http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/VA.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/225411 http://tobacco.org/news/292271.html Cigarettes seem to be the target in an increasing number of thefts as the prices and taxes on them rise. The Super Val U break-in is one of at least three reported thefts of multiple cartons being investigated in the New River Valley in the last month. One pack of brand-name cigarettes can cost more than $5 at Super Val U, including a federal tax of $1.01 and a state tax of 30 cents per pack. A carton can cost more than $50. Still, that's cheap when compared with prices in most states. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Virginia's statewide cigarette tax is the second lowest in the country. New York City residents pay the highest cigarette taxes, with state and local taxes adding up to $4.25 to a pack. Roanoke Times & World News presstours@roanoke.com (Shawna Morrison) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110503993.html http://tobacco.org/news/292227.html Federal prosecutors in Alexandria charged 14 people Thursday with paying money or trading guns and drugs to purchase 388,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes intended for sale in New York. . . . Two people were also charged with agreeing to hire a hit man to kill a man and his wife who were believed to be stealing some of the cigarettes. The Washington Post Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_smokingcharge_1103nov03,0,7815087.story http://tobacco.org/news/292070.html NEWPORT NEWS - The good news for Jarry K. Ratliff is that he might avoid the $25 fine he faces for smoking in a local McDonald's last week. The bad news? He still faces armed robbery, abduction and gun charges that could land him in prison for a long time. Ratliff, 27, a McDonald's employee, was discovered as a fugitive Oct. 26. That came after a Newport News police officer at the drive-through of McDonald's, on Jefferson Avenue in Denbigh, spotted Ratliff lighting up a cigarette inside. In issuing Ratliff a smoking summons, Officer Matthew Andreoli and Sgt. Daniel Butler ran Ratliff's name through a national database of fugitives, finding he was wanted in an armed robbery outside a Norfolk motel in 2004. Newport News Daily Press pdujardin@dailypress.com (Peter Dujardin) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-op_satltrs_10310oct31,0,3901281.story http://tobacco.org/news/292053.html Virginia voters were outraged that the legislature took four years to enact the widely popular ban on smoking in restaurants. I hope Peninsula residents have a long memory in the case of Del. Tom Gear. Gear chaired the six-member subcommittee which peremptorily killed this measure for three straight years and kept it from a floor vote. When a compromise finally enabled the legislature to bypass Gear's subcommittee, he continued to oppose it vocally and even blasted House Speaker William Howell for relenting and allowing a fair vote on it. When legislators openly and arrogantly defy the clear wishes of their constituents, it is time to show them the door. I urge all voters who value health above the interests of Big Tobacco to defeat Del. Gear. Newport News Daily Press Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/stories/WVEC_LOCAL_103109_Smoking_ban.27094c422.html http://tobacco.org/news/291953.html VIRGINIA BEACH--The state-wide smoking ban is just around the corner. On Dec. 1 most bars and restaurants will be required to have a non-smoking section, but some restaurant owners are finding creative ways around the restrictions. At Poppa's Pub in Virginia Beach, owner Randy Estenson has spent months trying to construct a non-smoking section. He's worked with the Virginia Beach Department of Health to design the new room. This week a contractor started closing it off. "It's been a very big hassle," said Estenson. "I spent a lot of time and effort trying to get everything approved before I actually did construction." As required by the law, the non-smoking section will be walled off, have a separate ventilation system and a door to the outside. But the room is only 13 x 15, which is about 6% of the entire bar and restaurant. It has about 4 tables in it and a television. WVEC-TV 13 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_smoker_1030oct30,0,328775.story http://tobacco.org/news/291847.html At about 11 p.m Monday, Jarry K. Ratliff, 27, took a break from his job at the McDonald's on Jefferson Avenue in Denbigh to light up a cigarette inside the restaurant. Unfortunately for him, that happened to be when Newport News police officer Matthew Andreoli was going through the restaurant's drive-through. Andreoli also knew about a new statewide ban on smoking in restaurants. . . . He and two other men are accused of robbing two people outside an Ocean View motel in August 2004. The officers then arrested Ratliff, who faces two counts each of robbery and abduction, four counts of using a gun in a felony and one count of conspiracy -- plus the smoking charge, punishable by a $25 fine. Newport News Daily Press pdujardin@dailypress.com (Peter Dujardin) Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www2.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/twenty_southwest_virginia_projects_receive_more_than_30_million_in_tobacco_/34942/ http://tobacco.org/news/291833.html WYTHEVILLE, Va.--About 20 Southwest Virginia projects received more than $30 million in awards today from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. The lion's share--$25 million - was awarded to the proposed King College medical school. "We see this as a game changer," commission Executive Director Neal Noyes said when presenting the plan to the Southwest Virginia Economic Development Committee. TriCities.com Herald Courier/WJHL-TV) dmcgee@bristolnews.com (David McGee * Staff Writer / Bristol Herald Courier ) Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/virginia-restaurants-urged-to-go-completely-smoke-free-after-major-report-finds-smoke-free-laws-prevent-heart-attacks-64581242.html http://tobacco.org/news/291238.html Health advocates are calling on all Virginia restaurants and other workplaces to go completely smoke-free following the release of a landmark report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that concluded smoke-free laws reduce the number of heart attacks and save lives. The IOM report, released Thursday, also found that there is conclusive evidence that secondhand smoke causes heart disease and heart attacks, and there is compelling evidence that even relatively brief exposure to secondhand smoke may cause heart attacks. The IOM is one of the most prestigious scientific authorities in the U.S. and part of the National Academy of Sciences. Virginia, on December 1, will implement a new law that restricts smoking, but allows restaurants to have separately ventilated smoking rooms. Health advocates said the IOM report underscores why restaurants should go completely smoke-free, rather than creating smoking rooms, so they do not put the health of any employees or customers at risk by subjecting them to hazardous secondhand smoke. PR Newswire Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-smoking-ban-prep,0,6252348.story http://tobacco.org/news/291143.html With just about 50 days to go before the statewide smoking ban kicks in, many restaurants say they are already smoke-free. Others say they are still deciding whether to spend the extra money to cater to smokers. Customers can smell the food cooking but they will not smell any cigarette smoke at the Do-Nut Dinette. It's already smoke free. Greg Pastore made it that way when he bought the place 4 years ago. He said that's what customers wanted. WTKR: NewsChannel 3 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/editorials/danville_editorials/article/dan_river_region_hails_jti_leaf/14564/ http://tobacco.org/news/291074.html JTI Leaf Services' decision to process American-grown tobacco in Danville doesn't just mean 39 new full-time jobs and 150 seasonal jobs. It's about more opportunities for the Dan River Region's tobacco farmers -- and a potential shot in the arm for the local agricultural economy. "They're here. They never left," Commissioner Todd Haymore of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said of local tobacco farmers last week. "They have the land and the infrastructure. They have the knowledge and the know-how." . . . we think it's a smart investment in jobs that can be filled quickly by a company that recognizes the quality product grown here. The Dan River Region needs every good job it can get, and growth in the tobacco sector through JTI Leaf Services' commitment to our community is great news. Danville Register & Bee letters@registerbee.com (Published by The Editorial Board) Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/B-KAIN09_20091008-220005/298291/ http://tobacco.org/news/290944.html "It's not a very good condiment." So, Perly's Restaurant & Deli was a logical place for Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to kick off a countdown to Virginia's upcoming ban on smoking in restaurants, which takes effect Dec. 1. Kaine, accompanied by the state health commissioner, Dr. Karen Remley, crisscrossed the commonwealth yesterday, dropping by eateries to extol the virtues of smoke-free dining. Twenty-six other states and the District of Columbia already ban smoking in restaurants. In 2006, Kaine issued an executive order prohibiting smoking in state offices. Currently, 70 percent of Virginia's restaurants are smoke-free. Richmond Times-Dispatch jnolan@timesdispatch.com (Jim Nolan) Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.wset.com/news/stories/1009/666868.html http://tobacco.org/news/290895.html just 50-days, smokers will find it a little more difficult to do so in their favorite eating spots. The new law goes into effect December 1st, requiring restaurants to have separate, ventilated facilities for smokers, if they allow smoking at all. Governor Tim Kaine (web) was in Roanoke Thursday afternoon kicking off the countdown. We talked to restaurant owners about the new changes, and some folks are making big changes, but others are doing nothing at all. WSET-TV 13 webteam@wset.com Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.wset.com/news/stories/1009/666848.html http://tobacco.org/news/290894.html In just 50 days, restaurants in Virginia go smoke-free. Governor Tim Kaine (web) kicked-off the countdown at the Roanoke restaurant "Table 50." It's been smoke-free since opening three years ago. The governor says going smoke-free will save businesses money in fire and health insurance. Kaine also says it will also save the lives of countless restaurant workers for years to come. The law goes into effect December first. A restaurant is Madison Heights may be forced to shut down after the smoking ban takes effect. Owners of La Carreta have two restaurants just a quarter mile apart. One is all smoking and the other is completely non-smoking. Because they're so close together, owners believe they deserve an exemption to the smoking ban because they built the new restaurant specifically for non-smokers. WSET-TV 13 webteam@wset.com Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.rockbridgeweekly.com/rw_article.php?ndx=15522 http://tobacco.org/news/290882.html With just about 50 days to go before the Commonwealth’s landmark smoking ban goes into effect, Governor Timothy M. Kaine is joining dining patrons and community leaders across Virginia today to highlight restaurants that have already gone smoke-free. The new law—called “monumental” in one of the nation’s biggest tobacco-producing states—takes effect December 1 and will prohibit smoking in nearly all restaurants across the Commonwealth. The Governor is visiting successful restaurants in Norfolk, Richmond, Roanoke and Fairfax County that have voluntarily gone smoke-free. “This historic public health measure will only enhance the high quality of life Virginians have come to enjoy by protecting restaurant patrons and employees from the serious health risks of secondhand smoke,” said Governor Kaine. “With a growing number of Virginia restaurants that have already found they can be both smoke-free and successful, I encourage other restaurants to go smoke-free before December 1 to immediately protect restaurant-goers and workers alike.” By enacting a ban on smoking in the Commonwealth’s bars and restaurants, Virginia joins the 27 states and the District of Columbia which have already passed similar legislation. Virginia’s law permits narrow exceptions for private clubs and restaurants with designated smoking rooms that are structurally separate and independently vented from non-smoking dining rooms. Rockbridge Weekly Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://hamptonroads.com/node/526192 http://tobacco.org/news/290871.html Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will be in Norfolk today to help kick off the countdown to the state's restaurant smoking ban. Kaine will speak at 8:30 a.m. at Panera Bread, 739 W. 21st St., a news release from his office says. The state's smoking ban takes effect Dec. 1. Kaine also plans to events to kick of the smoking ban in Richmond, Roanoke and Burke, the release says. Norfolk Virginian-Pilot Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT