Subscribe to Cigar Rights of America RSS feeds and get the most up-to-date cigar-related legislative news. http://www.cigarrights.org/feed.xml http://www.cigarrights.org/favicon.ico http://www.cigarrights.org/images/CRA08small.jpg en-us JUL 30 MIAMI — On a typically hot afternoon in his South Florida office, Jorge Padron casually puffs on a cigar that bears his family's name. The company has been growing steadily for decades, ever since his father, Jose Padron, founded it in Little Havana in 1964. Padron and other cigar companies say their legacy of good jobs for unskilled workers and fine smokes for aficionados is imperiled not just by the recession. The rise in smoking bans across the country and a unprecedented hike in taxes on tobacco are proving to be crippling. http://www.cigarrights.org/stateclubs_FL.htm Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:22:16 -0700 Florida JUL 16 - KIRKWOOD, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) - Kirkwood City Council voted down a measure that would have banned smoking in restaurants and bars in the St. Louis County community. The vote took place late Thursday night. Supporters were hoping a change in the measure, allowing for "smoking patios" at restaurants and bars, would garner support among council members. A previous ban, that was voted down by the public, banned smoking within a certain distance of the door, making patio smoking illegal as well. There are enough signatures to put a ban on the November ballot now that council members have refused to pass it. http://www.cigarrights.org/stateclubs_MO.htm Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:22:16 -0700 Missouri JUL 16 - State workers are about 40 percent of the way through a list of disputed signatures on the smoking ban petitions, and after eight days on the job, there's still no telling when they'll be done. Secretary of State Chris Nelson and three workers are checking the validity of 9,891 signatures on petitions that would force a 2010 vote on banning smoking in South Dakota bars and restaurants. On Wednesday, Nelson wouldn't speculate on when the job will be done or comment on how many signatures have been invalidated so far. http://www.cigarrights.org/stateclubs_SD.htm Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:22:00 -0700 South Dakota FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter), JUL 7 - A schoolhouse built in the 1890's is reopening with a new goal. The building was moved a quarter of a mile in March of 2008, to make room for the Orchard Crossing Shopping Center. The new tenant is the "Esquire Cigar Club." http://www.cigarrights.org/stateclubs_IN.htm Tue, 7 Jul 2009 02:11:00 -0700 Indiana