Boston officials approved some of the toughest anti-tobacco rules in the nation Thursday, extinguishing cigar bars and hookah bars and ending the sales of tobacco in pharmacies and on college campuses.

The Boston Public Health Commission, however, decided to give the bars 10 years before they would have to close, doubling the original proposed grace period for the establishments. Even then, the bars could seek an extension for another 10 years.

Boston is the largest city, by far, to move to outlaw smoking bars, which have been exempt from the city's four-year-old workplace smoking ban.

"As we all know, smoking is the number one cause of preventable cancer deaths in the U.S.," said Dr. Paula Johnson, chairwoman of the commission.

"It's very important that we really think about what are the steps we can take to make our city as healthy as it can possibly be," she said.

The commission gave preliminary approval in September to the rules, which will take effect on campuses and pharmacies in 60 days.

The panel also voted to expand the workplace smoking restrictions to include and hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts, as well as areas such as loading docks.

Under the new regulations, operators of a smoking bar whose permit is current or whose application was pending before the commission by Nov. 1 will be able to operate for a period of not more than 10 years. After 10 years, they can petition for one 10-year extension.

Roger Swartz, who heads the commission's community initiatives bureau, said the panel lengthened the grace period for the bars because of hard economic times.

"We wanted to give them a bit more time to get used to the idea that they'll have to close," Swartz said.

The meeting was attended by a handful of cigar bar patrons, including Stephen Helfer, 61, Cambridge, who held a sign urging the panel not to close the bars.

"This is just an incremental step toward total prohibition," he said.

Right now, there are no state bans on smoking bars; 52 communities nationwide have bans that include private clubs and cigar bars, according to Americans for Nonsmokers Rights. Fort Wayne, Ind., is among the largest communities with such bans, and smaller cities in Massachusetts also have them.

The ban on tobacco sales in pharmacies is not as unique in big cities; a similar ban went into effect in San Francisco in October, despite a pending court challenge.

California on Thursday adopted the nation's most sweeping plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, issuing rules that could transform everything from the way factories operate to the appliances people buy and the fuel they put in their cars.

The Air Resources Board unanimously approved the plan despite warnings it will put costly new burdens on businesses at a time when the economy is in extreme crisis, with California forecasting a staggering budget gap of $41.8 billion through mid-2010.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he believes the regulations will spur the state's economy and serve as a model for the rest of the country.

"When you look at today's depressed economy, green tech is one of the few bright spots out there, which is yet another reason we should move forward on our environmental goals," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

The strategy relies on 31 new rules affecting all facets of life, including where people may build their homes and what materials they use to do it.

One central piece is a cap-and-trade program, set to begin in 2012, under which power plants, refineries and big factories will be able to buy and sell the right to emit heat-trapping gases. The program could give plant operators a financial incentive to reduce their carbon emissions.

Air regulators said the average Californian could see more fuel-efficient cars and plug-in hybrids on showroom floors; better public transportation; housing nearer to schools and businesses; and utility rebates to make their homes more energy-efficient.

But there will also be costs: Cars could become more expensive, and Californians can expect higher electric rates as utilities increase their use of renewable energy. Homes built with energy-efficient materials could also prove more costly, as could gasoline reformulated to release less carbon dioxide.

The rules spell out in broad terms how the state intends to carry out a landmark 2006 California law that made the state a leader in confronting climate change. The law - conceived when the economy was in better shape - requires the state to cut greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. More detailed rules will be issued over the next few years.

California, the nation's most populous state, has long been in the vanguard of the environmental movement, adopting the nation's toughest restrictions on auto pollution decades ago.

Because of its size and market clout, its decisions can have effects far beyond the state, with manufacturers around the country often adapting their products to meet California's stricter standards.

John Kabateck, executive director of the California branch of the National Federation of Independent Business, argued against the new rules, warning: "Now is not the time to make it even harder to do business in California."

But Air Resource Board chairwoman Mary Nichols said California's plan would save its residents and businesses money in the long run.

"We believe that California, again and again, has pushed for higher levels of efficiency in our electric sector, our buildings and appliances, and time after time it turns out efficiency measures have not only saved us money but leaped our economy ahead," Nichols said after the vote.

A board report found that the average household would save $400 a year by driving more fuel-efficient vehicles and living in more energy-efficient homes. And already, private investors have given more than $2.5 billion this year to new companies that have sprung up in California, in part to respond to the state's environmental goals, said Bob Epstein, co-founder of Environmental Entrepreneurs.

"Our president-elect has called for stimulating our economy," said Bill Mcgavern, director of California's Sierra Club. "I think he and the Congress will be looking to the state of California, and these measures can serve as a model for the rest of the country."

