A proposal to ban smoking and the use of tobacco and tobacco alternatives in the parks of Decatur, Texas got the unanimous approval of the city council at its Dec. 10 meeting.

While the city has not yet posted the final version of the ordinance on its website, an article by WCMessenger.com indicates that violators will be subject to a fine of $500 should they violate the new ban once it goes into effect. The ban was the idea of resident Katie Morris after experiencing secondhand smoke during her son’s baseball games and practices, saying that adults were frequently smoking near the field and restrooms in one of the city’s parks.

Decatur is located approximately 45 miles northwest of Dallas and is home to nearly 6,100 residents.

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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.