A new residential rental building on the Upper East Side is joining a growing trend in the city by going smoke free. NY1′s Shazia Khan filed the following report. A breath of fresh air. That’s what one developer is offering New Yorkers at 1510 Lexington Avenue. The new luxury rental high-rise is the first residential building in the city to ban smoking in all its units as well as its public spaces. Tenants and their visitors are also banned from smoking within 25 feet of the building. Developers Kinnie Yon and her brother Neal Sigety are principals at Kenbar Management. They say th ... Jump to full article >>

THERE will be no sittings of the House of Representatives or the Senate this week because of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and its forerunner events. The Commonwealth Youth and People’s Fora were opened over the weekend. Prime Minister Patrick Manning formally opens the Commonwealth Business Forum on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Serenade of the Seas today at 9.55 am. However when the House next sits on December 4, the main item on the agenda for discussion will be the Tobacco Control Bill 2009. The bill was passed with amendments in the Senate on November 20. One of ... Jump to full article >>

In the firm belief that what is good for Ashland is good for all of Boyd County, the Boyd County Smoke-Free Initiative has used the occasion of the annual Great American Smokeout to launch a campaign that they hope will lead to the Boyd County Fiscal Court and the Catlettsburg City Council to follow the Ashland Board of City Commissioner’s lead by enacting ordinances to ban smoking in restaurants and most other public places. While our support for Ashland’s ordinance limiting smoking in public was somewhat less than enthusiastic, we would wholeheartedly support ordinances imposing similar ... Jump to full article >>

Four years after a city bylaw banned smoking in all public places, officials are calling on council to repeal the bylaw surrounding the prohibition. Bylaw manager John Taylor made the recommendation to council at its meeting Monday evening in light of the territory-wide 2008 Smoke Free Places Act. That legislation bans smoking in all public places throughout the territory. As Taylor explained to council, there’s confusion among residents about whether they call territorial or municipal officials when they see someone breaching the law. Repealing the city’s law would put it entirely in the ... Jump to full article >>

BEIRUT: There are now smoking bans in place in over 70 countries across the world, but in Lebanon, where smokers seem to vastly outnumber nonsmokers, there have been no such efforts to curb tobacco use. In fact, Lebanon seems to be something of a smoker’s safe haven. Gemmayzeh, arguably Beirut’s most popular bar and restaurant district, will on Wednesday host its second smoke-free night this year in a bid to raise awareness on the dangers of tobacco. Following the success of a no-smoking night in February, volunteers from the Beirut Metropolitan and Sahel Metn Rotaract Clubs decided to or ... Jump to full article >>

Despite a legislative snag last week, sidewalks around the Hospital of St. Raphael, located on Chapel Street near Orchard Street, will in all likelihood become smoke-free in the coming weeks. At the Board of Aldermen meeting last Monday night, the board shelved a proposal to ban smoking on the sidewalks surrounding the hospital. Ward 23 Alderman Yusuf Shah, whose ward includes St. Raphael’s, attempted to fast-track the ban through a process known as unanimous consent, but Ward 1 Alderwoman Rachel Plattus ’09 and Ward 9 Alderman Roland Lemar voiced objections, arguing that the ban should no ... Jump to full article >>

Sebastopol city officials will hold a public forum regarding a proposed city smoking ordinance affecting multi-family dwelling units starting at 2 p.m., Monday, Sept. 21 in the City Hall conference room, 7120 Bodega Avenue. The meeting is specifically aimed at listening to the concerns of residential complex managers and building owners, according to City Manager Jack Griffin. Griffin said consideration of such an ordinance has been in the works at City Hall for some time. “The smoking ordinance issue is something that was identified by the council as early as the fall of 2008,” Gr ... Jump to full article >>

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The medium-security Kentucky prison that was set on fire in August during an inmate riot had a more relaxed smoking policy than some others in Kentucky, including four public prisons that have banned smoking. The Northpoint Training Center in Burgin not only allowed smoking in designated outdoor areas but also let prisoners keep matches with them. Smoking was banned there temporarily after the riot, which left several buildings beyond repair and forced the relocation of about 700 of the 1,200 inmates. Inmates are allowed to have cigarettes again but must ask guards to li ... Jump to full article >>

It’s not just indoor public places in Eau Claire where lighting up is prohibited. Now residents of a south side, owner-occupied housing complex will have to snuff out smoking in their homes, the most recent sign of public anti-smoking sentiment. Members of the Fairfax Parkside Homeowners Association on Wednesday voted to outlaw smoking inside residences that are part of the 34-unit development. The ban also prohibits smoking in shared spaces, such as porches and garages, but does allow it in yards and on patios. Of the 19 association members who voted on the issue, 15 favored the anti-sm ... Jump to full article >>