One major piece of the plan is contingent on the federal government giving California the go-ahead to force automakers to build cleaner cars and trucks. The Bush administration has blocked that law from taking effect, but California officials hope the Obama administration will reverse course.

The plan will also require utilities to generate one-third of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal by 2020. And energy-efficiency standards for buildings and for air conditioners and other appliances will be strengthened.

Also, fuel providers will have to reformulate transportation fuels so they are a combined 10 percent less carbon-intensive by 2020. And local governments will get incentives to curb urban sprawl and reduce how far people drive to work or school.

The cap-and-trade plan that will allow businesses to buy their way out of the problem is a particularly contentious part of the plan. California's poor communities say polluters in their neighborhoods may just write a check rather than clean up their act.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich kissed his wife, rode in his state SUV to the office and sat down at his desk Thursday in front of a bust of Lincoln and an American flag to portray "a return to normalcy." It was anything but. An extraordinary drama built through the day in Chicago as the political establishment of Illinois and the nation lined up against him.

Blagojevich's approval rating dropped to an all-time low of 8 percent, and friends and foes alike feared if they don't act swiftly to get rid of him, he might commit some kind of political mischief.

"The governor is in office, and he needs to be removed from office," Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said. "It is an urgent matter. Illinois is in crisis."

The governor showed no signs of buckling to growing demands that he quit or be removed after his arrest Tuesday on corruption charges alleging that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder.

While the governor was working - his spokesman would not say on exactly what - President-elect Obama told a news conference just a couple of blocks away that Blagojevich should go.

At the same time, Illinois lawmakers were organizing impeachment efforts, and the state attorney general said that if the governor were not impeached, she would seek a court order finding him unfit to serve.

Obama, speaking directly for the first time on the scandal that has distracted from his otherwise smooth transition, said he was "appalled" by the allegations.

"What I'm absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any dealmaking around my Senate seat. That I'm absolutely certain of," he said. "That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about. And that's not how we do business."

The governor spent the day at his wooden desk, reviewing budget issues and talking to his closest aides.

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero described the governor's mood as "upbeat" and "positive" and said "there's a sense of trying to return to normalcy." He said he knew of no decision about Blagojevich's political future or what the governor might do with the Obama seat.

Blagojevich's next move was the subject of great speculation in Illinois and around the country. Some observers wondered whether he might be seeking a deal with prosecutors to use the governor's office as a bargaining chip, possibly agreeing to step down in exchange for leniency.

But there was also worry that the governor might still pick a senator.

His refusal to step down has struck some as odd given the fact that wiretaps portrayed him as bored with his job, saying he was "struggling financially" and did "not want to be governor for the next two years."

But staying in office provides a financial benefit amid the turmoil: He continues to draw a $177,000-a-year salary.

Also Thursday, the criminal complaint that outlined the charges against Blagojevich yielded new details. The Associated Press learned that Senate Candidate 4 in the complaint is Illinois Deputy Gov. Louanner Peters. The source was not authorized to speak publicly about the complaint and spoke on condition of anonymity.

In the complaint, Blagojevich said he would put the deputy governor in the Senate before he gives the seat to another candidate and "don't get anything."

The decision to launch impeachment proceedings largely rests with House Speaker Michael Madigan, who, according to several House Democrats, faces a strong desire among his members for quick action. They said voters are demanding it, and lawmakers are transmitting that message to Madigan.

A poll taken since Blagojevich's arrest shows 73 percent of those surveyed support impeachment, and 70 percent think he should resign.

Chicago-based Glengariff Group surveyed 600 Illinois residents by phone Tuesday and Wednesday, and the results showed Blagojevich's approval rating at 8 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent.

Four House Democrats sent a letter to their colleagues Thursday seeking support for a motion to impeach Blagojevich. The letter asks members to indicate whether they oppose the idea or support it, or even whether they want to co-sponsor the motion.

Democratic Rep. Jack Franks, one of the governor's fiercest critics, said he hopes Madigan will soon make clear that the House will launch impeachment proceedings unless Blagojevich resigns.

"It would be music to the ear of everyone in this state," Franks said.

Franks said he has gotten "a deluge" of calls from lawmakers wanting to be part of any impeachment committee.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the daughter of the House speaker, threatened again Thursday to file a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to have Blagojevich declared unfit to hold office if he doesn't resign soon or get impeached.

"Obviously right now, in the best of all possible worlds, the governor would do what's right for the people of the state of Illinois. He would resign," said Madigan, a longtime Blagojevich foe considering a run for governor in 2010.

