One of the reasons I enjoy reading the Juneau Empire is that it regularly features stories about people in our community and the special things they do which help make Juneau such a unique and wonderful place to live.

In a blow to bar owners, a city committee decided Thursday to offer the option for discussion that all public facilities and businesses be smoke-free in Juneau.

The three-martini lunch is dead. But alcohol and illegal drugs still factor prominently in a loss of workplace productivity.

Voters will choose whether to double city taxes on tobacco and allocate more money for school repairs in the next city election, the Juneau Assembly decided Monday night. The seven Assembly members at the meeting voted unanimously to place a measure on the Oct. 7 city ballot increasing the tax on cigarettes to 30 cents per pack. If passed by voters, the measure also would double the existing 6 percent excise tax on cigars, chewing tobacco and other tobacco products.

The American Red Cross announced last week it will use its Liberty Fund solely for people affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

One of the reasons I enjoy reading the Juneau Empire is that it regularly features stories about people in our community and the special things they do which help make Juneau such a unique and wonderful place to live.

In December, the court struck down the state's authority to revoke driver's licenses administratively for minors who consume or possess alcohol or a controlled substance. The offense recently has been a non-jailable violation and not an actual crime.

Bartenders and liquor store clerks charged with selling alcohol to minors are getting jail time and fines for their crimes, but most apparently are not losing their jobs.

The legality of the Juneau smoking ordinance is less hazy after Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg shot down a private association's assertion that it was not subject to the city smoking ban.

Bartenders and liquor store clerks charged with selling alcohol to minors are getting jail time and fines for their crimes, but most apparently are not losing their jobs.