Midwest
I am working hard to phase out my state's income tax. Here's why
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Who do you trust to handle your money: the government or yourself? Personally, I think you handle your money better than politicians ever could.
That’s why I entered office promising to responsibly phase out our state income tax. That’s why I’ve already worked with our legislature to cut taxes twice during my first year in office, returning more than $300 million to taxpayers.
And that’s why I called a special session of the Arkansas legislature this week to cut taxes again. Republicans and Democrats came together to shave $384 million off our personal income tax and nearly $100 million off our corporate income tax, putting nearly half a billion dollars back where it belongs: with the people of Arkansas.
1.1 million Arkansans will benefit from these tax cuts — the majority of taxpayers in our state.
ARKANSAS GOV. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS SIGNS INCOME, PROPERTY TAX CUTS INTO LAW
Imagine a husband and wife who are just starting out as public school teachers. Thanks to Arkansas LEARNS, their starting salaries are now $50,000 each. And thanks to the three tax cuts I’ve signed, they will now take home $954 more of their paychecks each year. That’s extra money for rent, a car payment, or their grocery bills — more money for them, and more money in our economy stimulating growth.
Arkansas’ economy is at a crossroads. On the one hand, thanks to our pro-growth policies, more Arkansans are working than ever before, our population and economy are growing, and the credit rating agency S&P just upgraded Arkansas’ outlook from “stable” to “positive” — one of only six states to receive that rating. On the other hand, families and businesses alike are facing headwinds from Washington’s economic mismanagement.
Prices are up 20% since President Biden took office and lit trillions of taxpayer dollars on fire, causing an inflationary spiral we haven’t seen since Jimmy Carter was president. The average Arkansas family has to pay nearly $800 more a month to make the same purchases they were making when Joe Biden took his oath of office. Eggs cost nearly twice as much, chicken prices have gone up over 25% and bread is 30% more expensive.
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Democrats in Washington drove our economy off the rails, making sound stewardship in Little Rock even more important. I’m proud that in my first 18 months in office, we slowed the growth of government spending to only 1.76% — below the 3% annual growth we’ve averaged in recent years — and passed those savings along to taxpayers. Our state income tax is now only 3.9%, and our state corporate income tax is only 4.3%. With extra money in their pockets, Arkansans have more ability to cover the higher cost of everyday items.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks about tax cut bills while flanked by state Sen. Jonathan Dismang, left, R-Beebe, Speaker of the House Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, rear center, and state Sen. Steve Crowell, R-Magnolia, during a news conference at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Wednesday. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
Our state borders Tennessee and Texas — zero income tax states — and hemorrhaged families and businesses to those competitors. Today, the reverse is true: of the Southern states that levy an income tax, Arkansas has the lowest.
Now that we’re competing on a level playing field, businesses and people are flocking to our state. Mississippi County, Arkansas, is now the top steel-producing county in America, Camden, Arkansas, is home to expanded facilities for defense companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and Walmart — the largest company in the world — is putting the finishing touches on its new and expanded headquarters in Bentonville.
Last week, I joined business owners in Central Arkansas to celebrate two expansions that invested more than $330 million and will pave the way for more than 900 jobs. In total, my administration collaborated with companies to secure more than $1 billion in investment last year.
Polls show that Americans are fed up with Democrats in Washington. After three years of economic failure, that’s not surprising. The good news is there’s another option: fiscal responsibility, smaller government and lower taxes. It’s working in Arkansas. It’s working in other Republican-led states. And if it’s put in place in Washington, it will revive our national economy.
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Detroit, MI
Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park
Vigil held in Detroit for woman fatally shot by ICE agent in Minnesota
People gather at Detroit’s Clark Park on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 to host a vigil for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The name Renee Nicole Good bounced off the buildings of southwest Detroit as hundreds marched on the evening of Friday, Jan. 9, following Good’s fatal shooting by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in the week.
A candlelight vigil was held at 6 p.m. at the city’s Clark Park in memory of Good, before attendees took off marching down Vernor Highway.
As of 7:30 p.m., the mass crowd had reached Cavalry Street, about half a mile away from the park, and turned, yelling “What do we want? Justice ” and calling for ICE’s ousting from communities.
Good, 37, was in her car when she was shot in the head on Wednesday, Jan.7, by a federal immigration officer in south Minneapolis. She leaves behind three children, ages 6, 12 and 15.
The shooting was recorded by witnesses and heightened political and community tensions over federal immigration enforcement as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration operations. The Trump administration has since said the shooting was done in self-defense, USA TODAY reports.
Protests have occurred in cities across the U.S. since Good’s death, including gatherings in Michigan, and additional demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.
This is a developing story.
Milwaukee, WI
Chief marketing and communication officer named to Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 | Marquette Today
Lynn Griffith, chief marketing and communication officer, was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.
Griffith leads Marquette’s Office of Marketing and Communication, a team of 30 talented professionals who work to elevate and differentiate the Marquette brand via strategy and planning; brand management; media relations; internal communication; presidential communication; social media; issues and crisis management; advertising, digital and creative services; video; and editorial content, including the university’s flagship alumni publication, Marquette Magazine.
