The Players' Retreat gets half its business after 10 p.m.

The Raleigh institution is a popular with customers who want to shoot a game of pool, drink and have a cigarette at night said, Gus Gusler, owner of the business. If he has to ban smoking while a nearby bar allows it, his smoking customers will leave.

The Players' Retreat also offers family dining — kids eat free on Sundays. The current smoking ban bill would require Gusler to either ban smoking in his establishment or ban children from the building. 

"I was worried somebody was going to slide something at the last mintute," said Gusler, whose mother died of a smoking-related heart problem about 16 years ago.

"I've never taking a draw off a cigarette in my life and I completely, 100 percent supported the bill in its original form with no exemptions," he said. "Now I will do anything I've got to do to stop the exemption because it's going to put me out of business."

For the record, Darius Rucker does not recommend acai berries.

The lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish was recently featured in a series of Web ads in which a woman claimed to have lost weight by eating the berries at his recommendation. Before and after photos allegedly showed her weight loss.

Gus Gusler, a Raleigh attorney who represents Rucker, tracked down the advertisers and e-mailed them a cease-and-desist letter. The ads were taken down within 15 minutes.

"Darius has never used it. He knew nothing about it. He didn't know the girl in the picture," Gusler said. "But they were trying to use his name."

Because the ad was online, Gusler was able to cite other state laws prohibiting the use of a person's image without their consent to sell a product, but North Carolina does not have a so-called "right of publicity."

Two bills filed in recent weeks would create such a law. Nineteen other states, including California, Florida and New York, have an existing law, while 11 states recognize the right under common law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Daniel Johnson will hold a fundraiser in Raleigh Thursday.

The former Wake County assistant district attorney, who is running for the Democratic nomination to face U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, will be at the Player's Retreat form 6 to 8 p.m.

Hosts include state Rep. Grier Martin, music attorney Gus Gusler, Wake County Clerk of Court Lorrin Freeman, Raleigh attorney David Kirby, state Senate candidate Josh Stein and Wake County prosecutor Colon Willoughby.

The Player's Retreat is a longtime Democratic hangout in Raleigh.

One of John Edwards' longtime friends says he didn't drop out because of money.

Richard "Gus" Gusler served on Edwards' fundraising committee. He said that the campaign had raised almost $4 million since Jan. 1—money that would effectively be doubled because of his participation in the federal public financing program.

He argued that would have been more than enough for Edwards to continue running past Super Tuesday and on to the convention. Since many of the donors were first-time contributors giving $50 to $100, he said that more could have been raised as well.

"I really don’t think at this point money was the issue," he said.

Gusler, 59, works as an entertainment attorney in Raleigh, representing Hootie and the Blowfish and other bands. He has known Edwards since 1981 and volunteered for his campaign since 2002.

He said he was "awfully proud" of Edwards for raising issues such as poverty, paying for college and the environment.

"John drove the policy debate," he said.

IOWA CITY, Iowa—Several hundred supporters of John Edwards have been pouring into Iowa during the final week of the campaign including a substantial delegation from North Carolina.

Among the Tar Heels that arrived in Iowa are Raleigh attorneys Ed Turlington, Bob Spearman and Gus Gusler and Raleigh public relations executive Joyce Fitzpatrick. Also in the state is former Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf, Rob Christensen reports.

"I thought it would be fun," said Waldorf. "It's a once in a lifetime experience."

The volunteeers have been manning the telephones and doing door-to-door canvassing to help Edwards in Thursday's criticial Iowa caucus.

AMES, Iowa—John Edwards' presidential campaign has hundreds of volunteers criss-crossing Iowa this week. One of them is Raleigh lawyer Richard "Gus" Gusler.

Gusler, a longtime friend of the North Carolina Democrat, was on hand New Year's Day when Edwards rolled to an event at Iowa State University. He's already knocked on 200 doors and plans to knock on a lot more.

After Iowa, he plans to go on to New Hampshire and South Carolina for his friend.

"I hear people complaining, 'Why do Iowa and New Hampshire have such importance,'" he said. "But people here are very serious about it. They're concerned about the process. ... They ask tough questions."