Just as the master of ceremonies asked people to be considerate and not smoke in the seating areas last week at Jazz on the Green, the rain started, seemingly trying to put out the many burning cigarettes and cigars. But neither the request nor the rain worked. Many in the crowd were smoking during the entire concert. This made it impossible to breathe air that was not filled with toxic chemicals. Hopefully, this week, more will be done to stop people from smoking. . . . No one, especially children and the elderly, should be forced to breathe toxic, smoky air at otherwise wonderful outdoor events such as this. more >>

It has been one year since Nebraska passed its indoor state-wide smoking ban. In that past year, those for the ban said it has improved people's quality of life, but some said it has made their lives a struggle. more >>

The Nebraska Professional Fire Fighters Association(NPFFA) applauds the fact that this month Nebraskans will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Clean Indoor Air Act. Not only is smoking the number one cause of premature death - claiming nearly 2,400 Nebraskans each year - and a significant contributor to heart disease, lung disease and cancer, it also is a leading cause of fires, and therefore a safety risk to the public and our members. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has pledged to become the first smoke-free union in North America. We are encouraging our members, their families and our communities to take on healthier lifestyles by quitting smoking. . . . As professional firefighters and concerned citizens, we urge all Nebraska employers to celebrate the smoking ban by offering their employees health benefits that include comprehensive smoking cessation plans. An important goal of the NPFFA is to protect the public from harm, and that includes the harm caused by tobacco use. more >>

A Broken Bow bar owner who repeatedly violated the state's year-old smoking ban inside businesses has been allowed to keep selling alcohol. The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission voted Wednesday to put Henry Schumacher on probation for a year instead of yanking his liquor license. . . . Schumacher said after the vote Wednesday that he learned his lesson and nothing gives him the right to break the law. more >>

LINCOLN - Sylvester's Bar and Lounge of Broken Bow, Neb., remained a haven for smokers long after a statewide smoking ban took effect. Owner Henry "Fred" Schumacher let patrons continue lighting up even after he was fined $500 for three citations. But the repeat violations of the ban could prove more costly to the bar's longtime owner. The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission heard testimony Wednesday about whether to renew the bar's liquor license in light of those violations. Assistant Attorney General Milissa Johnson-Wiles argued that the license should be denied because Schumacher's actions showed a "complete disregard for the law." "This was a continual, intentional and pervasive effort on the part of Henry Schumacher and Sylvester's to, basically, ignore the law," she said. more >>

Sylvester's Bar and Lounge of Broken Bow remained a haven for smokers long after a statewide smoking ban took effect. Owner Henry "Fred" Schumacher let patrons continue lighting up even after he was fined $500 for three citations. But the repeat violations of the ban could prove more costly to the bar's longtime owner. The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission heard testimony Wednesday about whether to renew the bar's liquor license in light of those violations. Assistant Attorney General Milissa Johnson-Wiles argued that the license should be denied because Schumacher's actions showed a "complete disregard for the law." . . . Chairman Bob Logsdon of Lincoln was willing to renew the license with the provision that it be revoked for any further violation of the smoking ban. But the other two members said they were struggling over the "egregious" violations of the smoking ban and over Schumacher ignoring state law. more >>

- A picture of a smoking President Obama is stirring up controversy at the Adams County Courthouse. The picture displayed in the Adams County board room showed President Obama with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. . . . Orthmann, a former smoker himself, said it was not a political statement but meant as a joke. "It was more just fun. It is not anything against him. I am a Republican, but that was not the issue at all," said Orthmann. Sen. Ben Nelson's office is now sending the county an official presidential portrait. more >>

For the last month, a 4-by-6-inch photo of President Barack Obama smoking a cigarette has been hanging in the Adams County Courthouse meeting room. The photo hung over the plaque clearly labeled “President of the United States,” next to an 8-by-10 portrait of Gov. Dave Heineman. more >>

The Adams County Courthouse meeting room will soon be getting an official portrait of President Barack Obama - nearly 18 months after Obama was elected. The portrait will hang in a spot that had held a framed black & white photo showing the president with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. That photo drew a complaint from a county official who found it disrespectful. County Supervisor Eldon Orthmann, a Republican, told the Hastings Tribune that he had the smoking photo matted and framed at his own expense. Orthmann said he had hung it next to an official photo of Gov. Dave Heineman as a joke. more >>

