buildingcincinnati

mrnyc...LMAO! X...Mmm...lamb chops.... ink...I hope they don't plan on putting parking there. They already have a huge lot right next to the church, and there's a giant city lot across from the post office. If there's one thing Mt. Healthy doesn't need, it's more parking.

From the 12/17/06 Dispatch: AERIAL CRAIG HOLMAN DISPATCH MAP What neighborhood? Hilltop still waiting for new development that was supposed to be built two years ago Sunday, December 17, 2006 Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The first new neighborhood on the Hilltop in more than a half-century is behind schedule two years and counting after Mayor Coleman and Dominion Homes Chairman Doug Borror announced plans for the Village at Wheatland Park in December 2003. Three and four bedroom homes with an average price of $125,000 were to be built on the western edge of land once occupied by the Central Ohio Psychiatric Hospital. In all, 106 single-family houses with attached garages were supposed to sprout on Wheatland Avenue north of W. Broad Street before the end of 2004. But none of it happened. The 22-acre plot that was to become a neighborhood remains an empty field. "It’s a site we really tried to work with," said Dominion spokesman Tom Hart. "But everybody involved with it was really surprised with what happened there." The surprise involved how much cleanup the land needed and how much it would cost. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/17/20061217-C1-00.html

From the AP, 12/19/06: Parties air concerns at smoking session Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Julie Carr Smyth Associated Press Columbus - Nursing homes, bowling alleys, VFW clubs, restaurants and city health departments all brought different concerns to a confab on Ohio's new smoking ban Monday. Whether they liked or disliked the outcome of November's election, in which Ohio voters approved a statewide smoking ban, everyone had questions on the rules for carrying out the ban as drafted by the Ohio Department of Health. Will unsightly no-smoking signs really have to be posted so abundantly, even in nursing homes? Could employees of private clubs smoke on the premises if the clubs make them members? Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/11665212506650.xml&coll=2 From the 12/19/06 Dispatch: Truckers breathe easier Solo drivers exempted from smoking ban; bars, restaurants get bad news Tuesday, December 19, 2006 James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Truckers no longer have to worry about being ticketed for smoking alone in their cabs, but restaurant and bar owners could be fined for allowing customers to smoke even if health inspectors don’t catch them in the act. More than a month after Ohio voters banished smoking from most public spaces, the state Department of Health yesterday exempted commercial trucks from the ban but indicated that restaurants and bars could be cited even without health inspectors witnessing violations. Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/19/20061219-A1-00.html From the 12/19/06 Blade: OHIO SMOKING BAN Social clubs glad, bars mad over draft rules By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS — A first stab at writing rules for Ohio’s new smoking ban had private clubs like the Veterans of Foreign Wars applauding yesterday, but owners of bars and bowling alleys were fuming. A wide array of groups affected by the clean indoor air law met for the second time to debate everything from the size of no-smoking signs to whether commercial truckers had to pull ashtrays from their dashboards. The advisory panel is aiding the Ohio Department of Health in writing rules to fill gaps in the law approved by voters on Nov. 7. The department has until June 7 to complete the lengthy process, but hopes to finish by early spring. Read more: PROPOSED FINE SCHEDULE (for violations within two-year period) FOR BUSINESSES: First violation: Warning letter 2nd violation: $100 3rd violation: $500 4th & subsequent violations: $2,500 FOR SMOKERS: First violation: Warning letter 2nd & subsequent violations: $100 FOR RETALIATION AGAINST EMPLOYEE MAKING COMPLAINT: First violation: Warning letter Second violation: $1,000 Third & subsequent violations: $2,500 SOURCE: Ohio Department of Health http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/NEWS24/61219001/-1/NEWS From the 12/19/06 Ravenna Record-Courier: Some bars still allowing cigarettes Kent owners: Need to make money outweighs fines By Matt Fredmonsky Record-Courier staff writer You could have walked into a Kent bar Saturday and been enveloped in a cloud of smoke -- or not -- depending on which pub you stopped in. Kent bar owners, for now at least, see the decision to allow or ban smoking in their establishment as theirs to make because of what some are calling a loophole in Ohi' Smoke Free law. "Voters passed the law on election day and Ohi' constitution requires the law take effect 30 days afterward," said Wendy Simpkins, a spokesperson for the Ohio Division of the American Cancer Society. Read more: http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/1190581 From the 12/19/06 Defiance Crescent-News: Locally, some obeying smoking ban, some are not December 19, 2006 By HEATHER BAUGHMAN [email protected] Ohi' smoking ban has been in place for two weeks, but not everyone is obeying the law. While the Ohio Department of Health, which is implementing the ban as approved by voters statewide on Nov. 7, is not enforcing the law until the rules are set, it is still a rule that, by law, should not be broken. "I' sort of like driving," explained ODH spokesman Kristopher Weiss. "When you come to a red light, you stop even though a police officer might not be there." Read more: http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/1191611

From the 12/18/06 PD: Hookah bars smoke out loopholes in ban Monday, December 18, 2006 Chris Seper Plain Dealer Reporter Hookah bars, Middle Eastern-styled smoking clubs en vogue with college students and young professionals, are desperate to survive the state's anti-smoking law. Many are selling even more tobacco products to qualify for a loophole in a law. Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1166434295142540.xml&coll=2 From the 12/18/06 Chillicothe Gazette: Patrons still smoking Health District still unsure how to enforce smoking ban By JONA ISON Gazette Staff Writer The donuts at Crispie Creme Donut Shop aren't quite the same. They're missing that hint of stale smoke - a taste I'd become used to over the last 27 years. The absence of smoking, due to the statewide smoking ban passed in November, has allowed the cinnamon and apple of my fritter to take the center stage where it should be. Although that fritter was much more enjoyable, as a smoker, I did wonder how it would be to have a beer sans cigarette while socializing at the bar. Read more: http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061218/NEWS01/612180310/1002/rss01

