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San Rafael strengthened smoking laws on Monday.

San Rafael officials approved the county's toughest anti-tobacco ordinance to date on Monday, banning smoking from all apartments and condominiums, in addition to parks, bus stops, restaurant patios and many other outdoor spaces.

The measure is aimed at protecting people from secondhand smoke, officials said.

"What we are really considering is the impact of others," Mayor Gary Phillips said Monday before voting with his four city council colleagues to approve the ordinance.

The ordinance includes special restrictions for the downtown area, banning smoking from sidewalks and plazas except while smokers are "actively passing on the way to another destination."

The new rules are similar to those adopted by the city of Larkspur, the county Board of Supervisors and other Marin agencies. However, San Rafael is the first to ban smoking in all apartments and condos; others allow designation of some units for smoking.

In San Rafael, landlords, condo boards, employers, public event organizers and the city manager could still designate some outdoor smoking areas, with restrictions. The areas would have to be 20 feet away from places where smoking is banned and 100 feet away from children's areas or recreation areas such as playgrounds and swimming pools.

The San Rafael ordinance spells out some indoor areas where smoking would still be allowed including single-family houses, vehicles, up to 20 percent of hotel rooms and tobacco shops

Several members of the meeting spoke in favor of the ordinance at the city council's meeting Monday.

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San Rafael officials approve tough new smoking rules

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -

This is WBTV Community Web Producer Jessica. I'm on a mission tofind fun or quirky places on my lunch break, after work, on the weekends any time is a good time toaddsome seasonal spice to life.

October 1: the start of my "fall flavor" mission. I know fall started September 22, but it feels official now.

There are lots of reasons to be excited in October: the crisp fall air, leaves turning, hot apple cider on a cool night, patios that will soon be abandoned until springtime, Halloween looming ever closerand pumpkins.

Who doesn't love a good pumpkin patch?

Monday,I went by the Dilworth Pumpkin Patch. It's right at the corner of East Boulevard and Scott Avenuenext to Jersey Mike's, across from Brixx and catty-corner to Starbucks. (You can't miss it!)

The pumpkin patch has popped up around this time of year for the last four years. It's actually part of Holiday Trees, LLC, run by James Dixon. He's a banker in Charlotte by day, but he started his tree farm in college, and it stuck. The farm is just across the state line in Virginia and Dixon goes up there at least once a month to check on his farm.

Here's the really cool thing I learned while talking to Dixon: he doesn't just sell pumpkins and trees for a profit. He does a lot with local nonprofits donating the proceeds, helping them set up fundraisers, and using his farming gift as a helping hand for those in need. This year, he's working with several local churches, and Hoskins Park Ministries an organization that works to help homeless men in the Charlotte area. They are still firming up the details for their fundraising efforts this year, but I'll pass them on when I learn more.

I had fun wandering around the pumpkin patchin the chilly afternoon air- though it was difficult to stay away from the coffee just a few steps across the street. (I resisted!) There are oodles of pumpkins there, just begging to be taken home.

If you're looking for a fun excursion for the family or if you just need to get out of the office for a few minutes, the Dilworth Pumpkin Patch is worth it. Sure, you can pick up a pumpkin at the grocery store but why not make it an adventure instead?

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Seasonal Spice: Dilworth Pumpkin Patch

VICTORIA (NEWS1130) - Mayors and councillors from across the province are pushing for an expanded smoking ban in BC.

The resolution at the Union of BC Municipalities convention calls for a province-wide ban on smoking at beaches, parks, outdoor public events, and even patios.

It's something the Canadian Cancer Society has been pushing for for years. Kathryn Seely with the society says four other provinces have already a similar law in place.

"Particles in smoke don't disappear from the air until one is over seven metres away from the person who is smoking. So, there is a medical case to protect children and workers of bars and restaurants," she maintains.

"One is likely to smoke less and hopefully want to quit more [if] children don't see someone smoking and think that smoking is normal. So, it helps to denormalize smoking," adds Seely.

The resolution will now be sent to the BC government for consideration; the Canadian Cancer Society will continue to lobby province as well. Seely is hoping it will get on the agenda soon.

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UBCM delegates call for expanded smoking ban

Sam Morris

This is a bedroom in one of the MGM Grands remodeled suites Thursday, Sept. 27,2012.

By Ron Sylvester (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 | 3:09 p.m.

3799 Las Vegas Boulevard S., Las Vegas

After eight years of planning and a year of construction, the MGM Grand neared completion of a $160 million renovation with the unveiling of its Skyline Terrace Suites this afternoon.

The two-story suites go for $725 a night and include 780-square-foot patios overlooking the Las Vegas Strip.

Designers said glass staircases open up the suite for skyline views throughout the rooms, which also include large windows.

A sound system will play iPods and other personal entertainment devices throughout the suite, including in the shower.

Planning for the renovation began in 2004, but construction didnt begin until last year, said Tim Kelly, vice president of hotel operations for the MGM Grand. The project included remodeling 4,212 rooms at the megaresort.

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MGM Grand unveils $160 million room renovation in Las Vegas

Home Writers Barbara Hendel Loading

Published: 9/2/2012 - Updated: 14 hours ago

BY BARBARA HENDEL BLADE SOCIETY EDITOR

Dining al fresco is enchanting under a moonlit night and fun on a sunny afternoon. There are numerous establishments around town that have outdoor patios, some on the water, others right in the middle of the city, all providing that chance to enjoy the outdoors.

PHOTO GALLERY: Area restaurant patios

Outdoor patios are in Point Place on the Ottawa River, at The Docks on the Maumee River across from downtown Toledo, and at all kinds of restaurants around town, including Rosie's Italian, Shaun's on West bancroft, Star Bar, Mancy's Italian, Clamdiggers, Bayshore Supper Club, Cousino's Steakhouse, and Chowders 'N Moor. But one that popped up temporarily was at the Toledo Zoo.

About 150 guests paid $250 each to sip cocktails, dine, walk the new Tembo Trail, and watch hippos devour a watermelon at the ninth annual Feast with the Beasts presented by PNC on Aug. 24. Dinner was served on the patio of the African Lodge with black linen-covered tables set with candles, flowers, and wine glasses as twinkle lights and stars peeked from trees and tropical plants. Wines, compliments of Heidelberg Distributing, flowed with each course of the gourmet dinner. The meal ended with a unique red champagne, said Tom McHugh of Heidelberg, who quipped "It's Tuscany in Toledo at the Zoo!"

PHOTO GALLERY: Feast with the Beasts

New zoo executive director Jeff Sailer, who had only been on board three weeks, welcomed everyone and circulated through the group.

A quick five-item live auction included a Wildside Tour in southeast Ohio with a stay at Ann Sanford's home, a picnic in the zoo's Nature's Neighborhood, an evening party on Tembo Trail, a Lights Before Christmas party, and a digital painting of the buyer's choice by Steve Brown bought by Allan Block, chairman of Block Communications Inc. and his wife Susan.

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On the Town: Fresh Air

Organizers brand it as an attempt to make an iconic Toronto strip come alive. The month-long experiment, put on by the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area, called Celebrate Yonge takes two of the four lanes, between Queen and Gerrard streets, and hands sections over to pedestrians, with plastic Muskoka chairs, picnic tables, restaurant patios and interactive zones. The Posts Natalie Alcoba takes a stroll.

Talking up Yonge Ten days into the festival, and local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam is pleased. I dont think Toronto has said so many positive things about Yonge Street in a very long time, she said Tuesday. Early observations from the BIA indicate the pedestrian count is up, and vehicle count is down, said Ms. Wong-Tam. She said consultants will be measuring vehicle volume, rather than speed, on a narrower Yonge, and how traffic patterns are affected. I think those who are looking for flaws in the festival will find them, she said, but the road is functioning better I think for most users.

Good for business Celebrate Yonge will also measure its success based on sales, the media response and public feedback. The best way to revitalize any commercial area is to change the experience for those who are coming to visit, said Ms. Wong-Tam. Her feedback says it has been good for business: restaurants with patio extensions report a bump in revenue two to three-fold, she said. Keshev Kulkarni, a host at The Pickle Barrel, attests to a jump; David Stansbury, a manager at Adult Novelty and Video, said his store is busier, too. It gives a little more personality to Yonge Street, said Mr. Kulkarni.

Depends on who you ask Not everyone is smitten with the event, however. That patio thing is only good for the restaurants, Ahmed Patel, proprietor of the Toronto Sports Shoppe, said last week. He usually sees a panhandler by his shop every day. This morning I saw him collecting money on the street settled in a Muskoka chair he said. His wife, Hafsa Patel, disagreed. She likes the new feeling on the street. My granddaughter, when she went to England for the first time I asked her what did you like about London. And she said, you know, they closed off the street and we could walk around. Thats the only thing she told me.

Not about selling One retailer who did not want to give his name was disappointed he could not claim some of the real estate in front of the store to sell products. Abigail Gamble, a spokesperson for the Downtown Yonge BIA, said it did not want this event to become about selling. Its about experiencing the street and creating new public spaces, like ING Directs urban park, with real grass, logs and trees. Thats the woodsy scene that Amanda Confalone came upon on her lunch break. Its a nice little retreat. Its a great little people watching area, which is always fun in Toronto, she said.

National Post

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‘Celebrate Yonge’ experiment getting – mostly – positive reviews so far

An advocacy group for people with disabilities is pushing to make Montreal's patios more wheelchair accessible.

Linda Gauthier, president of the Regroupement Activistes Pour l'Inclusion Qubec, or RAPLIQ, said Tuesday that most of Montreal's restaurant and bar terrasses are still inaccessible to wheelchairs.

"It's exactly the same thing that if there would be a black person they would tell him, 'You're not allowed on my terrasse because of your colour.' It's discrimination," Gauthier said.

An increase in the number of installations on sidewalks during the summer is also making it difficult to get into stores, she said.

"What was accessible for us like some stores, before, because of all the terrasses on the sidewalks, we cannot access it anymore."

Even those stores that can be navigated to are often inaccessible to wheelchairs, she said.

The city's Southwest borough is one of two with regulations forcing business owners to make their facilities wheelchair-accessible.

Vronique Fournier, a city councillor for the borough, said accessibility will become increasingly important over the next few years.

"We're going to be in an aging society in Quebec, and this issue will be very important in Montreal," Fournier said. "When you can go on a terrasse in a borough but on another one you cannot go, it doesn't make sense. If you want universal accessibility, it should be on all the territory of the city of Montreal."

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Group pushes for wheelchair access to patios

Patio lovers have reason to celebrate now that two lanes of downtown Yonge Street have been blocked off for the month-long Celebrate Yonge festival.

The event, which has closed one lane of Yonge in each direction between Queen and Gerrard streets, kicked off Friday. Patios, planters and Muskoka chairs have taken up those north and southbound lanes.

Local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said the six-alarm fire that gutted a heritage building at Yonge and Gould streets on Jan. 3, 2011 started a conversation with urban planners, architects and others on how to beautify the downtown stretch of the iconic street.

Its all about creating a brand new experience and celebrating the street, Wong-Tam said.

There are a lot of things for people to do.

Bars on the strip will be licensed to serve alcohol on the temporary street patios.

Landscapers will compete in the Livegreen planter box contest on Aug. 23. Breakfast Televisions Frank Ferragine is one of the judges.

The Yonge Street festival coincides with other major events in Toronto, including the Canadian National Exhibition, the Toronto International Film Festival and Brazilian Day Canada. It wraps up Sept. 16.

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Celebrate Yonge festival kicks off, closing downtown lanes

Great news for downtown patio enthusiasts, bad news for downtown drivers: Yonge Street is reduced to one lane in each direction for a month-long festival.

Preparations are underway for the Celebrate Yonge festival that starts on Friday and runs until Sept. 16.

"This is the beginning of a conversation on how do we actually make Yonge Street the main street of Ontario and Canada," local Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said.

The removal of a lane of traffic north and southbound was done to increase public space between Queen and Gerrard streets, creating more room for patios, open seating areas and cafes.

Bars on the strip will be licenced to serve alcohol on the temporary street patios.

"We're going to see a row of temporary planters to section off pedestrians from vehicle traffic," Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area spokesman Abigail Gamble said.

Wong-Tam and the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area are behind the event.

The Yonge Street festival coincides with other major events in Toronto, including the Canadian National Exhibition, the Toronto International Film Festival and Brazilian Day Canada.

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Downtown Yonge St. down to 1 lane each way for month-long festival

After a hearing in Peoria last week, an Illinois Senate committee has directed the Department of Public Health (DPH) to write official rules about smoking in outdoor restaurant patios and bar beer gardens.

The hearing was prompted by an incident in which many Peoria-area bars and patrons received smoking tickets for violating the Smoke Free Illinois Act when they thought they were in compliance with the law. In at least one case, the bar owners had explicitly sought the advice of DPH before they started construction on their beer garden.

We really need to clarify rules for the police, as well as restaurant and bar owners, said Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, who has taken a lead role in pushing the issue to the forefront. We cant have Public Health telling bar owners one thing and the police enforcing another. Thats just not fair for anyone.

Koehler joined Sens. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, Pam Althoff, R-Crystal Lake, and Ed Maloney, D-Chicago, to write a letter to DPH asking them to address the issue. The letter also included a copy of Senate Bill 842, which Koehler drafted with the help of Peoria States Attorney Jerry Brady. The legislation lays out what Koehler and Brady believe is a reasonable framework for enforcing the Smoke Free Illinois Act in outdoor areas.

The purpose of the smoking ban was to protect people especially employees from second-hand smoke, Koehler explained. When people are outside, theres enough ventilation that second-hand smoke isnt nearly as big an issue, so patios and beer gardens give restaurants and bars a way to cater to smoking patrons without inconveniencing others.

The proposed framework clarifies that smoking is allowed outdoors as long as smokers stay at least 15 feet away from doors and open windows and either the roof or one or more walls are open to fresh air. It also requires employers to allow their workers to opt out of working in areas where people might be smoking.

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Senate committee directs IDPH to write rules for beer gardens