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Olathe authorities have identified James W. Marconet as the man who died in Saturday night's duplex fire.
Marconet, 74, died from injuries he suffered in a fire caused by smoking while using home medical oxygen.
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Supporters of a petition drive to overturn a smoking ban adopted by the Topeka City Council have begun offering a Web site at topekansagainsttheban.com, said Topekan Gail Trembley, one of the drive's organizers.
Petitions can't be signed on the site, though it can be used to download petitions or donate money to the effort.
The Web site indicated Sunday that 1,609 people had signed the petition as part of an effort to repeal the council's decision in a 6-3 vote on Sept. 30 to ban public smoking indoors and at places of employment.
You can follow the smoking petition online now, the opponents have a web site dedicated to their cause at http://topekansagainsttheban.com.
75-year-old man critically injured in an Olathe duplex fire Saturday night as died from his injuries. When Olathe firefighters arrived at the duplex on Jan-Mar Drive in Olathe they were expecting a medical emergency, not a fire. . . .
"They believe he was smoking while he was wearing oxygen for a previous medical condition," said Keiter.
Emergency works said the victim had burns on 98 percent of his body. The man died Sunday from his injuries and firefighters said it's a tragic lesson others should take to heart.
"People who are on oxygen are probably on oxygen because of their history of smoking," said Keiter. "It's a hard habit to break, and they just don't realize the danger they put themselves into smoking and being on oxygen at the same time."
A petition aimed at snuffing out Topeka's smoking ban is making progress, according to its backers.
Andrew Gray of the Libertarian Party, which is sponsoring the petition, said today it has 1,500 to 2,000 signatures. He says petition-backers hope to get a more accurate count when they meet Monday night.
They need 5,744
Sen. David Wysong (R-Mission Hills) has been trying to pass a statewide smoking ban for the past three years. Recently, Wysong has asked the Board of Regents to back his efforts. . . .
As an asthmatic, secondhand smoke is especially harmful to me. . . .
The smoking ban in Lawrence has had obvious positive effects on students. I have appreciated breathing cleaner air as a result of the ban. Gov. Mark Parkinson has said that he will make a statewide smoking ban one of his top priorities.
Consequently, students, faculty and other members of the KU community should urge the Regents to also support a statewide smoking ban. Although people do have a right to endanger their personal health by smoking cigarettes, students, employees and other citizens also have a right to breathe clean air and not contract illnesses and diseases caused by secondhand smoke.
Organizers of the smoking petition are collecting signatures. On Sunday, they say they collected about 500 signatures. Organizers say about half of the people who have signed the petition are non-smokers.
The petition needs 5,744 signatures from people who are registered to vote in the city of Topeka. The petition must propose an alternate ordinance.
The Topeka City Council then has the option to adopt the ordinance or put it to public vote within 90 days.
The ordinance that passed, banning smoking in most public places including bars and restaurants, is scheduled to take effect December 4th.
Supporters of a petition drive to overturn the smoking ban the Topeka City Council approved last month released a list Saturday of 14 businesses that have volunteered to make copies of the petition available for the public to sign. . . .
Trembley said the Boobie Trap will host a petition signing party from 8 p.m. to midnight Wednesday.
The petition drive comes after the Topeka City Council voted Sept. 30 to ban public smoking indoors and at places of employment. Exceptions are to be in retail tobacco stores; outdoor places of employment; locations the measure defines as "private places"; private residences, except when used as a child care, adult day care or health care facility; and no more than 20 percent of hotel or motel rooms that are available to be rented to guests. The ban will go into effect Dec. 4.
A group of bars have agreed to post her petition against the measure.
A list is below shows all of the bars participating -- remember only registered voters who live within Topeka city limits can sign it.
The following 14 businesses have copies of the smoking ban petition:
The 20's Bar, 2910 S.W. Oakley Ave.
Skinny's Sports Bar & Grill, 4016 S.W. Huntoon
Those working to make a smoking ban for Topeka go up in smoke hope to have wording set on their petition Tuesday.
Gail Trembley is leading the effort, with support from the Libertarian party.
Trembley says her original wording didn't meet approval from officials, so she's created a new petition, which she'll have reviewed Tuesday. The Columbus Day holiday prevented her from doing so Monday.
Topekan Gail Trembley, who doesn't own a business but described herself as a "fed-up private citizen," said Thursday she was starting a petition drive to reverse the smoking ban the Topeka City Council approved Tuesday.
Trembley, a smoker, said she had received a copy of the ordinance, talked to city officials and prepared a petition she thinks fulfills the requirements to force a ballot question vote.
"I would like to have it go back to the ban we had prior to this one, where owners could use their own discretion whether to allow or not to allow smoking," she said. "I think that was fair enough, well, with one exception -- I have wanted employers to have a separate smoking area that was protected from the environment. I think it is cruel to make smokers go outside in the elements."
Trembley, who described herself as disabled and doesn't work, asked registered voters who live in Topeka and would like to sign her petition to contact her at southerndrawlcountry@yahoo.com or by cell phone at (785) 220-9037.
Smoking indoors has been banned in Emporia for six months. (Keith Miles)
The Topeka smoking ban will go into effect Friday, December 4th.
However, many towns in northeast Kansas have had similar restrictions for months or even years.
Emporia instated a ban on indoor smoking in April.
One bar owner there says year to date, business is down between 35 and 45 percent.
A smoking ban ordinance approved by the Topeka City Council will take effect apparently on Dec. 4, Shawnee County Election Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley said Thursday.
The council voted 6-3 Tuesday to amend city rules by banning public smoking indoors and at places of employment, except in retail tobacco stores; outdoor places of employment; private places; private residences, except when used as a child care, adult day care or health care facility; and no more than 20 percent of hotel or motel rooms that are available to be rented to guests.
Assistant city attorney Braxton Copley said the measure is to take effect after notice of its passage has been published in the official city newspaper, which is the Topeka Metro News, and a subsequent 60-day period has passed.
Ensley said Thursday she'd been informed by the city clerk's office that the ordinance would be published Oct. 5, meaning the 60-day period would end and it would take effect Dec. 4.
Attachments / click to download Ordinance