At its first meeting of 2010 on January 4, City Council considered an amendment to the city’s noise ordinance that would decrease the allowable levels in commercial Belmont from 75 decibels to 55 after 11pm. Last summer, Belmont residents voiced concerns about possibly adding more noise, among other things, to an already noisy corridor when […]
“As we are going to enter this General Assembly session, I would say the mood on the budget is uncertainty and apprehension,”
The list of potential cost savings from the smoking ban is long: lower rates of fire, general liability, unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance; better worker retention; and less wear and tear on carpets, paint and HVAC systems. The anecdotal evidence and public conjecture about the relative revenue to be generated from smokers versus nonsmokers is […]
The smoke goes on in some area restaurants that have separately ventilated smoking areas. That is, if the section meets the three conditions. First, a smoking area can’t represent a portion of the restaurant that is so large as to eclipse “reasonable” nonsmoking areas. Second, smoking rooms are to be separate “to the extent reasonably […]
Sure, you can still smoke. But can you smoke as the waiter clears your plate, blowing rings over that little dish of creamers that only exists in restaurants? Nope. An era has ended. And along with it, some classic pairings of local menu items with their tobacco-based soulmates. Here are five we’ll miss. • […]
Turns out that membership fees to a private club earn you more than a secret handshake or a t-shirt with your nickname on it. Under the new smoking ban, private clubs are exempted, which makes them some of the last unfiltered puffing posts. Want to turn your living room into a cigar bar? Know your […]
Been spending too much time in a smoky private club (not, I repeat, not a restaurant)? When you get home, do you smell like an ash tray? Here are some simple tips to get your garments smelling fresh and clean. First, simply try washing the clothes. Use your favorite detergent (though a few Internet […]
Adam Soroka began smoking cigarettes at age 17 and stayed the course for a decade or so. One day, he bought a pipe from Cavalier Pipe & Tobacco and “found that I liked it immensely,” he says. “The tobacco that is used for rolling cigarettes for machine-rolled cigarettes—with the exception of dip—is the lowest […]
If the smoking ban hasn’t discouraged you from buying a pack, maybe the grim health consequences will. According to the National Cancer Institute, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of premature and preventable deaths in the United States. And, contrary to common belief, smoking doesn’t only harm your lungs: The esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, […]
The addition of Biscuit Run to the state’s land conservation arsenal helped the Kaine Administration surpass its goal of preserving 400,000 acres in four years. And at such a good price. In late December, the Commonwealth bought Biscuit Run as a bargain sale for $9.8 million and tax credits. “It was worth dramatically […]