From the 12/17/06 Blade: State starts to sort out smoke-ban regulations Rules to be enacted no later than June 7 By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS - Smokers could get an idea tomorrow of exactly how far they'll have to step away from entrances to bars and restaurants to avoid fines for violating Ohio's new public smoking ban. Business owners may get a clue as to who will investigate complaints and how quickly fines would add up for multiple violations. Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061217/NEWS24/612170333/-1/NEWS From the 12/17/06 DDN: Smokers flare up against ban Protesters staging rally in Franklin say the new state law violates their rights, threatens businesses. By Christopher Magan Staff Writer Sunday, December 17, 2006 FRANKLIN — They were smoking on a not-so-low burn. The chant at a rally protesting a new statewide smoking ban Saturday said it all. "We're fed up! We're fed up!" Andy Kopp led about 30 smokers in the chant to wrap up the protest he organized at the Franklin city building parking lot. Read more: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/16/ddn121706smokeprotest.html From the 12/17/06 Warren Tribune Chronicle: Sending smoke signals By BILL RODGERS Tribune Chronicle One day after Ohio’s new public smoking ban went into effect, a popular restaurant and bar in nearby Sharon, Pa., experienced its first-ever lines waiting for smoking seats. That’s no surprise to Orangeville bar owner Kirk Cusick, who said he could see the indications the minute the new Ohio law passed at the polls last month. Read more: http://tribune-chronicle.com/articles.asp?articleID=12401

From the 12/16/06 PD: Air's still not clear at bars, restaurants With smoking ban unenforced, owners let patrons light up to keep their business Saturday, December 16, 2006 Harlan Spector Plain Dealer Reporter Dirty ashtrays were going for a quarter last week at Tick Tock Tavern, a well-known rib joint on Clifton Boulevard in Cleveland. The bar sold them as gag souvenirs to mark the end of smoking. Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1166279445175470.xml&coll=2 From the 12/16/06 Lima News: Still smoking BY KIMBERLY R. SIMMONS - Dec. 16, 2006 SPENCERVILLE — It’s been a little over a week since the smoking ban went into effect on Dec. 7, and some restaurants and bars have not allowed patrons to smoke. With the news that the law would not be enforced because of an agreement between attorneys for the state and the Ohio Licensed Beverage Association, some places are allowing patrons to light up. “We saw the story in The Lima News that other places were allowing people to smoke so we put the ashtrays back out,” Betty Croft, co-owner of My Place, said. Read more: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=33238 From the 12/16/06 Middletown Journal: Smoker plans protest of ban By Christopher Magan Staff Writer Saturday, December 16, 2006 FRANKLIN — Smokers will light up the city building parking lot Saturday to protest the new statewide smoking ban. Andy Kopp, who is organizing the rally, hopes it will be a step toward having the ban declared unconstitutional. "I don't think they'll be able to enforce it," he said. "It's like Prohibition." Read more: http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/16/mj121606smokeprotest.html From the 12/16/06 Marietta Times: Despite new law, business disobeys Ohio smoking ban By Connie Cartmell [email protected] Regardless of what Ohio voters said in November, Jim Bauer, owner of the Riverside Bar & Lounge in Marietta is just saying “Yes,” to his customers. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Bauer, who has owned the downtown tavern and lounge over two years, is among a small group of bar and restaurant owners around Ohio who have decided to leave the ashtrays out. Some have chosen to defy voters, come what may. Read more: http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new44_1216200610310.asp From the 12/16/06 Wooster Daily Record: Many smokers trying to quit with passage of new law December 16, 2006 By JUNE CHANDLER-WHITE Staff Writer MILLERSBURG -- New Year"s and Issue 5 are giving Mark Woods a double whammy. "I"ve got too many businesses right now to schedule," said Woods, who is tobacco cessation coordinator for Your Human Resource Center, which offers tobacco cessation programs in Wayne and Holmes counties. January typically is a busy time of year for Woods, but this year, calls from companies and individuals started coming before November, when employers began wondering what the passage of Issue 5, the statewide indoor smoking ban, would mean for companies and their employees. Read more: http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/1180491

From the 12/15/06 Newark Advocate: Some businesses flout smoking ban Though not being enforced yet, health agency urges owners to start obeying By JEN SCHERER Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- A blue haze still hangs in the air of some area businesses opting not to comply with the statewide smoking ban until it officially is enforced. Though the statewide smoking ban went into effect last week, the state won't issue any warning letters or fines until the Ohio Department of Health has finalized its regulations. As a result, customers are finding some of their favorite haunts haven't taken away the ashtrays yet. The Draft House on West Main Street in Newark is just one example. Read more at: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/612150302/1002 From the 12/15/06 Maysville Ledger Independent: Ohio smoking ban said to be causing confusion and uproar By CARRIE CARLSON Staff Writer Thursday, December 14, 2006 7:58 PM EST Some ashtrays are still out in Brown and Adams counties, even after the Ohio statewide smoking ban took effect Dec. 7. Other businesses have cracked down, even though often reluctantly, to abide by the new law. According to the law approved by voters in November, all Ohio businesses are required to remove ashtrays and post nonsmoking signs. Rockin' Robins' Soda Shoppe in Ripley is one of the many businesses making the change. The soda shop was a smoking facility prior to Dec. 7, now the restaurant is smoke free. Read more: http://www.maysville-online.com/articles/2006/12/15/local_news/3162ban.txt

From the 12/14/06 Parma Sun Post: Non-smoking crusade ends with man's arrest Thursday, December 14, 2006 Parma Sun Post PARMA HTS. One man's crusade to single-handedly enforce Ohio's new smoking ban resulted in his being charged with disorderly conduct Sunday at a local bowling alley. The suspect, a 22-year-old Richfield man, berated a barmaid in the lounge at Yorktown Lanes because he was upset people there were not honoring the smoking ban. Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/sun/parmasunpost/index.ssf?/base/cops-0/116611892733820.xml&coll=3 From the 12/14/06 Springfield News-Sun: Smoking ban not snuffed out By Justin Thompson Staff Writer Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Jim Vavakos fears a new smoking ban — and confusion over it — could smother his business. "It's been a nightmare," said Vavakos, owner of Victory Lanes, 1906 Commerce Road. His bowling alley, with 30-plus lanes and large bathrooms, makes it difficult to watch everyone. He said if people smoke in the bathroom without his knowledge, he would face penalties — fines he cannot afford to pay. Read more: Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0349 or at [email protected] http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/13/sns121406smoking.html From the 12/14/06 Garfield-Maple Sun: Smoking ban drives debate Thursday, December 14, 2006 By John Kametz Garfield-Maple Sun GARFIELD HEIGHTS The newly enacted statewide smoking ban for public places already is creating quite a stir here. Although emotions for or against the ban continue to run high, local bars and establishments already are taking varying steps toward compliance. Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/sun/garfieldmaplesun/index.ssf?/base/news-0/116611856633820.xml&coll=3 From same: Ban is boon for Signs by Tomorrow Thursday, December 14, 2006 By Ken Baka Garfield-Maple Sun MAPLE HEIGHTS A smoke-free Ohio is lighting up Eric Hamilton's business. Whether the smoke-free law helps bowling alleys, taverns and bingo parlors remains to be seen. Hamilton is owner of Signs by Tomorrow, 20534 Southgate Park Blvd., Maple Heights. As of Tuesday, his shop took in "a couple of thousand" orders for either of two styles of adhesive signs he is reproducing according to state design guidelines. Case Western Reserve University and the Northeast Ohio Sewer District were among those ordering. Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/sun/garfieldmaplesun/index.ssf?/base/news-0/116611878533820.xml&coll=3 From the 12/14/06 Fairfield Echo: Smoking ... Fairfield residents speak out with their opinions on how the ban is being put into effect. By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, December 14, 2006 Enforcement of the Ohio smoking ban is on hold, but the law itself is not. That's the message the Ohio Department of Health is sending to employers and bar and restaurant owners statewide. "It's really been hard on us, the confusion of it all and them not sending out any information," said Cindy Bryant, manager of Reef Tavern in Fairfield. Read more: http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/13/fe121406smokeup.html

