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Has Salina's smoking ban in public places caused bar receipts to go UP IN SMOKE? 

But has the ban, which went into effect May 1, hurt Salina's bar business?

It may be too early to tell from sales data, but many bar owners and managers are ready to declare that it has.

"The customers don't come in like they used to," said Marlene Best, bartender at Ringers Tavern, 433 S. Broadway. "It's not been good."

"I've lost a lot of business," said Barbara Walter, owner of the Koyotee Lounge, 501 N. Fifth. "I've had to lay off people."

Tax data from the state of Kansas doesn't show any clear changes. But then, numbers are available for business activity through the end of June, so only two months of the ban are covered.

The Salina Journal asked the Kansas Department of Revenue for the most recent 24 months of sales tax and liquor tax data for six counties -- Saline, Reno, Harvey, Ellis, Riley and Geary.

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