Under Griffith’s leadership, Marquette’s marketing and communication team has been recognized for excellence, winning multiple National Collegiate Advertising awards, Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter Paragon Awards. In 2024, the university’s digital storytelling strategy was named a Ragan’s PR Daily award finalist. Marquette is ranked a top 55 most trusted higher education brand in the U.S. by Morning Consult and its social media is No. 5 in the country for higher education social media engagement by RivalIQ.
During her nine years at Marquette, Griffith has been tapped for multiple university initiatives, including co-chairing the university’s Crisis Management Team, co-leading the university’s Convention Steering Committee ahead of Milwaukee hosting the Republican National Convention in 2024, and serving on Mission Priority Examen and presidential inauguration planning committees.
An engaged member of the Milwaukee community, Griffith serves on the board of directors of Menomonee Valley Partners and on the marketing committee of VISIT Milwaukee. She is a member of TEMPO Milwaukee and the Arthur W. Page Society, as well as the Marquette Mentors leadership council, on which she also serves as a mentor. She recently completed the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ 18-month Ignatian Colleagues Program for lay leaders.
Griffith is a two-time graduate of Marquette, earning a Bachelor of Arts in public relations and writing intensive English and a Master of Business Administration.
40 Under 40 honorees were selected based on the impact they have had in their jobs, in the community and on Southeast Wisconsin overall. The Milwaukee Business Journal reviewed hundreds of nominations to curate its 34th 40 Under 40 cohort.
In addition to Griffith, seven alumni were named to the list:
- David Griggs, co-founder of One 5 Olive LLC
- Jordan Komp, senior principal and Milwaukee office director at Thornton Tomasetti Inc.
- Avery Mayne, attorney at von Briesen & Roper, s.c.
- Brian McClaren, principal of H. Knox Development Company
- Emily Tau, director of public affairs for Milwaukee County
- Jessica Shepherd, director of financial planning and analysis at Baird
- Mike Wanezek, partner at Colliers | Wisconsin
The 40 Under 40 honorees will be celebrated in a forthcoming special edition of the Milwaukee Business Journal and at an awards presentation on Wednesday, March 11, at the Baird Center.
Minneapolis, MN
Prosecutors in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division will not investigate Minneapolis ICE shooting, sources say
Prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division were told they will not play a role in the ongoing investigation into a fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Leadership in the Civil Rights Division, overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, informed staff in the division’s criminal section that there would not be an investigation, two sources said. Normally, after a high-profile incident involving a fatal shooting by an officer, attorneys from the criminal section fly out to the scene. Multiple career prosecutors offered to do so in this case, but they were told not to do so, one of the sources added.
While investigations into the excessive use of force can be pursued solely by a U.S. Attorney’s office without direct involvement from the Civil Rights Division, it is customary for the division’s federal prosecutors to take the lead on high-profile investigations like the one in Minnesota.
The decision also raises questions about how far the FBI’s investigation into the shooting will go.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that the FBI was leading the investigation into the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Video footage shows the officer, identified in court records from a prior incident as Jonathan Ross, fired three rounds at the car as Good started to drive away.
The video also appeared to depict the officers did not take immediate steps to ensure that Good received emergency medical care after the shooting took place. A separate video from the scene showed officers stopping a man who claimed to be a doctor from moving toward Good.
The killing has sparked protests nationwide, including in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has argued that Ross was acting in self-defense, and claimed that Good was trying to use her car as a weapon in an act of “domestic terrorism.”
That description sparked immediate backlash from state and city officials, with the mayor of Minneapolis labeling the self-defense claims as “bulls***.”
On Friday, Trump administration officials shared another cellphone video of the incident that sources say was recorded by the ICE officer. The White House argues this video shows Ross was hit by Good’s car.
The Justice Department has stopped short of claiming Ross was acting in self-defense.
But in a statement to CBS News this week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the use of deadly force by law enforcement officials can sometimes be justified.
“Federal agents risk their lives each day to safeguard our communities. They must make decisions, under dynamic and chaotic circumstances, in less time than it took to read this sentence,” Blanche said.
“The law does not require police to gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat of harm. Rather, they may use deadly force when they face an immediate threat of significant physical harm,” he added.
The criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division specializes in investigating and prosecuting constitutional violations by law enforcement officers.
Some of the most common investigations involve excessive use of force, but can also include other things such as sexual misconduct, false arrests or deliberate indifference to serious medical needs.
One of the most famous civil rights prosecutions by the section in recent years took place in Minneapolis, after former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in May 2020.
Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving, while acting under color of law, Floyd’s constitutional rights, as well as the rights of a 14-year-old boy.
Since President Trump took office last year, the Civil Rights Division has scaled back its work on excessive force prosecutions, according to legal experts.
Last year, it sought to downplay the conviction of a former Louisville police officer who was convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights and asked a federal judge to sentence him to serve just one day in prison.
The judge ultimately sentenced him to serve 33 months.
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