Today’s T-D briefly mentions the work underway. The Snelson’s signs have been down for some time now, and work seems to be moving along quickly…

…the big white tent in front of O’Tooles. Their annual St. Patrick’s celebration runs tonight through Monday with all sorts of live entertainment, Irish and otherwise.

The “South of the James” section of this month’s Richmond Magazine has a nice article on the retail state of Westover Hills. Much of this is old news to the neighborhood association folks, but for the rest of us, some juicy tidbits are there. More below the fold…

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In an article on the proposed statewide restaurant smoking ban, Today’s T-D talks with John O’Toole, whose own O’Toole’s went smoke-free in 2007.

“Our food business has increased,” he said. Sales have grown 6 percent since the Irish pub started asking smokers to step outside last March. “We lost a few customers,” O’Toole said. “But for every one we lost, I think we gained 10.”

Yet O’Toole said he does not like the idea of a state-mandated smoking ban in restaurants. “I still think it should be up to each owner. Some of them cater to smokers, and they shouldn’t have to stop.”