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MADISON, Wis. (AP) Some Madison tavern owners say their revenues are dissipating because of the city's smoking ban, while some customers say they are leaving for out-of-city pubs for a smoke and a drink. The city enacted an ordinance that bans smoking in bars and restaurants July 1, joining about 20 other Wisconsin cities with some kind of ban. Madison's move created a firestorm of controversy, with smokers accusing the City Council of trying to run their lives. Already a faction of aldermen wants to repeal the ban, and Republican legislators are trying to pass a bill that would water...

Cigar sellers argue for a smoking ban exemption WILLIAM LYONS wlyons@scotlandonsunday.com SCOTLAND’S independent cigar merchants have written to Health Minister Andy Kerr in a last-minute bid to have their shops exempted from the impending ban on smoking in public places. The letter, signed by Phillip Shervington, the chairman of the Association of Independent Tobacco Specialists, argues that it is essential for their business that clients are able to taste their products before buying. There are only 18 specialist tobacco shops in Scotland and it is hoped the small number can persuade the health minister to grant an exemption. The letter...

State tells taverns it's time to fold 'em, not hold 'em Sunday, February 27, 2005 By Josh Grosteffon Times Writer With a surge of popularity sparked by television coverage, Texas hold 'em is returning to bars where the card game once prospered. However, hosting poker games or even condoning gambling can cost bar owners hundreds of dollars in fines or even their liquor license. In November, the Hooters at 966 E. Midland St. hosted a Texas hold 'em tournament, a four-week event played for an electric scooter donated by an area business. After a few successful nights, drawing anywhere from...

HALLOCK, Minn. - On Dec. 18, I attended a panel discussion sponsored by the Grand Forks Tobacco Free Coalition at the Alerus Center. After listening to the panel members and researching both sides of the issues, and having lived in California when the smoking ban was instituted there, I strongly urge the Grand Forks City Council and other agencies to take no action on the issue at this time, except to research the facts on both sides.Why? First, the health issue is seriously questionable. As the American Council on Science and Health has put it, "the role of environmental tobacco...

The old excuse 'I've left my wallet at home' will soon no longer hold when it's your round. A nightclub is about to offer its regulars the option of having a microchip implanted in their arm that will obviate the need to carry cash or plastic. Queuing for entry or a drink at the bar would also become a thing of the past when the 'digital wallet' is introduced by Bar Soba in Glasgow. The chip is already proving popular with VIP members at two nightclubs in Barcelona and Rotterdam. While the concept strikes critics as Orwellian, others believe that,...

Appeals court decision means it's no longer just the last bar that is liable in drunken-driving cases, attorney says.Curtis Breton finished his firefighting job at 7:30 a.m. on April 20, 2001, and went on an all-day bender, drinking up to a case of beer. At 10:11 p.m., while speeding 100 mph, he killed himself and two teenage boys in a fiery, head-on crash on U.S. 127. Blood tests indicated Breton was drunk. The big question remains: Did he appear drunk to those who served him? In what plaintiffs' attorneys called a landmark decision, the Michigan Court of Appeals recently overturned...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

If you're reading this through bleary eyes, and your first thought this morning was not "Turkey!" but "aspirin," chances are you went out last night. Because yesterday was not just the biggest travel day of the year. According to bar owners, last night was also the biggest party night of the year. "For years, it's been the craziest night to go out," said Mike Termini, the owner of the animal-themed Zoo Bar in Nyack. "I don't think there's any holiday that compares to it for the bar business."

NORWALK -- Police this week conducted the city's first operation targeting smokers who flout the state ban on lighting up in bars, issuing tickets to five patrons and two bartenders. Members of the city's Special Services Division, a narcotics and vice squad, Thursday night visited four bars that were the subjects of citizen complaints about smoking, said Sgt. Ronald Pine. Under Connecticut's Clean Indoor Air Act, smoking was banned in restaurants effective Oct. 1, 2003, and in bars, cafes and off-track betting parlors effective April 1. Exemptions include private clubs, correctional facilities and tobacco bars. Norwalk police found no infractions...

TRENTON, N.J. - Which is more harmful to your health — a smoky bar or a city street filled with diesel truck fumes? Well, you might want to skip your next happy hour. Smoky bars and casinos have up to 50 times more cancer-causing particles in the air than highways and city streets clogged with diesel trucks at rush hour, according to a study that also shows indoor air pollution virtually disappears once smoking is banned. Conducted by the researcher who first showed secondhand smoke causes thousands of U.S. lung cancer deaths each year, the study found casino and bar...

