WASHINGTON - A proposal to give the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products appears dead for the year, but anti-smoking advocates say they expect it to pass in 2009.

The city of The Isle of Palms is the latest town trying to jump on the “smoking ban wagon” after the city council voted Tuesday evening to pass the first reading of the ban that would snuff out public smoking.  If passed, the Isle of palms would be fourth town in our area to be smoke free joining the likes of Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s island and the city of Charleston.