Workers rewarded for kicking cigarette habit

METROPOLIS, IL The southern Illinois tourist trap says it'll pay city workers $1,000 apiece if they can stay off smokes for a year.

Mayor Billy McDaniel says the city has been looking for a way to get its employees off cigarettes for good. So far, McDaniel says, 15 people have signed up for the program that began Monday.

The plan calls for random nicotine tests to identify cheaters. Nicotine patches and gum will not affect those tests.

McDaniel hopes the program leads to healthier employees, lower insurance premiums and lower labor costs.