From the 12/13/06 Toledo Free Press: COVER STORY Smoking ban details have critics fired up By Justin R. Kalmes Toledo Free Press Metro Reporter [email protected] It's a typical Thursday inside Delaney's Lounge. The afternoon light filters through the blinds of the dimly lit tavern onto a group of truck drivers sitting at the bar. In between discussing their workday, the men sip from their longnecks and draw from their cigarettes as owner Bill Delaney looks on with a smile. Ohio's recently passed smoking ban has gone into effect, but the ashtrays at the Alexis Road bar remain while the no-smoking signs Delaney is required to post are nowhere to be found. “We're not going to take the ashtrays off, we're not going to put the signs up,” said Delaney, who also serves as president of the Northwest Ohio Licensed Beverage Association. “We are not abiding by [the smoking ban] and we are going to the Supreme Court.” Read more: From the 12/13/06 ABJ: Smoking drifts back into area businesses Owners complying with law say they are at a disadvantage By Tracy Wheeler and Katie Byard Beacon Journal staff writers Liz Arn wants to do the right thing. But as the co-owner of Arnie's pub on West Market Street, she has found "the right thing'' to be a difficult proposition in the face of Ohio's new smoking law. Approved by voters in November, the law banned smoking as of Dec. 7 in virtually all enclosed public places, including restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and bingo parlors. However, the law contained no rules of enforcement. Read more: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living/16228149.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news From the 12/13/06 Sandusky Register: Smoking ban brush-off boosts bars' business By CHAUNCEY ALCORN | Wednesday December 13 2006, 5:54am SANDUSKY What many Sandusky area bar owners thought would send profits up in smoke has actually increased business. Smokers are flicking their ashes on the ban because of a Cincinnati court's ruling against the Ohio Department of Health. In a suit brought by Buckeye Liquor License Holders Association against the Ohio Department of Health, a Hamilton County court forbade the health department from enforcing the new smoking ban until it comes up with a plan for enforcement. That plan may not be developed until June, according to the Erie County Health Department, and some local bar owners say they won't enforce the ban until then. Read more: http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2006/12/13/front/99721.txt From the 12/13/06 Marion Star: Smoking ban enacted, but it has no teeth Rules not yet written as state receives more than 11,000 complaints of non-compliance By KURT MOORE The Marion Star MARION - As of Thursday (Dec. 7), if you want to light up while dining out or stopping for a beer in the state of Ohio, you've got to take it outside. That's state law, thanks to a majority of voters voting yes on Issue 5 during the Nov. 7 general election. That fact, however, is lost in a haze of confusion as the state launches discussions on how to enforce the law. Read more: http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061213/NEWS01/612130319/1002/rss01 From same: Your view Smokers and non-smokers are expressing mixed feelings as a law prohibiting smoking in public places and places of employment takes effect. For Marion resident Dave Osborn, it means a longer walk during breaks at work to get to a place where he is allowed to smoke. Osborn said he wasn't that upset over the law, calling it good and bad. "It's good because we need to quit smoking anyway," he said while buying cigarettes at United Smokes of America. "But I think there are bigger issues to look at." Read more: http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061213/NEWS01/612130321/1002/rss01

From the AP, 12/12/06: Smoker charged with trespassing at Marietta bar Tuesday, December 12, 2006 MARIETTA, Ohio (AP) — Less than a week after Ohio’s new smoking ban took effect, a smoker was arrested after police said he was asked to leave a bar but refused. Donn Kerr, 56, of Marietta, was charged with criminal trespass, Marietta Police Capt. Jeff Waite said yesterday. When Kerr lit a cigarette inside the Marietta Brewing Company early Sunday, he was asked to put it out but would not, Waite said. Managers called police; when officers responded and told Kerr the bar wanted him to leave, he refused to go and was arrested, Waite said. Read more: From the 12/12/06 DDN: Ohio's new no-smoking law Are people obeying the ban? Many restaurants comply. Some bars and taverns do not, sparking complaints. By Terry Morris Staff Writer Tuesday, December 12, 2006 So, is Ohio's new ban on smoking really in effect? Depends who you talk to. Many area restaurants began complying with the voter-approved measure when it went into effect Thursday. Some bars and taverns have ignored it. But the Ohio Department of Health insists the law is in force even though its agents can't enforce it yet. Read more: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/11/ddn121206smokinga1.html From the 12/12/06 Washington Court House Record Herald: Still confused on lighting up, or not? Brandon Smith Staff Writer Some local businesses have found what they think is a loophole in the recently enacted smoking ban. According to Megan Batson, R.S., reporting at last night's meeting of the Fayette County Board of Health, business proprietors Batson did not identify told her that "they would pay a $2,500 fine up front, and allow people to smoke. They say the law says that the maximum fine is $2,500 every two years." But Ohio Department of Health committees have six months to draft the rules for the enforcement of the law, according to Batson, and in the meantime, the public will continue to phone in the violations -- creating a larger and larger record for businesses which can be grounds for later punishment. Read more: http://www.recordherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=126936&TM=43665.83

