Report: Lottery Scholarship Funding Down From Last Year

Arkansas Lottery

This week the Arkansas Lottery released its financial report for the month of March.

The report shows the Arkansas Lottery took in roughly $43.4 million, but paid out $6.2 million to scholarships–about 14 cents of every dollar.

Overall, despite being the Arkansas Lottery’s most lucrative month this fiscal year, the Lottery’s scholarship budget was very weak.

In fact, lottery scholarship funds are down nearly $3 million so far this fiscal year over this time last year.

Below is a breakdown of the Lottery’s income and scholarship funding since Fiscal Year 2017 began last summer:

Month Gross Lottery Revenue Paid to Scholarships % Gross Revenue
July $38,237,293.92 $8,714,386.39 22.8%
August 35,091,022.09 5,498,714.86 15.7%
September 33,113,391.64 5,773,076.42 17.4%
October 34,061,993.14 5,165,040.54 15.2%
November 37,042,079.72 6,570,979.51 17.7%
December 35,352,159.35 4,596,532.22 13.0%
January, 2017 37,062,291.39 7,947,546.21 21.4%
February 41,176,854.60 6,698,099.62 16.3%
March 43,405,541.56 6,204,704.75 14.3%
Total $334,542,627.41 $57,169,080.52 17.1%

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Target CEO Admits Bathroom Policy Announcement Was a Mistake

Transgender, , ,

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Target’s CEO does not seem to regret the company’s decision to invite men into the women’s changing areas and restrooms at its stores–but he does regret the fact the policy was so widely publicized.

You may recall last year Target announced on its website that customers and employees at its stores would be able to use the changing areas and restrooms of their choice rather than their biological sex.

Many people expressed public safety concerns about this decision, and more than a million people signed agreements to boycott Target.

Target has suffered financially since. Today, the American Family Association writes, “Target’s stock has lost 35% of its value, and shuttered plans for major expansion projects.”

Now Target’s CEO Brian Cornell admits, “Target didn’t adequately assess the risk [about publicizing the policy], and the ensuing backlash was self-inflicted.”

Of course, Target has not changed its policy as of today, and nearly 1.5 million Americans are still boycotting the retail chain as a result.

You can sign the pledge to boycott Target here.

You can read the Wall Street Journal article here (subscription required).

You can read more about this story here.

 

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Family Council Signs Letter Urging Congress to De-Fund Planned Parenthood

Abortion, , ,

Family Council has always opposed abortion and has always believed that public funds should never be used to pay for abortion or subsidize abortion providers.

This week we joined other pro-life organizations in signing a letter urging Congress to redirect public funding from Planned Parenthood–the nation’s largest abortion provider–to other clinics and organizations that do not perform abortions.

The letter reads in part,

It is time for Congress to re-direct funds away from Planned Parenthood. Instead, fund community health centers, which outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities by at least 20 to one and offer a full range of primary health care, unlike Planned Parenthood.

Others who signed the letter include Tony Perkins of Family Research Council; Paul Weber of Family Policy Alliance; Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life; and many others.

You can read the entire letter here.

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