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Atlantic City casinos will continue to allow smoking, as a New Jersey court dismissed a lawsuit that challenged smoking within Atlantic City's casino floors. Casino workers in NJ sued Atlantic City casinos and went against a 2006 Smoke-Free Act that banned smoking in most places - except for casinos in Atlantic City.

The long-standing debate over smoking in Atlantic City's casinos took a significant turn this week, as a New Jersey Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit defying the state's allowance of tobacco use on the gaming floors. The decision ensures that the controversial practice will continue, despite growing opposition from casino workers and public health advocates.

The legal challenge from casino workers

The legal challenge was spearheaded by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, representing table game dealers, and Casino Employees Against Smoking's Effects (CEASE), a group advocating for a smoke-free workplace. The plaintiffs argued that the 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act, which prohibits indoor smoking in most public places but exempts Atlantic City's casinos, violated the New Jersey Constitution's protections for workers' health and safety.

However, Judge Patrick Bartels ruled against the plaintiffs, stating that the New Jersey Legislature's decision to allow smoking in casinos does not infringe upon workers' constitutional rights. In his opinion, Bartels highlighted the public's awareness of the risks associated with secondhand smoke and noted that the Smoke-Free Air Act does not prevent individuals from seeking employment in smoke-free environments.

Given the known risks of secondhand smoke, the fact that smoking has not been banned in casinos except for a brief period during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the exceptions to the Smoke-Free Air Act are limited to a few industries, it cannot be said that the Legislature's actions restrict casino workers' right to pursue safety under the New Jersey Constitution, Bartels stated.

The exemption controversy

The 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act was designed to protect the public from the dangers of secondhand smoke by banning indoor tobacco use in most public spaces. However, the law carved out an exemption for Atlantic City's casinos, allowing them to designate up to 25% of their gaming areas for smoking. This exemption has been a point of contention for years, with critics arguing that it puts casino workers at unnecessary risk.

Every one of Atlantic City's nine casinos benefits from this exemption, allowing smoking in designated areas. Opponents of the exemption, including many casino workers, argue that smoke is not restricted by boundaries and that toxic secondhand smoke pervades the casino, affecting both smokers and non-smokers alike.

Potential for appeal

Despite the ruling, the battle over casino smoking in Atlantic City is far from over. Attorney Nancy Erika Smith, representing the UAW and CEASE, has vowed to appeal the decision to the NJ Supreme Court.

"While the rest of the nation moves away from poisoning workers for profits, New Jersey shames itself," Smith said in a statement following the ruling. "As long as the governor, the legislature, and the courts allow the extremely rich casino industry to poison its workers, we will continue our fight."

Meanwhile, the cofounder of CEASE, Lamont White, echoed Smith's sentiments, stating that the "fight is far from over." He expressed hope that the court's ruling would galvanize support in the state legislature to amend the Smoke-Free Air Act and eliminate the exemption on casino smoking.

Casinos' response

The ruling was met with relief by Atlantic City's casinos, which have faced significant financial pressures in recent years. The Casino Association of New Jersey, representing the interests of the industry, welcomed the decision as a victory for the city's nine gaming establishments.

"We are gratified by the court's decision to dismiss the plaintiff's complaint and deny its attempt to change the Smoke-Free Air Act outside of the legislative process," said the president of Resorts Casino and the Casino Association of New Jersey, Mark Giannantonio. He added that they look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders towards a beneficial solution that addresses the health concerns of their employees while also protecting the collective well-being and interest of the entire Atlantic City workforce.

While the immediate future of smoking in Atlantic City's casinos remains secure, the issue is unlikely to fade from public discourse. With an appeal to the state's highest court likely and continued pressure from health advocates and casino employees, the debate over balancing public health and economic interests in Atlantic City is set to continue.

Stephen Curry has signed an extension with the Warriors – but not what you would expect for a star to seal their future in the game as he just inked a one-year deal with the former NBA MVP and four-time champion. This stretches his stay with the Warriors for three more years, all the way to the 2026-27 NBA season.

According to reports from ESPN, the deal is at least worth $62.6 million, which will now see Curry play three more years with the Warriors at the very least. He is now guaranteed $178 million through his coming seasons with the team, but while it means that he is set to stay longer with the team, it also hints at Curry’s desire to actually win a title and how he is ready to close down the door with the Warriors.

