Tobacco funds are drawing scrutiny

(Washington Post) In the days since Virginia's former secretary of finance admitted that he stole $4 million earmarked for the state's most economically depressed areas, many have begun to question whether more than $1 billion from a settlement with the nation's largest tobacco companies has been spent properly and if the money is safe.
In the past decade, more than 1,300 projects in Virginia have been funded, including high-speed Internet access in rural areas, walking trails and improvements to the Martinsville Speedway. But some wonder whether the state is failing to fulfill its core mission of creating jobs and helping tobacco farmers. Continued