City manager will examine smoking ban reprieves
Some of the Eugene bars that still allow smoking indoors might soon have to send their smokers outside.
City Manager Jim Johnson decided Wednesday morning to review the six-month reprieves that allow smoking in 31 area bars while those establishments build or upgrade outdoor smoking areas.
Bars and taverns unable to build smoking areas or those choosing to immediately comply with the ban haven’t allowed smoking indoors since the smoking prohibition went into effect July 1.
The intent of the review is to weed out any businesses using the extensions to delay going smoke-free from those bars legitimately constructing outdoor smoking areas, city spokesman Tom Olshanski said.
“There may be a misunderstanding with maybe as many as ten bars,” he said.
City officials will report to the City Council at noon on July 18 in the McNutt Room at City Hall.
The council decided to revisit the smoking ban, which passed 7-1 on Nov. 13, after a manager of three newly smoke-free bars said at Monday night’s council session that he’s lost customers to bars that still allow smoking.

Women’s basketball schedule released
The top of the 2001-02 Oregon women’s basketball schedule, released Wednesday, looks easy enough. The Ducks take on Wisconsin-Green Bay, Miami of Ohio and Portland.
But it gets a little harder for Oregon from there. The Ducks will play Texas Christian, an NCAA Tournament team last year, in the Papé Jam in Portland, then host Texas Tech, No. 12 in the nation last season, Nov. 26 at McArthur Court. Oregon will then travel to Kansas for the Jayhawk Classic, a tournament that includes Kansas and St. John’s.
The Ducks round out the preseason schedule with games against Utah, a Sweet 16 team last year that also beat Oregon in the regular season, and Brigham Young. The Ducks open their Pacific-10 Conference slate Dec. 20 at UCLA.