From the 12/11/06 Athens News: Cig ban looks different from inside smoke-free bar, out on chilly sidewalk By Jonathan Hunt Athens NEWS Writer Monday, December 11th, 2006 Dec. 7, 2006, when the Ohio smoking ban officially began, may live in infamy like its 1941 counterpart to those who say it trumps private-property rights and personal freedoms. Others who value clean air and the right of citizens to enjoy it may remember Dec. 7 as Christmas and the Fourth of July all wrapped into one. In uptown Athens, where the ban nominally took effect during Ohio University's winter break, the immediate result so far appears to be a few more smoke-free bars and restaurants, more cigarette butts on the ground, and a few more folks gathered outside taverns to have a smoke. Read more: http://athensnews.com/index.php?action=viewarticle&section=news&story_id=26825 From the 12/11/06 Hillsboro Times-Gazette: ODH says smoking ban is alive and well Fines, enforcement put off until sometime this spring By STEPHEN FORSHA The Times-Gazette With the statewide smoking ban in Ohio going into effect Dec. 7, businesses from around the state are being affected, with most businesses and employees in public buildings still unsure what the new law really means. Ohio Department of Health Director J. Nick Baird issued a statement Friday saying that while the law remains in effect, the Department of Health is not able to levy any fines until the new law's enforcement mechanisms are in place. Baird said enforcement of the law will begin sometime in the spring. Read more: http://www.timesgazette.com/main.asp?SectionID=18&SubSectionID=175&ArticleID=141652&TM=42760.51 From the 12/11/06 Stow Sentry: Police do not plan to enforce the smoking ban by Kristin Casale Reporter Even though the new state smoking ban is in effect, local police say they will not play a role in enforcing it. The ban, which went into effect Thursday, covers all enclosed public places and businesses, including restaurants and bars. Exempt from the law are retail tobacco stores, resident-only smoking rooms in nursing homes, 20 percent of each hotel’s sleeping rooms, outdoor patios and some private clubs and homes. Read more: E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 330-686-3917[/i] http://www.stowsentry.com/article.php?pathToFile=/archive/12112006/news/&file=_news1.txt&article=1&tD=12112006&PHPSESSID=9035f166f0397c0c31a8c656ea7b8719 From the 12/11/06 Greenville Daily Advocate: Smokers keep on truckin' "Even non-smokers are saying it's crazy" Linda Moody Assistant Editor DARKE COUNTY - Because there really is no law spelled out as of yet on the no-smoking ban, truck drivers and trucking companies are just as confused about the proposal as other people are. "We're already doing that in the office and shop and the same way with the company van," said Dick Lavy, owner of a local trucking firm. "And, if we have team drivers and one doesn't smoke, then they cannot smoke in that truck." "If they get a ticket, that's their baby," he said. Signs have been posted elsewhere at Lavy's, but they do not have to be put on the semis, according to Lavy, who said that probably 25 percent of his drivers smoke. Has he gotten any feedback from his employees? "A few said this might make them quit, and others say it is one freedom that should not be taken away," he said. "It's a mixed bag." Read more: http://www.dailyadvocate.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=122639&TM=177.791

From the 12/10/06 Warren Tribune Chronicle: Drivers may huff, but they can’t puff By BILL RODGERS Tribune Chronicle As Ohio’s smokers learn to deal with new restrictions on their vice, on-the-job motorists are not being left out. Under the ban stopping most public smoking that took effect Thursday, puffing carcinogens also now is prohibited in company vehicles as well as places of employment. The vehicle stipulation could include police cruisers as well as company cars and big rigs, said Ohio Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss. ‘‘Whatever the director says to do, I’ll do. That’s more of an administrative thing, not a tactical thing,’’ said Warren police Chief John Mandopoulos said. The ban will have an effect on his officers smoking in cruisers. The city of Warren already has rules against smoking while in uniform. But Mandopoulos said he would need to hear from Safety Director Doug Franklin about smoking in cruisers. Wendy Simpkins, a spokesperson for the Ohio Division of the American Cancer Society said that the vehicle ban was to protect nonsmokers who would be in the vehicles with smokers. Read more: http://tribune-chronicle.com/articles.asp?articleID=12159 From the 12/10/06 Wooster Daily Record: In a haze over ban Businesses check effects of new law against smoking December 10, 2006 By SARAH SKYLARK BRUCE Staff Writer WOOSTER -- Cigarettes still shone like fireflies Saturday night at Buffalo Wild Wings on Burbank Road. The reason was confusion over when the Ohio smoking ban takes effect. Buffalo Wild Wings posted a sign on its front door, stating, "Due to pending lawsuits, the statewide smoking ban is not in force until further notice." However, tha' a smokescreen, when compared to information posted on the Ohio Department of Healt' website. Read more: http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/1157721

From the 12/9/06 Ravenna Record-Courier: Smoking ban starts smoothly in Portage December 9, 2006 By Deborah Guziak Record-Courier staff writer The first day of the state-wide smoking ban went off without a hitch at many Portage businesses Thursday. "We had a lot of people go outside to smoke," said Paul Kotopka, assistant manager of Twin Star Lanes in Franklin Township said. Kotopka, who bowls in a league on Thursday night, was one of those who went outside to smoke between games. "I did' see anyone light one up (in the alley)," he said. "I think people will get use to (the smoking ban.)" At Ra' Place in Kent, owner Charlie Thomas also said there were no problems with customers wanting to smoke. As to whether the average number of customers remained the same as before the ban, Thomas said he did' know. Read more: http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/1155901 From the 12/9/06 News-Herald: Ban lights up phone lines Health departments taking complaints, answering questions about smoking law By: David W. Jones [email protected] 12/09/2006 Just as the Ohio Department of Health gets thousands of calls daily since the confusing statewide indoor business smoking ban started Thursday, the phones are also ringing off the hook at county health departments. "They're saying that the law is not being enforced, or it's smokers calling me a Nazi or saying we're the Gestapo smoke police," Lake County Health Commissioner Joel Lucia said. Mainly, Lucia said, it's people confused since the law was passed by voters Nov. 7 and then went into effect on Thursday - the same day a judge declared it unenforceable anywhere until all the rules are clearly stated. Read more: http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17570690&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=6 From the 12/9/06 Mount Vernon News: Businesses finding ways to comply with new law By Dylan McCament, News Staff Writer MOUNT VERNON — Flappers Bar and Grille on Main Street had a smoker’s party on Wednesday and gave away all the ashtrays. The state’s new smoking ban went into effect Thursday, forbidding smoking in public places and places of employment. The Ohio Department of Health has advised businesses throughout Ohio to remove their ashtrays and post signs. People will notice new no smoking signs posted at local restaurants and bars like Mazza’s, Flappers and Jake’s, as well as the absence of ashtrays. Read more: http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/06/12/09/smoking.ban.html From the 12/9/06 Steubenville Herald Star: Smoking ban rules hazy By SUMMER WALLACE-MINGER, Staff writer STEUBENVILLE — Businesses across the area are throwing out their ashtrays after the Clean Indoor Air Act, approved by voters across Ohio on Nov. 7, went into effect Thursday. Businesses and public buildings must now post signs advising employees and patrons they can’t smoke and giving a toll-free number for reports of violations, according to Patty Reda, Steubenville Health Department. Local health departments have been instructed by the state to distribute signs and educate the public about the new law, said Reda. Read more: http://www.heraldstaronline.com/articles.asp?articleID=8905