This extension comes after he signed a four-year deal three years ago, which is set at $215 million. It was the second 200-million deal in Curry’s championship-laden career, composed of four NBA titles and two MVP awards amongst many records in the history of the league. Should Curry finish his career at Golden State with the current deal, he would end up with $532 million in total career earnings, which is second to LeBron James’ $580 million in player contracts.

End of an Era

Stephen Curry enters this season in the aftermath of the Dubs Dynasty in Golden State after Klay Thompson left the team – ending his partnership with Curry as the Splash Brothers – and closing down their trio with Draymond Green as the core of the original winning Warriors squad. An extension with the Warriors did not only spark the end of all free agency discussions that he would be moving on from the Warriors two years after winning their most recent championship.

In the 2023-24 season, Curry averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 45% from the field, including 40.8% from three. The Warriors star led the league in clutch scoring and was named as the Clutch Player of the Year for the previous campaign. He spent the 2023-24 season as his 15th year with the franchise and was also named an All-Star for the 10th time in his career.

Curry also remains as the league’s all-time leader in 3-pointers both made and attempted and has won the Finals MVP award in 2022 – which was also the league’s most recent championship.

Seeking a Championship Again

Curry is set to lead the Warriors to a new dawn in the coming season. Draymond Green still remains by his side but has been far from the efficient playmaker and defender that he’s been over the years. Now Curry will have to lead the rebuild with youngsters who are on the rise such as Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The Warriors went on to miss the playoffs last season, losing to the Sacramento Kings in the Play-In Tournament despite having a turbulent campaign that featured a lot of ups and downs in the campaign. Still, it does seem that the Warriors will now need to come up with a big run if they are going to stay competitive and perhaps help Curry claim a championship – his fifth overall in his already illustrious, influential, and clearly golden NBA career with the Warriors.

Last season was a different view for Derrick Henry when he watched the Baltimore Ravens lose out to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, which was quite a promising matchup that was initially hyped to be a massive showdown. However, Henry has since joined the Ravens, and now he wants a taste of action in that matchup heading into the season.

The Chiefs have always had their way against the Ravens in the past few matchups, and the season opener is not going to be any different at this point. However, Henry thinks that he can actually be a game changer heading into the game. Like many players who play for championship clubs, it is easy to aspire to play against top teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs.

But Henry, now more than ever, wants a piece of the action against the Chiefs, and he is not backing down from the challenge considering that this is his chance to prove that he has what it takes to come up with a promising performance against a team that has won the Super Bowl more than once.

Eagerness in the Action

Henry is definitely considered as one of the biggest additions for the Ravens in the offseason, and it cannot be denied that the running back is expected to deliver one of his best performances to begin the campaign with Baltimore this season. But it is worth noting that the Ravens player is pretty decent in his games with the Mahomes-led Chiefs.

In a total of four games ever since Patrick Mahomes became the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, Henry has impressed well with a total of 458 yards and five touchdowns, twice averaging over six yards per carry. Looking back, Henry wished that he could have been ab

"I wish I could suit up that day watching the game. But now it's my turn, so got to take advantage of it. It's going to be a hell of a game. The Chiefs are always tough, they're solid on all three teams. Got to be locked in this week to be able to execute on Thursday."

The Baltimore Ravens need to come up with a promising start this season if they are going to make a convincing point that they are really going to make the most of their chances as a leading contender. It can be remembered that the Ravens finished no. 1 in the season thanks to their rushing, but that was the same thing that also cost them the AFC Championship Game as well.

Proving His Worth

The Ravens ran the ball a fewer times than Henry did in the Titans’ AFC game against the Chiefs. So far, Lamar Jackson delivered eight carries into eight yards, while the likes of Gus Edwards, Zay Flowers and Justice Hill combined for another 27 yards on eight attempts.

On the other hand, Henry pulled off a promising performance against the Chiefs – finishing with 69 yards and a score on 19 carries and -8 yards on two receptions. If you are not impressed, that was the worst he’s had in all four games against Kansas City.

"It's who they lost to to get to the big one, so I'm sure that's in the back of their minds," Henry said of the mood of the team. "We're going to come out and play Ravens style of football, execute so we can get a W, but yeah, I'm sure that's in the back of their minds. I'm sure everybody's locked in and going to be ready to go."

The WTA Tour has been shocked with a tough news on the intense competition of the US Open as the world no. 4 Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the US Open after she suffered a lower back injury. This guaranteed Jessika Ponchet to move on to the next round of the competition as she walked over the set match.

