http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/IA.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=DDC51E45-0732-93DE-AD9FF3AAD232DFEE http://tobacco.org/news/265265.html Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Health are trying to put together a plan to implement and enforce the statewide smoking ban that begins July 1st. The department's tobacco use, prevention and control director, Bonnie Mapes, says they've already had hundreds of calls about the ban. "My favorite question so far has been can I smoke in my fishing boat on the lake in the state park? Those are the kinds of questions were getting where people are looking at the law thinking that it probably covers a lot more than it may end up covering," Mapes says. Some of the questions have yet to be answered, as Mapes says it all hinges on how they define public grounds. Radio Iowa you@your.email (Darwin Danielson) Mon, 12 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.dailygate.com/articles/2008/05/12/news/02.txt http://tobacco.org/news/265167.html The Iowa Smokefree Air Act has people fuming in Keokuk. Due to go into effect on July 1, the law prohibits smoking in most public places in Iowa, including bars. Local bar owners and their customers are not very happy about the change. For the majority of bar patrons, drinking and smoking go together, and the attempt to separate the two makes little sense. "People should be able to make their own decisions," Driftwood owner Dave Vestal said. Daily Gate City Mon, 12 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.ktiv.com/News/index.php?ID=25215 http://tobacco.org/news/265165.html Sioux City's proposed smoking ban at the Argosy Casino may be off the table. That's after casino officials and several members of the city council came up with an agreement that could ease everyone's concerns. A copy of the tentative agreement, obtained by NewsChannel Four, says the casino would agree to enhance their current filtration system. It would also allow the city to monitor the air quality at Argosy. The tentative agreement would also consider putting a non-smoking section on the boat, though casino officials say it'll be on a trial basis. They acknowledge the layout of the casino may prove too difficult for them to meet that requirement. Mayor Mike Hobart believes the proposed city smoking ban could launch Sioux City into a legal battle. KTIV TV Channel 4 ktivsales@ktiv.com Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8299126 http://tobacco.org/news/265162.html Iowa's prisons are going smoke-free, despite an exemption from the state's new statewide smoking ban. Prison spokesman Fred Scaletta says officials are concerned about the rising cost of health care for inmates and banning smoking will cut those bills. Three prisons already ban tobacco - Clarinda, Oakdale and Mount Pleasant. The ban for all prisons will start in early 2009. AP Mon, 12 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.whotv.com/global/story.asp?s=8304978 http://tobacco.org/news/265134.html A city proposal that would have banned smoking at the Argosy Gaming Co. casino in Sioux City will be dropped after the casino has agreed to monitor the air and set aside nonsmoking areas. Councilman Brent Hoffman says he will table his proposed ordinance even though some business owners would likely not be pleased. Hoffman complimented Argosy officials for their efforts to set aside nonsmoking areas and monitor air quality. AP Sat, 10 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/05/10/news/local//f23358976311a45b86257444007d78da.txt http://tobacco.org/news/265048.html Councilman Brent Hoffman's proposal to outlaw smoking on the Argosy Casino has been snuffed out. Mayor Mike Hobart and Councilmen Jim Rixner and Aaron Rochester said Friday they won't support the measure. Councilman Dave Ferris has declared a conflict of interest since he owns a restaurant covered by the upcoming statewide smoking ban. Hobart said he has concerns about whether a city ordinance would hold up in court since the Iowa Legislature outlawed smoking in bars and most workplaces, effective July 1. The new law exempts Iowa's 17 state-licensed casinos and some other places. Sioux City Journal LynnZerschling@siouxcityjournal.com (Lynn Zerschling Journal staff writer) Sat, 10 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008805090394 http://tobacco.org/news/265003.html Iowa's prisons will become tobacco-free in early January even though state lawmakers exempted the institutions in a new law that bans smoking in most public places. Prison officials are concerned about rising health care costs for inmates and believe banning smoking will help reduce those bills, said Fred Scaletta, prison spokesman. Tobacco historically has been an important part of inmate culture. In the past decade, however, there has been a trend toward eliminating smoking in the nation's prisons. