Word: virginia
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Visiting the DMV is rarely a pleasant experience anywhere. But in Virginia it has got far worse. Democratic Governor Mark Warner, who inherited a $5 billion shortfall from his Republican predecessor, closed 12 service centers and cut hours at others. Motorists stand in longer lines. State G.O.P. officers charge that the closings were politically motivated, given that 10 of the shuttered DMV offices are in districts represented by Republicans. But Warner denies it, and a DMV spokesman says only "absolute business reasons" were taken into account...
Longer lines and their accompanying political football will surface widely next year as officials cut hours at or close libraries, social-services agencies and state administrative offices. In Virginia, Warner moved the opening time at state-run liquor stores to 11 a.m. from 10 a.m. After nine caseworkers were cut from the welfare office in Holyoke, Mass., cases became so backlogged that employees posted a sign asking visitors to BE PATIENT: YOU MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE YOUR WORKER...
Given the resistance to tax increases, look for states to raise revenue with sneaky fees and by further targeting such "sins" as alcohol, gambling and tobacco. In Virginia the DMV levies a service charge on credit-card payments. California is expected to triple motor-vehicle--license fees, adding nearly $4 billion a year to the state's coffers. Higher income taxes for the wealthiest Californians are a possibility too, according to Democratic state senator John Burton. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is weighing a surtax on those who earn more than $200,000 a year...
...most part, elementary and high school programs won't be touched, but state universities will see funding cuts, driving up tuition. Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond just raised tuition for the spring semester by several hundred dollars, a rare midyear hike...
...local prosecutor in Virginia Beach, Va., announced a similar plan: no new prosecutions of misdemeanor domestic-violence cases. "I deeply regret that the victims of domestic violence will not have a prosecutor on their side, while the defendants will be able to retain their own attorneys or have attorneys appointed for them if they are considered indigent," said commonwealth attorney Harvey Bryant, a Republican. "I can't afford to do everything." A spokesman for Governor Warner called the move by Bryant, an elected official, unfortunate, adding that "to throw out the whole category of domestic-violence cases is irresponsible...