VIRGINIA BEACH–The state-wide smoking ban is just around the corner. On Dec. 1 most bars and restaurants will be required to have a non-smoking section, but some restaurant owners are finding creative ways around the restrictions. At Poppa’s Pub in Virginia Beach, owner Randy Estenson has spent months trying to construct a non-smoking section. He’s worked with the Virginia Beach Department of Health to design the new room. T ... Jump to full article >>

The first time I watched the older reruns of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, I was amazed. It wasn’t Carson’s famous turns as Carnac The Magnificent that caught my eye. Instead, it was the curling tendrils of smoke shrouding the host and his guests as they puffed away at cigarettes on live television. The reason I was so shocked is that this kind of free-wheeling tobacco use is unheard of today. From airplanes to restaurants to bars ... Jump to full article >>

After a marathon session of debates and amendments on Friday, city aldermen approved a bill banning smoking in most bars and restaurants. The bill, approved 20-7, would ban indoor smoking — with several key exceptions — contingent on St. Louis County voters approving a similar ban on the Nov. 3 ballot. That vote, in effect, will decide the smoking ban issue for much of the region. The plan passed at City Hall, like the county version, exempt ... Jump to full article >>

Group will be part of smoking ban court case in November PIERRE – The American Cancer Society won another battle Tuesday in its campaign to reduce the number of places where people can legally smoke tobacco in South Dakota. The cancer society and its South Dakota governmental affairs director, Jennifer Stalley, will get to take part in the court fight over whether there is a statewide vote next year on South Dakota’s new law banning ... Jump to full article >>

Town’s mayor urges all Lexington municipalities to OK bans to avoid confusion Springdale on Tuesday became the second town in Lexington County to snuff out smoking in restaurants, bars, stores and offices, and two neighboring communities may do likewise. The ban in Springdale mirrors limits on lighting up in workplaces in unincorporated parts of the county effective Jan. 1. It’s time for the 11 other county municipalities without ban ... Jump to full article >>

One interesting aspect of the state’s public smoking debate is that it’s a classic example of how things work — or don’t — in the Michigan Legislature. Several years ago, the anti-smoking lobby, a grassroots, but well-organized and effective movement, set its sights on a handful of Midwest states with a goal of stomping out smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars, among the last public outposts for ... Jump to full article >>

I am writing to compliment the Iowa legislature on approving the smoking ban. It has been over a year and a half since the ban went into effect and I couldn’t be happier. I love the freedom of going into a restaurant and not leaving with the lingering scent of smoke. Owners as well as customers are reaping the benefits. I’ve spoken to a few owners, and they have agreed that restaurants now have a more family friendly atmosphere, and ... Jump to full article >>

Now that the smoke has cleared from a state law prohibiting lighting up in public places, Cheryl Singer has discovered a pleasant surprise. Singer, the manager of Grille 31 in Mt. Pleasant, said the smoking ban has not exacted a toll on business there. “We still have smokers who still come in here and we have an outside patio now and they go outside and smoke. Our business hasn’t changed at all. I was shocked,” Singer said. An ... Jump to full article >>

The air finally is clearing in bars, restaurants and clubs, a year after a state law was enacted to ban smoking in public places. “I’m sure a lot of bars have lost business over that,” said Lola Nobilese, referring to the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act. Nobilese, who manages Mulligan’s Clubhouse Grille in Harmar, added, “There are a lot of people who say that they come because they can smoke downstairs.” &# ... Jump to full article >>

Adam Wilmot, night manager and bartender at Thumpers Bar & Grille in Elizabeth City, lit up a cigarette as he talked about the smoking ban signed into law Tuesday by North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue. Wilmot was a bartender and manager in Florida when a smoking ban took effect there in 2003. At first he opposed it, then he came to like it, he said. “It hurts a lot at first,” he said. “People rebel. They say ‘ If I can&# ... Jump to full article >>