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, with more than 200,000 inmates in 114 facilities, has been smoke-free since 2004, said spokesman Mike Truman. Surveys have shown a majority of the 50 state prison systems are either tobacco-free or have partial smoking bans. Some observers in Iowa, though, are worried about repercussions from a smoking ban. Des Moines Register bpetroski@dmreg.com (WILLIAM PETROSKI ) Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8299048 http://tobacco.org/news/264999.html Iowa's prisons are going smoke-free, despite an exemption from the state's new statewide smoking ban. Prison spokesman Fred Scaletta says officials are concerned about the rising cost of health care for inmates and banning smoking will cut those bills. AP Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/NEWS/578993171 http://tobacco.org/news/264906.html The Saturday apartment fire that killed Brenda Beard was caused by carelessly discarded smoking materials in the living room of the apartment, the State Fire Marshal's Office reported today. . . . There was an oxygen tank located in the apartment, but it does not appear to be a contributing factor in the fire. Cedar Rapids Gazette gazetteonline@gazettecommunications.com Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.whotv.com/global/story.asp?s=8284826 http://tobacco.org/news/264901.html State fire officials say an apartment fire in Urbana where a woman died last weekend was caused by smoking materials that were carelessly discarded in the living room. Brenda Beard was injured in the fire last Saturday. The 54-year-old woman was taken to a Cedar Rapids hospital where she later died of respiratory failure due to smoke inhalation. WHO-TV 13 Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.ktiv.com/News/index.php?ID=25096 http://tobacco.org/news/264862.html During his visit, Culver commented on Sioux City's proposed ban on smoking at Argosy Casino. Council member Brent Hoffman made the proposal during last night's city council meeting. The Governor recently signed a state-wide smoking ban into law, which applies to restaurants and bars. He says he's not surprised to hear other communities want make the law stricter. "I do know that cities and schools have enormous power when it comes to taking public policy measures even further," Culver noted. KTIV TV Channel 4 ktivsales@ktiv.com Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/05/04/news/local/doc481e85a49a49b844793631.txt http://tobacco.org/news/264843.html About 200 proprietors of Iowa taverns took one more step Sunday to stop a state smoking ban scheduled to go into effect July 1. The group met at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1111 W. 35th St., Davenport. The group's spokesman was Brian Froehlich, owner of Fro's Pub and Grub in Wilton, Iowa. He has organized a group called the Iowa Bar Owners Coalition, or IBOC. "I started the idea of lobbying against (the new law)," Froehlich said after the meeting. "What they're trying to do is an infringement on our rights -- our property rights," he said. The new law will jeopardize businesses, he said. IBOC is supported by the Clinton Organized Bar and Restaurant Association, or COBRA, Froehlich said. Quad-City Times classifieds@qctimes.com (Linda Cook) Sun, 04 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NEWS/137728813/1006/news http://tobacco.org/news/264838.html IOWA CITY -- The University of Iowa is getting its campus ready to go smoke free sooner than originally planned because of the statewide smoking ban that begins July 1. "Really what we've done is just accelerated our timeline to be able to address that throughout the next few weeks, months," said Joni Troester, director of UI Wellness and co-chair of the school's Smoking Policy Implementation Committee. In February, UI President Sally Mason approved recommendations from a task force to ban smoking everywhere on campus by July 1, 2009. That will now happen one year earlier to fall in line with the statewide ban on smoking in many public places that Gov. Chet Culver signed into law last month. Cedar Rapids Gazette gregg.hennigan@gazettecommunications.com (Gregg Hennigan The Gazette ) Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=200688 http://tobacco.org/news/264800.html ANSWER: While flicking a cigarette might make for quick disposal, it is in fact illegal. Two separate laws address the issue of the disposal of debris on the highway and within city limits. According to Section 321.369 of the Code of Iowa, "A person shall not throw or deposit upon a highway any glass bottle, glass, nails, tacks, wires, cans, trash, garbage, rubbish, litter, offal or any other debris." Dubuque Telegraph-Herald kbrown@wcinet.com (TH staff) Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NEWS/137728813 http://tobacco.org/news/264766.html The University of Iowa is getting its campus ready to go smoke free sooner than originally planned because of the statewide smoking ban that begins July 1. "Really what we've done is just accelerated our timeline to be able to address that throughout the next few weeks, months," said Joni Troester, director of UI Wellness and co-chair of the school's Smoking Policy Implementation Committee. In February, UI President Sally Mason approved recommendations from a task force to ban smoking everywhere on campus by July 1, 2009. That will now happen one year earlier to fall in line with the statewide ban on smoking in many public places that Gov. Chet Culver signed into law last month. Cedar Rapids Gazette gregg.hennigan@gazettecommunications.com (Gregg Hennigan The Gazett) Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT