Bar owners hoping for Wisconsin ban

Illinois tavern owners working along the Wisconsin border aren't going to see a level playing field on the smoking front for several months.

A bill to ban smoking in Wisconsin bars and restaurants is moving through the legislature, but experts say it isn't likely to pass before lawmakers adjourn at the end of March.

"I'm not optimistic," Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of Smoke Free Wisconsin.

A state committee passed a Senate bill banning smoking 3-2 this month, but the State Assembly plans to introduce its own smoking ban bill next week, if it can find co-sponsorship, Busalacchi said.

From there, both houses will have to agree on a bill and send it to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, who again called for a statewide smoking ban during his State of the State speech, Jan. 23.

So far, more than 30 communities across Wisconsin have gone smoke-free. But that doesn't help Illinois bar owners, many of whom border Wisconsin counties that still allow their residents to light up.

The Wisconsin border is a short drive from many taverns in the Fox Lake and Antioch areas.

Since Illinois' smoking ban went into effect Jan. 1, some Fox Lake bar owners claim business is down.

Karen Jakstas, owner of the Mineola Marine and Lounge on Cora Drive in Fox Lake, said the anti-smoking law has caused her business to decline about 30 percent.

"It has hurt business," she said. "A lot of my customers are going over the border because they can smoke. But what can I do?"