County could face new, smoldering issue

So far, it's the city council members in Champaign and Urbana who have been wrestling with the question of whether to ban smoking in public places.

But under new legislation recently sent to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, members of the county board could be drawn into the fight. The General Assembly recently approved legislation that would allow counties to ban smoking at public places located in unincorporated areas, although it's unclear if the governor will sign the bill. Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said he is undecided about what action to take.