Will other twin cities OK different smoking laws?

It's long been assumed that Champaign and Urbana would not pass conflicting ordinances regarding smoking in public places. The thinking was that neither city council would want to put bars and restaurants in their city at a competitive disadvantage with those on the other side of Wright Street.

But now it's possible that Bloomington and Normal might take opposing stands on smoking bans. That would make for an intriguing case study about the effect of no-smoking laws on businesses in neighboring cities. The Normal City Council unanimously approved a smoking ban on indoor public places, including bars and restaurants. The Bloomington City Council is expected to take up the same issue on Monday, even though in an earlier discussion only one of the nine council members supported a smoking ban.