Carhartt to Expand in Michigan with Nearly $1 Million of Taxpayer Help

Michigan-based outdoor and recreation clothier Carhartt was granted $937,500 of taxpayer money to expand its facilities in Dearborn.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says the Michigan Economic Development Corp. investment will create 125 new jobs and spark a $4.67 million capital investment.

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Beacon Center’s 2022 Pork Report Identifies Three Biggest Wastes of Taxpayer Money in East Tennessee

In its annual Pork Report published earlier this week, the Beacon Center of Tennessee highlighted three areas of waste, fraud, and abuse of Tennessee taxpayer money in East Tennessee. The report specifically identified the issues of the city of Knoxville’s lawsuit against Netflix and Hulu, synthetic turf athletic fields in Johnson City, and pickleball courts in Bristol.

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Beacon Center’s 2022 Pork Report Addresses Vehicle Registration Fee Increase, Homeless Pods, and Planned Parenthood Funding in Middle Tennessee

In its annual Pork Report, the Beacon Center of Tennessee highlighted three areas of waste, fraud, and abuse of Tennessee taxpayer money in Middle Tennessee. The report specifically identified the issues of unused homeless pods in Nashville, raised vehicle registration fees in place of emissions testing, and the funding of a grant for Planned Parenthood.

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New Sports Stadium Plans in Tennessee Wins Beacon Center’s ‘Pork of the Year’

Nissan Stadium

In its annual Pork Report highlighting waste, fraud, and abuse of Tennessee taxpayer money, the Beacon Center of Tennessee identified 2022’s ‘Pork of the Year’ – the biggest waste of taxpayer money – as the funding and proposals of many sports stadiums across the state.

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Commentary: An American Tradition Is Chronic Anti-Poverty Waste via the Federal-to-Local Distribution Pipeline

For six years, beginning in 2014, the accounting firm for the Southeast Alabama Community Action Partnership warned administrators that the organization was doing a poor job of managing the millions of dollars in taxpayer money it received annually for its poverty-reduction work, including home energy assistance and foster grandparenting.  

In 2018, a longtime employee filed a federal complaint alleging that the group spent public money profligately on extravagant travel and for other unauthorized purposes, and that it retaliated against employees who questioned its financial practices. 

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Americans for Prosperity Calls Out Oracle for Reported Layoffs While Receiving Taxpayer Money

Following a report that tech company Oracle has begun laying off workers from its Nashville location, the libertarian conservative political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity is calling on state and local leaders to scrutinize the company especially after it received “nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in taxpayer money.”

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Some Michigan Schools Keep Mum on COVID Relief Spending

Theoretically, taxpayers should be able to see how Michigan schools are spending $5.7 billion of taxpayer money to recover from COVID-19-related learning loss.

But an investigation by The Center Square through more than 80 records requests to schools statewide shows how difficult it can be to obtain itemized COVID spending records. Many schools never responded to an initial Freedom of Information Act request.

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Policy Group Questions Incentive Packages for Ohio’s Intel Plant

When President Biden signed the CHIPS Act into law Tuesday, it most likely meant a third round of government incentives for Intel and it’s planned $20 billion semiconductor plant in central Ohio, leaving some concerned with the amount of taxpayer money being funneled to the company.

The signing opened $52 billion to companies producing semiconductor chips and another $10 billion to create regional technology hubs across the country. That’s on top of at least $2 billion in initial state incentives for Intel, and an unknown second round of state money.

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Hospitality Sector Set to Receive New Round of State Funding

The hospitality industry in Connecticut will be benefiting from new state funding.

Restaurants, hotels, transportation agencies, and other businesses will receive a share of $30 million in grant funding, Gov. Ned Lamont said, under the Connecticut Hospitality Industry Support Program.

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Ducey Appeals Ruling Against Arizona’s Limiting COVID Relief to Open Schools

Gov. Doug Ducey is appealing a federal judge’s decision blocking his decision to withhold federal COVID-19 relief to unopened schools. 

While Arizona had lifted all mask mandates in April 2021, some schools still maintained a mask requirement.

To incentivize the removal of classroom mask policies, Ducey restricted a $163 million aid package to maskless, opened schools. The aid amounts to $1,080 per student. The state funding came from the $2 billion in federal stimulus money from the American Recovery Plan Act.

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Minnesota Governments and Associations Spent $10 Million Lobbying in 2020

Local governments are spending more taxpayer money on lobbying year-over-year, according to a report released Thursday by State Auditor Julie Blaha.

“Over the past five years, local government expenditures have increased by 11 percent on staff and contract lobbyists,” Blaha said in a statement. “When adjusted for inflation, the increase is approximately 4 percent.”

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DeWine Offers Taxpayer Money for Giveaways to Vaccinated Ohioans

In a state-wide address, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday that individuals who get vaccinated will be entered for a chance to win a drawing of $1 million — 5 different winners will be selected. 

DeWine noted that the money to be given away comes from federal Coronavirus Relief funds. 

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A New Report Details How Nonprofits Are Funneling Millions To Democratic Governors To Further Their Global Warming Agenda

by Michael Bastach   California Governor Jerry Brown’s upcoming global warming activist summit is part of an effort to funnels millions of dollars from nonprofits to state politicians to advance a liberal climate agenda, according to a new report. Brown’s so-called “Global Climate Action Summit” begins on Wednesday, and is…

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