The Kaine administration’s report of September revenue collections is in, and revenues are once again running way ahead of forecasts. The July-August numbers showed the same thing, as reported on this blog, but they weren’t deemed as as significant as September, a major revenue month. According to Secretary of Finance Jody Wagner, General Fund revenues…

Global competition and labor costs are the main reasons that manufacturing employment in Virginia is in decline, concludes a study by the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. New technology and improved productivity are another important contributor, notes the Associated Press. “We didn’t find anything that led us to believe that Virginia regulations…

Christina Nuckols at the Virginian-Pilot has described the role of business lobbies — in particular, groups representing Realtors, insurance companies, gasoline retailers and the auto dealers — in defeating General Assembly efforts to raise taxes for transportation. All of these groups felt threatened by one plan or another to stick them with the tab for…

As the P.R. war heats up in Loudoun County over the future of the Dulles South district, the Piedmont Environmental Council has been a leading voice opposing the granting of greater density. According to the Loudoun Times-Mirror, Supervisor Steve Snow, R-Dulles, considers the PEC a malign influence: “[PEC members] are insidious. They are everywhere,” said…

If 2006 was the Kaine administration’s “year of transportation,” 2007 could be shaping up as the “year of health care.” Last week, Gov. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced appointments to the Commission on Health Reform. The commission has two top priorities: (1) providing insurance coverage to the more than one million Virginians who lack it,…

Sounds like Virginia’s mental health system is way past due for an overhaul. Reports Bill McKelway with the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Thirty years after a nationwide push to end the warehousing of mentally ill people in state hospitals, Virginia still faces a daunting task. Virginia is spending more money per capita than any other state on…

Talk about a theoretical exercise! The Roanoke Times reports: Plans for Interstate 73 cleared a major hurdle this week when a group of localities, government agencies and an advocacy group agreed to its general path from Roanoke to North Carolina. The controversial road project has been under discussion for 16 years already, and Thursday no…

Ed Risse uses a term “RHTC” as short-hand for a broad swath of Americans he describes as “Running as Hard as they Can” — the vast middle class between the underclass and the winners in the “winner take all” globally competitive economy. Ed contends that dysfunctional human settlement patterns explain why they are running so…

Jim Bacon mentioned the DP story, “Rift between city, state threatens Fort Monroe plans’ (Daily Press October 10, 2006) . The heart of the issue is who will be in charge of planning and managing the transition of Ft Monroe to other uses. The Hampton City Council wants to be in charge. But, Ft. Monroe…

The Macerich Corporation laid out its vision last week to the Fairfax County Planning Commission for transforming Tysons Corner into a walkable community built around high-rises and condos near a proposed Metro station. The expansion, which Macerich has been planning since 2004, would change Tysons Corner Center into a “downtown” of 3.5 million square feet,…

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is making a new sales pitch to raise taxes for transportation: Keeping Virginia competitive in a global economy. As the Associated Press reports from Roanoke: Virginia can thrive in the 21st century’s global marketplace with an international airport and a major port but will falter if it cannot provide road and…

With an executive order, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has created the Transportation Accountability Commission to ensure that Commonwealth’s transportation agencies “deliver maximum value for taxpayers, implement rigorous management standards, adhere to appropriate free market principles, and promote wise investments.” States a press release from the Governor’s office: “While significant additional public and private investments still…

Last Friday, Jim Bacon posted an item on Albemarle County’s proposed transfer of “development” rights program that generated several interesting responses. In the third comment Larry Gross asked what we thought of TDRs. We are getting behinder and behinder but have not written on this topic recently and were trying to find time for a…

Sometimes it’s hard not to gloat. In August, Forbes magazine conferred upon Virginia the top business climate among the 50 states. (See “Eat My Dust, Texas.”) Now comes a ranking of another kind: If Americans could live in any state they’d choose, they’d pick Virginia No. 2 in the country, trailing only North Carolina. So…

If global warming leads to a melting of the polar icecaps and a rise in sea levels, it looks like the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is toast. According to a report issued by the Defenders of Wildlife, Chincoteague ranks among the ten most endangered national wildlife refuges in the United States. States the report: Chincoteague…