Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders initiates Community Assistance Grant Program
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Monday that her office was initiating a program to fill funding gaps in the state.
The announcement stated the $15 million program would provide Community Assistance Grants for projects that reduce poverty, promote self-sufficiency and revitalize communities. Sanders' office is working with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to develop and administer the program.
Gov. Sanders vetoes two bills on last day of legislative session
The governor's office is seeking the Arkansas Legislative Council's approval of the program's required $15 million.
Officials said that under the program, community-based nonprofits and cities will be able to apply for up to $1.5 million grants per fiscal year to support quality of life. Food banks and foster care support were among the examples of programs the grants would support.
Applicants will be required to match grant awards with cash, in-kind labor, or in-kind land. Match amount determination is on a case-by-case basis during the application review process.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces plan to remove sugary foods from SNAP
The application period will be from May 19 through July 31, and funding award announcements are expected in early Fall 2025.
'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,' the governor said. 'The goal of the Community Assistance Grant program is to fund programs that are making a real difference in Arkansans' lives.'
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs bill blocking PBM ownership of pharmacies into law
Additional information on the program is available at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission's website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Senator Bernie Sanders calls for Red Sox and Aramark to ‘immediately bargain in good faith' with unionized Fenway Park workers
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Represented by the UNITE HERE Local 26, the more than 1,000 cashiers, beer vendors, souvenir shop staff and other workers are pushing for higher wages— Advertisement Sanders said entry-level concession employees were earning 'poverty-level wages' for the Boston area while Fenway's 'aggressive' use of Advertisement 'These machines are not only harming your workers, they are undermining the experience of attending a game at historic Fenway Park,' wrote Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who has built his career on advocating for worker rights. 'I have serious concerns about aggressive automation at the ballpark and what that means for the livelihoods of your workers and the fans they serve.' A spokesperson for Fenway Sports Group declined to comment on the letter. (John Henry, the principal owner of Fenway Sports Group, also owns The Boston Globe.) Spokespeople for Aramark did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Representatives of Aramark, which runs the concessions at Fenway and MGM Music Hall, and the union have had negotiating sessions, including one this week, but remain far apart on a contract, Carlos Aramayo, president of UNITE HERE Local 26, told the Globe. 'We're dollars not cents apart on the wage issue and we've not reached I think any understanding on how to limit or be thoughtful about technology in the ballpark,' Aramayo said. 'It definitely feels like, unless something shifts quickly, I don't see how we're not in a strike situation.' Aramayo said Sanders' office reached out to the union about the dispute and held a Zoom meeting with some workers on Monday. 'We're not just fighting for our jobs, we're fighting for Fenway Park and we're fighting for baseball, and like the soul of the park is being sucked out with the AI,' Laura Crystal, an 18-year-concession stand worker, told Sanders in Sanders told them he attended a Red Sox game at Fenway last season and 'the workers who were there were really great.' Advertisement 'Fenway is an historical place and it's part of American history and we don't want to lose what it is,' Sanders said on the video. In his letter, Sanders highlighted the rising value of the Red Sox franchise— 'If you can afford to sign a $120 million three-year contract for your injured third baseman, you can afford to treat all of your hard-working and dedicated workers at Fenway Park with the dignity and respect they deserve,' Sanders wrote, referencing Jim Puzzanghera can be reached at
CNBC
2 hours ago
- CNBC
Trump's ‘no tax on tips' sparks questions for workers: ‘We're looking at a crystal ball,' expert says