From the 12/9/06 Blade: Legal attacks on smoking bans usually fail Pattern of litigation described as fairly typical By JENNI LAIDMAN BLADE STAFF WRITER Despite the whining, the last-minute lawsuits, and the general sense of smoker indignation, chances are high that six months from now Ohio will be enforcing a smoking law, and almost everyone will be toeing the line. That's what's happened in other states where people have been told to step outside if they want to smoke. And both nonsmoking advocates and experts on tobacco litigation predict that will be the case in Ohio. "This pattern is fairly typical," said Micah L. Berman, executive director of the Tobacco Public Policy Center at Capital University in Columbus. Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061209/NEWS32/612090377/-1/NEWS From the 12/9/06 Youngstown Vindicator: Will it come to this — renting ashtrays? Some bars are following the law to "the letter," while others are following "in spirit." By KATIE LIBECCO VINDY.COM CORRESPONDENT YOUNGSTOWN — It was the first Friday night that the smoking ban in Ohio was implemented, and area bars and clubs reacted with different measures. Owners of Imbibe Martini Bar, 124 Federal Plaza West, said they didn't notice much change from a typical night, although they no longer permitted smoking inside the bar. Read more: http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/287688212718566.php From the 12/9/06 Zanesville Times Recorder: State not yet enforcing it, but ban is 'alive and well' By KATHY THOMPSON Staff Writer ZANESVILLE - While the State of Ohio has agreed not to enforce the statewide smoking ban, the law is "alive and well" and is in effect. Jennifer Hiestand, public information officer for the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department said her office has been receiving mostly calls from the public and business owners concerning the interpretation of the law and making sure they are in compliance. Read more: http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061209/NEWS01/612090303/1002/rss01 From the 12/9/06 Mansfield News Journal: Smoking ban in place, enforcement issues remain News Journal staff report COLUMBUS -- The Ohio Department of Health will not begin enforcement of a statewide indoor smoking ban until spring, but its director warned Friday there is no grace period for abiding by the new law. "Despite rumors and some news reports to the contrary, the Ohio smoking ban is alive and well," said ODH Director J. Nick Baird, M.D. Read more: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061209/NEWS01/612090317/1002/rss01

From the 12/8/06 Greenville Daily Advocate: Smoking ban ignored in bars Bob Robinson Managing Editor GREENVILLE - In one local bar, a smoking customer sits down and the bartender pulls an ashtray from under the counter and places it in front of him. In another local bar, the customer asks for a cup with about an inch of water in it... the ashtrays had been tossed that morning. According to one source, there were private clubs where no attempt was made to even pretend to abide by the smoking ban, which went into effect Thursday. Ashtrays sat in the same place as they had the day before. Business as usual. Smoking as usual. Read more: http://www.dailyadvocate.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=122622&TM=656.833 From the 12/8/06 Athens Messenger: Hocking College gets tough with tobacco Matt Gallagher Messenger staff writer NELSONVILLE - Inspired by the Ohio Smoke Free Workplace Act banning smoking in public indoor places that kicked in Thursday, the Hocking College Board of Trustees passed a tobacco ban that went a step further. The trustees banded the use of all tobacco on the entire campus, except inside private vehicles and specifically designated areas that will be decided later. These areas will include certain Inn at Hocking College rooms and places that are deemed tobacco-friendly by the college. The ban even goes so far as to bar the use of tobacco products in the woods. Outdoor classes held on Hocking College property will be completely tobacco-free, according to the new policy. "Hitler would be proud," commented Tom Hill, a trustee. Hocking College President John Light admitted the ban is strict, going further than the law required. Read more: http://athensmessenger.com/Main.asp?SectionID=1&ArticleID=2020 From the 12/8/06 Logan Daily News: Smoking ban affects Hocking truck drivers Rule designed to protect those who share rigs Melissa Cottrill of The Logan Daily News HOCKING COUNTY - Truckers who want to light up a cigarette in their cabs had better think twice. The statewide smoking ban that takes effect today includes company vehicles, with only a few exceptions. "Nobody knows exactly what it's going to do," said Dave Emerson, owner of Hocking Cartage. Hocking Cartage is a regional truckload carrier serving the Northeast and Midwest with its headquarters in Logan. Read more: http://www.logandaily.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=121787

From the 12/8/06 Urbana Daily Citizen: New smoking law? What new smoking law? Some complying, others in denial SHAUN DUNLAP Staff Writer Several local establishments were looking empty on Thursday, while others were business as usual when the statewide smoking ban went into effect. The ban, which was passed on Nov. 7, prohibits smoking in nearly all public buildings and work places including bars, restaurants and bowling alleys. Kenny and Debbie Connell, owners of K-n-D's Sports Bar and Grill in Mechanicsburg, said they usually have a significant happy hour crowd, but the smoking ban was already affecting business because only a few customers were attending the after-work event. Read more: http://www.urbanacitizen.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=142361&TM=41256.38 From the 12/8/06 Massillon Independent: Smokers take it outside By MATTHEW RINK [email protected] The signs were posted at the Alibi. The ash trays were stacked behind the counter at Smiley’s. And Bill Keinath shivered outside. If a new state law banning smoking didn’t keep Keinath from his cigarettes, the bitter wintry winds sure did. Read more: http://www.indeonline.com/index.php?ID=12380&r=2&Category=1 From the 12/8/06 News-Herald: Issue still smokin' Judge: No enforcement of smoking ban until the rules are in place By: David W. Jones [email protected] 12/08/2006 Ohio's new smoking ban won't be enforced until everybody understands what state laws they're supposed to obey, a judge ruled late Thursday afternoon. Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard J. Frye made the ruling in response to a lawsuit filed by the Ohio Licensed Beverage Dealers Association. Association President Kathy Bean owns the Petticoat Junction restaurant and bar in Mentor. She could not be reached for comment Thursday. In a "consent decree," the beverage dealers and Ohio Department of Health mutually agreed to comply after the association filed a request for a temporary restraining order to halt the law. "Specifically," the judge wrote, "ODH shall not make findings of violation, issue warning letters or assess/impose civil fines upon any business, organization, proprietor, employers, employee or individual who is alleged to or has violated" the new ban. The state agency and county health departments cannot enforce the voter-approved new law "until such time" as the ODH director decides the rule, the judge wrote. State health officials have said that clarifying exact aspects of the new state law might take up to six months. Read more: Staff Writer Sandra M. Klepach contributed to this report. http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17565763&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=6 From the 12/8/06 Times-Reporter: Confusion rules on first day of smoking ban By KYLE KONDIK, T-R Staff Writer Before the implementation of Ohio’s statewide indoor smoking ban Thursday, Dover’s Best Friends Bakery had a smokeless environment any anti-smoking advocate would applaud. Read more: http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=61716&r=2&Category=1

From the 12/8/06 Lima News: Smoking ban won’t be enforced, yet BY KIMBERLY R. SIMMONS - Dec. 8, 2006 LIMA — Thursday began as the first day of a smoking ban in public places. By afternoon, attorneys for the state and a trade group had agreed to put enforcement of the law on hold until details and specifics are worked out. Read more: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=32928 From the 12/8/06 Medina Gazette: Barmaid gets jump on new smoking ban, quits 5 weeks early By KATIE KHOURY Staff Writer MEDINA — Pixie Stutts didn't wait for Ohio's new smoking ban to take effect. Stutts, a bartender at the Roadside Inn in Lafayette Township, said she became a nonsmoker "as of the election." "My take on it was that once they passed the no-smoking law, not only were customers going to be grumpy, so were the barmaids," she said. "So I figured if I stopped smoking five weeks ago, I'd be the pleasant one when everyone else was grumpy because they couldn't have a cigarette." Read more: http://www.medina-gazette.com/Articles.asp?num=59477489 From the 12/8/06 Miami Student: Ohio enacts statewide smoking ban Policy requires business owners to remove ashtrays, post signs Claudia Auger Issue date: 12/8/06 Section: Front Page On Wednesday evening, Miami University senior Tim Yaczo lit a cigarette outside of Balcony, perhaps foreshadowing many more outdoor cigarette breaks to come. Thursday, Ohio enacted Issue 5, The Smoke Free Workplace Act supported by SmokeFree Ohio, which was passed in the November election. The new law places a ban on smoking in indoor public places in the state of Ohio. Read more: http://www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2006/12/08/FrontPage/Ohio-Enacts.Statewide.Smoking.Ban-2529166.shtml?norewrite200612210112&sourcedomain=www.miamistudent.net From the 12/8/06 Washington Court House Record Herald: Companies comply with ban Customers adjusting to end of smoking in public places Ryan Carter Staff Writer Everyone may not like it, but the statewide smoking ban is here and the effects of the new law were evident in Washington C.H. on Thursday. "I've noticed the signs up on all the restaurants," said Jerry Minor of Washington C.H. "It looks like everyone is pretty serious about this new law. I've been trying to quit smoking, so this may help me." Read more: http://www.recordherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=126926&TM=41208.72

From the 12/8/06 Canton Repository: Restaurants, smokers adjust as ban begins By LORI MONSEWICZ REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER CANTON Peanuts and toothpicks replaced ashtrays at Walther’s Cafe on Thursday and waitresses were no longer asking, “Smoking or nonsmoking?” before seating customers. Barmaid Cindy Bowman said her usually smoking customers who are now prohibited by the state’s new law banning smoking in public places are “handling it pretty good.” Read more: http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=323634 From the 12/8/06 Warren Tribune Chronicle: Smoke signals differ From staff / wire reports Smokers facing public bans on their vice still may be able to smoke in public, depending on how a new legal challenge to the law fares as it works its way through the court system. Attorneys representing a trade group that filed a lawsuit trying to block Ohio’s new smoking ban agreed Thursday to put their lawsuit on hold in exchange for assurance by the state that it would not enforce the ban until the law’s rules are in place, something not likely to happen before May 2007. Read more: http://tribune-chronicle.com/articles.asp?articleID=12094 From the 12/8/06 Lorain Morning Journal: First night of no smoking leaves some fans out in the cold MEGAN KING, Morning Journal Writer 12/08/2006 AVON LAKE -- The Steelers may have smoked the Browns at Heinz Field last night, but no smoking was allowed in bars where Lorain County residents gathered to watch the game. Yesterday marked the first day of smoke free bars, restaurants and other public places in Ohio because Issue 5, a smoking ban passed by almost 60 percent of the voters statewide last month, went into effect. Read more: http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17566140&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6 From the 12/8/06 Zanesville Times Recorder: Smoking ban still elicits mixed feelings Staff Report Born Sianjina, boys' soccer coach at River View High School, is glad Ohio's new smoking ban went into effect Thursday. Working with young people enables him to see some of the effects smoking has on health. "If a kid smokes, you can tell, they don't have the endurance they should," he said. A nonsmoker, Sianjina said smoking doesn't just affect the smoker. Read more: http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/NEWS01/612080316/1002/rss01

From the 12/8/06 PD: Teams, arenas adjusting to smoking ban Friday, December 08, 2006 Harlan Spector Plain Dealer Reporter The Indians said Thursday that the team will ban smoking in luxury suites and other designated areas of Jacobs Field to comply with a new state law approved by voters. Smoking has been prohibited in seating areas of the ballpark since it opened in 1994. The SmokeFree Ohio law that took effect Thursday requires the team to eliminate smoking in several designated areas as well as the Club Lounge and Terrace Club restaurant, Indians spokesman Bob DiBiasio said. Team officials considered creating corralled smoking areas outside the ballpark, which would allow fans to exit and re-enter, he said. But the Indians determined that outside areas would violate the law, which says patios must have a partition that prevents smoke from migrating indoors. Read more: [http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1165570373326570.xml&coll=2 From the 12/8/06 Dispatch: Smoking ban put on hold Deal means law might not be enforced until June Friday, December 08, 2006 Bill Bush and Matt Tullis THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The state of Ohio acknowledged yesterday that it can’t enforce a statewide smoking ban until rules and regulations are drafted sometime next year. The smoking ban, which was approved by Ohio voters in the November election, officially took effect yesterday. Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/08/20061208-A1-04.html From the 12/8/06 Blade: Bar owners wait to see if smokers stay Many fear state ban will drive customers to Michigan clubs By CLYDE HUGHES BLADE STAFF WRITER Xenios Xenofontos looked around his bar with a handful of customers yesterday afternoon and worried who would show up last night and who would opt to drink - and smoke - in Michigan. Mr. Xenofontos, the owner of the Good Times Sports Bar & Grill, at 5119 Jackman Rd., faced the same dilemma every bar owner around Ohio faced yesterday during the first hours of the state-enforced smoking ban. Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061208/NEWS24/612080375/-1/NEWS From the 12/8/06 DDN: Bars, restaurants, patrons adjust to Ohio's smoking ban Said one casual smoker: 'I'm not worried about it. I'm kinda glad. I don't like all that smoke.' By Anthony Gottschlich Staff Writer Friday, December 08, 2006 DAYTON — In the "old" days, a haze of blue smoke would greet patrons as they entered the Moraine Embassy bar and restaurant downtown. But old smoky was just a memory here Thursday, the first day for Ohio's strict new Smoke-Free law that bans smoking in most indoor public places and workplaces, including bars, restaurants, bingo halls and bowling alleys. "The heaviest smokers didn't come," server Kathy Thompson said shortly after the lunch rush. "I've got two ladies that come in — they smoke 10 to 14 cigarettes an hour. They weren't here." Read more: http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/07/ddn120806smokingfolo.html From the 12/8/06 ABJ: Out on their butts :roll: Smokers brave the elements as new ban takes effect Beacon Journal staff report Ohio voters decided in November 3-to-2 to outlaw smoking in virtually all public places. Members of Akron's VFW Post 3383 decided to take their own vote over whether the club should comply with the new law. Read more: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/16192798.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

From BG News, 12/7/06: Bar owners unhappy over ban By: Kara Ohngren Issue date: 12/7/06 Section: Campus Local bar owners are unhappy. Earlier this fall, 58 percent of voters passed ballot Issue 5 which will ban smoking in all "public places" and "places of employment" beginning today - this naturally includes bars. Bob Everhart, owner of Ziggy Zoomba's Bar and Grill on East Wooster Street, said he thinks the new law is "stupid" and is disappointed that voters adopted an issue that doesn't directly affect them. Read more: http://www.stateronline.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2006/12/07/News/Public.Smoking.Ban.Takes.Effect.Today-2526851.shtml?norewrite200612210052&sourcedomain=www.stateronline.com From the 12/7/06 (YSU) Jambar: Students react to smoking ban at YSU Justin Charles Hite Issue date: 12/7/06 Section: pageone Youngstown State University students received an e-mail from Manager of News and Information Services Ron Cole on Wednesday regarding the university's new rules against smoking, Beginning today, a law banning smoking goes into effect. The new law prohibits smoking in public buildings and smoking in spaces immediately adjacent to building entrances. YSU, which already prohibits smoking in buildings, is extending the smoking ban to the entire campus. However, Cole's e-mail stated that the university will consider establishing two areas on the campus core where smoking can occur. Read more: http://www.thejambar.com/media/storage/paper324/news/2006/12/07/Pageone/Students.React.To.Smoking.Ban.At.Ysu-2527731.shtml?norewrite200612210052&sourcedomain=www.thejambar.com From the 12/7/06 (OU) Post: Statewide ban snuffs out public smoking Justin Thompson / Associate Editor / [email protected] Kantele Franko / City Editor / [email protected] Although the official system of enforcement will not be in place until June, the public smoking ban passed by Ohio voters officially took effect today, leaving many of the state's roughly 2 million adult smokers feeling burned. The statewide law, which 62 percent of Athens County voters supported, nullifies the city of Athens' Clean Indoor Air Ordinance, said city Code Enforcement Director Steve Pierson, whose office handled complaints related to the ordinance. That set of regulations, approved more than 15 years ago, prohibits smoking in some public places, such as public transportation, Read more: http://thepost.baker.ohiou.edu/articles/2006/12/07/news/16086.html

From the 12/7/06 Ironton Tribune: Statewide smoking ban starts today By Kirsten Stanley/The Ironton Tribune Thursday, December 7, 2006 10:13 AM CST If you’re a smoker and plan to go out today, make sure you don’t plan on lighting up. A statewide law nixing smoking in most public places is now in effect. Read more: http://www.delphosherald.com/page2.php?story=12129&archive=

From the 12/7/06 Port Clinton News Herald: Smoker says he'll be doing a lot of sneaking By DAN DEARTH Staff writer PORT CLINTON -- Rick Renwand said bar patrons will find a way to get around the state's smoking ban once it takes effect today. The ban was approved by 58 percent of voters on election day last month and encompasses nearly all work places and public buildings. Exceptions include tobacco shops, designated hotel rooms and enclosed areas of nursing homes. Read more: http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/NEWS01/612070302/1002/rss01 From the 12/7/06 Defiance Crescent-News: Smokers must now take their butts outside :roll: December 7, 2006 By JARED ORZOLEK [email protected] NAPOLEON -- Area tobacco users enjoyed their last legal cigarettes inside local bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and places of employment on Wednesday as the Smoke Free Ohio ban kicked in at 12:01 a.m. today. Smoke Free Ohio, which is the result of a statewide ballot issue approved by 58 percent of voters in the Nov. 7 general election, prohibits smoking in most public places and places of employment. Private residences are exempt from the ban, along with designated hotel rooms and certain outdoor patios. Read more: http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/1150401 From the 12/7/06 Xenia Daily Gazette: Smoking ban begins By Rainey Howarth and Aaron Keith Harris Staff Writers XENIA -- Business owners aren't the only ones uncertain about how to comply with the strict statewide smoking ban that takes effect today, 30 days after being approved by 58 percent of voters. Local health officials are awaiting regulations and enforcement guidelines from the Ohio Department of Health, which has six months to set specific statewide policies. Read more: http://www.xeniagazette.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=153201&TM=41498.5 From the 12/7/06 News-Herald: Clouds of smoke and confusion still not clear 'No Smoking' signs in demand By: Brandon C. Baker [email protected] 12/07/2006 Ever since Nov. 7 when voters passed Issue 5, Ohio's ban against smoking in public places, conversations have lit up across the state. Today's ban will prohibit smoking in all places of employment. Business owners' preparation, or lack thereof, will be tested on its first day in effect. "The only thing we can do is follow the law and pull out all of the ashtrays, which is a terrible thing in a free country," said Steve Pilic, owner of Willowick Restaurant and Lounge. "It should be a choice of the owner and they are taking the freedom away from us." Read more: http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17560602&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=6

