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Omaha Time Capsule: Cigarette tax stamps here  

What happened in the Midlands on this day? Here's a sampling from the World-Herald archives.

CIGARETTE TAX STAMPS HERE

Feb. 7, 1946: Four million cigarette tax stamps arrived at the City Hall. Finance Commissioner Carl Jensen and Comptroller Charles Stenicka announced, "Cigarette tax stamps are now on sale." The 2-cent-per-package question, however, was: Would the stamps make their debut in Omaha February 15th as scheduled? Messrs Jensen and Stenicka said there was nothing at present to prevent the proposed tax from going into effect. In the week to come, however, there was to be a court hearing on whether the city should be prevented from placing the tax in effect.

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Grant Housing achieves smoke free designation 

Grant Housing Agency has achieved Smoke Free designation on a majority of their buildings.

Housing Director Debbie Barkley has worked diligently to provide this opportunity for tenants with the goal of 100 percent apartments smoke free in the future.

“Through education from Smoke Free Nebraska, they have emphasized that secondhand smoke migrates,” states Debbie. Air quality studies in apartment buildings show that anywhere from five percent to 60 percent of the air in an apartment unit moves to other units in the building. Contrary to popular belief, secondhand smoke cannot be controlled by ventilation or air cleaning.

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VIDEO: Update: Controversial Smoking Shelter Under Review 

The smoke of controversy still hasn't cleared from an outdoor shelter built with taxpayer money where smokers in a Douglas County housing community must go to light up. A few residents don't like the location and took their concerns to the Housing Authority Board. Fact Finders first reported the dispute and has this update.

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VIDEO: Non-Smoker Raises Issues with Smoking Shelter 

People in an Omaha apartment complex are getting all fired up. They say a new smoking station violates their rights.

They first took their fight to the county board, but Friday the women went straight to the source of the problem.

It's an issue that smokers and non-smokers want extinguished. It's a difficult walk Michaelle Daverkow makes 10 times a day.

"If I have to keep walking out to this while I'm trying to get myself healed, I'm going to need a chair to be able to get there." . . .

"Smoking cigarettes is my only vice. I don't take the pain pills because they don't work and because they don't allow me to be an affective parent.

The Douglas County Housing Authority say it's trying to keep Woodgate smoke free. That is why it banned smoking indoors.

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Housing agencies, landlords go smoke free  

McCook, Nebraska -- Nine housing agencies and five multi-unit landlords have achieved smoke free designation for their buildings. Housing directors and landlords have worked diligently to provide this opportunity for tenants, according to officials

"Through education from Smoke Free Nebraska, they have emphasized that secondhand smoke migrates," said Teresa Massey, Cambridge Housing Director.

Air quality studies in apartment buildings show that anywhere from 5 to 60 percent of the air in an apartment unit moves to other units in the building. Contrary to popular belief, secondhand smoke cannot be controlled by ventilation or air cleaning.

"These directors and landlords are to be congratulated for this step to protect tenants, especially children, from the effects of secondhand smoke," said Denise Ringenberg, Health Educator at Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department.

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'Smoking Station' At Apartment Complex Frustrates Resident  

A new law that bans smoking inside all Douglas County Housing Authority apartments has some residents fuming.

The law took effect Jan. 1, but the change has made one woman so frustrated, she burst into tears at Tuesday's Douglas County Board meeting as she pleaded for help.

Shelagh Smith and her daughter both have asthma. She said with the new designated smoking spot at their complex, she can't even open her window without breathing cigarette smoke.

A smoking station was designated about 25 feet from Smith's front door. It's the only place for residents in her complex to light up.

Smith said she foresees a summer of closed windows and doors, which is her only option for keeping the smoke out. Even smokers said they feel bad.

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New Smoking Shelter Has Nearby Resident Fuming 

A no smoking policy starting this month has tenants of a Douglas County Housing Authority community going outside and away from their subsidized town homes.

As a compromise an open air smoking shelter has recently been built. Its the only area of the town home community where smoking is allowed.

However it’s about 20-30 feet from the bedroom windows of Shelagh Smiths rented town home. Smith said, “I think it will come in and that’s going to keep us from opening the windows when it’s nice outside or sitting on our front patio.”

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Wauneta Housing Authority achieves smoke-free designation 

Wauneta Housing Authority has achieved smoke-free designation on their three buildings. Housing Director Leanne Hunt maintains this opportunity for tenants to be in a 100 percent smoke-free building with the approval of her board of directors.

“Through education from Smoke Free Nebraska, they have emphasized that secondhand smoke migrates,” states Leanne.

Air quality studies in apartment buildings show that anywhere from 5 percent to 60 percent of the air in an apartment unit moves to other units in the building. Contrary to popular belief, secondhand smoke cannot be controlled by ventilation or air cleaning.

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The better choice for everyone — smoke free housing 

Housing that is smoke free is preferred by tenants and often they are willing to pay more in order to be in a building where others aren't smoking.

