Lotto Win, Sneezing & More Job Losses

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Brief tax amnesty to encourage payment

It’s a program aimed at bringing in up to $41 million to a state that is strapped for cash. Virginia is going to give tax evaders and delayers a 60-day amnesty period to pay up without penalty. Using the slogan “Get Square on Back Taxes” it will feature a square with a smiling face.
Corny? Sure. But if it helps generate $41 million for Virginia, we’re all for it. State tax commissioner Janie Bowen said the tax department is taking a “kinder, gentler” approach than efforts in 1991 and 2003 because of the prolonged recession. The program will begin soon, but exact dates have not been announced because officials don’t want offenders using a particular date to negotiate ahead of time.
The program also offers a small employment boost. Bowen has added 55 employees, including 29 auditors. That staff should more than pay for itself, since by 2012 the office aims to take in an additional $80 million through tougher compliance measures.

Coworkers win, share big lottery prize

Two coworkers who make a regular lottery run won $1 million Sept. 15 when they won the top prize in the scratch ticket game called $120 Million Cash Blowout. Angie Hayes and Donald Wade bought two of the tickets from Andy’s Market on Commonwealth Avenue. After first winning $20, they decided to buy two more. One of those tickets was the $1 million winner.
Hayes and Wade regularly buy lottery tickets for their fellow workers at Scotty’s Market, a produce stand on U.S. Highway 421. The pair agreed to split their winnings – the $564,000 up-front payout. Their actual total winnings are about $400,400 after taxes.
Wade said he was happy to share the prize and that Scotty’s Market employees often share what they own with each other. He also said a group of employees won $10,000 playing the Virginia Lottery’s Pick Three Lotto game. It’s nice to see this pair look out for each other, and their coworkers.
This bunch is lucky and kind – wouldn’t you like to get in on their lottery pool for next week?

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Admonishing other adults for sneezing

Yes, we know about sneezing into your elbow. We just don’t think it’s going to save humanity. And we don’t think you have to castigate an adult at a news conference who happens to sneeze.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius gave a lecture to White House correspondent Chuck Todd on Monday when Todd found himself in the common predicament.
When he sneezed during a briefing by Sebelius, she gave him a lesson on sneezing etiquette, including to cover his mouth with his sleeve. She did not, thankfully, encourage him to find an open field to sneeze in, as Vice President Joe Biden suggested earlier this year. Of course, that comment was widely panned.
We know the rules, particularly in light of the swine flu virus. Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze. Wash your hands. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Here’s a new one – try to have a small sense of humor when funny things happen in unexpected places.

Disheartening economic news for Traco

A brief blip of economic excitement turned sour on Wednesday when Johnson City’s Traco plant announced it is shutting down, just months after hiring 70 new employees. Traco spokesperson Denise Abraham confirmed the news to our television partner 11 Connects, saying the plant closure was a “very difficult decision.”
The company specializes in making energy-efficient windows and doors. According to Abraham, 180 people will lose their jobs as the result of the closure. In May, Traco closed its operations in Georgia and hired 70 new employees in Johnson City. The Traco plant had been in Johnson City for 10 years.
Traco now plans to move its local operations to its main facility outside of Pittsburgh. We hate to see the loss of this local employer; the layoffs and plant closure are two more blows to a region already suffering.