But "at this point he appears to be staying put," and Madigan wants a signal from lawmakers about whether they will move quickly on impeachment proceedings.

Legislative leaders planned a special session Monday to strip Blagojevich of his power to pick a new U.S. senator, putting the decision in the hands of Illinois voters instead.

The White House on Thursday said President George Bush finds Blagojevich's alleged behavior "astounding."

Quinn said the impeachment process should begin when the Legislature convenes. If lawmakers don't take action, he would support Madigan going to the Supreme Court.

Quinn strongly criticized the possibility of a special election to fill Obama's seat, saying it would take too long, leaving Illinois with just one senator in Washington for months. Quinn said he has not spoken to potential Senate appointees and doesn't have a short list of candidates.

If he becomes governor, Quinn said his "first order of business" will be appointing a senator. He did not flatly rule out choosing a Republican, saying he would pick the most qualified candidate.

A team of medical examiners and detectives was hustling to identify the skeletal remains of a child found in a wooded lot in central Florida Thursday, hoping to solve the six-month-old mystery of a missing toddler.

Caylee Anthony, 3, has been missing since June. On Thursday, less than a half-mile from where the girl lived, a utility worker stumbled upon remains of a small child.

There was nothing that immediately indicated the remains were Caylee's. But Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said his investigators and the FBI would work around the clock and through the weekend to identify the child. Authorities searched the home where Caylee and her mother lived again on Thursday night, looking for more clues.

"Now the investigation continues," Beary said. "There is a lot of lab work to do. There is a lot of DNA work to do. There is a lot of crime scene work to do."

Caylee's mother, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, was indicted in October on first-degree murder and other charges, even without a body. She has insisted that she left the girl with a baby sitter in June, but she didn't report her missing until July.

For the past several months, Anthony's family, police and volunteers from around the country have searched for the little girl.

Lisa Hoffman, a member of the search group EquuSearch, said its volunteers were unable to completely scour the area where the remains were found because part of it was submerged in water during trips in September and November.

Deborah Smith, an independent search volunteer, said she believed the remains belonged to Caylee.

"I'm glad she was found before Christmas so they can give her a proper burial," Smith said.

Allen Moore, a spokesman for the Orange County jail, said Casey Anthony was told about the discovery. She was placed under psychological observation, not suicide watch, and remains under protective custody. Her attorney, Jose Baez, visited her at the jail for about 90 minutes Thursday.

Forensic experts said it was harder for investigators to identify a child's remains than an adult's, but they would have a few methods to pursue.

Medical examiners would probably look at photos of the child along with the skull, hoping to make a bone structure comparison, said Dr. Lee Jantz, coordinator of the forensic anthropology center at the University of Tennessee.

Dr. Bill Manion, a pathologist and an assistant medical examiner for Burlington County, N.J., said DNA testing could determine an identification even without other DNA from the victim, "as long as we know who the parents are or siblings."

By early Thursday afternoon, dozens of reporters, police and onlookers had gathered in the pouring rain near where the remains were found. One man walked up and placed a flower-covered cross at the scene. Another man openly sobbed. An elementary school at the end of the street released students out through a back pedestrian exit, steering them away from the frantic scene.

Sheriff's spokesman Angelo Nieves said officials told Caylee's grandparents about the find, but refused to discuss whether the remains were Caylee's. But Nieves also said there were no other similar missing-children cases in the area.

The child's grandmother first called authorities in July to say she hadn't seen Caylee for a month and her daughter's car smelled like death.

Police immediately interviewed Anthony and soon said everything she told them about her daughter's whereabouts was false. The baby sitter was nonexistent and the apartment where Anthony said she had last seen Caylee had been empty for months. Anthony also lied about where she worked.

Other troubling details emerged as the case picked up national media attention: Photos surfaced of Anthony partying after her daughter went missing. Friends said she was a habitual liar, but also a good mother.

Last month, the Orange County State Attorney turned over almost 800 pages of documents showing someone used the Anthonys' home computer to do Internet searches for terms like "neck breaking" and "household weapons."

In mid-March, someone searched Google and Wikipedia for peroxide, shovels, acetone, alcohol and chloroform. Traces of chloroform, which is used to induce unconsciousness and a component of human decomposition, were found in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car during forensic testing, the documents say.

Last week, prosecutors announced they would not pursue the death penalty for Anthony. Earlier Thursday, before the remains were discovered, a judge had delayed her trial from January to March.

A spokeswoman with the state attorney's office said it would reserve comment until the investigation was complete. Messages left with Caylee Anthony's grandparents and with Casey Anthony's lawyer were not immediately returned.

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