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City aldermen approve smoking ban, conditional on county action 

After more than three hours of debate, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted 20-7 today to approve a ban on smoking in most public places.

The ban goes into effect only if St. Louis County voters approve their proposed smoking ban, which is on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The bill will get a final pro-forma reading next week and then go to Mayor Francis Slay, who has made clear he'll sign it.

Aldermanic opponents had sought to stall today's final vote by offering a series of amendments aimed at either watering down the ban, or making the final version less palatable to some supporters.

The power of the internet was also on display, with Twitter filled with Tweets posted rapidly by both sides and their allies during the height of the debate.

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