President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill" includes a section called "no tax on tips" — an idea that both Republicans and Democrats floated during the 2024 that the provision has been enacted, questions remain about how the tax break works and who qualifies. Despite its name, "no tax on tips" doesn't eliminate tax on tips, which are still subject to payroll and state taxes. Instead, it's a deduction worth up to $25,000. The tax break is available from 2025 through 2028. It phases out, or gets reduced, once modified adjusted gross income exceeds $150,000. However, the IRS needs to clarify which occupations qualify, which is expected to come in early October, according to the agency. Meanwhile, "we're looking at a crystal ball" for guidance, said Larry Gray, a Missouri-based certified public accountant who serves as IRS liaison for the National Association of Tax Professionals. More from Personal Finance:Trump's 'big beautiful bill' caps student loans. What it means for youWhy 22 million people may see a 'sharp' increase in health premiums in 2026Trump's 'big beautiful bill' cuts SNAP for millions of families: Report In 2023, there were roughly 4 million U.S. workers in tipped occupations, representing 2.5% of all employment, according to estimates from The Budget Lab at Yale University. The cohort of workers who qualify for the tax break is even smaller — actors, musicians and singers, directors and playwrights — are included among the professions that are already prohibited under the legislation's text. Here's a breakdown of what to know about Trump's tip deduction. As written, "qualified tips" are cash tips an employee earns. This includes tips a customer offers in cash or added to a credit card charge, as well as payouts under a tip-sharing arrangement. Yet, the law also says that the tip must be paid voluntarily and determined by the customer or payor, which can put other forms of gratuities or mandatory service charges in question. "It's an entirely voluntary transaction," said Alex Muresianu, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation. For example, the definition may exclude mandatory service fees, such as an automatic gratuity a restaurant might tack on for a large dining party. "Based on the plain text of the law, it's hard to argue that that's something that's given voluntarily," said certified financial planner and enrolled agent Ben Henry-Moreland, a certified financial planner with advisor platform who analyzed the legislation. To qualify for the deduction, tips must be "properly reported," according to Melanie Lauridsen, AICPA's vice president of tax policy & advocacy. That means employers must report the worker's tips on so-called information returns — such as Form W-2 or 1099 — with a copy going to the employee and the IRS. However, Trump's legislation also increased the income thresholds for certain information returns. That could raise eligibility questions for tipped workers who don't get a form. For example, Form 1099-K reports business transactions from apps, such as PayPal or Venmo, along with gig economy platforms like Uber or Lyft. For 2025, the 1099-K reporting threshold returns to $20,000 and200 transactions. Previously, the threshold was $2,500 for 2025. Starting in 2026, the threshold for 1099-NEC, which reports contract income, jumps from $600 to $2,000. However, there is also uncertainty about whether workers fully disclose cash tips to their employer and the IRS. "The elephant in the room around this whole 'no tax on tips' provision is, so many tips go unreported to begin with," said Henry-Moreland.
Axios
4 hours ago
- Axios
Court upholds Arkansas' school indoctrination bans
Arkansas' bans on critical race theory instruction and "indoctrination" in schools held up in court this week. The big picture: A three-judge panel from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the bans do not violate students' free speech rights because the government can lawfully dictate what is taught in schools, the Arkansas Advocate reported. Zoom in: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' sweeping education law, the LEARNS Act of 2023, includes a section on "prohibited indoctrination." It's defined as communication by a public school employee or guest speaker that compels a person to adopt, affirm or profess an idea that people of a legally protected group like race, sex or religion are inherently superior or inferior or that people of a protected group should be discriminated against. The law specifically calls critical race theory "prohibited indoctrination." Context: Critical race theory holds that racism is baked into the formation of the nation and ingrained in the U.S. legal, financial and education systems, Axios' Russell Contreras writes. It was developed in law schools in the late 1970s and early 1980s and does not teach that members of any race, group, religion or nationality are superior. Some scholars argue that race-based policies, like affirmative action, or those that take race into account, like redistricting protections, are needed to address racial inequity. Flashback: U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rudofsky temporarily halted implementation of the indoctrination section of LEARNS from going into effect in May 2024. What they're saying: The First Amendment right to receive information doesn't authorize a court to require the state to retain curriculum materials or instruction, even if information was removed for political reasons the Arkansas Advocate reported.
