After hearing complaints of bar owners and patrons who are finding the city’s less than year old smoking ban ordinance to be restrictive and harmful to their businesses, the Sedalia, Mo. City Council will take a look at amending it at their next meeting on March 3.

On one side of the argument, the Sedalia Clean Air Committee says that since the ordinance went into effect in September 2013, the city’s air quality has improved markedly. On the other side are business owners like Jeff Holloway, who according to the Sedalia Democrat, passed out informational sheets showing his finances and telling the council that he is placing smaller liquor orders and has had to lay off four members of his staff.

Currently, the ban has an exemption for private clubs, and several proposals are being considered to amend the ban, including removing that exemption or possibly excluding five small bars that serve no food, though that exemption would not be transferable nor would it apply to new businesses that open.

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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 MLB.com, 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.