http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/IL.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.wgnradio.com/news/top/chi-stevenson-school-paper-20-nov20,0,5315582.story?track=rss http://tobacco.org/news/293068.html Administrators at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire spiked Friday's edition of the school's award-winning newspaper because of concerns about stories on drinking and smoking by honor students, teen pregnancy, and shoplifting, the editor said. Advocates of press freedom bashed the decision to halt publication. "It is irresponsible to withhold this information so they can protect their fantasy image of Stevenson as a place where no one has ever gotten pregnant or shoplifted," said Frank LoMante, executive director of the Virginia-based Student Press Law Center. . . . In the most recent incident, administrators on the paper's review board warned editor Pam Selman, a senior, not to submit a front-page story by senior managing editor Evan Ribot about students in the National Honor Society and freshmen mentors program. In it, two students, quoted anonymously, admitted to drinking and smoking, which are prohibited under the society's no-use contract. The administrators warned that they would ask for the students' names and potentially take disciplinary action against them, Selman said. Rather than revealing their sources, the paper's staff decided to submit a blank front page to the board on Tuesday, she said, with a note to readers about why the story wasn't there. WGN Radio dtsimmons@tribune.com (Dan Simmons Tribune reporter ) Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-lung-cancer-zones-18-nov18,0,3938226,full.story http://tobacco.org/news/293039.html Lung cancer has forced Neal and Zisook into a kind of club that no one wants to be a member of. They have become unlikely friends, engaged in a campaign of awareness and compassion in their roles as representatives for the American Lung Association in greater Chicago for November, which is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Their messages have a common purpose, if originating from opposite circumstances. Neal wants people to realize that lung cancer is not just a smoker's disease. Zisook suggests parents hammer home the dangers of smoking by asking children to take five family members and five best friends and then decide which five will die. "You have to put that right in people's faces, and that is horrible, but it is the truth," he said. "Sure, I always knew smoking is bad, but no one ever told me that 50 percent of people who smoke will die from it." . . . "What we are finding is that because of that stigma, lung cancer is not financially supported in the same way as other cancers," said Harold Wimmer, chief executive officer for the American Lung Association of Illinois of Greater Chicago. "The fact is that lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer-related deaths, but 40 percent of individuals who have lung cancer are nonsmokers." The disparity in per-patient spending on research each year is striking: For lung cancer it's $1,826 per death, compared with $27,038 for breast cancer, according to 2009 statistics from the National Institutes of Health. Another disparity: 160,000 people this year will die of lung cancer compared with 25,000 of breast cancer, Wimmer said. . . . Neal and Zisook are doing their part to raise awareness. And although Neal said "smoking is disgusting" she does not think people should die for taking up a bad habit. Chicago Tribune Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=11360 http://tobacco.org/news/292739.html A study co-authored almost a year ago by Michael D. LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Center, continues to garner media attention. "Cigarette Taxes and Smuggling," released Dec. 2, 2008, and LaFaive were cited Friday in Chicago Talks and Saturday by NBC Chicago. Both media outlets addressed two major points in the study: higher cigarette taxes do not increase government revenue, and those higher taxes can also lead to more cigarette smuggling. Mackinac Center for Public Policy Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/police/1881638,2_1_AU13_BLOTTER_S1-091113.article http://tobacco.org/news/292700.html Employees of two Aurora businesses were charged with selling tobacco to a minor after Aurora police conducted a citywide investigation last week. Clerks at Mobil Gas in the 800 block of West Illinois Avenue and BP Amoco in the 2200 block of West Galena Boulevard sold tobacco to an underage person Suburban Chicago News Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/High-Cigarette-Taxes-Force-Chicago-Residents-to-Buy-Elsewhere-70103792.html http://tobacco.org/news/292676.html A major blow to cigarette sales in the city was given in spring, when an almost 62-cents-a-pack federal tax increase was issued. Now a pack of cigarettes in Chicago includes 98 cents of taxes to the state of Illinois, $1.01 to the federal government, 68 cents to the City of