LIBERTY, MO – It has only been one day after Liberty voters agreed to beef up the town’s existing smoking ban and already there are two big questions: will it drive smoking customers away, and how long will it be before smokers have no where to go? Tuesday’s vote is a very big deal for two Liberty establishments. One is a bar and the other is a bowling alley, but one of the business may be more hurt by the ban than the other. ... Jump to full article >>

It’s time for a bistate wrap-up of interesting developments from the past week. First, Missouri-side voters were in a positive mood Tuesday and deserve a pat on the back for endorsing several needed issues. Second, Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson gets an atta-boy for playing a little hardball with the Kansas City Wizards and Cerner Corp. over their proposed projects at Village West. And finally, Kansas City development lawyers — of all people — ... Jump to full article >>

St. Louis County voters on Tuesday simultaneously made most public places there and in the city smoke-free. With light turnout — about 20 percent of the county’s 705,000 registered voters — about two-thirds of them favored Proposition N, which, with some exemptions, bans smoking in public places on Jan. 2, 2011. The ban applies to the city also because the Board of Aldermen last month approved a similar measure, contingent on county pa ... Jump to full article >>