AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) A new report from the U.S. Department of the Interior says Virginia’s national park sites yielded nearly $1 billion in economic benefits with more than 23 million visits in 2012. The report released Monday outlined the number of visits and the economic impact at the country’s more than 400 sites in the national park system. Nearly 23.4 million recreation visits were recorded at Virginia’s national sites in 2012. Only Washington, D.C., and California recorded more visits. According to the report, visitors in Virginia spent $926.3 million while visiting those sites. That spending supports more than 13,250 jobs in Virginia. Overall, the national park system received 282.8 million recreation visits in 2012. Park visitors nationwide spent a total of $14.7 billion in local communities. Lodging accounts for most of that spending.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Terry McAuliffe is creating a new commission tasked with promoting cyber security economic development opportunities. McAuliffe signed an executive order Wednesday establishing the commission. The governor says the commission will help make Virginia the world’s leader in cyber security. The commission will be made up of McAuliffe cabinet appointments and 11 private citizens appointed by the governor. One of the new commission’s tasks will be to offer suggestions on how to promote “cyber hygiene” among Virginia’s citizens.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Gov. Terry McAuliffe has added his signature to legislation to repeal the state’s $64 annual fee on hybrid vehicles. McAuliffe signed the legislation Wednesday during a one-hour appearance on WTOP radio in Washington. He said the repeal is effective July 1 and will affect the 75,000 hybrid vehicles in Virginia. The tax was part of a massive transportation funding bill passed last year. It was originally set at $100 but reduced to $64 by then-Gov. Bob McDonnell. Critics said the tax on hybrids unfairly punished drivers who are trying to use less fuel. In signing the repeal legislation, McAuliffe called it the “right thing to do.” Much of McAuliffe’s WTOP interview was devoted to the Democrat’s efforts to convince Republican House lawmakers to accept billions in federal Medicaid funds.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is renewing its push for expanded Medicaid eligibility in the Old Dominion, saying it would be good for the state’s economy. The group presented at a Capitol news conference Monday what it said was the “business case” for increasing the number of low-income Virginia residents who qualify for publicly financed health insurance.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) _ The Norfolk Circuit Court clerk plans to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that declares the state’ ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional. A notice of appeal was filed in federal court in Norfolk on Monday, the same day U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen issued a final judgment in the case.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Lottery officials say someone bought a Mega Millions ticket worth $1 million at a Chesterfield County convenience store. The prize winner in Friday night’s drawing hasn’t come forward yet. The winner has 180 days from the drawing date to claim the prize.
STAFFORD, Va. (AP) _ Two women who left two dogs in back of a rental truck in Fredericksburg in 80-degree weather have been banned from owning a companion animal for three years. The dogs were retrieved from the back of the overheated truck last July but had to be put down.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Critics say a new Virginia policy on transgender high school athletes is too restrictive because it applies only to students who have undergone formal sex-reassignment surgery. The Virginia High School League announced Wednesday it would allow transgender student-athletes to compete on teams opposite of their birth gender, provided their sex-reassignment surgery has minimized “gender-related advantages in sports competition.”
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says evidence turned over by prosecutors in his public corruption case is incomprehensible. In court papers filed Wednesday, defense lawyers say the government has produced a mountain of computerized documents “in a chaotic format riddled with errors.” They say it’s the digital equivalent of dumping 5 million loose-leaf documents on the floor. The lawyers are asking a federal judge to order prosecutors to immediately fix the problem. The government has not yet responded to the motion. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in loans and gifts from the former CEO of a dietary supplements maker in exchange for helping promote his company’s products. They have pleaded not guilty. A trial is set for late July.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ House Republican leaders are planning a full floor vote on a Senate plan to accept federal Medicaid funds to provide health insurance to low-income residents who are currently without coverage. The vote is set for Thursday. The House is likely to reject the Senate’s plan.