School Board Resumes Prayer Before Meetings

Religious Freedom, , ,

In March we wrote about how the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened to sue the Harrison School Board over the board’s practice of opening meetings with prayer.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote that, “It is coercive, embarrassing, and intimidating for non-religious citizens to be required to make a public showing of their nonbelief (by not rising or praying) or else to display deference toward a religious sentiment in which they do not believe, but which their board members clearly do.”

According to the Baxter Bulletin, the Harrison School Board decided unanimously to continue opening meetings with prayer after the board researched the legality of the practice.

As we have said before, the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts have ruled time and time again that it is constitutional for these sorts of meetings to begin with prayer.

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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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