Board suspends gas station's tobacco license 7 days
The Reading Board of Health voted 5-0 to suspend Mobile Gas Station's tobacco license for seven days after a second underage sale violation in 36 months.
Board of Health · Meeting of September 10, 2026
READING — The Reading Board of Health voted 5-0 to suspend Mobile Gas Station's tobacco license for seven days after a second underage sale violation in 36 months. Chair Richard Lopez and members Aditya Bengali, Kerry Dunnell, Kevin Sexton and Joan Wetzel found owner Nizar Abdullah's store sold a $7.49 nicotine pouch to a 20-year-old test buyer on August 6 without checking ID, triggering a mandatory $2,000 fine on top of the suspension. Abdullah said he'd since spent $3,000 on new scanning equipment and fired the clerk involved, telling the board "I'm not happy about the violation at all." The board also re-elected Lopez chair and elected Dunnell vice chair, and heard a resident's call to adopt local kratom rules before a state emergency ban, in effect since August 28, expires in one year.
Public Health Director Adetokunbo Solarin warned the department's $50,000 rodent-control contract could be cut to $30,000, eliminating 20 of 50 trap boxes, if November's Proposition 2½ override fails.
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Source: the Board of Health meeting of September 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.
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