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a temporary injunction barring the state from removing thousands of tons of earth and rubble mixed with assorted archaeologically rich artifacts laying on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, just hours after a group of leading Israeli archaeologists and public officials filed a petition to the High Court of Justice against their removal. The swift interim ruling issued by Justice Jacob Turkel - which was handed down the afternoon after the non-partisan 'Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount' took the Government of Israel and the Antiquities Authority to court - bars the state...

Lawmaker wants smoke-free Pa. bars and restaurants Tuesday, July 20, 2004Pittsburgh Post-Gazette An influential state senator is proposing to extend smoking bans into Pennsylvania’s bars and restaurants. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery County, today announced he would push for legislation that would follow a pattern set by seven other states, including California and New York. A press release from Greenleaf said business is actually up in New York City bars and restaurants. In Florida, where smoking is banned in restaurants but not bars, restaurant business increased, Greenleaf said. __________________________________________ More details in tomorrow’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

<p>SACRAMENTO (AP) - In a defeat for business groups, a Sacramento County judge blocked a March voter referendum on a law requiring that hundreds of California employers help provide their workers with health insurance.</p> <p>Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connelly ruled that petitions used by business groups opposed to the law lacked adequate notice of what the referendum would do.</p>

Smokers in Austin can take a deep breath and relax. Six months after voting to ban smoking in the city's bars, nightclubs and restaurants, a revamped City Council appears poised to reaffirm smokers' rights to light up at a concert or after a nice meal. The council is scheduled to vote today on a new smoking ordinance that would effectively reverse the ban approved by former Mayor Gus Garcia's council in June. The new law would allow bars and restaurants to buy a $100 annual smoking license, require live music venues to offer two hours of smoke-free shows a week...

European plan to outlaw smoking in bars By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Brussels (Filed: 19/09/2003) The European Commission is drawing up plans for a ban on smoking in bistros, bars and cafes across the European Union, ignoring the message from Swedish voters in last weekend's euro vote that Brussels is meddling too much in national affairs.Legally, Brussels lacks the power to dictate tobacco policy, but EU officials believe that they can force through the rules as a health and safety measure aimed at protecting workers from the effects of passive smoking. The proposals are certain to face strong resistance from some...

DENVER (AP) -- A government-access television station wasn't allowed to tape a City Council discussion of the city's budget crisis Wednesday because a councilwoman said she didn't want the group to be shown eating the cinnamon rolls she brought to the meeting. Council President Elbra Wedgeworth confirmed that Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz requested on Saturday that Channel 8 not broadcast the meeting. "It's not a big deal because the meetings still go on; they're still public," Wedgeworth said. "We rarely do something like this. It was a one-time request." Faatz did not return a phone call seeking comment. Nine members attended...

Bars, clubs forced to drop promotions in face of lawsuitsBy Alex Roth UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER It might seem like a harmless marketing stunt, although some lawyers will tell you it's an insidious form of anti-male discrimination. Either way, it's now history in the Gaslamp Quarter. Several local bars and clubs have been forced to drop their so-called ladies night discount-for-women promotions in response to a series of lawsuits claiming the practice discriminates against men. Lawyers quietly settled all the suits last month. Seven nightspots in the Gaslamp and elsewhere in San Diego County agreed to pay a total of $125,000...

<p>While New Jersey's version of the New York smoking ban makes its rounds in Trenton, the American Cancer Society attempted to garner support for the bill and for the idea of smoke-free bars and restaurants in New Jersey by sponsoring a smoke-free happy hour Thursday at O'Donoghue's restaurant and bar in Hoboken.</p>

<p>Nightclubs and other businesses without fire sprinklers no longer could allow pyrotechnics shows or fireworks under an ordinance that will be voted on tonight by the Louisville Metro Council.</p> <p>Council member Dan Johnson, D-21st District, proposed the measure in response to the Feb. 20 fire at a Rhode Island bar that killed 98 people.</p>

Bars, clubs included in Austin smoke ban Final city ordinance allows tobacco in billiard halls and bingo parlors but not in restaurants An ordinance approved by the Austin City Council on Thursday will: •Ban smoking in bars, restaurants and music venues. •Allow smoking in billiard halls, bingo parlors and meeting halls for fraternal organizations. •Allow smoking within 15 feet of an establishment's door and in open-air patios. •Take effect Sept. 1. By Stephen ScheibalAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFFriday, June 6, 2003Austin Mayor Gus Garcia preserved his 4-3 majority Thursday night to install a strict new smoking ban in the city's restaurants, bars and...