Westfield City Council members will hear a draft of an ordinance that would ban smoking in public places at tonight’s meeting. The ordinance would prohibit smoking in several establishments, including restaurants, bars, businesses and 80 percent of hotel rooms. Smoking would also be banned in outdoor seating areas at restaurants and sports venues. People and businesses could pay fines from $50 to $500 if they violate the ordinance. Carmel, Lawrence and Indianapolis have adopted ordinances that place restrictions on smoking. Fishers and Noblesville have considered – but not adopted ... Jump to full article >>

Westfield – A controversial issue is under consideration in another central Indiana city. Westfield is considering a proposal to crack down on smoking, and it would require bars, restaurants and offices to go smoke-free. Westfield Mayor Andy Cook is anticipating opposition, but says he wants to start off with a strong ordinance out of the gate. Under the proposal, Westfield would join Bloomington and Zionsville, two communities that have passed very strict no-smoking laws. “I believe we have to have a starting point. Somebody must say, ‘Here’s the line and where do we g ... Jump to full article >>

JANESVILLE (WREX) — As Wisconsin legislators consider a statewide smoking ban, some bar owners and patrons criticize the proposal. At Legends in Janesville, most of the Mothers Day crowd was smoking. And they had a common message for nonsmokers. “Go to a non-smoking bar,” said Paul Tjaden. “There’s getting to be more of those.” “I find it hilarious that they want to raise taxes on cigarettes to raise all this revenue, yet make it illegal to smoke cigarettes,” said Steve Sullivan. “It just seems like a really silly idea.” Even acros ... Jump to full article >>