Smoking Ban in St. Louis County Casinos?

There's reportedly a push to make area casinos smoke-free and it could take a step closer to reality Tuesday.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis County Councilman Mike O’Mara plans to introduce legislation Tuesday to apply the St. Louis County smoking ban to county casinos. (Sign up here for the FREE Patch Newsletter, including Breaking News Alerts.) The article reports that O’Mara, a Democrat from Florissant, wants to remove all exemptions from the county's smoking ban, and that includes River City Casino and Hollywood Casino St. Louis. O'Mara cited the health issue of smoke and was also quoted making the following statement in the Post-Dispatch article. “My goal is to get this ordinance cleaned up so that everyone in the county is on a level playing field,” O’Mara, D-Florissant, said Friday. “I’ve heard from too many owners of …

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Tobacco Free St. Louis Pushes for Complete Smoking Ban

Group will ask the St. Louis County Council to eliminate smoking ban exemptions.

Tobacco-Free St. Louis will push the St. Louis County Council to expand the current smoking ban in the county to eliminate exemptions to the 2011 Clean Air Act. Businesses eligible for smoking bans include casinos, Lambert International Airport and bars where food makes up a small percentage of sales. The airport later went smoke-free despite its exempt status. The group made the announcement during a press conference Thursday morning at Three Kings Public House in University City. The group said there are currently 145 exemptions to the ban with the majority of those (56) coming in the North County area. There are 20 exemptions in mid-County, 41 in South County and 29 in the West County area. "The most vulnerable are the ones who are most…

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RCOverdrive

12:34 pm on Saturday, March 17, 2012

I don't go into them and won't when I have the choice. Thankfully I now have many choices thanks to the bans that have been put in place and the restaurants that choose to abide by the rules. Illinois Bars, Casino Queen, Brewzki's O'Fallon MO, Syberg's Dorsett, Bottleneck Blues Bar, Blueberry Hill... get my business!!!   more ›

Comments from Patchland: Smoking Ban Idea, McCaskill Criticism

Recent comments came from people supportive of an audit in Brentwood and confused about parking-meter policies in University City.

Patch users respond in writing online every day to stories, photos, questions and blogs about their cities and larger issues. Here's a roundup of the past week. Click on the titles to see more of the story and opinions. Disc golf—not just another male-dominated sport Disc Golf: A Treat for All “Disc golf is great for women and girls, too. What a great way to get to know someone you are dating, take her disc golfing!” — Margaret Poynter, Eureka-Wildwood Patch Strong words for one of our U.S. senators Citizens Sound Off at McCaskill Meeting “Claire has done nothing for American citizens. We are worst off than ever before. Resign.” — Don courtney, Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch Let the audit go on After Citizen-led Effort, Brentwood City Hall…

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Comments from Patchland

Comments from Patchland: China, Smoking and Public Urination

This week's selection includes opinions about smoking bans, police departments and Lambert Airport.

It was a busy week in Patchland. Patch readers have some definite opinions on their police departments, whether the St. Louis-area should pursue being a China hub and smoking bans--again! Nibble on some of these morsels, and if you're inclined to share your thoughts, click the links and chime in. We're all ears. Police Cite Three for Public Urination "Giving tickets for people urinating outside. Well, that is at least a bit different from giving tickets to people who are not doing anything wrong. Don't have a real crime to solve, they will Never show up. If they do, by a remote chance, they will NOT do anything to help. Why doesn't anyone do anything other than make fun of them?? Even Creve Coeur makes fun of Maryland Heights all of the …

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St. Louis County and St. Charles County Representatives Meet for Intimate Discussion

Casino exemptions and smoking bans brought participants to a Clayton meeting.

The subject of ending casinos' exemptions from smoking bans in the St. Louis region drew the most conversation during a Tuesday meeting in Clayton.  While representatives from four counties and St. Louis City were expected, only representatives from St. Louis and St. Charles were present for the 20-minute discussion.  St. Louis County District 6 Councilman Steve Stenger participated in the meeting along with St. Charles District 1 Councilman Joe Cronin, St. Charles District 2 Councilman Joe Brazil and St. Charles District 7 Councilman John White. At the end of the conversation, participants agreed to stay in touch as the St. Charles County Council prepares to vote on a bill that would put a smoking ban proposal before that county's voters …

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PatchCast

Daily PatchCast: St. Charles May Consider Smoking Signs, Creve Coeur Has Trial Period for Metal Detectors and More

A roundup of St. Louis news headlines for Tuesday.

Here are the top stories from Patch sites in your area:

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Where There's Smoke, There's a Business

Florissant bars with exemptions to smoking ban continue to gain more customers.

Since the St. Louis County smoking ban went into effect last month, it's presented a mixed bag of problems for everyone. Smokers resent having to go outside, and nonsmokers say there are too many exemptions. Despite fears about the loss of business leading up to the smoking ban, which took effect on Jan. 2, several Florissant taverns with exemptions have reaped benefits from the ban. Cheryl Williams, who manages Gater's Pub, said the ban has improved business at her bar thanks to its exemption. "We’ve picked up a few people," Williams said. "We’ve got people coming down here that aren’t happy at all about having to switch their bars. They have one favorite bar, and they’ve been going to it for years." Gaining a few extra customers hasn't …

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Residents Lighting a Fire Under St. Louis County Council

With more than 100 businesses receiving exemptions, council reviews smoking ban policy.

Several St. Louis County residents told the St. Louis County Council Tuesday that they want smoking ban exemptions tightened up or eliminated. Just weeks after the smoking ban went into effect, County Executive Charlie Dooley had announced that 110 businesses had received smoking ban exemptions, more than the county had anticipated. Businesses eligible for smoking bans include casinos, Lambert International Airport and bars where food makes up a small percentage of sales. The airport later went smoke-free despite its exempt status.  “The basis for the smoking ban was clear,” Richmond Heights resident Kendra Israel told the council during its Tuesday meeting. “It was about protecting the health of the St. Louis community. The exemptions …

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Editor's Notebook

The Week in Review

We look back at the last week of 2010.

The week between Christmas and New Year's saw a lot of people on vacation, but that didn't slow down Florissant Patch from reporting happenings of our town. Here's a recap of this past week:

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Bar Managers, Residents Blow Smoke at Ban

Although St. Louis County approved the smoking ban, many in Florissant are unhappy with it.

It seems a majority of bar managers, employees and patrons in Florissant would rather extinguish the smoking ban than their cigarettes. The county-wide ban, which goes into effect on Jan. 2, forces smokers accustomed to lighting up at the bar to flick their Bics outside. There is, however, an exemption to the ban in which bars and taverns that have less than 25 percent of their revenues going toward food can apply for the exemption, said Barry Freedman, Project Manager for Communities Putting Prevention to Work in St. Louis County. Florissant Patch conducted a series of on-site interviews at various bars and establishments in the city. A vocal portion of customers fumed at the inconvenience of facing the elements just to take a smoke break…

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