City bans smoking in bars, restaurants and airport

Outdoor smoking at bars and restaurants will still be allowed, but not near windows and doors. There is also an exemption that applies to cigar lounges, hookah bars and other tobacco-focused businesses.

For violations of the smoking and vaping bans, the city will fine the owners or operators of spaces $100 for a first violation and $200 for each additional offense within one year.

The intent of the smoking ban is to prevent workers and customers from being exposed to the many health hazards of smoking without warning or practical choice. The ordinance was lobbied for by Smoke-Free Atlanta, a coalition of such organizations as the Atlanta-headquartered American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association.

The ordinance was introduced by City Councilmembers Matt Westmoreland and Andre Dickens. In a written statement, Westmoreland said he’s proud that Atlanta “has joined every other major American city in adopting a comprehensive ‘SmokeFree’ ordinance.”

By John Ruch

A ban on smoking and vaping inside nearly all bars and restaurants was passed by the Atlanta City Council July 1. The ban, which also covers Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, is scheduled to take effect Jan. 2, 2020.

The new ordinance tightens existing laws that already restricted smoking inside most places of business but had exemptions for private rooms or if they exclude customers or workers who are under 18. Those exemptions will go away.

Tee Time TOUR Championship set for Aug. 21-25 at East Lake

“I’m proud that we worked with a broad and diverse group of stakeholders on how to both improve quality of life while working to protect small businesses like cigar bars and hookah lounges… [I] think this process was a great example of protecting public health, working with small businesses, and highlighting the danger to our teens of e-smoking,” Westmoreland said.

The tightening of the rules had two “no” votes from Buckhead-area Councilmembers J.P. Matzigkeit and Howard Shook.

Matzigkeit said he does not personally like smoking and had no problem with the city banning it on government property, but he objected to telling private businesses what to do.

“To me, as a small business owner, I believe customers should be the ones to tell owners how to run the business, not the government…,” said Matzigkeit. He noted the owners of the Vortex Bar and Grill locations in Little Five Points and Midtown conducted a large survey of their customers about smoking and already decided to ban it inside the businesses based on the feedback.

As part of the PGA’s restructured tournament schedule, the TOUR Championship will now be played in August instead of September, with the 2019 tournament set for Aug. 2125 at the East Lake Golf Club.

Thirty top golfers – likely to include Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka, Rory Mcllroy, and maybe Tiger Woods – will vie for the coveted FedEx Cup.

Between matches, fans can enjoy a cocktail in the Grey Goose 19th Hole, refuel with friends over a meal prepared by the city’s best local restaurants, cool off and test putting skills in the SO Cool Zone and much more. Plus, kids get in free.

Along with the new dates, the TOUR Championship will also unveil a new scoring format to determine the FedEx Cup champ. The standings leader heading into the TOUR Championship will start the tournament at 10-under par. The next four players will start at 8-under through 5-under, respectively. The next five will begin at 4-under, regressing by one stroke per five players until those ranked Nos. 26-30 start at even par.

Seventy-two holes of stroke play will determine who gets the FedEx Cup and a $15 million payout.

Daily tickets range from $35 to $75 and are available along with more information at pgatour.com.