Email
Password
(Forgot Password?)
In a 4-3 vote the proposed smoking ordinance in Prattville failed to pass at Tuesday's city council meeting.
Councilman Tom Miller and Council President Dean Argo wanted to ban employees and customers younger than 19 years old from smoking in restaurants. Some business owners feared they would lose employees if the ordinance passed.
Jump to full article »
During the debate about overhauling health care, we've heard very little talk about some of the main reasons we end up in the doctors office.
Today, the United Health Foundation releases its 20th annual report ranking America's health, and Tennessee, Georgia, & Alabama appear near the bottom.
Tennessee ranks 44th due to obesity and smoking.� Georgia ranks 43rd due to the number of residents with infectious diseases.� While Alabama made the list at 48th because of obesity and air pollution.
A special committee expected to review Decatur’s two-year-old ordinance that bans smoking in public places is up to three of its planned five members.
But the ad hoc group still had not scheduled its first meeting as of Friday, and two city councilmen have said they will not make appointments to it.
Council President Greg Reeves confirmed Friday he had appointed Ted Whittington to represent his district on the committee.
Blowing smoke and flipping cigarette butts in Morgan County parks will end soon.
The County Commission plans to adopt a resolution in two weeks to ban smoking at its four parks.
Hartselle’s council discussed such a prohibition but never followed through. Decatur prohibits smoking at playgrounds and outdoor seating areas. It banned smoking in all public buildings and businesses in August 2007.
The commission held a special work session Thursday to discuss coordinators for parks and ended up with a consensus to do away with smoking at the public facilities.
District 1 Commissioner Jeff Clark said he already forbids smoking inside North Park in his district.
“I have a sign up that prohibits smoking once they enter the inside of the fence at the park and I have a designated area for them to smoke,” Clark said.
District 2 Commissioner Ken Livingston said people have complained about tobacco chewing and snuff dipping.
“I’ve had people complain about the smoking, but then I’ve had people talk about ‘nasty’ spitting of tobacco,” Livingston said.
A proposed amendment to Prattville’s current smoking ordinance was discussed Monday night in a public hearing held at City Hall. If the amendment passes, it would make it illegal for anyone under 19 years old to enter or work in a smoking establishment.
Jose Perez, owner of Jose’s Mexican restaurant, spoke in opposition of the amendment.
“I will lose all of my customers to Millbrook because they do not have the smoking ordinance,” Perez said at the podium. “I also would lose six employees who are under 19.”
Blue Iguana General Manager, Chris Zinn, also opposes the amendment to the ordinance.
Restaurant owners and residents addressed the Prattville City Council on Monday night concerning a proposed change to the city's smoking ordinance.
Councilmen Dean Argo and Tom Miller are backing the proposal, which would ban customers and employees younger than 19 from restaurants that allow smoking.
Jose Perez, owner of Jose's Cantina, told that council that the proposed change would hurt his business.
Perez operates the only restaurant in town that allows both smoking and non-smoking. By city code, the two areas must be separated by a physical barrier, and each side must be served by its own air-conditioning unit.
"About 40 percent of my business comes from that side," Perez said of the smoking side of his restaurant. "The economy is slow. If you do this, that business will go to Millbrook, and Prattville won't get the revenue."
To comply with the mandate passed in 2003, Jose's Cantina owner Jose Perez spent $50,000 to have it both ways; one side for smokers, the other side for non-smokers, both sections separated by a wall, complete with their own ventilation systems and bathrooms.
"It's not fair,' said Perez.
'Not fair' what the Prattville City Council might do. Change the current ordinance that would bar customers and employees younger than 19 years old from smoking in restaurants. Perez says he would have to immediately lay off 7 of his 19 workers if the proposal passes and that's not all. Perez estimates he'll lose about 40% of his business as well.
As the official sponsor of birthdays, the American Cancer Society marks the 34th Great American Smokeout on November 19 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day.
By doing so, smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk and creating more birthdays. Researchers say that quitting smoking can increase life expectancy – smokers who quit at age 35 gain an average of eight years of life expectancy; those who quit at age 55 gain about five years; and even long term smokers who quit at 65 gain three years.
