AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The American Lung Association gives Virginia failing grades for its tobacco control efforts. Virginia received F’s for tobacco prevention, smoke-free air, tobacco taxes and access to cessation services in an annual report released by the lung association on Wednesday. The report also gives Virginia a “thumbs-down” for having the second-lowest cigarette tax in the nation at 30 cents per pack. According to the report, Virginia spends only 12 percent of the funding level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for tobacco prevention and cessation. The American Lung Association in Virginia is asking lawmakers to restore funding for tobacco use prevention programs, eliminate smoking in all public places and workplaces, and increase funding for state tobacco cessation services.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s yacht tax break appears safe for another year. The Republican-controlled Senate Finance Committee killed a proposal Wednesday from Sen. Adam Ebbin to end the favorable treatment enjoyed by owners of expensive boats. The state sales tax on watercraft is 2 percent with a $2,000 cap. That means no additional tax is imposed on a boat’s value over $100,000. Noting that yachts can cost millions of dollars, Ebbin told the committee the disparity is unfair. The Alexandria Democrat said the wealthiest boat owners benefit the most. Ebbin’s bill would have raised the tax rate to 4.15 percent with no cap. The measure would have raised an estimated $6 million a year in revenue. Augusta County Republican Sen. Emmett Hanger said a higher tax might drive yacht owners out of Virginia.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A Virginia lawmaker who was just re-elected despite being jailed for a sex scandal with a teenager faces new felony charges. Special prosecutor William Neely announced the forgery and perjury indictment of Del. Joseph D. Morrissey on Wednesday. The lawmaker now stands accused of forging a document he vouched for in court, and persuading the girl’s mother to swear to its authenticity as well. That woman, Deidre Warren, faces perjury and forgery charges now as well. Morrissey told reporters the charges are false and he will fight them in court. Morrissey is spending nights in jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He accepted that misdemeanor conviction last month to avoid a rape trial after sexual messages and nude photos were found on his phone.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe spent a second night in a Richmond hospital as he recovers from complications stemming from a horse-riding accident in Africa. Spokesman Brian Coy said Tuesday that doctors have drained approximately 1 liter of blood from his chest cavity since he checked into VCU Medical Center on Monday. He says doctors are continuing to drain his chest of fluids. McAuliffe developed the complications after breaking seven ribs around the Christmas holiday in Tanzania during a family trip. He was injured after he was bucked from a horse. Coy described McAuliffe as “full of energy and ready to go back to work,” but said he will heed his doctors’ advice. He said the Democrat met with Cabinet secretaries Tuesday and hopes to be released on Wednesday.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Drivers who get caught going 11 miles an hour over the speed limit on Virginia’s interstate highways may no longer be facing criminal charges if a proposed bill passes. A House of Delegates panel approved legislation 14-5 Tuesday that would raise the threshold of reckless driving from 80 miles an hour to 85 miles an hour. Republican Del. Jeffrey L. Campbell said the bill was needed because some Virginia highways have speed limits of 70 miles an hour and current law unfairly saddles those caught speeding with a misdemeanor charge. The proposal is opposed by the Virginia State Police, who argue that its passage would make Virginia’s highways unsafe.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ An effort to deny in-state college tuition rates to some immigrants has been narrowly defeated in the Virginia Senate. Introduced by Republican Sen. Richard Black of Loudoun County, it was rejected 20-19 Tuesday, largely along party lines in the Republican-controlled chamber. One Republican, Sen. John Watkins of Powhatan County, voted with minority Democrats against the bill. Another Republican, Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel of Winchester, did not vote. Democrats argued against the measure, which they called mean-spirited and discriminatory. Republicans argued that the U.S. immigration system is dysfunctional and it is not the states’ job to fix it. Black’s bill was intended to override a ruling last year by Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring that some young people brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents qualify for in-state tuition rates.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s infrastructure gets a C-minus in a report card issued by a civil engineer group. The report card says it could cost $40 billion over 20 years to fix aging, outmoded and deteriorating infrastructure. The Virginia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers released the report card Tuesday. Don Rissmeyer with the group tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch that 10 infrastructure categories were graded by engineers and other experts. The categories included roads, drinking water and schools, and the criteria included capacity, condition and public safety. Individual category grades ranged from a D for roads to a B-minus for solid waste. The group’s last report card in 2009 gave Virginia’s infrastructure an overall D-plus. Rissmeyer says the latest grade is a slight improvement but it’s maintaining the status quo.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Farm Bureau says a program to control coyotes and reduce agricultural losses is needed. The Virginia Cooperative Coyote Damage Control program works to help farmers resolve so-called predation problems. The Farm Bureau cites the experience of Chuck Shorter, a Montgomery County farmer who has lost sheep, goats and cattle to coyotes. Shorter says specialists with the coyote control program have helped him with his coyote problem by setting traps and providing other assistance. The program is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division. In fiscal year 2014, coyote kills involved 285 sheep, 81 calves and 32 goats. Those figures represent a 39 percent increase in reported sheep predation and a 69 percent increase in calf kills.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia foresters are using $2.6 million in federal and state funds to expand the state’s forests. The state is matching $1.3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1ujn6UK). Farmers and forest owners will also put up their own money to promote more forestland. They’ll do things like plant trees along streams to limit pollution, remove invasive species, and restore “diminished species” such as the longleaf pine. Federal and state officials announced the Virginia forestry project in Richmond.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia lawmakers are considering whether the state’s constitution should enshrine the right of consumers to buy unpasteurized milk or uninspected meat directly from farmers. Activists argued to a House committee Monday that the Virginia Constitution needs to be changed to say that Virginians “shall have a right to acquire” farm-produced food directly from farmers. Supports of the measure said it’s needed to protect consumer’s rights to have control over what they eat, including unpasteurized milk or uninspected meat. But several interests groups and Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s administration spoke out against the measure. Opponents said the proposal could lead to the increased consumption of unsafe food. Lawmakers are also considering constitutional amendments that would enshrine Virginia as a “right-to-work” state and allow governors to serve consecutive terms.