AP
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ William and Emma are the most popular names for white newborns in Virginia. The Virginia Department of Health’s Division of Health Statistics arrived at those two names based on data from 2013. Some local health departments release their lists of most popular baby names. The Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/14ptqhO) also reports that William is followed by Noah and Liam, a derivation of William, while Emma is followed by Olivia and Sophia. For black children, Elijah and Aaliyah are the top names. For Hispanic families, Daniel and Genesis are the top choices. There are approximately 100,000 births in Virginia annually.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Mental health and civil liberties advocates are urging Gov. Terry McAuliffe to intervene in the case of a Virginia inmate with autism who faces trial Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a correctional officer. Reginald Latson’s supporters and lawyers say he needs treatment, not punishment, for the intellectual disabilities that have caused three clashes with law enforcement since 2010. They have asked McAuliffe to grant conditional clemency so the 23-year-old Latson can be moved to a secure treatment facility in Florida that has agreed to accept him. McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy says there’s little the governor can do until the pending case is resolved. Latson has twice been jailed for assaulting police. His supporters say those incidents stem from a “fight or flight” reflex associated with his autism.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Three tickets worth $1 million were drawn in the Virginia Lottery’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle. The lottery says the tickets were purchased in Petersburg, Norfolk and Ridgeway. Sales of the $20 tickets began Nov. 4. The odds of winning are 1 in 110,000. Six ticket holders will each win $25,000. The odds of winning are 1 in 55,000. Another 300 ticket holders will each win $500. The odds of winning are 1 in 1,100.
vdacs.virginia.gov
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s secretary of agriculture and forestry says thawing relations with Cuba will likely mean more state agricultural exports to the people of the Communist regime, including non-farm products. Todd Haymore says he has cultivated relationships with Cuban officials. He visits Cuba annually, with an eye on better relations between the two nations. Virginia trails only Georgia and Louisiana in the value of farm exports to Cuba, which is less than a three-day sail from the Port of Virginia. Farm exports from Virginia to Cuba peaked two years ago at $60 million but have dipped to $40 million because of Cuba’s weakened economy. Soybeans, poultry and apples are the primary Virginia exports. A spokeswoman says Gov. Terry McAuliffe says he too hopes grow exports to Cuba.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Fifteen hospitals in Virginia will have their federal Medicare payments cut this fiscal year as part of government penalties for having too many patient complications. Federal numbers show the hospitals are among about 725 around the country that will have their payments reduced by 1 percent under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program. The total reduction in spending because of the program is estimated at about $373 million for fiscal year 2015. The program is a new effort under the Affordable Care Act that builds on existing programs that uses public reporting and financial incentives to encourage improvements in patient safety. According to public data on the Medicare.gov website, the hospitals in Virginia having payments cut include the University of Virginia Medical Center and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Federal prosecutors are urging a judge to reject former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s request for a sentence of community service for his public corruption convictions. In court papers filed late Tuesday, the government told U.S. District Judge James Spencer that McDonnell wants to avoid punishment. McDonnell’s lawyers have asked for a sentence of three years of community service. The former governor’s lawyers also argue that a sentence of at least 10 years sought by prosecutors is too harsh. A jury in September convicted McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, of accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from a wealthy vitamin executive in exchange for helping promote his products. The former governor will be sentenced on 11 counts Tuesday. His wife faces sentencing on eight counts in February.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Federal officials say that nearly 165,000 Virginians have enrolled or re-enrolled in plans sold through the health insurance marketplace. A report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services captured statistics for the first month of open enrollment, a period that ended Dec. 15. Fifty-four percent of those enrollees signed up for the first time. Forty-six percent re-enrolled in a plan after purchasing one during the six-month open enrollment period that ended March 31. The numbers don’t include automatic re-enrollment by about 216,000 Virginians who had signed up in the last full enrollment period. Officials say 83 percent of those who selected plans during the month were eligible for federal tax credits to help them pay for coverage. The open enrollment period lasts through Feb. 15.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia lawmakers are seeking public comment on Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposed amendments to the state’s two-year budget. Officials say the hearings of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees are set for Jan. 7 in Manassas, Abingdon, Williamsburg, Martinsville and Richmond. McAuliffe proposed budget changes earlier this month, including increasing the money he can spend trying to lure companies to Virginia, easing school districts’ teacher retirement burdens, and giving raises to rookie deputy sheriffs. McAuliffe also wants to limit tax credits designed to bolster the coal industry and sell off $250 million worth of unclaimed property. He’s also renewing his push to expand Medicaid, which has been blocked by Republican lawmakers who control the General Assembly. Lawmakers will take up the proposals when the 2015 legislative session begins Jan. 14.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) _ More than $1 billion worth of property is waiting to be claimed in Virginia. Typically, unclaimed property includes items from abandoned safety deposit boxes and money from bank accounts, stocks, dividends, insurance claims, utility deposits or paychecks. The Virginia Department of Treasury is the custodian of property that isn’t claimed. Department spokesman Benjamin Jarvela tells The Virginian-Pilot that the treasury paid out about $45 million in claims and took possession of more than $136 million in the previous fiscal year. Jarvela says the average claim was around $1,978. Virginia Treasurer Manju Ganeriwala says almost all of the unclaimed financial property is deposited into a fund that can only be spent on K-12 education. Ganeriwala says unclaimed property can be claimed no matter how much time has passed.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Department of Transportation says it will suspend most highway work zones for several days over the New Year’s holiday. VDOT says the goal is to limit congestion and provide as many travel lanes as possible. VDOT will lift lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Wednesday to noon on Friday.