Arkansas launches community grant program
Why it matters: The program is designed to fill funding gaps for "projects that fight childhood food insecurity, address unemployment, promote education, offer resources for victims of crime, and provide housing, nutrition or emergency services to promote self-sufficiency," according to a news release Monday announcing the effort.
State of play: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will ask the Arkansas Legislative Council for $15 million to fund it, but it's not yet listed on the council's agenda.
Eligible community-based nonprofits will be able to apply for up to $1.5 million per year.
Yes, but: Applicants will be required to match grant awards with cash, in-kind labor or in-kind land.
What they're saying:"If we're going to help every corner of our state thrive, then the effort is going to come from the bottom up – not just from the top down," Sanders said in the news release.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
3 days ago
- The Hill
Sanders points to Nebraska medical center closure after GOP bill passes: ‘Dark day for rural America'
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the Thursday passage of the GOP's spending bill symbolizes a 'dark day for rural America,' citing cuts to federal funding for medical centers and hospitals in remote areas. 'While Republicans celebrate the passage of the largest Medicaid cut in history, the Curtis Medical Center in Nebraska announced it will shut down as a result of these horrific cuts — the first of many hospitals to close,' Sanders wrote in a Thursday statement on X. 'This is a dark day for rural America and for our country,' he added. An hour prior, Community Hospital in McCook, Neb., announced its closure. 'Unfortunately, the current financial environment, driven by anticipated federal budget cuts to Medicaid, has made it impossible for us to continue operating all of our services, many of which have faced significant financial challenges for years,' Troy Bruntz, President and CEO of Community Hospital, said in a news release, according to Nebraska Public Media. Six of the state's hospitals could be forced to close due to provisions in the 'big, beautiful bill.' 'We currently have six hospitals that that we feel are in a critical financial state, three that are in an impending kind of closure or conversion over to the rural emergency hospital model,' Jed Hansen, executive director for the Nebraska Rural Health Association, said during a meeting this week, as reported by Nebraska Public Media. 'We would likely see the closures within a year to two years of once [the bill is] fully enacted.' Other states are facing similar shutdowns due to reduced funding under the Republican backed bill approved by Congress. A total of 760 hospitals are at risk of closure nationwide, according to Becker's Hospital Review. Fifteen hospitals in New York are also at risk of closure in GOP districts, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute.
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Bernie Sanders blasts Paramount, says lawsuit settlement will further embolden Trump to attack media
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., blasted Paramount Global on Wednesday for settling President Donald Trump's 'election interference' lawsuit against CBS over the network's handling of a '60 Minutes' interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Sanders previously urged Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone not to settle the lawsuit he called an 'attack on the First Amendment' but to no avail. The company agreed to an eight-figure payment and changes to its editorial policy on Tuesday night in what media critics called a shameful capitulation. 'The decision by the Redstone family, the major owners of Paramount, to settle a bogus lawsuit with President Trump over a 60 Minutes report he did not like is an extremely dangerous precedent in terms of both the First Amendment and government extortion,' Sanders said to begin his scathing statement. 5 Bernie Sanders (I-VT) visits 'Special Report with Bret Baier' at FOX News D.C. Bureau on May 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Getty Images 'Paramount's decision will only embolden Trump to continue attacking, suing and intimidating the media which he has labeled 'the enemy of the people.' It is a dark day for independent journalism and freedom of the press — an essential part of our democracy,' Sanders continued. 'It is a victory for a president who is attempting to stifle dissent and undermine American democracy. Trump will receive $16 million upfront. This will cover legal fees, costs of the case, and contributions to his future presidential library or charitable causes, to be determined at Trump's discretion. There is an anticipation that there will be another allocation in the mid-eight figures set aside for advertisements, public service announcements, or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network in the future, Fox News Digital has learned. Current Paramount management disputes the additional allocation, but a long-planned merger with Skydance Media is set to put new leadership in place. 5 A general view of a Paramount sign at the Paramount offices located at 1515 Broadway or One Astor Plaza in New York, NY as seen on June 13, 2025. Christopher Sadowski 'It's pretty obvious why Paramount chose to surrender to Trump. The Redstone family is in line to receive $2.4 billion from the sale of Paramount to Skydance, but they can only receive this money if the Trump administration approves this deal. In other words, the Redstone family diminished the freedom of the press today in exchange for a $2.4 billion payday,' Sanders added. 'Make no mistake about it. Trump is undermining our democracy and rapidly moving us towards authoritarianism and the billionaires who care more about their stock portfolios than our democracy are helping him do it,' Sanders added. 'That is beyond unacceptable.' A source familiar with Paramount's current leadership told Fox News Digital that only the initial $16 million was sanctioned by the official mediator, and they had no knowledge of any deal Trump may have made with incoming ownership. 5 President Donald Trump speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. AP Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also took to X to accuse Paramount of taking a 'bribe' and threatened future federal charges. 'Paramount just paid Trump a bribe for merger approval. When Democrats retake power, I'll be first in line calling for federal charges. In the meantime, state prosecutors should make the corporate execs who sold out our democracy answer in court, today,' Wyden posted. Paramount insisted it was business as usual when asked about statements made by Sanders and Wyden. 5 U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders speaks during a stop in the Fighting the Oligarchy tour at the McAllen Performing Arts Center on Friday, June, 20, 2025, in McAllen, Texas. AP 'Companies often settle litigation to avoid the high and somewhat unpredictable costs of legal defense, the risk of an adverse judgment that could result in significant financial or reputational damage, and the disruption to business operations that prolonged legal battles can cause. Settlement offers a negotiated resolution that allows companies to focus on their core objectives rather than being mired in uncertainty and distraction,' a Paramount spokesperson told Fox News Digital. A source close to Trump mocked the liberal lawmakers. 'The socialists of the Democrat Party, like Sanders and Wyden, have rarely seen a business transaction where they didn't want a full government intervention. President Trump is running circles around them and all they do is cry,' the source told Fox News Digital. 5 President Donald Trump meets with Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, and Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. AP Trump's legal team took a victory lap after the settlement was announced. 'With this record settlement, President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit. CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle. 'President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American People as he continues on his singular mission to Make America Great Again,' a spokesperson for Trump's legal team told Fox News Digital.
The Hill
4 days ago
- The Hill
Sanders on Paramount-Trump settlement: ‘A dark day' for independent journalism
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) blasted Paramount Global after the company agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump. The settlement comes as Paramount is working to secure a multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance, a deal that will need approval from Trump's government regulators to go through. 'It is a dark day for freedom of the press. Paramount's decision to settle with Trump will only embolden him to continue his attack on the media,' Sanders wrote in a statement on Wednesday. 'Trump is undermining our democracy and moving us towards authoritarianism, and the billionaires are helping him do it.' Trump had sued Paramount and CBS News over a '60 Minutes' interview it conducted with former Vice President Kamala Harris last fall, a conversation the president's attorneys alleged was intentionally edited to cast her in a more coherent light. Many legal observers saw the president's case as on shaky ground, though rumors of a settlement between the two sides had percolated in media and political circles of weeks. As part of the settlement, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to Trump's future presidential library and release full transcripts of future presidential candidates. Sanders is not the only lawmaker blasting Paramount over its settlement. Sen. Ron Wyden (R-Ore.) issued a statement of his own calling the agreement a 'bribe' and vowing an investigation into the matter. 'When Democrats retake power, I'll be first in line calling for federal charges,' he said. 'In the meantime, state prosecutors should make the corporate execs who sold out our democracy answer in court, today.'