The American Cancer Society has resources available to help smokers begin their journey towards quitting and staying well, including free help from trained counselors through the organization’s Quitline� (1-800-227-2345).
Some members of the Decatur City Council still fail to understand the reason behind the smoking ban: Reducing second-hand smoke in public places allows the citizens of Decatur to live longer. Period.
The idea that a business owner “has a right to choose” completely misses the point that a smoking ban protects not just customers, but also employees. While businesses have tried for years (usually unsuccessfully) to segregate smokers and non-smokers, no businesses try to protect their nonsmoking employees from smoking customers. . . .
I am proud to be a citizen of Decatur and proud that we have an anti-smoking policy that is both progressive and enlightened. The current smoking ban shows the world that our city takes seriously the concept of encouraging a healthy lifestyle for all its citizens. Why would we feel the need to imitate the smoking policies from Huntsville or Florence, when those policies are flawed?
Our city leaders should avoid the political expediency of reverting to policies that will endanger the health and well-being of our community.
Chad Smith's new tavern is a little different from his competition. It's a little less smoky.
Smith banned smoking inside the bar completely.
'I think the town is moving in that direction,' said Smith, owner of the Alcove International Tavern, which opened about two months ago at 730 22nd Ave. 'I think in three to four years, all taverns will be non-smoking, because that seems to be the trend.'
In 2003, a state law banned smoking in hospitals, schools, most retail businesses, elevators, buses and taxis, and several Alabama municipalities have enacted smoking bans that are even more restrictive.
TUSCALOOSA * When Chad Smith opened a new tavern, he made it different from his competition by banning smoking inside.
"I think the town is moving in that direction," said Smith, owner of the Alcove International Tavern, which opened about two months ago at 730 22nd Ave. "I think in three to four years, all taverns will be non-smoking, because that seems to be the trend."
Tuscaloosa's ban of smoking in public places exempts bars that don't serve food. In bars within establishments serving food, smoking is allowed after 10 p.m.
But Smith said he deliberately went further by opening a smoke-free, drinks-only tavern. He said the response from customers has been positive.
Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital - Administrators at Coffee Health Group have agreed to open the park across the street from Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital emergency room for smokers.
The decision was made during Monday's board meeting and comes in response to complaints by residents who live in homes that border the hospital to the south.
Coffee facilities became smoke free Oct. 1 in response to a Florence city ordinance that bans smoking in all public buildings and on public property. Coffee Health Group includes ECM Hospital and ECM East in Florence and Shoals Hospital in Muscle Shoals.
Bridges Crawford, who lives near ECM, had complained that smokers were making their way across Alabama Street and up Water Avenue to smoke near homes in the Rivermont subdivision.
Health advocates have received some ammunition in their arguments for more comprehensive anti-smoking legislation in the Shoals.
The nationally-renowned Institute of Medicine released a report, based on nearly a dozen studies from across the United States, Canada, Italy and Scotland, that says smoking bans decrease the risk of heart attacks. . . .
Florence just completed its first month under a smoking ordinance, which required owners to choose between designating their restaurant as entirely smoking or nonsmoking.
And while it's too early to determine its health imprint, business owners already have noticed where it impacts them the most - their wallets.
Initial observations seem to affirm Frieden's belief.
"Business has gotten a little better,"
Administrators at Coffee Health Group have agreed to open the park across the street from Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital emergency room for smokers.
Bridges Crawford who lives near ECM had complained that smokers were making their way across Alabama Street and up Water Avenue to smoke near homes in Rivermont subdivision.
My husband, twin 5-year-old girls and I happened by the Renaissance Faire in Wilson Park and thought since the smoking ban went into effect we might actually get to enjoy some of the activities in the park this time. The last time we ventured out to an event in the park we had to leave with two crying children because of all the smokers mixing in with the crowd. We wrongly assumed that since the law had gone into effect that people might actually observe it and show some consideration for others who might not want to smoke their cigarettes with them. . . .
My children were excited to go and confused when they saw smokers ignoring the ban, and I think it is pretty sad when children comment about people breaking laws and being inconsiderate, and the adults breaking the law apparently don't care about the people around them.