The Village Council of Ridgewood, N.J. has expanded the area covered by their recently passed ban on smoking in parks, extending it to include all sidewalks adjacent to Ridgewood Board of Education properties, including playing fields and schools. The council did not extend it to the sidewalks in front of The Valley Hospital, though supporters of the ban pleaded for them to do so.

The extension of the ban was met with opposition from Councilman Tom Riche, who cited that the village police department doesn’t have the resources to enforce the ban, according to NorthJersey.com.

The smoking ban was crafted with the assistance of the Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy, also known as GASP.

Ridgewood is home to approximately 25,000 residents and is located in the northeastern part of the state, approximately 20 miles north of Newark.

Avatar photo

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.