Just one person smoking in a building can cause secondhand smoke, which is the combination of smoke exhaled by a smoker and the smoke from a burning cigarette, pipe, or cigar.

This combination is dangerous for both the smoker and the non-smoker.

The benefits of a building being smoke free are many: Improves the quality of the air - Cigarette smoke travels throughout a building.

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Imperial Housing Authority achieves smoke-free designation 

Imperial Housing Agency recently achieved smoke-free designation on a majority of their buildings. Housing Director Julie Gockley has worked to provide this opportunity for tenants, especially having an entire complex smoke free.

“Through education from Smoke Free Nebraska, they have emphasized that secondhand smoke migrates,” states Gockley.

Air quality studies in apartment buildings show that anywhere from five percent to 60 percent of the air in an apartment unit moves to other units in the building. Contrary to popular belief, second-hand smoke cannot be controlled by ventilation or air cleaning.

“Imperial is to be congratulated for this step to protect tenants, especially children, from the effects of second-hand smoke,” said Denise Ringenberg, health educator at Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department.

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Smoking cessation program tailored to Natives 

"You smell the smoke, and you start getting the cravings," said Leach, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. "I don't think I could just stop now like I used to be able to."

He might not have to.

The University of Kansas Medical Center is offering an eight-week smoking cessation program in Lincoln and Omaha for Native people. In Lincoln, as many as 32 will be able to participate.

The program is open to Native smokers 18 and older who want to quit. Participants will receive health information, support sessions and nicotine patches, gum and lozenges. Free medication to reduce the severity of nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms also will be available.

One part of the group will participate in a stop smoking program designed for Natives. The second will participate in a program that uses the current best practices. The study will examine the value of a culturally tailored stop smoking program compared to a nontailored program among Native smokers.

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Campaign for Smoke Free Apartments  

A spat of apartment fires in the metro has triggered a new marketing campaign to encourage more smoke free apartments. The Omaha and Ralston Fire Departments are supporting the Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition initiative.

MOTAC will start by using a commercial to spread the word. The commercial will encourage apartment owners and managers to consider switching their properties to smoke free.

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RVFD joins effort to stub out smoking-caused fires  

The health toll of smoking and second-hand smoke have been the focus of hundreds of anti-tobacco campaigns for dozens of years.

But with the sudden proliferation of fires ignited by improperly disposed smoking materials in metropolitan Omaha, a new danger is being touted as yet another reason to curb tobacco usage.

Monday, with the help of area fire departments in conjunction with the Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition (MOTAC), a new public service announcement hit the airwarves warning of the dangers of smoking in apartment complexes after 12 such fires were reported in the Omaha area in the last year, including two in La Vista and one in Ralston.

The new campaign is largely aimed at apartment building owners and managers, letting them know that the creation of smoke-free housing is legal and can potentially save thousands of dollars in their property investments.

"If you look at the business case, looking at the bottom line, this is something that can reduce your risk and decrease your costs if you are a property owner or manager," said Athena Ramos, a program coordinator at UNMC's Center for Reducing Public Health Disparities, one of MOTAC's chief partners. "Although we continue to believe that, from a health standpoint, eliminating smoking is important, sometimes that business model makes more sense and can reach more people."

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Tobacco health fund dwindling  

A fund intended to support Nebraska health needs for generations is declining and will probably run dry if current trends continue.

Nebraska's state investment officer, Jeffrey States, warned lawmakers Tuesday that money going out of the Health Care Cash Fund exceeded money coming in during the last fiscal year.

Projections show that the imbalance is likely to continue unless lawmakers cut back the spending from the fund, he said.

"You could maintain for the next 10 years the current level of spending, but it would not be perpetual," States said.

The situation jeopardizes money used for a host of health-related needs.

Biomedical research, children's health insurance, public health, behavioral health care, developmental disability services, respite care and more get annual allocations from the fund.

The fund provided about $59 million for those purposes during the fiscal year that ended June 30. More than $58 million was appropriated in the current fiscal year.

Former State Sen. Jim Jensen of Omaha said the Health Care Cash Fund was created in 2001 with Nebraska's share of a national tobacco settlement agreement and with funds Nebraska collected through a Medicaid billing loophole.

The intent was to create a perpetual fund that could support health-related needs with its earnings, he said.

But the plan began running into trouble in recent years because less money has been going into the fund than expected.

The federal government closed the Medicaid loophole in 2005, and annual amounts coming in through the tobacco settlement are projected to shrink.

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• 10 Fires In Past Month Started By Cigarettes 

Omaha fire officials said they've had enough after determining another fire was caused by a cigarette.

Friday morning's blaze is the 10th fire in the past month that was started by careless disposal of smoking material. Eight of the fires were in apartment complexes causing millions of dollars in damage. . . .

"The fire chief has expressed serious concerns about the recent cigarette-related apartment fires in our community. We will be meeting with fire officials to discuss whether any changes are needed to city codes or ordinances to help prevent any future incidents," Mayor Jim Suttle said in a statement.

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