoor patios or sidewalk seating areas connected to the bars or restaurants are picking up doses of secondhand smoke, the scientists found. In fact, nonsmokers who volunteered to sit in the outdoor seating areas had lev ... Jump to full article >>

GALVESTON — If the city council adopts an ordinance drafted last week by the city’s legal department, tobacco smoking will be banned in restaurants and bars but allowed in tobacco stores and private clubs. The council is scheduled to vote on the ordinance Thursday. Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, who asked the council to reconsider the ban several months ago, said Friday she didn’t want to speculate on how her fellow council members would vote. But ... Jump to full article >>