Chicago and $2 to Cook County. That's $4.67 in taxes. But instead of quitting, many smokers are buying their cigarettes elsewhere or relying on illegal sales by peddlers on street corners. "The proximity of Chicago to other cities could lead to an increase in smuggling in Chicago if taxes are raised," Michael LaFaive, executive director of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, told ChicagoTalks. The city has also seen an increase in tax law violations by local businesses. Efrat Stein, spokeswoman for Chicago's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, told ChicagoTalks 289 businesses had been cited for violating the tobacco tax law since 2006. NBC Chicago Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2009/11/13/smokeout_what_would_you_do_with_8_more_years http://tobacco.org/news/292617.html In eight years, you could travel around the world, spoil your grandkids and - unless you're a Cubs fan - maybe even see your team win a World Series. And to think those are years you could miss if you don't quit smoking before your hair turns gray. About 21 percent of adults and nearly 19 percent of youths in Illinois are smokers, but those who quit by age 35 add an average of eight years to their life expectancy, according to the American Cancer Society. Interested enough in living longer to give quitting a try? Then circle Nov. 19 on your calendar, the date of the next Great American Smokeout. Participants are asked to try to get through at least that one day without smoking, then see how they feel and consider quitting for good. . . . Get a free quit-smoking kit Nov. 19 while kits last at the following locations: Champaign County: American Cancer Society, 2509 S. Neil St., C. Champaign Public Library, 202 W. Green St., C. Champaign News-Gazette Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/blogshakalaka/2009/11/will-they-have-an-exclusive-interview-with-mayor-byrne.html http://tobacco.org/news/292532.html The Brown & Williamson tobacco company plans on suing Walter Jacobson for libel today and hopes to win a verdict against Jacobson in time for him to read it on the air when he returns to Channel 2 Newsthey'reverywhere tomorrow night. Jacobson will be teamed with Bill Kurtis on CBS2 tomorrow night for one-night only because the current anchor, Rob Johnson, will have the night off. The move reunites the legendary Chicago news team and is the brainchild of news director Jeff Kiernan. In conjunction with the stunt, Brown & Williamson will reprise its famous lawsuit against Jacobson which resulted in one of the most bizarre moments in Chicago TV news history when Jacobson as a news anchor delivered the lead story one night about himself. The story was that he had been beaten in a mult-million-dollar lawsuit. The announcement of the story was even more bizarre than the fact that someone could actually lose a libel suit to a tobacco company. "It was like losing a defamation suit to Hitler," ChicagoNow Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-ex-prisonworkerac,0,191134.story http://tobacco.org/news/292300.html EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A former worker at an Illinois federal lockup is now headed to federal prison for lying to investigators about a behind-bars tobacco-dealing operation that earned him $35,000. In addition to six months in prison, 45-five-year-old Kenneth White of Centralia also was ordered Friday in East St. Louis to spend two years on supervised release after his prison time. White pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a federal officer. AP Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1864118,smoking-burns-man-body-110409.article http://tobacco.org/news/292149.html A man who was smoking set himself on fire and suffered burns to more than 50% of his body early Wednesday at a house on the Far South Side. Firefighters responded to a working fire at 4:50 a.m. on the 10100 block of South Bensley Avenue, according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford. Crews arrived at 4:54 a.m. and found the 36-year-old man had burns to more than 50% of his body. Chicago Sun-Times Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/lifestyles/1862244,4_5_JO04_SMOKING_S1-091104.article http://tobacco.org/news/292141.html On Nov. 19, many people will throw away their cigarettes in honor of the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. Jason Halford, 29, of Joliet probably will not be one of them. In the nine years since he started smoking, Halford has quit twice, but he blames job and money-related stresses for lighting back up. Even the rising cost of cigarettes isn't enough to discourage him. "I buy cheap brands and look for dollar-off specials," Halford said. While some people might think the high cost of keeping the habit would discourage its use, recent research suggests the opposite may be true. Dr. Bruce Christiansen of the University of Wisconsin's Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (CTRI) discovered that half the adults in Milwaukee's poorest neighborhoods smoke, despite paying $9 for a pack of cigarettes on a household income below $15,000. Suburban Chicago News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091027/NEWS02/310270013/1025/rss02 http://tobacco.org/news/291783.html A proposal to ban smoking in nearly all Indianapolis workplaces faces an uncertain future after a narrowly divided City-County Council tabled it Monday night. The 14-13 vote, with two members absent, means the ordinance can return to the council with majority support. But some on the council said achieving that could be difficult. Opponents of the ordinance, which would strengthen a current ban on smoking in most restaurants and public spaces such as hotel lobbies, were declaring victory after Monday's vote. "I don't think this council is going to bring it back," said Brad Klopfenstein, former executive director of the Indiana Licensed Beverage Association who is leading an opposition group called Save Indianapolis Bars. "I'm glad to see they're representing the rights of adults to make adult decisions." Others interpreted the vote differently. Bruce Hetrick is a volunteer for Smoke Free Indy whose wife died of cancer after years of working in a smoke-filled environment. "We have tonight stared in the face of overwhelming health and economic evidence and just scoffed at it," he said. "This delay tonight is another death sentence. It's deeply disappointing." Louisville Courier-Journal Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-evanston-park-26-oct26,0,7865474.story http://tobacco.org/news/291714.html A small Evanston park offers a place to relax for men and women who live at a nearby mental health center, but it is off-limits for some parents worried about cigarette smoke and uncomfortable encounters. Grey Park's playground -- with its teeter-totters and tot lot -- sits virtually unused these days. . . . Some have suggested eliminating the playground to focus more on drawing adults into the park. They also have discussed designating a smoking area and upgrading the dilapidated community garden. . . . Tossi said Albany Care, a 417-bed facility, has smoking rooms. If the city ever bans smoking in the park, he said he would try to ensure that residents complied. But smoking, he said, is important to some who live at the center, and he can't stop them. Chicago Tribune ggarvey@tribune.com (Georgia Garvey Tribune reporter ) Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/cooper-32306-health-smoking.html http://tobacco.org/news/291489.html WOOD RIVER - Health officials Wednesday identified the first bar in Madison County to pay a $250 fine for violating the Illinois Smoke Free Act. The Madison County Health Department released the name of the establishment on Wednesday, a week after The Telegraph filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the information. Mary Cooper, environmental health services manager, identified Digger's Dugout, 7708 State Route 4, in Worden, as the violator. The bar was cited in August for violating the state ban. Illinois River Bend Telegraph cynthia_ellis@thetelegraph.com (CYNTHIA M. ELLIS The Telegraph ) Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.kfvs12.com/global/story.asp?s=11356535 http://tobacco.org/news/291484.html 's been nearly two years since Illinois banned smoking inside restaurants and bars, but with the economy on the rocks, all bar owners are looking to get an edge over the competition and some choose to break the law. Lately Mollie's Bar manager Sammy Mankin says some of his customers have told him they're leaving his place for bars that let them smoke. "They say we love Mollies, but we can't smoke here," Mankin said. To allow smoking indoors is against Illinois law. The fact that some bars in town are allowing it has left Mankin to feel that his competition has found an unfair advantage. "They want to go where they can smoke and have a drink and socialize with their fiends," said Mankin. "We cannot offer that here because we follow the law and adhere to it. So we suffer for it." KFVS Channel 12 cokeefe@kfvs12.com (Carly O'Keefe) Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1838311,parolee-charge-cigarette-attack-102109.article http://tobacco.org/news/291465.html A recent prison parolee -- convicted last year of beating up a couple who refused to give him a cigarette -- was charged again Wednesday after allegedly threatening a woman in the South Loop who refused to give him a smoke. Derrick King, 47, is charged with a misdemeanor count of assault and was being held on a warrant for violation of probation, according to police News Affairs. . . . King approached a 49-year-old woman about 3:20 a.m. near a store in the 500 block of West Roosevelt Road and asked her for a cigarette, police said. When she declined, King said, "Remember the couple who got beat up real bad for not giving a cigarette, that was me!" He then allegedly charged towards the woman, police said. Chicago Sun-Times Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT