Free Republic

Six New York taverns - including two in Syracuse - sued the state Tuesday and asked a federal judge to stop authorities from enforcing the new law that bans smoking in all indoor work sites, including bars and restaurants. Buies Inc., the owner of Dodester's, a bar at 2426 South Ave., and Barmarsue Inc., owner of Murray's, at 2722 Burnet Ave., are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, along with the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association, and four other bar owners. The lawsuit - which seeks to block the law statewide - was filed in U.S. District Court in Syracuse because...

It's been in place for five years now, but many Yuba-Sutter bar owners and patrons said they have yet to become accustomed to California's ban on smoking in bars. At establishments such as Stassi's Fourth Ward Tavern in Marysville this weekend, business owners were still fuming over the ban, which took effect in January 1998. The ban - a first for the nation - was intended to protect bartenders from health risks posed by second-hand smoke. Yet Roy Newlove, the owner of Stassi's for roughly 10 years, said it does nothing more than slow business and cause headaches for his...