July 1st brings several changes to our region.

Here's the rundown:

1) You'll have to head outside to smoke at more locations in Kanawha County. The countywide smoking regulations will strengthen and that will force smoke free environments inside bars, new hotels and the dog track.

2) Food inspections will change in West Virgnia. Come July 1st, a health department can shut down your favorite (or least favorite) restaurant for three critical violations. June 30th and earlier, it took five critical violations to shut down.

3) On June 30th, Brickstreet is THE ONLY provider of worker's compensation in West Virginia. On July 1st, you will have your choice of 162 companies as the market officially goes private.

4) The food tax drops from 4% to 3% on groceries in West Virginia Tuesday. It's the third such decrease in the last few years.

5) In Kentucky, breast feeding mothers can get temporarily excused from jury duty.

6) New school board members take their seats. In Kanawha County, that includes Robin Rector who beat incumbent Barbara Welch in May.

7) Steve Gilmore becomes Ashland's superintendent of schools in Kentucky. He stepped down as mayor of Ashland officially Monday.

8) John Younce retires as Greenup County School Superintendent.

9) You might have read from another story here on WSAZ.com that TTA begins four new bus routes Tuesday. TTA starts in Lawrence County for the first time.

10) Health insurance costs go up for city employees in Huntington. Retirees still have time to negotiate new rates with the city.

11) Kentucky Homeplace, a state run low income health care program, closes its doors in Grayson. The state has allowed regional case workers to service clients Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week and then they will close the doors.

12) The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will have the authority to raise speed limits on some roads up to 70 mph.

13) Convicted sex offenders in Kentucky will be required to register their Internet identities with the state.

14) Cell phones will be off-limits to school bus drivers while they're driving students in Kentucky.

15) It will be illegal for flower shops in Kentucky to misrepresent in directories where their businesses are located.

16) Funeral directors must provide a military burial rights fact sheet for deceased veterans in Kentucky.

17) It becomes a felony for someone to participate in human trafficking in Kentucky.

18) Kentucky's minimum wage will increase from $5.15 to $5.85. By July 2009, the minimum wage will reach $7.25.

19) Family members of dead or disabled military veterans will have Kentucky education benefits available.

20) It will cost you more to visit the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences in Charleston. Ticket prices go up 50 cents for adults and children.

Now, the ball is in your court. What changes in your neighborhood July 1st? Leave a comment and let us know.