Don’t expect Virginia’s state-run ABC liquor stores to be privatized anytime soon. As The Washington Post reports, Gov. Bob McDonnell‘s legislative proposal to end the commonwealth’s 77 years of direct control over the sale of distilled spirits fizzled in Richmond on Tuesday. The Republican governor is expected to come back next year to give it another shot. Some lawmakers have “feared that the plan, which included tripling the number of retail outlets that sell booze, would lead to an increase in alcohol consumption, a loss of state revenue and a rise in liquor prices,” the Post reports.

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