From the 12/7/06 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Smoking ban starts today Opinions on the ban run the gamut By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA The Eagle-Gazette Staff [email protected] LANCASTER - Ashtrays no longer adorn the tables at Pink Cricket's or any other restaurant and bar across the state - or at least that should be the case. Paul Hoch, Pink Cricket's owner, is complying with the state's Smoke Free Workplace Act, which became law today. Hoch, who was interviewed at his restaurant/bar during lunchtime Wednesday, didn't look forward to removing the ashtrays and posting a "No Smoking" sign at his front entrance. Read more: http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/NEWS01/612070301/1002/rss01 From the 12/7/06 Western Star: Smoking in public ends today in Ohio Ohio says those who puff had better go poof in places open to the public. There are exceptions to the law. Wednesday, December 06, 2006 By Tom Beyerlein Staff Writer The American Indians did it. Christopher Columbus and his crew did it. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall did it, too. But starting today, if you do it in a public place in Ohio, you'll be breaking the law. Ohio's stringent new smoking ban, approved as Issue 5 by voters on Nov. 7, has taken effect. Unless you're firing up some incense for a religious ceremony, you'd best not ignite any tobacco products in most buildings other than private residences and some private clubs. Read more: http://www.western-star.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/06/ws120706puff.html From the 12/7/06 Chillicothe Gazette: Today's smoke-free Local businesses prepare for a new public smoking law By LOREN GENSON Gazette Staff Writer Today marks the official start of a smoke-free Ohio. The Smoke-free Workplace Act begins today - one month after 58 percent of Ohio voters passed a referendum to ban smoking in all public buildings, bars and restaurants. The referendum goes into effect today, but some of the rules have yet to be ironed out, said Rami Yoakum, a spokesman for the Ross County Health District. Read more: http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/NEWS01/612070313/1002/rss01 From the 12/7/06 Sandusky Register: Ready to fight for right to light By CHAUNCEY ALCORN | Wednesday December 06 2006, 2:31pm SANDUSKY Employers and businesses throughout the Sandusky area are replacing ashtrays with no-smoking signs today as the new statewide smoking ban goes into affect. While some take the new law in stride, others plan to fight against a law they believe is discriminating and will hurt their business. Some area businesses have already started to comply with the ban. Read more: http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2006/12/07/front/92910.txt

From the 12/7/06 Lima News: Smoking ban begins today BY KIMBERLY R. SIMMONS - Dec. 7, 2006 LIMA — Many establishments in the region are set to comply with a new state law banning smoking in businesses that goes into effect today. But Wednesday, on their last day to smoke at some of their favorite locations, some customers were not happy. Read more: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=32894 From the 12/7/06 Findlay Courier: Ohio goes smoke free today By JOHN GRABER STAFF WRITER Put 'em out, if you've got 'em. Issue 5, which prohibits smoking in most of Ohio's indoor public places, goes into effect today. Read more: http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2006/Dec/ar_news_120706.asp#story2 From the 12/7/06 Wilmington News Journal: Health right or civil rights fight? Rachel Colliver Staff Writer The bars in Clinton County and indeed around Ohio were a little bit more busy Wednesday than usual. The smoking ban voted into law Nov. 7 goes into effect today and smokers at MacD's Pub said they were taking advantage of the last night they could legally smoke in an Ohio bar. Read more: http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=49&SubSectionID=156&ArticleID=151632 From the 12/7/06 Bucyrus Telegraph Forum: Ohio smoking ban begins New law means lots of changes By Kimberly Gasuras Telegraph-Forum staff BUCYRUS -- Even though Greg Ten Eyck quit smoking cold turkey years ago, he does not care one way or another about the smoking ban that goes into effect today at all businesses. "It doesn't matter to me if I go to a restaurant and people are smoking or not. I do not see why the law was needed," Ten Eyck said Wednesday. Thomas Oberlander II wonders where our government is heading. Read more: http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/NEWS01/612070304/1002/rss01

From the 12/7/06 Canton Repository: Ban on smoking goes into effect today By G. PATRICK KELLEY REPOSITORY BUSINESS EDITOR A lot of smokers appeared to be resigned - or even grateful - on the eve of the state's ban on smoking in public buildings. State Issue 5, approved by voters in November, takes effect today. It prohibits smoking in all buildings other than private homes, tobacco shops, designated hotel rooms, some family-operated businesses and private clubs and enclosed areas in nursing homes. "I don't mind it. I need to quit anyway," said Chris Jacobs of Canton. The 25-year-old was playing pool Wednesday at Fiddlestix Billiards Cafe in Jackson Township and said he has been smoking for about six years. Read more: http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=9&ID=323465&r=6&subCategoryID= From the 12/7/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Area businesses concerned as smoking ban starts By Lindsey Hilty and Matt Cunningham Staff Writers Thursday, December 07, 2006 FAIRFIELD — Gilmore Bowling Lanes will be smoke free today when The Smoke Free Workplace Act goes into effect. "It's all new to us and we're hoping for the best," said Chuck Edmonson. "I'm concerned, but I kind of make a habit of only worrying about things I can control." Read more: http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/06/hjn120706smoking.html From the 12/7/06 Middletown Journal: If you got 'em, don't smoke 'em Smoking ban begins today By Christopher Magan Staff Writer Thursday, December 07, 2006 If you're smoking in a public place today and you're not on fire, then you're probably breaking the law. Enforcement of the Smoke-Free Workplace Act, approved by voters last month, still has to be worked out. But owners of restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and most other places where Ohioans are used to lighting up must remove ash trays and prohibit smoking starting today. Read more: Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2845 or [email protected] http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/07/mj120706buttsout.html From the 12/7/06 Springfield News-Sun: Smokers mourn as they light up for the last time in local taverns Bar worker fears new law could be the end of the business. By Justin Thompson Staff Writer Thursday, December 07, 2006 As the clock neared the no-smoking deadline Wednesday night, patrons of Donahue's Tavern on Springfield- Xenia Road puffed their cigarettes for one last time in a smoky bar. Read more: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/06/sns120706smoking.html