Rybakina came off a promising pace heading into the US Open. She managed to defeat Destanee Aiava in the first round in straight sets to move on to the next round. The matchup against Ponchet was set to be even an easier win for her. However, it seems that her lower back problems have become quite a nuisance for her to continue competing at a high level in the US Open. This forced the Kazakhstani star to pull out of the competition and opt to retire from the hard-court major instead.

Ponchet, on the other hand, is now slated to move on to Round 3, which is slated to be played tomorrow. She will have to battle against Danish star Caroline Wozniacki with the hopes of continuing her impressive run. The French star has made her way right from the tournament’s qualifying stage.

An Unfortunate Exit

Rybakina started the 2024 Tour on an impressive note. The 2022 Wimbledon champion went on to win two of her first four tournaments played, and it cannot be denied that the recent flurry of injuries has hampered her pace in the game as she struggled to come up with a consistent form.

As if those injuries didn’t hold her back from her best form, a case of bronchitis even went in the way of her post-Wimbledon runs. Rybakina was forced to withdraw from the Paris Olympics and in Toronto. She did try to get her pace back into the winning side in the Cincinnati Open, only to fall to Leylah Fernandez in the first match she played in the tournament.

Now, the world no. 4 is out of the picture for the US Open – a major that could have lifted her up in the rankings.

“Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from my match today due to my injuries," Rybakina said of her abrupt exit in the US Open. "I did not want to finish the last Grand Slam of the year this way but I have to listen to my body, and I hope I can close out the remainder of the year strong. Thank you to all the fans who have and continue to support me, and I wish the remaining players good luck.”

More than a Lower Back Injury

Recent discussions on the forum site Reddit claimed that the Kazakhstani star was facing stomach issues, even saying that it is a chronic disease. Users point out that this is a side effect of her use of treatments for autoimmune diseases. However, discussions went as far as to compare her to other players who’ve had the same issues.

Rybakina was seen heading to the side bench and sitting down for the meantime. It did look like the star was about to throw up, then she later ran off the court and would lead to the retirement for the match.

Many fans also speculate that the star’s health has been on decline ever since she opted to part ways with her coach Stefano Vukov. Rybakina’s exit from the US Open also marks the eighth total withdrawal this year, and her undisclosed injury in the tournament just raises further concerns now more than ever.

Oklahoma City is expected to make some impressive strides in the coming season after a promising 2023-24 campaign, and it cannot be denied that there are certain expectations to the team’s chances of winning. However, it seems that there are still certain analysts who believe that the team still lacks enough experience to actually win in the NBA this year.

From addressing its rebounding issues by signing Isaiah Hartenstein, trading away Josh Giddey in exchange for Alex Caruso, all the way to signing Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to bigger contracts, it does seem that OKC has had its way for a promising season to come with a promising tweak in their respective rosters, and one can say that it is a good move for the team.

Still, the talks of not having enough experience in the playoff stage seem quite to be a bummer at this point, with many critics claiming that the Thunder are expected to be early-round exits once more. However, it can be argued that experience plays a factor as much as team composition does in their chances of winning now more than ever.

Arguing the Thunder’s Case

Looking at the teams with the best championship odds this season, Oklahoma City does have a strong case heading into the season, considering the fact that they are indeed, a championship contender now more than ever. According to some writers from Bleacher Report, however, the Thunder is still quite inexperienced in contending at a high level in the coming season.

“It's difficult to argue against the Thunder, who finished (via tiebreaker) as the No. 1 seed last year in the West and have since improved,” Eric Pincus wrote. “But this is still a very young, inexperienced team. Caruso has a championship with the Lakers, and Hartenstein was vital to the Knicks in their run last season. The Thunder's core players added experience in last year's postseason, but the team may be a year away when it comes to having the "know-how" to close out later rounds of the playoffs.”

The Thunder did make a run in the playoff stage last season, and they got eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the West Semis, but they did show that they can make changes and find success in some key points that would determine their chances of winning next season.

Not a First for OKC

Whether you believe it or not, it is actually a running theme that OKC is an inexperienced team whenever it reached the playoff stage in its years with the first core of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. So far, that iteration of OKC really did enjoy some promising strides, even reaching the NBA Finals in 2012 that time. This just means that there are more expectations for the current Thunder team – one that is deemed to be better than the last.

OKC has struggled, made changes, found success, and even went through the highs and lows of the playoffs, and now they should be geared well to be ready for a promising playoff run – contrary to what most people think, including the critics who claimed that they are not ready for the playoffs.

At this point, Oklahoma City is definitely hungry enough to bring the best of its games to the big stage, and one can say that this is their big break to make the most of their chances in the game.