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Bar owner in contempt of state's smoking ban; Judge gives time to devise smoking area  

A judge found tavern owner Frank Schnarrs in contempt of court Monday for violating the state's voter-approved ban on smoking in public places.

But Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks left the door open for Schnarrs to comply if Schnarrs were able to build an indoor designated-smoking area using health criteria on par with outdoor-smoking rooms created by other bars.

Hicks struck down Schnarrs' offer of a $1 day pass into his members-only club, "Friends of Frankie's," as being the "Achilles' heel " that left Schnarrs vulnerable to charges he was operating outside the bounds of the 2005 state law.

"Any stranger can come in, without a sponsoring member, pay the $1 guest fee, and be allowed to smoke," Hicks said. "This is not a private place, when anyone can come in like that -- it's public."

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