Here's what the AP reported today: A Republican county official is taking heat for replacing a portrait of former President George W. Bush that hung in a courthouse meeting room with a small black-and-white photo of President Barack Obama smoking a cigarette. Adams County Supervisor Eldon Orthmann said Monday that he hung the photo in the county courthouse room as a joke. "I didn't do it because I have a lot of dislike for the president," Orthmann said. "It was about the push for health care, smoking and having a little fun. It was just tongue-in-cheek." . . . However, nowhere in its report did the AP note that the photo is a fake. In fact, it has long been debunked. . . . An unknown hoaxer digitally added the cigarette into the photo. And now he's duped the AP... more >>

Objective To examine the association of point-of-sale tobacco marketing with median income and racial/ethnic composition at the neighbourhood level in Omaha Metropolitan Area, Nebraska. Methods Fieldworkers collected comprehensive tobacco marketing data from all of the stores that were licensed to sell tobacco in 84 randomly selected neighbourhoods in the Omaha Metropolitan Area, Nebraska. Results An increase of $10 000 in median household income was associated with a decrease of 14.3% in the number of tobacco marketing items per square mile in a neighbourhood (p=0.021). There was very little evidence that the percentages of African-American and Hispanic populations in the neighbourhoods were related to tobacco marketing. Conclusion Banning tobacco marketing, as recommended by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, is likely to reduce tobacco use disparities. more >>

It was a discarded cigarette that likely caused a small fire on the UNO campus Tuesday evening. For students and faculty -- all the smoke made it look worse than it was. More than 300 people evacuated the Arts and Sciences Hall as firefighters tore a wood frame from the outside of the building near the North door. . . . It's not certain but firefighters couldn't help but notice the number of cigarettes dropped right next to where the fire started. "Hopefully, it's a lesson for everyone to more careful when discarding their cigarettes when finished," says Omaha Battalion Chief Chris Greger. . . . "We try to discourage smoking in and around buildings as much as possible but it's something we haven't figured out how to eliminate," says John Amend, UNO Director of Facilities. more >>

There was nothing they could do to even attempt to rescue the two children in a second-floor bedroom. "It's not the fire that gets them, it's the smoke," said Terry Zwiebel, Norfolk's fire marshal. "The children did what is textbook for children (in thinking) if you can't see the fire, it's not going to hurt me. They went back into their room and that's where we found them." Zwiebel and Fire Chief Shane Weidner described the fire conditions at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. . . . Eight-year-old Devynne and 10-year-old Sierra Ellenberger died in the blaze. Their mother, Jolene Ellenberger; two of Ellenberger's other children, 6-year-old Jasmine and 4-year-old Skylar; along with Kooi's adult son, Jacob, all escaped from the burning house. . . . Investigators at the Norfolk Fire Division and state fire marshal's office determined the fire started when tree debris under the home's composite deck was ignited by the disposal of a cigarette. "Unfortunately the weather conditions at the time were on the windward side . . . which pushed the fire into the house," Zwiebel said. Investigators found fire-safe cigarettes were being used, but it's not known if that kind of cigarette was the one that caused the fire. "They're called 'fire safe' but they still continue to burn until they get to a certain portion of that cigarette and then they go out," Zwiebel said. "It's not once you stop puffing on it, it goes out right away. There's a delay." more >>

UNO students who mingle in the Milo Bail Student Center might have to find a new place to take a smoke break in the future. The Student Senate passed a resolution on March 4 in support of banning all tobacco products (with the exception of smokeless tobacco) under the covered walkways and entryway of the south exit of the Milo Bail Student Center. The reasoning behind the support incorporated health concerns for students walking through the high-traffic area. The resolution, written by Sens. Kyle Schulze, Stefanie Hoffman and Marshal McGovern, said students could suffer from health problems triggered by smoke trapped under the covered doorway and blown indoors. more >>

Chief medical officer Joann Schaefer says Nebraskans recognize the harm of cigarette smoke and support the state's recent ban on smoking in most public places. Her comments came earlier this month as the state Department of Health and Human Services released a report detailing reaction to the ban. The report says more than 80 percent of Nebraskans surveyed said they believe the law is important, while more than 85 percent said bars and restaurants are healthier under the ban. The state also reports that it received 108 complaints about violations of the ban in its first six moths. more >>